...Set: Life Unexpected 1x12 "Father Unfigured"

Just to get this out of the way up front - do we think maybe, just maybe, State Farm was a sponsor of this episode? Seriously, that was over the top promotion. I even have State Farm, people.

Anyway. On to the episode itself, which I think I can say with confidence, finally lived up to the promise of the pilot episode. In past episodes, things have gotten a little too schmaltzy with the ending, but this time I actually felt emotionally invested and it didn't seem as overly cheesy as it has in the past. Probably because of all of the cute family bonding. Love me some Starship.

The basic set up of the episode was this - Cate found these old birthday cards that her dad had sent to her over the years, but her mom had never shown her. Convinced her dad wasn't the deadbeat she had grown up thinking he was, she determined that she would go find him, via a road trip to Lake Tahoe, with Lux along for the ride.

Meanwhile, Bug's old supposed friend Gavin showed up, hustling Bug for money that he apparently owed or some such, in the process totally ruining Baze's bar with graffiti and lots of overturned chairs and general mess. He didn't want Baze to see, because Baze had warned him about leaving the past in the past. Therefore, he makes Lux work her charms to get Baze to go on the road trip with her and Cate, saying she wants to experience the classic family road trip.

And they do! With lots of bathroom breaks, a stop at a Corn Dog stand and lots and lots of Starship, they made their way to Lake Tahoe, to meet Cate's dad, Grant. But not before they had a run in with a chicken truck, and were forced to stay the night at a bed and breakfast, where Baze and Cate ended up sharing a bed, and woke up spooning in the morning, despite a pillow wall being constructed. Yeah, those pillow walls rarely last.

They finally make it to Cate's dad's place, and at first everything seems okay. They chat and he agrees to come up to Portland for her wedding, but Baze has a bad feeling about the guy. He sees in him what he used to be - someone who doesn't want to be a dad. He tries to warn Cate, even after getting a warning from Lux that she'll just be mad at him. Which is exactly what happens. Shoot the messenger, per usual. Baze goes to leave, but Lux tries to stop him, confessing that she really wanted him to come because Bug is trying to fix up the bar before he gets back. Way to ruin his night by making him feel even more unwanted, Lux! He drives off.

But in the morning, when Grant is supposed to pick up Cate and Lux to drive up to Portland, he totally brushes them off. Cate confronts him about it, and he confesses that he never wanted to be a dad, and he still doesn't. She realizes that she's been blaming Baze for a lot of the issues in her life, but really a lot of them come from her dad. It turns out that Baze didn't leave the night before either. He's there, ready and waiting to be her shoulder (or chest, since he is so much taller than her!) to cry on. Awww.

They make the trip back up to Portland, and Cate apologizes to Baze for blaming him for everything, and says she's seen him change. Back at his loft, Lux also tells him that she's seen him change, and that compared to the other dads she's come to know since moving in, he's the best there is. Awwww again. But she also brings up the fact that he's totally in love with Cate. He confesses that he thought it would go away, but now he's not so sure that he wants it to go away. They really felt like a family on that road trip, and it felt good. Indeed, so much better than when Baze is sparring with Ryan over something or other.

In the end, Lux makes the decision to let Baze and Cate become her legal guardians. I didn't really remember that she had those papers for "when she was ready," but it came back to me once she brought them out. And we end with the three of them hugging and being generally adorable.

Next week is the big wedding event, and the season finale! Will Cate and Ryan actually get married? Will Baze confess his feelings? And... will we get a season two?

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