The phrase “you only live once” started with Drake’s song “The Motto,” and within the span of a couple weeks, it became the slogan of 2011. The basic concept was “do what you want today because life is short.” It’s an exciting concept — suddenly all those papers and midterms seemed a little less important and living life to the fullest seemed like a better use of one’s time. It appears the CW has taken on Drake’s philosophy in their new series, No Tomorrow, which aired on Oct. 4. The show revolves around the sweet but safe Evie Covington, played by Toni Anderson. Evie’s life is great, but relatively boring as she spends the majority of it “playing it safe.” In other words, she’s too afraid to sing in public, too afraid to stand up to her terrible boss and too afraid to spend her life doing what she actually wants. This all changes however when she meets the exciting and spontaneous Xavier, played by Joshua Sasse, who appears to have no obligations or responsibilities in his life of luxury. He spends his days going to farmer’s markets, playing arcade basketball and trying to find ways to free his cousin from prison. Why? It’s because he is fully convinced that the entirety of the human race has exactly eight months to live. As a result, he has made it his goal to spend the last few months of his life crossing off goals of his from his bucket list. When the two meet, they complement each other wonderfully and hilariously.
Although no one else in the show has any knowledge of Xavier’s supposed apocalypse, his influence on Evie is a positive one, as she is encouraged to step out of her comfort zone and try all the things that she never thought she would. In fact, the majority of the show is not even focused on Xavier’s insane philosophy; no one even checks his apocalypse math. Xavier’s free spirit and happiness that convinces Evie to open up a little bit. In reality, we understand that a man in his 30s with no job or goals who is convinced the world is going to end is entirely insane. However, so does Evie. She calls him out on his absurd way of living but he responds with what the writers of the show want the viewers to hear: “Some risks are worth taking, Evie, we all get to decide what is important to us, end of the world or not.” Evie certainly does as the series progresses. She has the courage to break the ties and a marriage proposal with her humdrum ex-boyfriend, Timothy, played by Jesse Rath. And in examining Evie’s attraction to Xavier, even Timothy steps out of his comfort zone, piercing his ears and trying a new look. The show is about exploration, no matter how silly it may seem.
Another pro to the Xavier-Evie connection is that she influences him as well, encouraging him to choose a less dangerous lifestyle. For example, when he breaks his cousin out of prison (so he doesn’t have to spend his last eight months in jail), she points out that his recklessness affects her too, because he matters to her. At this point we see Xavier actually realize that his actions affect more people than himself. But then we also see his side of things. He explains his relationship with his daring mother. For example, when he was little, she would always take him to a cliff to dive, but he never had the courage to jump with her. Now after she’s gone, he makes the jump, this time with Evie by his side.
Evie is supported by her two friends played by Jonathan Langdon and Sarayu Blue. They are the perfect humorous complement to her, because in many ways, they seem as reckless as Xavier, highlighting Evie’s tendency to play it safe. If the Xavier-Evie storyline is not enough for you, these two keep the show light and hilarious, as Evie’s awkward and irritating boss is completely infatuated with Langdon’s character, Hank. As far as romantic-comedies go, the show has an interesting plot line, giving every episode the opportunity to bring excitement and humor. If television is supposed to allow us to step out of our own realities and step into another, this is an interesting one to experience. For an hour we can see what it’s like to live with no responsibilities and no obligations, something worth looking forward to. The show non-debatably has a lot of potential, and I for one am excited to see what’s next.
Rebekah Jones is a freshman in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected].