Chasing Life
Chasing Life- I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (1×04)
One thing April has been doing for the past four episodes is running away from cancer, and chasing the life that she thinks she’s earned. Which I guess fits the title Chasing Life, but what kind of life will she have when the cancer finally catches up with her? After falling asleep on a train and ending up on the other side of town at 1am, she begins to realize that she has to come to terms with being sick and face the cancer, head on.
As a budding journalist, April is constantly in search of her next big story– her next big break. We begin the episode exactly where we left off last week. April is at the anonymous cancer support group when she sees Leo Hendrie, the son of a huge politician she’s hoping to write a piece on. He begins telling the class about the walnut sized brain tumor that has made its epic return. Yikes. You can tell that he’s been through this before because he’s a little nonchalant and humorous about it. That is until he sees April and recognizes her from the motorcycle incident and the Boston Post and thinks she’s attending the meeting as a reporter to get the big scoop. Instead of facing Leo and telling him the truth, April runs off in shame and embarrassment, or something. Sometimes, I really can’t figure out what’s going through that girls mind!
Back at work, April’s senior editor Raquel continues to be a pain in the ass coworker. She gives April a talk about how she never once missed a day of work due to a sickness/doctors appointment– not even when she got her appendix removed. Well, Raquel, I wish April would have dropped the cancer bomb on you because she’s totally entitled to it, but I’m glad April’s above asking for pity because a sickness. She’s not letting it define her and despite all the pointless work Raquel’s given her as she prepares for the huge campaign fundraiser for Bruce Hendrie that she’s scored a press pass too, April thinks of different ways to outshine R. She returns to the next support group meeting, where Leo tells the group she’s a reporter whose stalking him to get a story, which finally forces her to tell everyone she has leukemia. After they’ve talked and become “cancer buddies” she goes for the kill and asks Leo to be put on the guest list for his father’s party. He said he will, and that she should find him at the party, where he’ll even give her an exclusive about his sickness. April is beyond thrilled, but can Leo be trusted? I’m sure most of you wanted to say yes, but we all knew better.
After scoring an invite April faces her biggest problem; what should she wear? And how should she cover up the huge cancer bruise on her back, the next symptom of the cancer worsening. Beth comes by before her job interview with a slew of dress choices, all of which seem to be no good, until she puts on the short-gold dress. Unfortunately attending the fundraiser means that April can’t take her mom to tango classes as promised. She enlists Brenna’s help, who unwillingly agrees to go. You know, after last weeks dinner mishap, I thought maybe Brenna would change her tune but it seems like that’s never going to happen. Brenna made plans with Greer, a preppy lesbian girl at her school who she was partnered up with to work on a history project. Literally, Brenna contributes nothing to the work that they do and isn’t a pleasant friend, acquaintance or human to Greer. She finally challenges her to a game of tennis– loser has to do the project all alone. And of course, she doesn’t play fairly, first making Greer think she’s really terrible at tennis and then whooping her butt. The two develop this odd friendship by the end of the episode, but I don’t think theres any way Brenna can just be nice all the time.
Meanwhile, April attends the gala as the belle of the ball and surprise, Dominic’s there. Despite telling his editor he didn’t want to cover fashion for the night, his editor insisted. April freaks out that Leo will tell Dominic that the two of them met at a cancer support group but thankfully, Leo is smarter then that and realizes April still hasn’t come out about her sickness. He then does a 360-on her and goes up to the podium to introduce his father, announcing the return of his brain tumor. Yeah, the “exclusive” he was going to give April became his public announcement. And just like that April looses her upper hand on Raquel and her big break. When she confronts Leo about it, he admits he was never going to give it to her. He was playing her the way she “played” him and basically calls her out on having her priorities skewed. Hey, dude has a point. She did come to a cancer group and hustle him to get a huge story. Her encounter with Leo is kind of a wake up call. Maybe, at this point in time, getting that huge story isn’t as important as getting to the doctors office for your biopsy April. She drowns her troubles at the bar with Dominic, before heading home, only to get a text from her mother that Brenna never showed for tango.
Enraged she goes home to find Brenna totally oblivious to the fact that she’d just stood their mom up. Already upset, April flips out on Brenna, blurting out that she has cancer. This comes as a total shock to Brenna, obviously. April, visibly surprised by her announcement, leaves to go to “moms stupid tango class” and leaves Brenna with tears in her eyes. Not the best way to tell your little sister you have cancer, but definitely a wake up call for Brenna, whose attitude makes her think she’s entitled to everything and owes everyone nothing. When April shows up at tango, the class has pretty much ended but her mother is grooving on the dance floor with instructor, Maksim Chmerkovisky. Hmm. And we were all worried about mom! Psh!
