Life Sentence: Review

Last night after I shoveled probably a foot of snow, I warmed up under blankets and watched Life Sentence, starring Lucy Hale. I like her personality, although I’m not entirely familiar with her acting credentials. Pretty Little Liars is in my Netflix queue. (I know, some of you reading this are shocked that I didn’t watch it while it aired, however, for those of you who know me and have followed PXC for a while, that’s a recurring theme...Gilmore Girls, Parks and Rec, 30 Rock, etc.).

My boyfriend joined me, which was a surprise probably for both of us. I wasn’t sure if this show would be his thing. When he chuckled for the first time, I turned and stared. By the end of the show I lost count of his laughter.

This Dramedy, which I think is my favorite type of show at the moment, delivered. It wasn’t Shakespeare but it doesn't have to be. This tells the story of Stella, a young woman who battled cancer for 8 years and lived her life as though she was dying. She was given the great but shocking news that in fact she was cured and is no longer facing imminent death.

While this seems like a major cause for joy, once reality set in, Stella discovers her life is not at all what she believed it to be. Her family put on a good show for her while hiding their darker secrets. Her newlywed husband lived a few exaggerated lies just to keep her happy.  Considering they thought she only had months to live, he thought nothing of, for example, eating hard boiled eggs every morning, or listening to Sara Bareilles during their nightly passionate sex- capades.

I enjoyed the character development and subtle nuances that the creators put in. Stella’s  brother Aiden hides gnomes around the yard, her sister Elizabeth hands Stella a bag of her nieces poop after she swallows her wedding ring, are just a few examples of the comical but authentic actions for these characters.

Now, I don’t want to give you spoilers because that’s  never nice. But I will say that I was just as surprised as Stella was when her family revealed their true nature to her. As seen in the picture below, Stella returns to the hospital with a bottle of wine after a shit-show of a celebration party. Oddly, the hospital room that once belonged to her seems to be her only normal she recognizes as a place of solace.

The world can be difficult to navigate. Stella lived her life to the fullest thinking she was on borrowed time. Now, that this isn’t the case, Stella must figure out how to live long-term. Does that mean college, joining the workforce, and how is her marriage going to hold up? All these uncertainties has her freaking out more so than when her life was set to a timer.

So my friends, I will be tuning in to the show next week and I believe that Cody will too. I enjoyed the dialogue and thought the overall concept was unique. I’ll be sure to take some notes as I’m in the process of writing my own dramedy pilot. Who knows maybe by next year CW will have another should-be hit show.

Did you watch Life Sentence, what did you think? Tell Pixie Chick in the comments below!


Love,
Holly xo

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HOLLY WILLIAMS

Holly Williams is Executive Producer and owner of Pixie Chick Productions. She loves Disney movies (still), Tina Fey (of course), and feeling cultured…(think Fraiser Crane) all things art, film, music, and food! Holly has been writing screenplays since she was 13, has her MFA in creative writing, and is still perfecting her Oscar speech. She is thankful to be surrounded by such loyal, talented, and fabulous friends and family...who really are one in the same. Follow Holly on instagram @hollawilliams55 and twitter @hollawilliams