Chasing Life - Truly Madly Deeply - Recap & Review: “Secrets and Lies”

I’m trying out a slightly different review style this week. My past style has been to incorporate a recap and review into one overall article, but as a trial I've split them up. In this format the recap is in bold and the review of that scene is below it. Hit the comments and let me know your thoughts on this format.

April is reading a chapter from her dad’s book as we get to see it visually played out. The book is about a spy who inadvertently puts his family in danger due to his work. In the book the lead also has a secret family that he tries to keep quiet by bribing them. This leads to an exchange with Natalie regarding their individual interpretations of the book. April acknowledges that Natalie definitely got the short end of the deal regarding their dad, but that she doesn’t believe the book has anything to do with their father’s life. Natalie encourages April to keep reading, but she admits that the book ends mid-sentence, so the outcome is missing.

The opening sets the tone for what we can expect from the episode. Every viewer knew the book Natalie found was going to play a profound part in this season, but I’m sure few of us actually expected for it to be revealed to April and Brenna so soon. When an author is writing they are trying to convey a message, but not every reader will ascertain the same meaning from those words. Reading is subjective and open to interpretation and this is where April and Natalie find themselves at the start of the episode. After seeing this snippet of the book play out I have to agree with Natalie, this family seems a lot like the real life Carver family. Writers tend to pull bits from their personal lives, but it seems like Thomas took his family and slapped them into the book and hid the realism under a spy story. I was disappointed that this was the only time we saw Natalie in the episode, but hopefully she'll have more to do in the weeks to come.

Later in the evening April and Leo are trying to hash out the specifics of their wedding plans. Leo seems to want an upbeat and slightly untraditional wedding while April wants a long romantic and traditional ceremony. They can’t even agree on Savage Garden or no Savage Garden at their wedding. As the argument heats up Sara comes home and intervenes with a little professional advice to get the divided couple back on track. She tells them of a test, the Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness, that they can take to help them connect. With that wisdom dropped she leaves them to ponder her suggestion.

Sara is right, April and Leo have only been together for a short period of time and they are bound to have some hiccups in their relationship. I found it quite telling that Sara was so open to helping them without judgment. She has come a long way since the start of the season when she opposed this marriage. The amusing part of this whole exchange is what this couple felt the need to fight over. Personally I support Leo’s enjoyment of Savage Garden, they were definitely an underrated group, but I also have to agree with April that they don’t necessarily belong as part of a wedding.

Brenna is hanging out with Margo and contemplating what she is going to wear to school now that she isn’t confined to a uniform. Their lovely night is rudely interrupted when Juliet(Leisha Hailey)stumbles over to join them. Margo introduces her ex to her current girlfriend then things turn awkward. Margo decides to put Juliet over Brenna and she excuses herself from their date to take the very drunk Juliet home.

Brenna just spends the entire encounter looking exceptionally uncomfortable, which becomes the theme of almost every scene she has with Margo tonight. I must admit that I like Margo and Brenna together, but the exchange at the diner seemed to spell the beginning of the end for this couple. The age difference was always going to be a big problem for them, but with Juliet in the equation it may be too big an obstacle for them to overcome.

April takes a break from trying to make a seating chart and dives into more of her father’s book. In it the protagonist of the story, Timothy who was previously revealed as a CIA spy, tells his daughter, who wants to follow in his footsteps, that she doesn’t have what it takes to be a spy. The way this impacts April indicates a recall to a similar conversation she may have had with her dad. As she reaches the last page it is simply signed with a message from someone with the initials “EDS” and this sets April on a mission to find out who was reading her dad's book before Natalie found it. A quick internet search seems to give her a name, Edwin Shaw, but it is a name she doesn't seem to recognize.

The more of this book I see played out the more I have to agree with Natalie, this is the Carver family just with different names. The way the father in the book addresses his older daughter, and the way April reacts to the story, seems to indicate she may have had this same conversation with her own dad regarding the world of writing. While the character in the book discourages his daughter from following in his footsteps he does think she’d be well suited for another part of the spy world. We’ve had indications that at one time April may have been interested in being an author instead of a journalist, so it’s quite obvious this hit a cord for April. Whomever Edwin was to Thomas he was enough of a valued friend to earn the right to preview the book as he was writing it. We all know how April is, so it should have surprised no one that she became obsessed with finding him.

