Life Sentence – Pilot

By starrymag | March 14, 2018

By: Nicole Dintelman

 

 

Lucy Hale’s new role as Stella on The CW’s new drama “Life Sentence” is a big one. Stella is dying. At least she thinks she is. She and her husband go to a bakery to get a funeral cake for her living funeral. Stella tells the baker her story. She was diagnosed with cancer and begin living each day like it was her last. The baker is so moved by the story that he gives her the cake for free.

 

Stella’s family has always stood by her during her illness. Her parents even sent her to Paris to find love and that’s where she met her husband, Wes (Elliot Knight). When they married, Stella thought it was only a six-month commitment at most. Wes takes Stella to her doctor’s appointment after they leave the bakery. Her doctor tells her that she’s no longer dying. The treatment they used cured her cancer.

 

At her living funeral, Stella has to tell her family that she’s not dying after all. She’s cured. The family celebrates Stella’s news. Stella’s mom tells her that she should have invited Dr. Chang (Anna Enger). Stella says that she wanted this to just be for family and well Marlene, the woman her brother brought along. Stella tells her mom that she wants to throw Dr. Chang her own party.

 

Elizabeth (Brooke Lyons), Stella’s sister, asks her what she’s going to do with the first day of the rest of her life. Stella says she thinks she might go to college. After the party, Stella asks Wes if her dad seemed weird to him. Wes says that her dad just isn’t an emotional guy. Stella passes on sex for the first time since she and Wes got married. He tries to go to bed without cuddling with her and she’s not having it. She doesn’t want anything to change.

 

Stella heads to her parent’s house the next day and finds out that her mom has left her dad. Her brother, Aiden (Jayson Blair), asks her if she wants a waffle. Yes, that will make the news less unsettling. Stella wants her siblings to tell her what happened. Lizzie tells her that their parents have problems. Stella never knew because the doctor told them to keep it from her so she could focus on getting better.

 

Aiden is a grown man who still lives at home, sells his ADHD medicine to soccer moms, and uses his sister’s cancer to pick up women. Aiden says that Lizzie hates her children. Lizzie disagrees and he reminds her of the time she said she’d trade them for a massage chair. Lizzie says she did say that once but she doesn’t hate them. She did make sacrifices in her career so she could have children early to give their parents something wonderful to focus on.

 

Lizzie says that she may regret it later on. Aiden says that he will regret selling drugs and sleeping with soccer moms. Stella asks him if he really does. He says no because it’s so fun. Aiden says that their dad gives his dying daughter handouts and only gives his loser son grief. It is strange that Stella’s dad pays her rent for her. If she couldn’t afford to live on her own, why didn’t she just stay living at home? She’s also married. Can her husband not work?

 

Stella tells Aiden that he may be beyond help and tells Lizzie that she can babysit. Wes is at a support group meeting for spouses of the terminally ill. The group leader tells him they ordered him a celebratory pizza as a gesture of goodbye. They’re kicking him out of the support group since Stella is no longer dying. Stella goes to see her dad at work. He tells her that they’re fine. She says that she knows her mom left him. Stella’s dad says that they’ve been better.

 

Peter (Dylan Walsh), Stella’s dad, says that they may have to sell the house. Stella tells him that she’s going to talk to her mom and she’s cutting herself off financially. She’s going to get a job, as a barista. After obtaining her job she goes to her godmother’s house to see her mom. Once she’s there she sees her mom and Poppy (Claudia Rocafort) making out on the porch. We don’t think Ida left Peter because he didn’t know how to manage the finances.

 

Ida (Gillian Vigman) tries to explain to her daughter what’s going on but the words have left her. She says that Stella’s father lying about money is just another log on the fire. Ida says that she’s very confused about her feelings for Poppy. She wants to start thinking about her needs. Stella tells her that she has to talk to her dad. She wants her to give him a chance to fix things. Wes says that he can’t believe the news. Stella says it’s just a midlife crisis.

 

Stella feels like her husband is acting weird around her since they found out that she doesn’t have cancer. He swears he’s not but Stella doesn’t have time to deal. She has to go to work. While at work her brother stops by. He’s hiding from Marlene’s (Alyshia Ochse) husband. Stella is amazed that Marlene is married. Stella asks what is wrong with their family. Aiden says he doesn’t have the time necessary to answer that question.

 

Aiden hides behind the counter from Marlene’s husband. Stella’s boss wants to know why she’s talking to Aiden instead of working. Aiden ducks out the back to let Stella get back to work. Her boss then wants to know where her barista hat is. He tells her no hat, no shift. Stella hopes that babysitting her sister’s kids will go better that night. Her niece wants to see her ring. Stella at first says no but then gives in.

 

Wes and Stella then start talking about whether they want kids or not. Wes originally told her that he didn’t but that was when they thought she was dying. Stella is upset that Wes lied to her. Wes says they need to talk about it later. Stella wants to talk about it now. Wes says that they really need to talk about it later because Fiona (Dominique Lucky Martell) just swallowed her ring.

 

They take Fiona to Stella’s doctor. She not only swallowed Stella’s ring, but Fiona also has a small car in her stomach. Dr. Chang tells Stella that they both will pass. Stella says that she can’t have her sister watching to see if Fiona is crapping diamonds without an explanation. Fiona tells Stella that crap is a bad word. Stella reminds the little girl that she ate her ring so she really can’t judge.

