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Chasing Life

Chasing Life- Unplanned Parenthood (1×07)

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Fighting cancer, freezing eggs, getting a byline, keeping the cancer/sister secret from some of your loved ones and saying goodbye to your boyfriend. All in a days work for April Carver. But time is running out and in just a short ten days, her life is about to be flipped upside down.

I love the fact that the show is taking time to let April enjoy her life pre-chemo and for us to get to enjoy it with her. I’m glad they didn’t just jump right in and bombard us with all the cancer treatments because we wouldn’t be able to fall in love with the character properly and feel like we’re all on this journey together. Because we are. April is our friend, our friend with cancer whose teaching us all a thing or two about living it up. You know what Leo Hendrie always says, “you never fully live until you know your going to die”.

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Another takeaway lesson— honesty is hard, especially when the truth hurts someone close to you. That’s why April still hasn’t told Dominic about her cancer. The time is never right–the truth hurts–it’s too early in the relationship–What if it scares him away? Those are all the thoughts going through April’s mind and their all appropriate. When Lawrence offers Dominic a once in a lifetime opportunity— Daft Punk needs a rock journalist to document their Europe tour for the next four months— April realizes she can’t tell him about the cancer anytime soon. It wouldn’t be fair to strip Dominic of such a great chance and it wouldn’t be fair to drop a cancer bombshell on him right before he goes and ruin his whole trip. Instead, the two decided to temporarily call things off. Dominic will go on his Europe rock tour adventure and April will begin chemo and learn to deal with cancer at her own pace. Didn’t see that coming did ya? I didn’t.

April visited a fertility doctor and talked to her about freezing her eggs until the chemo was over. The procedure looked promising. The only downside? It wasn’t covered by insurance and cost a whopping $5,000. That’s a lot for a beginning reporter to take on. Despite the cost, April was set on having the procedure done, which postponed chemo for another ten days. In the meantime, she concentrated heavily on her job, which some might say is foolish considering she might have only a limited life-time left, but try telling a journalist not to pursue a story. It’s not worth it.

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Before writing her truthful expose on Bruce Hendrie’s involvement with some frat-type of charity house, she asked Leo for permission. After the two formed a little friendship, she didn’t want to hurt his feelings exposing his father for being a shitty human to the public. But you know what Leo always says, freedom of knowledge! The public has a right to know the truth. After pitching the story, Lawrence told April that this might be her big break. Raquel was assigned to supervise April and after reading her first draft she basically tore it up and told her it sounded like she wrote it on the train that morning. This might just be Raquel trying desperately to sabotage April because she knows she’s good.  If she wanted to get it into print, she would have to revise the whole piece in an hour. Piece of cake….. not. Raquel was sure April wouldn’t be able to pull it off. But she was wrong. With a little help from Danny’s tribal music, April banged out a revised version, which got Lawrence’s seal of approval and landed April her first byline! Score! With her day going super good, April got ready for her date with Dominic before getting a text that she had to come down to the office because something was wrong with her story. When she there, she was surprised by a “congratulations on your byline” party thrown by Dominic and he invited everyone from Brenna, Beth, his roommate, to Leo!

April admitted that seeing Leo and Dominic at the same party given the whole car-jacking-kiss but Leo assured her that he was just here to have a good time and that he tried kissing like 10 other girls since then. Living it up right? Everyone indulged in a game of never have I ever, which was fun, but I kind of assumed maybe somehow, April would spill that she was sick. I was wrong. I’m kind of upset that she withheld that information from Dominic, but I do understand that it’ll only have a greater shock value when he comes back from his excursion and finds out she’s been gone from work. The drinking game also inadvertently revealed that Leo was crushing/attracted to April. It’s no secret he’s dying and wants to have fun, but he’s also totally into April and she might be a little into him too. When her and Dominic go on their break, I wouldn’t be surprised if she and Leo start hooking up. What does it matter anyways right? They might as well. He only has a couple of months to live, which is the shitty part.

Lawrence popped by the party and told April that now that he knew she could deliver he would be relying on her more. April thought this was the perfect time to tell her boss that she would need some time off. At first Lawrence seemed shocked by her request, but after finding out it was due to medical reasons, he was surprisingly okay with it. Maybe he isn’t such a monster after all.

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The party was pretty successful for everyone. Dominic landed the job, but temporarily lost the girl. Beth ended up sleeping with Dom’s weirdo roommate who hates kale. Brenna realized she had feelings for Greer and went by her mansion to apologize again for hooking up with Kieran on her bed, before telling her she likes her and going in for the kiss. Not sure how she’ll go about telling Kieran, but more power to her.

Brenna also snooped around in her sisters work drawer and found a picture of her father with Natalie. Not being able to lie anymore, April had to tell her sister that their father had an affair and they had a step sister they never knew about. Honestly, the timing of this really sucks. How do you even break that kind of news to your mother whose having a hard time dealing with the fact that her daughter has cancer? It sucks when your 24-year-old daughter is diagnosed, but it’s even worse that she’s an adult and doesn’t have to listen to you. Obviously her mother wants her to start chemo as soon as possible, but April has other priorities—like finding out if she has something to look forward to in the future. A future she might not have without chemo. I see both sides. John decides that maybe taking Sarah to a cancer-caregivers mixer would help, but it doesn’t as most people there don’t want to talk about cancer. The mixer is the only time they don’t have to deal with it, which doesn’t give Sarah much hope. Screaming about it aggressively seems to do the trick though.

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The ending of this episode was really satisfactory. I expected April to be upset that Dominic was going to leave her while she was going to endure the hardest moments of her life, but instead, I got a happy ending. April got a call from the fertility doctor to set up treatment and also to inform her that her payment was covered by an anonymous donor. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that Leo paid her bill. He’s rich, he’s got more money then time and a crush. Plus, he knows April deserves to get everything she wants. So thank you writers for also turning to the negatives into positives on this show. It reminds me that even after all the rain, there is a rainbow.

 

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Lizzy Buczak is the founder of CraveYouTV. What started off as a silly blog in her sophomore year at Columbia College Chicago turned her passion for watching TV into an opportunity! She has been in charge of CraveYou since 2011, writing reviews and news content for a wide variety of shows. Lizzy is a Music Business and Journalism major who has written for RADIO.COM, TV Fanatic, Time Out Chicago, Innerview, Pop’stache and Family Time.

Chasing Life

Chasing Life Canceled After 2 Seasons!

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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!

 

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Chasing Life

Chasing Life- La Dolce Vita (2×13)

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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!

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Chasing Life

Chasing Life- Ready Or Not (2×12)

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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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