Beth is taking Emma through her dating app drama when April joins them in Sara’s room. She reveals that Dominic is brining Graham as his plus one and her first concern is for Beth. While Beth is okay with it she’d prefer to have a hot guy on her arm. Sara finally joins the group as she pulls out her old wedding dress to which Beth and April try to be respectful despite how dated it is. Emma, being the awesome woman she is, tells her daughter that the dress is awful. Beth still thinks she can work some magic on it, so with Emma’s help they drag it downstairs. After they leave April covertly asks her mom about some of her dad’s old friends, specifically Edwin Shaw (John Billingsley). Sara doesn’t know what happened to him, but the confirmation that he knew her dad sets her on a mission. She looks him up and finds out that he’ll be in Rhode Island. When Leo comes in with the questionnaire she suggests they take a trip away to answer the questions, which means they are off to Rhode Island for a covert reconnaissance mission.

Any scene that involves Emma and Beth is a recipe for awesomeness and this scene was no exception. I am quite interested to see who Beth ends up with in the long run, but I predict a parade of guys before she finds the right one. If anyone deserves a steady relationship it is Beth, so I hope that the show will soon give her a guy that will treat her the way she deserves to be treated. Emma proves, once again, why she is the best grandma ever portrayed on TV. She even puts the cool and hilarious ladies of Golden Girls to shame with her awesomeness. I really think the show needs to send Beth and Emma off on an adventure together, can you imagine how insane and incredible that would be? Maybe in the future, but in the present we get to go along with April on her adventure to find Edwin Shaw. By now the Carver sisters should have realized that tracking down mysteries from their dad’s past comes with mixed results and unwanted revelations. I can understand the desire for information, but given the nature of their dad's secrets I’m thinking it may be wise to let some of his secrets remain buried.

At Brenna’s new school she meets Sydney (Kaylee Bryant) who is fascinated by Brenna’s time at private school. She is a private school fan and wants to buddy up with Brenna, but she is definitely not Brenna’s friend type. When Brenna spots a boy in a face mask, who we already know is Finn, Sydney goes on to list all of his problems and then invites Brenna to sit with her and go through Harpers Bazaar together to which Brenna politely declines. Sydney does not appear to take this rejection well. Brenna then goes to sit on her own and turns to her phone where she texts with Margo about their upcoming date.

Everyone knew this moment was coming, when Finn and Brenna once again unknowingly cross paths. I do wonder just how long the show can keep having them cross paths without actually meeting one another. I just hope it isn’t for very long, because I think Finn would be a good friend, just a friend, for Brenna. Given how things went with Sydney she could really use some friends at her new school. This is the point in the episode where I was already starting to get uncertain vibes about the Margo and Brenna pairing. It will be interesting to see what comes of Brenna’s love life. Much like Beth she deserves to be in a loving and supportive relationship, preferably with Greer, but if that’s not possible then at least some nice girl that loves and respects her for who she is.

In Rhode Island, Leo and April try to go through the questionnaire, but they both have trouble taking it seriously. When Leo asks April about something she’s always dreamed of doing she instead turns the subject to sex and such begins a makeout session that is slightly hampered by an over abundance of pillows. After sexy times is over April makes an excuse to ditch Leo in order to go track down Edwin. She does find him and uses the false name of Isabel. He’s about to start his lecture, but she does manage to secure a meeting with him later in the evening.

With all these two have been through together why did April feel the need to lie to Leo about this trip? It did at least give us this fun and flirty scene between the two lovebirds. I enjoy seeing their lighter moments together, but they do need to face the more emotional stuff before they get married. I am enjoying watching April and her sisters try and track down information from their dad’s past, but I really hope we’ll start to get some more information about this mysterious book. The show did quickly get the book into April and Brenna’s hands, so I hope that means this won’t be a slow burn story. The mystery of the book is intriguing and it was a wise choice for the show to tackle it this season, but they need to drop a few more reveals to really hype up the mystery and give this story more staying power. I’m quite curious to find out what lies at the end of this mystery.

Back at The Charles Sara runs into William “Billy” (Greg Germann), an old boyfriend who she hasn’t seen in years. It turns out he is gay and after they both try and embellish their lives Sara vents the truth to him and in turn she learns that he is divorced from his husband and has a son. These honest reveals seems to unite them and they decide they need to reconnect further and he invites her to join his gay men's running club.

Sara has been in need of a friend for a very long time and William seems like the perfect candidate. I hope we will see him providing some fun adventures for Sara in the future. They can both provide a great support system for the other through the trying times they are both facing.