 

Dr. Chang asks Stella if she’s okay. Stella says that she is just trying to adjust to a post-cancer world. Dr. Chang says that she feels the same way. She has been so focused on curing cancer that she hasn’t even had time to date. Stella tells her that she will hook her up with her brother. Wes called Lizzie to tell her they were at the hospital. Stella apologizes to her sister but it doesn’t do much good. We’re thinking she won’t be babysitting again for a while.

 

The next morning Stella and Wes experience another first. They don’t speak to each other. She reminds him of the party that night for the doctor but that’s it. She’s still mad at Wes for calling Lizzie. Stella goes to her parent’s house to decorate and catches her mom hiding in the yard. She’s drinking little bottles of vodka and eating a slim jim. She tells Stella that she came to talk to her dad but she can’t seem to make herself go inside.

 

Ida tells Peter and Stella that she’s in love with Poppy. She’s coming out as a bisexual person. Peter says that she can’t be bi, she’s almost fifty. Ida asks if she should be able to do what makes her happy. Peter says that he thought he made her happy. Ida says that he did. A long time ago. Stella asks them about the party that night. Peter says that he’ll be there and Ida says that she will too. They’re still a family.

 

Stella tells Aiden that she can’t believe they’re still going through with the party. Aiden says he can’t believe their mom is bisexual. Stella asks what they’re going to do. Aiden asks her if she’s asking him or herself. Aiden tells her that it’s called growing up. Stella asks him what he knows about growing up. He still mixes chocolate milk in his mouth. Aiden says that’s the right way to do it. Whatever you say, dude sounds gross to us!

 

Aiden says that he knows enough about growing up to know it’s not for him. He tells Stella that she beat certain death. Surely she can figure out how to beat certain life. Aiden has already forgotten their talk when Stella asks him if she can use what he said in her speech. She convinces him that he also told her he would wear a tie to the party and decorate the backyard for her. As a thanks, she’s going to fix him up with Dr. Chang.

 

Wes comes home while Stella is writing her speech. He asks her what she’s up to and she tells him all about the speech and how she wrote it on cocktail napkins. They’re made of bamboo so they can be reused for cocktails after her speech. Wes tells her that she’s doing that thing where she’d rather talk to avoid having a real conversation. Wes tells her that he’s sorry he said he didn’t want to have kids. At the time they didn’t have a future and now they do.

 

Wes tells Stella that Love Actually isn’t his favorite movie. He also doesn’t like hard boiled eggs or Sara Bareilles. Wes tells Stella that he also can’t continue to go outside every time he farts and he doesn’t like being her pillow to cuddle at night. He apologizes for lying about all of the things but he loves her. He asks if she can forgive him. Stella thinks to herself that she’s not sure if she can because she doesn’t really know him.

 

Lizzie arrives and gives Stella a bag of poop. She says it’s a thank you for the awesome job she did babysitting. Aiden tells Stella that Marlene is finishing up the decorations. Stella asks what Marlene is doing there and Aiden says that Stella invited her at her funeral. Apparently, she also invited Poppy who arrives with Ida. Ida says that Poppy is also her date. Lizzie asks if she missed something. Aiden tells her that their mom has decided to be a bi now.

 

Ida says that she and Poppy have upped their level of intimacy when Peter walks in. He tells them to please tell them about their lesbian progressiveness. Ida tells him that he smells like a brewery. Peter says they have to sell the house. Aiden wants to know where they’re going to have family dinners and where is he going to live. Dr. Chang walks into the middle of all of it. Aiden tells her that he’s there with someone but it’s not serious. Stella yells at them to break the tensions. She tells them all to go outside.

 

Stella walks outside while her speech is blowing away. Her speech ends up all mixed up doesn’t make any sense. Ida asks her if she’s on drugs. Peter asks Ida who she is to judge anyone. Peter asks her what she wants to hear. He’s been scared every day for eight years because he thought they were going to lose their little girl. Ida says that she wanted to be in it together. Peter says that if she wants to be in it together she needs to stop getting naked with family friends.

 

Stella tells her family that they can fix their problems. She knows that deep down her parents still love each other. She tells Aiden that he deserves to be dating someone who is not married. Stella tells her sister that she used to be so fun but now she only cares about her job and her kids. She tells Lizzie that she’s not happy. Lizzie says, of course, she’s not happy. Stella’s cancer always came before everything.

 

Marlene’s husband arrives and punches Aiden in the face. That sure ends the party quickly. Stella heads to her room at the hospital with her bottle of wine. Another patient comes in and tells her that patients can’t drink wine. Stella tells her that she’s not a patient. The girl asks why she’s there and Stella says that she likes the view of the city from that window. Stella goes on and on about how her cancer ruined her family’s life. Stella then realizes that she’s complaining to a cancer patient about how bad her life is.

 

Sadie tells Stella that she sounds like the dying girl in the movie she’s watching. She’s trying to fix everybody else’s problems so she can avoid facing her own. Stella tells her that if she ever wants to talk to someone she’d be happy to listen. Sadie says that cancer has taught her that she can face anything as long as someone has her back. Stella wonders if anyone has her back. Wes arrives with another bottle of wine and Stella realizes that he has her back. They bust into an empty room and resume their hot love affair.

 

Stella apologizes to her husband for not getting to know the real him. She says she wants to get to know him and she wants him to get to know the real her. She’s terrified. He asks her why she’s terrified. Stella says that she’s afraid of the future. Their forever just got a lot longer than he was expecting. Wes says that he’s always planned to love her for the rest of his life, even if she wasn’t there to see it. Stella confesses that she does want kids. Wes tells her that whatever tomorrow holds they’ll get through it together. This is just the beginning of Stella’s life sentence.