Roma Downey (of Touched by an Angel fame) stars in this Lifetime Network tear jerker about a wife who finds out about her husband Mark's best-kept secret when he's injured in a plane crash. Turns out he was accompanied by Cheryl, a mysterious woman who he had a daughter with eight years ago when he and Cassie were separated. And Cheryl's now dead.
Roma does a darned good job not having a mental melt down. She doesn't seem to bat an eyelid when the little girl, Erika, is dumped on her doorstep by Cheryl's neighbor. The child who plays Erika is actually about the only good thing in this movie in that she seems genuinely confused, as are the viewers. We are left to wonder how many years of therapy the poor kid will need to survive all this angst.
Cassie and Mark also have a son who is graduating from high school. Turns out he actually saw dear old Dad with Cheryl a few years ago but didn't tell Mom. He accepts Erika with ease but wants little to do with Dad, showing the only natural response by any character in the film.
Cassie bravely faces these jolts to her life but doesn't let it get in the way of her job as a tennis instructor. Her best friend keeps her spirits up. And she bonds nicely with Erika. But then Erika's aunt shows up and we smell the whiff of a nasty custody fight in the air.
I won't bore you further with the details but the total suspension of reality in this flick was almost too much for me. Within 48 hours of the crash, airline employees have sent Cassie her husband's suitcase. Yeah, right! And it has nary a mark on it. Cassie lets Mark actually come home to recover, something most women discovering such a secret wouldn't do.
As usual, the ending ties everything up in a pretty pink bow, which would not happen in real life. But hey, this is a Lifetime movie, where things never end badly or undone.
Roma does a darned good job not having a mental melt down. She doesn't seem to bat an eyelid when the little girl, Erika, is dumped on her doorstep by Cheryl's neighbor. The child who plays Erika is actually about the only good thing in this movie in that she seems genuinely confused, as are the viewers. We are left to wonder how many years of therapy the poor kid will need to survive all this angst.
Cassie and Mark also have a son who is graduating from high school. Turns out he actually saw dear old Dad with Cheryl a few years ago but didn't tell Mom. He accepts Erika with ease but wants little to do with Dad, showing the only natural response by any character in the film.
Cassie bravely faces these jolts to her life but doesn't let it get in the way of her job as a tennis instructor. Her best friend keeps her spirits up. And she bonds nicely with Erika. But then Erika's aunt shows up and we smell the whiff of a nasty custody fight in the air.
I won't bore you further with the details but the total suspension of reality in this flick was almost too much for me. Within 48 hours of the crash, airline employees have sent Cassie her husband's suitcase. Yeah, right! And it has nary a mark on it. Cassie lets Mark actually come home to recover, something most women discovering such a secret wouldn't do.
As usual, the ending ties everything up in a pretty pink bow, which would not happen in real life. But hey, this is a Lifetime movie, where things never end badly or undone.