The dust from the Category Five hurricane that was Tom and Jessie's spontaneous marriage has finally settled. Which means Tom and Jessie are free to be the adult couple they were meant to be. The good news is they now control their own destiny. The bad news is they now control their own destiny.
Season II begins with Jessie bumping into a boyfriend from the past. The encounter knocks Tom off balance and prompts Carter to pose a dangerous question: How many people have Tom and Jessie really slept with? Their escalating web of lies soon ensnares them both, and unearths a secret that puts their marriage in a whole new light.
Tom and Jessie survive the ordeal (the old "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" thing) but the stage is set for one helluva first year. They'll discover part-time jobs are more fun when they work apart. They'll lose a sex tape, lose each other in the woods, and one of them will lose the toilet seat battle. They'll face pregnancy scares, a death in the family, a little jail time, and nearly get nailed by an exploding deep-fried turkey. Also, there's a gay massage, but that's just a misunderstanding. Point is, Tom and Jessie must engage in some serious romantic acrobatics to make it through to the season's conclusion: their one year anniversary. But make it through they do, at least until the presents are exchanged...
Meanwhile, the parents discover they can still hate each other without Tom and Jessie. But they'll also discover they kinda, sorta, well... need each other. That's the thing about neighbours, they're so conveniently located. Always right next door when you need someone to lend a hand, or stir the pot.
But unlike season I, the divide will not always be split along property lines. Season II will find Tara colluding with Ben for the greater good, Jessie turning to Judith for marital advice, and both houses splitting along gender lines. We'll also see the parents make nice over an ill-advised camping trip, which brings their relationship to the next level. But not the next next level, that happens later when the parents decide to make their first joint purchase: a backyard sauna (which finds the Hills on an unexpected side of the whole naked-or-not debate).
In the end, 18 to Life is all about our couples, and the secrets and surprises that emerge in the bedrooms of all three. Judith neglecting to tell Ben about her Botox, for instance. Tara asking Phil if he'd be okay with giving his sperm to a friend from college (guest star Leah Pinsent). Or the Bellows scheming to destroy Tara's gift: a hideous portrait of the family she painted. How the parents will choose to rise above their private challenges impacts how Tom and Jessie tackle their own marriage, for better or for worse...
http://www.cbc.ca/18tolife/
[ Last edited by codebreaker at 9-11-2011 23:44 ]
