How adorable were Sawyer and Landon?
Of all the holiday love stories, the main characters of A Fiance for Christmas put the Q(t) in quirky with their messy love story where a misunderstanding spiraled out of control.
And Marie Osmond co-starring is the ultimate treat.
Sawyer Ames is the perkiest, quirkiest, most awkward leading lady in one of the holiday films thus far. It’s only fitting that the circumstances surrounding how she found love would fall in line with that.
In a sense, she was a classic modern woman lead who lived for her job and was a workaholic. And hey, if you spend the majority of your time delivering babies, there’s plenty to adore.
We’ve reached a point where there is a greater appreciation for work/life balance, and some employers actually encourage it. It’s a refreshing take that they’ve begun normalizing this, even if it did make poor Sawyer feel inadequate in some way.
Bill was an affable boss, and he carried a solid paternal tone that you could tell has filled the paternal void in Sawyer’s life since her father passed away. Obviously, he could never replace her father.
The fascinating thing about encouraging work/life balance when speaking to women is how initially it could come across as sexist rather than a message about self-care.
Everyone’s investment in Sawyer’s love life had hints of that vibe when the equivalent of her finding happiness outside of work was instantly linked to her finding love and having a family of her own.
She seemed to have healthy, productive, loving bonds with her mother, mentor, and friends. She had a cat that she loved to bits, and her aspirations fueled her, too.
She had an appreciation for sweet treats and take-out. Sawyer seemed pretty fine without a guy to me!
But Bill’s concerns about her overworking and facing burnout were valid. He didn’t want to retire and leave his practice in the hands of someone who is capable but on a fast track toward running herself down.
It would’ve been counterproductive. Sawyer wouldn’t have been any good to anyone if she plateaued at some point.
Bill’s advice was valid, but it put her in a weird spot where if she wanted the promotion, it meant she had to prove to him somehow within a couple of weeks that she would make some adjustments to her life.
How could he know that she did it genuinely and not for the sole purpose of getting the practice? Even if it wasn’t her intention to do that, it could’ve naturally happened.
Jules was a hoot throughout the film, and her plan to have fun with the wedding registry to cheer Sawyer up was perfectly innocent.
But who would’ve imagined it would spin out of control the way that it did?
If you found out that someone got engaged, and they hadn’t shared the news with you yet, wouldn’t you respect their privacy and wait until they did?
What if they planned a party of their own? Sawyer’s best friends scheming and putting together a whole celebration while inviting everyone of substance to it was such a spectacularly bizarre thing to do.
It was beyond embarrassing, and you could understand why Sawyer didn’t want to say anything to make the necessary corrections. Even if you aren’t a socially awkward, quirky woman like Sawyer, that would’ve been too much.
Sawyer took it too far, no doubt, as she kept digging a larger hole for herself, but as well-meaning and loving as her friends were, who does that?
Marie Osmond was the perfect meddlesome mother. Every time she opened her mouth and said something, it made Sawyer’s reluctance to correct everyone a comprehensive choice.
It’s a common trope, the type that we eat up when watching films like this, but one of the best ways they turned it on its head was by keeping Landon in on the ruse.
Landon and Sawyer had sparks at first sight, and Jules and Hillary saw it instantly. It’s no wonder both of them were pushing for the two to have a date.
Hell, they orchestrated the whole thing right in front of them and didn’t give them space to decline. It was a clever choice that the two started dating before falling into the fake engagement.
It clouded the nature of their relationship when both of them had obvious romantic feelings for one another, but it was mixed in with keeping up appearances.
And Landon had his work cut out for him when he was dating Sawyer as himself, something of which his pregnant sister was aware. He was also pretending that their romance advanced to the point of an engagement under a different name with Sawyer’s mother and friends.
It had to be much harder for him to keep things up for appearances. He did an impressive job, though. It benefitted him that he didn’t have to change his background too much to make things work.
But they still had a couple of slip-ups.
He and Sawyer were so wrapped up with dating while fake-engaged that neither seemed to give much thought to what things would be like later.
If they managed to pull off their ruse and Joshua dumped Sawyer by the end of the holidays, then how did she expect to date Landon as himself?
She would’ve ended up sacrificing happiness and genuine love with a guy, which is exactly what everyone wanted for her, to keep up this ruse and not disappoint others.
Sawyer was in a bit of a mess.
Landon fit into her life perfectly. He was sweet, congenial, supportive, and kind. The man helped her babysit her goddaughter, and he took care of her when she was sick.
Sawyer was unfamiliar with someone looking after her, which contributed to how she looked up one day and realized that she was a bit lonely.
Although, she seemed to reach this conclusion from her relationship with the real Josh. The thing is, Josh could’ve taken care of her emotionally without expecting her to give up her career aspirations.
He seemed way too traditional in his views with Sawyer, and as much as she missed the idea of having someone, there was no way that things would’ve ever worked out with her and Josh even if she wasn’t so career-driven.
Landon was such an understanding, attentive person. In a couple of weeks, he knew Sawyer better than most people in her life, and he did it all the while tending to his sister’s needs, too.
It’s hard to believe that his ex-wife left him. Understandably, when some people have demanding or grueling periods while getting their careers in gear, it takes a toll on their love life and other parasocial bonds.
However, the things that his ex-wife said to him on Christmas Eve, no doubt, were hurtful, and it’s a good thing Landon found better for himself.
And even though it seemed absurd that he’d jump to the worst conclusions based on the perpetually awkward Sawyer who notoriously fumbles over her words — something he often found endearing, it makes sense that the phrasing triggered him.
He acted rashly, and it’s upsetting that he shut down on her and dismissed their relationship quickly without clarifying once he heard her faux pas. But we always need some conflict before the sweet payout in the end, right?
He would’ve missed out on the perfect, endearingly odd, equally lovable, and goofy woman if Sawyer didn’t take matters into her hands.
Something tells me their fake engagement will become a real one, and at the rate that the two of them were going with their relationship, it’s a wonder her didn’t move his practice to her town, get engaged, and start working on those babies that Sawyer’s mom wanted to so badly.
At the very least, she could’ve taken a spin in that pretty wedding dress she found and made her meddlesome friends and colleague her maids of honor.
It would’ve been cute if we saw a flash-forward of the two of them decorating their Christmas tree with all of the starter ornaments from Sawyer’s tradition.
And they’d be the perfect, successful dynamic doctor duo between Sawyer taking over Bill’s practice as she deserved and Landon running his veterinary practice from there.
Also, I was patiently awaiting the return of Hillary’s husband from deployment, and a flash-forward would’ve given us a sweet conclusion of him meeting his baby.
But Sawyer and Landon cleared the air, she adopted that sweet old cat who needed a home, and Landon is already planning to name their future children.
It’s a win all-around!
Over to you, TV Fanatics? Did you enjoy A Fiance For Christmas? Hit the comments.
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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