Top-rated
Mon, Oct 5, 2015
Natalie begins to think about Maggie's assertion that she focuses too much of her life on her children, while she should spend more time thinking about herself. Natalie may disagree. Something that Natalie does not yet know is that Caleb is contemplating going to Africa for the summer on a work term, while figuring out what to do about his relationship with Ariel. Emma has just started a triathlon program - something that Natalie feels will take up too much of her precious time - while she adjusts to being in the same class as Romy. Gifted Romy may have problems adjusting to the social aspects of her new school situation. And her unofficial fourth child, Maggie, has just found out that Simon, her new sex partner, wants to continue their relationship despite he already having a girlfriend, about who Maggie didn't know before sleeping with him. Natalie may change her mind about Maggie's assertion when she meets Emma and Romy's new principal, Andrew Wallace. And Natalie decides to broaden her horizons by joining Maggie in her new aggression therapy. This all may change for Natalie when she learns that her cancer has returned in a much more aggressive form than the first time...
Top-rated
Mon, Oct 12, 2015
After receiving her terminal cancer diagnosis, Natalie needs to turn to her loved ones for support, most specifically all of her siblings and Danielle, but most specifically not her children, the news which she wants to hide from them until she has a plan in place about what to do about them following her death. This task takes on additional emotional gravitas as she learns about the continued issues in each of her children's lives. But Natalie becomes emotionally distraught when she can't get a hold of any of the people who she tries to contact, unaware of what's going on with each. Maggie, who has left her phone at work, is preoccupied with what to do about a request from Simon and his girlfriend Sarah. Oliver, in Los Angeles, he who has decided to go back into couples therapy without his other half, Tom, isn't answering his phone as he deals emotionally with the relationship. Matthew is off organizing a special night for him and Nicole for her birthday. And when Natalie does find Danielle, Danielle is distraught herself about what looks to be the end of her marriage to Jim. Once Natalie is finally able to tell one of those loved ones about the situation which overtakes what he/she is going through in his/her own life, the sense of release of the emotional burden comforts Natalie enough that she doesn't want the news spread to others, which may be more difficult to contain than she envisions. One still somewhat outstanding issue is what to tell Andrew, who is continually pressing her, especially as she missed what was supposed to be their first date.
Top-rated
Mon, Oct 26, 2015
Oliver returns to Montreal on the news of Natalie's diagnosis. Although Natalie appreciates the support, Gerald can't help but wear his feelings about who he considers his irresponsible son on his sleeve, much to Janine's chagrin. Janine feels the need to defend Oliver, to Gerald or anyone else who may take issue with his lifestyle. Oliver's return also has a profound effect on Maggie, who makes a couple of impulsive decisions, one which makes her relationship with Simon and Sarah more complicated. Natalie and Andrew do end up going on a date, which doesn't sit well with Romy, who takes her frustrations out on an object representing who she sees as the problem. Because of Natalie and Andrew dating, Emma feels that she has to be big sister to Romy about her school woes while she comes to terms with her own burgeoning feelings for Jayden. And Caleb contemplates moving out of the house and in with Ariel, especially as he can see that his mother still worries about him when he isn't home.
Mon, Nov 2, 2015
As Natalie awaits the results of her latest biopsy, she continues her relationship with Andrew, who she has not yet told about her cancer. She is given some news about her job, that news which she accepts with mixed feelings. Maggie tries to move on from her decision to quit her less than happy job, which is more difficult than she imagines, while she receives some surprising news concerning her relationship with Simon and Sarah. Matthew and Nicole discuss what the return of Natalie's cancer means for them in their previous offer to act as the guardians for Natalie's children. Oliver continues to feel alienated to his parents, while Janine and thus Gerald learn some news about Oliver's life in Los Angeles, which further demonstrates how alienated he feels to them. Caleb learns some news which affects his living situation with Ariel. In light of her feelings toward Jayden, Emma goes to her Uncle Matthew in a semi-professional context, his response which too is a mixture of him being a doctor yet her uncle. Romy continues to kick and scream going into her first therapy session, which may be the start of a new relationship for someone else in the Lawson family. And D. continues to purge her life of her marriage.