While trying to surprise April it becomes obvious to Leo that April wasn’t where she said she would be. When they meet back up he questions her and they get into a fight, in the middle of the hotel hallway, about being honest with each other. She confesses to him about the real purpose of their trip and Leo is angry that she couldn’t have just told him that to begin with, especially since her family is about to be his family too. He storms off and leaves April to deal with the consequences of her lying.

April had to know this was a bad idea. I can’t disagree with a single thing Leo said. As a couple that is about to be married her family will be his and he deserves to be let in on the family drama. He could have been an invaluable aid to April had she just been honest with him. Leo is a great guy and time and time again he has stepped up in support of April, so I hope this will teach her a very valuable lesson on being truthful with her future husband.

Beth did her best to work her magic on Sara’s old wedding dress, but it was beyond redemption. When Sara sees how clearly frustrated Beth is with everything she invites her to go to the gay men’s running club meeting with her. Given Beth’s reputation in the gay community she jumps at the chance to hang out with guys with no worries of expectations or drama.

I wanted a Beth and Emma adventure, but a Beth and Sara adventure has a good potential of fun as well. It’s nice to see how the show has integrated Beth into the family this season. Her entire story doesn’t revolve around April and I like it when shows branch off characters and allow them to interact with other characters and experience new things outside of their usual relationships.

Brenna and Margo come back to Brenna's house and after a brief make out session they are interrupted by Juliet, again. This time Juliet has brought her and Margo’s dog along for the trip. Brenna looks truly annoyed at this second date interruption, especially since it takes place at her own house.

Let’s just face it; Margo was better off as just a crush for Brenna because translating this into a real relationship just isn’t working. Margo comes with far too much baggage and that’s the last thing Brenna needs in her life right now. Granted Greer had her problems, but they at least had a solid foundation that allowed them to face those problems together. Margo and Brenna do not have that foundation and even if they did the Juliet problem is one that I don’t think they could overcome even with a good foundation. Margo doesn’t seem ready to be rid of Juliet and until she is any relationship she tries for will fail.

April meets with Edwin, as her alter ego Isabel, and he confesses to her about his dissolved friendship with Thomas. April learns the startling truth that her father was not at all the man she thought he was. She learns that about a year before his death Thomas seemed to become an entirely different man, and not in a good way. With the overwhelming nature of this information in hand she excuses herself to deal with the shock.

This was a very odd, yet necessary sequence, to reveal an unfiltered view into Thomas’ life from the eyes of a former friend. The odd part was the way April chose to go about this in an undercover fashion, but I guess she got more honesty out of Edwin as Isabel then she would have as April. The way Italia handled April’s breakdown was beautifully played. Italia has a great gift to express in such natural ways that the pain or joy of her character just jumps off the screen and impacts the viewer. She has a true gift and knows how to brilliantly wield it.

After Leo and April reconnect Leo sees that she needs some cheering up, so he takes them back to their roots as they hilariously crash a wedding reception. They interject themselves into dances and conversations and it is classic Leo and April antics.

This scene was necessary after all the drama they’ve been through. Leo was right, this was a classic adventure pulled right from the early days of their meeting. These kind of scenes and interactions are what make this couple so endearing to viewers. Leo may have been angry, but he dealt with it and steps up to support the woman he loves.

Sara and Billy catch up and commiserate over the things they’ve been through. Sara reveals that Emma has a boyfriend and William, like most fans, worships her. William makes Sara happy and even after being apart for so many years they so effortlessly fall back into being friends.

I think this is one of the first times we’ve seen Sara be genuinely happy in quite some time. Most fans hope Sara ends up with George, and I am one of those fans, but I’m glad to see her have a life outside of waiting for him. William gives her a great opportunity to have some fun, which she desperately needs with everything going on. By the way, did I miss something? Were we aware of Emma having a boyfriend prior to this exchange? I think we need to now meet this mysterious boyfriend of hers.

Still crashing the wedding reception, Leo and April sign the couple’s wedding book. As the announcer calls out the bride to dance with her dad April becomes sad and upset that she’ll never have that moment with her dad. Even though she is upset with him, and all his lies, she still loves him.

This scene speaks volumes to every child, because while we may not always approve of everything our parents do we can’t help but love them. Every parent tries to do right by their children, but I’m told there is no how to manual for that, so parents just do the best they can. No matter how many lies Thomas told or the severity of the secrets he kept, he was still her father and she loves him. It was a scene that speaks to everyone as we can all relate to that unbreakable bond between parent and child. I do hope that when this Thomas mystery is solved the end result will give April and her sisters some much needed closure.