The next day, April is up bright and early, even before her alarm clock. She’s not going to oversleep her doctors appointment this time. The symptoms have gotten way worse and despite trying to lie to her uncle in order to keep her old life and job, there’s no point anymore. She’s sick and her gums are bleeding, she’s bruising randomly, she’s oversleeping. Whats next? She goes to the face the biopsy alone, which is strong character feature of April’s. She doesn’t like much help from anyone really. But going through something like this alone isn’t the most pleasant experience. As the biopsy begins, Brenna rushes into the room to be by her sisters side. It’s a touching moment seeing both sisters connect and realize that they need to put aside certain things and just be there for each other.
The time is finally coming…. Now that Brenna knows it’s only a matter of time before her mother and grandmother find out. We’ll also hopefully get the results and see what stage of leukemia she has. Will she also tell Dominic? After discussing Leo’s cancer this week, he admitted he wouldn’t be able to handle someone so sick. Will he be able to handle April’s sickness? Will she be able to continue working? Next week seems to be full of answers we’ve so desperately been waiting for.
April Carver just received the worst prognosis of all- Chasing Life has been cancelled by ABC Family after just two seasons.
I, like so many Chasers am seriously upset by this news. What is ABC Family thinking? Why cancel a show that was so unapologetically real and has given viewers an insight into the ups and downs of what it’s like for a young person living with cancer, but shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians get renewed for 11 seasons? What kind of society do we live in?
I’ve read statements and comments that some just thought the show was too depressing but hey, that’s life. Not everything is about what kind of handbag you’re wearing. And most of the time, despite all the crap that was thrown at April, every episode left me with a positive feeling. No moment during the two seasons have been this upsetting- not even Leo’s untimely death. Chasing Life depicted cancer in a way no other drama has before. That has to count for something, right?
Anyways, the drama ended with only 486,000 viewers tuning it, which was a season low.
The showrunner, Patrick Sean Smith told THR that there was still a lot to explore in season 3 like “April’s emotional state and her big decision to end treatment, there’s a lot to explore with Uncle George and the manuscript and the investigation that’s now in play, and then a lot to explore with Brenna and Finn now that Greer is moving back to town, and also what happens with Beth. I mean, everyone’s life is up in the air right now by the end of the second season.”
But, I guess we’re just supposed to be content knowing that April was content with dying in Italy because she lived more life than any other 25-year-old. Maybe she spent the rest of her days with Dominic? Maybe when she died, Beth had her baby and named it April. Who knows… we definitely won’t.
THR reports that the decision to cancel the show comes with ABC Family’s focus to rebrand and its focus on becoming “becomers.” They are adding a Nicki Minaj comedy and a new show, ShadowHunters.
There are a couple of petitions to “renew Chasing Life” circulating online already. Who knows if that will do anything, but we can hope.
Check it out HERE!
Just when you think things are looking up for April, she gets hit with bombshell after bombshell until she finally surrenders. But this can’t be April’s “final chapter” can it? A lot of loose plot lines were tied up at the end of the hour, but of course, those raised new question… and brought a tear or two to the corner of my eye. Damn allergies.
Beth’s Baby- Beth spent most of her time freaking out about the pregnancy. She’s about 6 weeks in now, so thankfully, we can do the math and figure out Josh is the father! That doesn’t put her mind at ease however because now she actually has to tell him. She finally corners him in the bathroom after watering the fikus with about 5 beers. He’s definitely surprised, but tells her he will be by her side no matter what she decides. Gosh, he’s such a standup guy right? Beth eventually goes to Italy with April and makes her decision there- she’s going to keep the baby. It’s a nice juxtaposition; her best friend is dying but she’s bringing a new life into this world. Possibly a beautiful baby girl named April?
Dominic & April- Well, apparently these two are endgame but just because two people want something, doesn’t mean the timing is right. April is still not over Leo and that’s ok. She has every right to mourn her late husband. But she also has every right to move on. I’ll admit, the kiss didn’t do it for me and maybe because I felt April was doing it all out of fear of missing out. However, I’m perfectly content with them as just friends who love each other right now. We need Dominic to help April with whatever comes next.
Uncle George- He kind of put himself in a predicament by telling the Carver women the truth about their dad. He thought he could trust them and most of them he could… but not Olivia and Natalie. They were shopping around Thomas’s book to get “justice.” And if George wouldn’t give them the rights, Olivia threatened to expose him to the cops. Finally, Natalie made the sound choice and put her sisters before this petty family drama. We thought it was all over, until the cops showed up to question him. Did Olivia betray her daughter and screw George over anyways?
April’s cancer- Sad news, her clinical trial didn’t work. The doc tried to keep her positive by saying there were still plenty of options, but the truth is, April is dying. It sucks and it’s depressing, especially when you read an interview that says the original telenovela that CL is based on “Terminales,” has April’s character killed… albeit by bus after beating the cancer. Hopefully, we go a different route, but you have to be realistic- cancer kills people. And it won’t spare April.