Mon, Nov 9, 2015
While avoiding Andrew's texts, Natalie decides to take D.'s advice at least to speak to a woman named Sybil, a "cellular reprogrammer" who D. believes can help Natalie emotionally. Beyond believing what Sybil does a crock, especially in how she purportedly helped D. with her issue, Natalie has to decide what to take away from the session, including whether she should tell the kids about her cancer. While she begins to worry about what she will do for a job, Maggie has to decide what to do about her love and sex life in light of her truly not identifying herself to be either lesbian or bisexual, and Simon's marriage proposal to Sarah. As Matthew and Nicole make Natalie face up to certain legal realizations about her imminent death, Matthew tries to cover up some lies he has been perpetrating to Nicole. The stress that Oliver is feeling about the situation with Tom begins to manifest itself in his life. Caleb receives some news from Ariel which complicates his decision to move home. Through non-disclosure, Emma tries to hide certain things she is doing in becoming closer to Jayden, which does not sit well with Natalie. Natalie places Romy's therapist in a difficult predicament as Romy still does not trust him. And Janine begins to question her religion/family balance.
Top-rated
Mon, Nov 16, 2015
Natalie finally tells her children about the return of her cancer without ever using the words "die" or "death". Each of the three takes the news differently based partly on other things happening in their lives. As Caleb already knew seeing news of Natalie's biopsy on D.'s refrigerator, he wants especially Emma to step up more this time around than she did during Natalie's first bout of cancer, as he is currently preoccupied with Ariel's pregnancy and what it means holistically for his life, the pregnancy about which he has not yet told anyone. Romy wants to know everything so that she can prepare herself for what is to come. Emma is the one who takes the news the hardest, the news which she wallows in with other issues going on in her life. With her children now in the know, Natalie reaches out for emotional support of her own from wherever she can find it, even from her extremely devout mother. Maggie takes some steps to get back into the workforce, while she receives an unexpected proposition from Simon and Sarah. Matthew continues to hide a certain aspect of his life from Nicole, who begins to suspect that he indeed is keeping something from her, not knowing what that something is. Oliver begins to suspect that his parents know about Tom, not having told anyone in his family except Matthew. Gerald has his own thoughts about Oliver in light of the situation. Oliver also runs into Lucas, Romy's therapist, socially.
Mon, Dec 7, 2015
With Natalie's decision to switch the focus of her remaining columns to her illness and imminent death, she gets reaction from all sides. With it, she also comes to some conclusions about a question previously asked of her: "Do you want to die happy?" As such, she decides to go on an overnight retreat with Andrew, the nature of which she doesn't tell him until they get there. Natalie designates Emma as the head of household while she's away as Caleb has an engagement he would rather not miss, he not divulging to his mother that it is a date with D. Emma gets into situations which end up being over her head, but which may provide her with a clearer picture of certain aspects of life, while Romy is the one who makes a connection from the situation. Matthew's lies catch up to him, and he unexpectedly turns to the one person available for guidance. Maggie makes a decision about her relationship with Simon and Sarah. Oliver, still in Los Angeles, makes some decisions of his own about his Los Angeles life, past, present and future.
Mon, Dec 14, 2015
Receiving a telephone message from Romy in combination with other news he's heard, David, Natalie's ex-husband, returns to Montreal. While he has certain motives for coming back, Natalie tells him in no uncertain terms that she intends to sign custody of the girls to Matthew and Nicole, meaning that he would have no legal right to them after she dies. Natalie also learns from Dr. Basra that she may be eligible for an experimental drug trial. It has so far shown promising results, but there are no guarantees and there are also risks. Nicole continues to have difficulties in feeling close to Matthew, their marital issue which is exacerbated by the actions of someone external to their household. Oliver takes steps to put his Los Angeles life behind him and start fresh in Montreal, not knowing exactly what that means. D. and Caleb's relationship hits a roadblock with the temporary return of someone in D.'s life. Emma decides to finish something she started regardless of the reason for starting it no longer existing. As such, she feels the need to do it on her own without anyone in the family knowing. And Romy continues to question authority, while perhaps looking for answers in the direction of her father, who she doesn't even know.