At The Charles Beth is chatting it up with Gabe (Timothy Granaderos), whom she thinks is a gay guy. It turns out he is actually William’s son and very straight. You could almost see the wheels turning in Beth’s brain when she learns this information. They seem to have an immediate spark, and when the ABBA sing along begins she grabs him and he reluctantly joins in.

I like Gabe, and I think he and Beth have a good chemistry whether that is as friends or as a couple. I thought that before he was revealed as William’s straight son. Now that we know he is straight I vote for Beth to give him a chance. I think they would make a good couple and if Gabe is as kind and caring as his dad then Beth may just have a winner on her hands.

Brenna keeps Gertrude, Margo and Juliet’s dog, company while they watch the two women argue. When Juliet asks for some tea Brenna reveals that she lives with her mom and Margo is forced to confess how old Brenna is. Juliet goes off on Margo for dating someone so young and Brenna, not one to sit idly back, points out that Juliet isn't exactly Margo's age either. This results in a moving declaration from Margo that Juliet is and always will be her best friend. Brenna isn’t an idiot and immediately sees that there is still something between these two, so she cuts her loses and dumps Margo.

I felt bad for Brenna throughout this entire sequence. She looked like she wanted to bolt out of her own house and leave these two to battle it out. Margo is definitely not a keeper for Brenna and I found it incredibly empowering when she kicked them both out of the house and ended things with Margo. I hope the next relationship will be much longer lasting and better fitting. The chemistry between Margo and Brenna was good, but that was as far as this pairing was ever meant to go. I would love to see Brenna run into Margo again in the future, but preferably with a new girl at her side. Anyone else besides me wondering how much longer the show is going to tease us with the Brenna and Ford kiss shown in the season preview? As odd as that pairing may seem I think it has the potential to be a really good coupling. They already have a solid foundation in place and Ford definitely seemed to have jealousy issues with Greer, so who knows, this could be a coupling to give Greer a run for her money.

April finally goes back to see Edwin and confesses her true identity to him. She still wants to track down the last half of the book, which Edwin confirms does exist, but he and Thomas severed their friendship prior to its completion, so he’s never seen the final copy either. Edwin reiterates that Thomas only went crazy a year before his death, but since April was off at college she doesn’t remember any changes in him or what may have been the cause. While April doesn’t get any more information, she does get a boost from Edwin as he states that her writing is very much like her father’s and he encourages her to follow the gift she has and tells her she should keep writing.

Thomas may not have been able to support his daughter’s dream, but Edwin just gave April a much needed boost. I hope this will set April on a path to follow her dreams and if it does I hope Edwin will become a part of April’s journey. He seems to have a fondness for the Carver family, despite the issues he had with Thomas at the end, and I think he could be a valuable asset to April’s future career endeavors. Plus I like John Billingsley and hope we see him appear on the show again.

The next morning Sara and William are preparing to go out on a run with the club, while Beth and Gabe sit around complaining about running. Neither of them showed up to run, but instead to see each other. Without even trying it would appear that Beth may have found a good guy worthy of being on her arm at April’s wedding. Sara and William leave the two of them behind much to the joy of Beth and Gabe.

Well then, I think Beth has found her date for April’s wedding. What does everyone think, are they best off as friends or do you think this couple could work? I am in support of Beth and Gabe, but only time will tell if their love of ABBA and hate of running is enough to bond them together.

Finally Leo and April sit down to take the test seriously. April confesses that her greatest dream is to become a novelist, but when she was a child her father had discouraged her. Well, that sounds quite familiar. April declares that she doesn’t need her dad's approval anymore and decides to follow her dream and try to become a novelist. It is a dream that Leo wholeheartedly supports.

And just like that April’s novelist dream is launched. I love how supportive Leo is of everything April does and I think this adventure they went on together, with all of its bumps, was good for their relationship. It taught April a valuable lesson about honesty and allowed Leo to force April to understand the place he has in her future. He will support her on everything if she just lets him in on her secrets.

At Brenna’s new school, Sydney shuts her out, so Brenna decides to sit with the mystery sick guy. They exchange looks, but for now his true identity remains a secret to Brenna.

