Category Archives: Season 1

Dear Life – Season 1 Finale (Circles)

The job of a season finale is to conclude the season’s story arcs and establish new ones for the next season (if there is a new one). This finale mostly did its job. This episode takes a different approach by kicking off in Vienna, where we see an orchestra consisting of teenage musicians, performing. The camera immediately focuses on trumpeter,

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Dear Life – Season 1, Episode 5 (Grit)

The penultimate episode of a season is designed to provide a springboard for the finale, and it managed to do so, although only towards the end. The episode kicks off with Janet receiving a phone call from Greenvale Crematorium, who are informing her that Ash’s ashes are still awaiting collection. Janet doesn’t say a word, hangs up and blocks their

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Dear Life – Season 1, Episode 4 (Hearts and Minds)

This episode is all about narratives – Taylor’s, Mary’s, Brooke’s, and Lillian’s. The episode kicks off showing Taylor being tested as a baby with the reveal that she has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. Her parents are told that she won’t live beyond her early 20s, however a montage shows Taylor trying to live her best life as she copes

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Dear Life – Season 1, Episode 3 (Three Sentences)

We’re now at the halfway point of the season and this episode offers Jordan’s and Brooke’s perspective. The episode kicks off with Jordan washing dishes in prison, spilling water on himself, before seeing his solicitor. His solicitor shows him the viral video of Mary confronting Brooke, and tells Jordan that Mary has been stood down from work because of it,

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Dear Life – Season 1, Episode 2 (The Price You Pay)

Now that the pilot has come and gone, this episode and the rest of the season can dig a little deeper with its character development and story arcs. The episode kicks off with a party, showing Ash’s murderer, Jordan Bancroft, and his girlfriend, Brooke, getting high on ice. This leads to Brooke smashing her arm through a window and going

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Dear Life – Pilot (How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?)

The purpose of a pilot is to establish the show’s premise and characters. This show, one with a heavy, sensitive, and complex subject matter, did its job perfectly. The pilot kicks off with joyous vibes as a group of friends celebrate New Year’s Eve, with Ash proposing to his girlfriend, Lillian (Brooke Satchwell) on their apartment balcony, as the New

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