April goes to Italy to complete her one last “wish” of traveling the world. That’s when she realizes, by 25, she’s done everything on her bucket list. When she gets the call that the only option left for her is to get the transplant and hope her death isn’t painful, she realizes this is the last chapter in her memoir. I mean, you only write a memoir if you know how it’s going to end, right? Beth begs Ape not to give up but she replies, “It’s not giving up because I’ve already won. I could die happy here.” With that, she looks out into the sunset, while Beth and Dom look at each other concerned. Would they really let April just die without putting up one last fight?
Brenna & Finn… and now Greer- Finn gets super sick because cancer is a bitch and ends up in the hospital. That’s when he breaks up with Brenna and breaks her heart. He has to be focused on getting healthy and she’s kind of doing the opposite. “Maybe it isn’t meant to be,” he wonders, but alas, I think it is. And so does Brenna when she puts two and two together and finds out that she’s Finn’s donor! What are the odds? That kind of puts Greer’s return on the back burner, although Bren was really excited to see her ex, who surprise, is moving back to town! Can’t wait to see that traingle.
Chasing Life hasn’t been renewed for a 3rd season, but I’m seriously hoping this wasn’t actually April’s last chapter. I need to know what happens- the good or the bad. Does George get arrested? Do the Carver’s disown Natalie? Will April fight another day? Will she live out her end in Italy after publishing her memoir? How will Beth’s fashion line go? Will she embrace the pregnancy? Will April & Dominic get together again? Will Brenna and Greer? Will Finn be healthy? Will he find out Brenna is his donor. Listen to me ABC Family- renew this show right now!
Cancer, marriage, babies, high school hook ups- it’s all part of chasing life and it’s quite a beautiful thing. No matter what happens, you can expect this journey of ours never to be boring. I know April can vouch for that.
Since we met April, she’s gone through some drastic transformations. That presented itself this week when she met up with her friend Ellie, who I immediately knew was going to be trouble. Really? Skin cancer scare? Give me a break… I know people are desperate but to stoop THAT low and actually steal someones heart-wrenching diseases. Gross. Of course, instead of getting mad and even, April let nature take its course… well sort of.
April seems to have this stupid luck- when she realizes her book agent, who is really just starting out, hasn’t gotten her a secured deal with BookSmart, she takes matters into her own hands and fakes a seizure to get into a party to meet with the publisher. There she just so happens to run into Raquel, who just so happens to be buddy-buddy with the manager of the whole company. Cha-Ching! When April chats her up, turns out she’s really been invested in Ellie’s book and how she compared “cancer” to “herpes.”
Soon after, April’s chapter of the book leaks to The Post and she’s convinced that Raquel did it to sabotage her. But- she’s wrong! The positive comments on the chapter actually convinced the editor to publish April’s book! Rejoice everyone; April is now a published author! We did it!
And in other April news, she’s finally realizing that she still has feelings for Dominic. I can’t be mad about this though I hoped the writers weren’t going to throw her back into this relationship. Realistically, these two were together and broke up while they still had feelings. Those feelings were never resolved, she just fell deeply in love with Leo. But now that he’s gone, how long can April really mourn? How long can she be single? Be Leo’s widow? Maybe moving on is really the healthiest thing she can do. She isn’t forgetting, but she’s living. She’s chasing life.
Brenna finally succumbed to the cheesiness of milestone moments and asked Finn to go on a date to junior prom. Honestly, how adorable are these two together? After the dance, things get a little awkward when they end up in a room together. Kissing without a mask is dangerous because of Finn’s cancer, but he just wants to feel normal for a night. He wants to feel the high without the lows and who could blame him? So… he goes for it with Brenna. I believe the outcome will be dangerous, but watching them together was magical. Also, we’re getting closer to them finding out that Brenna is actually his donor! Both of them think cilantro tastes like soap. Absurd! Will that bring them closer together?
As for Beth, she’s been sick and emotional… and pregnant! I definitely didn’t see this storyline coming, but I am so excited. There have been little storylines aside from April’s cancer, but none as big as a pregnant best friend. They always say as one life begins, another ends. That’s really true in this case. Unfortunately, as fun as babies are, not knowing who the dad is becomes quite a problem. Especially cause it’s either her ex Grahm who she had a one night stand with or Josh, the dude she’s really falling in love with. I’m secretly hoping it’s Josh’s.
Everyone is chasing life in their own way, even Olivia Ortiz- Natalie’s mom and Thomas’s secret baby momma. Last week, she revealed that she had both parts of her ex’s spy novel and now the agent told April that she was shopping around his father’s book. Does Natalie know? I would think probably not, but her mother is spiteful and she’s definitely going after the money Thomas didn’t leave her, which is really unfortunate for the kids. And also- this is potentially scary for Uncle George, who revealed he pretty much assisted Thomas with his own death. You know, I really liked Natalie and this is pretty upsetting. But can you blame her? She’s the black sheep of the family, was never loved by her dad and her sister stole her BF…. not fun.
Next week is the fall finale. What do you think will be the most explosive part? Are you ready for a Dom and April relationship to heat back up? Will Finn get sick after hooking up with Brenna? Will Greer return?
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