I can’t wait for the revelation of Finn’s intimate connection to Brenna to be revealed. How will she react to personally knowing the guy who has her bone marrow? How will that reveal be made? I think he has the potential to be a good friend for Brenna, especially if Ford moves into girlfriend territory she’ll need another friend to be able to turn to and rely on for relationship chatter. I’m getting ahead of things seeing as we don’t know what the future holds for Brenna and her relationships. I am curious what everyone thinks of the Brenna and Ford kiss in the promo shown after the season premiere. Do you want them to hook up or do you think they are better off as just friends?

While Sara’s dress didn’t work for April’s wedding dress it turns out that Emma’s dress was a perfect fit for April. Even back when Emma got married she still had style. We can all only hope to be as cool and hip as Emma is when we are older. April is absolutely giddy about the dress and is ecstatic to finally have her dress.

Leave it up to Emma to provide April with the perfect wedding dress. The woman has such amazing sense of style that her dress is still cool and in style all these decades later. I look forward to seeing April walking down the aisle in that dress.

April and Sara have a frank conversation about other secrets Thomas may have been keeping. Sara has wondered about it too, but for now those secrets remain just outside of their reach. Sara just hopes April will strive to have a better marriage then she had with Thomas. The first step of that is for Sara to teach April how to dance in her wedding dress so she can keep up with Leo’s much improved dancing skills.

It’s almost a guarantee that Thomas had secrets they’ve yet to uncover. The man seemed to live a very shady life and I have a feeling the revelations will rock the lives of the entire Carver family.

This was a great episode that nicely setup several storylines and helped solidify the bond April and Leo share. Lots of drama is in store for the characters, but for now they are all ending this episode better off then they started it. An argument can be made that Brenna isn’t better off, but being rid of Margo and Juliet can only be a good thing for her as she continues her journey of self discovery. Brenna has evolved and changed more than any other character on this show and I think this storyline really goes to show just how much self confidence she now has. She recognized a bad relationship and ended it before she could get hurt. I look forward to what this show holds in store for all the characters as this season continues to build towards the wedding and the revelations of the secrets Thomas kept from them.

The MVP of this episode has to go to Scott Michael Foster who brings so much enthusiasm and heart to his portrayal of Leo. He has taken Leo from the jerk we first met to a kind and attentive fiancée for April. The writers deserve a lot of credit for Leo’s evolution, but Scott Michael Foster is the one who brought this story to life through his truthful and powerful performances. He has amazing chemistry with Italia and together they make this couple seem perfect for one another.

On the next episode April gets to have her Bachelorette party and it doesn’t seem to go quite according to plan. To make things even more interesting, Dominic finally makes his declaration of love for April and Leo does not appear to take kindly to Dominic trying to steal his fiancee. Tune in to ABC Family on Monday at 9/8C then return to SpoilerTV for my review of the episode.

Head down to the comments and let me know your thoughts on this episode. What secrets do you think Thomas was hiding? Should Brenna hook up with Ford or do you want to see her with someone else? Can Brenna be as successful an author as her dad? Will April and Leo ever make it to their wedding? Are you excited for the next episode and the antics it promises? Did you like this new review format or did you prefer the previous combined format?

About the Author - Aimee Hicks

Aimee works for a local newspaper and has a BA in Broadcasting and Cinema. She has been a TV lover since before she really understood what TV was. She has a long list of shows that she loves to watch and can be found on twitter (@ahicks83) live tweeting about each new episode whenever she can. A list of her favorite shows includes (but is not limited to) the following: 12 Monkeys, Orphan Black, Outlander, Chasing Life, Scorpion, The 100, The Night Shift, Bitten, Black Sails, 2 Broke Girls, Arrow, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Continuum, Lost Girl, Faking It, Falling Skies, Finding Carter, Once Upon A Time, Orange Is The New Black, Switched At Birth, The Fosters, The Flash, The Originals, Teen Wolf, Under The Dome, & Z Nation. The upcoming shows she is most excited about are: Supergirl, Dark Matter, UnReal, Blindspot, Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow, Stitchers, Recovery Road, Shadowhunters, Quantico, Code Black, Heartbreaker, and Chicago Med. She has a large and passionate dislike of ""reality"" TV, espeically ""reality"" dating shows, but has a weakness for Americas Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance. But those two don't really count as ""reality"" shows, at least that's how she justifies those guilty pleasures. She was the original creator and co-founder of LOST Video Island (lostvideo.net) which is still operting under the management of the very capable and skilled group she turned it over to.

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