As Vertical Dramas surge in popularity, one thing that I am finding an apprecaition for is the production quality has gone up, as well as the stories that they tell. Yes, it’s formulaic. Yes a lot of the times it is predictable, but what isn’t? And what isn’t predictable these days? Every story is based on one of the greats if we think about it. Do I know what this one is? No. But I do know that the time honored tropes of mistaken identity, forbidden love, will they or won’t they, and more – given them to me.
Now, I admit that I turned True Princess Vs. Fake Heiress on because Tim Stein is in it. I’ve randomly started watching more of his dramas because of his TikTok. Now most of them make little sense to me, but all have not. I just know that he’s charismatic and that drew me in.
That and i’m always fascinated to see if he’ll be playing an older man or someone younger. His grey hairs in some of his dramas make me question his thought process. But hey, goes to show he’s versatile and that he’ll be a DILF one day.
I hesitated to watch because of the title – I thought that maybe I was settling in for a period piece and I wasn’t willing to commit to that. BUT, I was pleasantly surprised. Surprised because it wasn’t half that bad.
The gist? Well, “Olivia is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsister Vanessa, who force her to work and hide her true identity. When wealthy Mr. Chamberlain comes looking for his lost daughter, Vanessa claims to be her and takes Olivia’s place. Edward, seeking revenge on Mr. Chamberlain for his father’s death, plans to seduce Chamberlain’s daughter — but he falls for Olivia, believing she’s the real one. When Vanessa exposes Olivia’s supposed lie, Edward is torn between love and vengeance, unaware that Olivia is actually the true Miss Chamberlain.”
Tim Stein’s character of Edward wants revenge for his father going to jail and dying there. He wants to avenge his father and I can respect that. Respect it by using people and destroying lives of innocent people? Not so much.
You see – Mr. Chamberlin has invited these women into his home after he goes to retrieve this daughter that he didn’t know about. Of course he’s told the wrong daughter is his.
Vanessa and her Mom are evil. They only care about money and status. Olivia is sweet and innocent and just wants to be seen. She doesn’t know what she did to receive all of the abuse that she does.
When she meets Edward, she’s instantly taken She has feeling that she didn’t know could exist, but what relationship starts off as a lie and survives? There is nothing about anyone and Olivia that is the truth. But somehow Edward sees her.
Now, I wanted to hate Edward, but somehow I just see this character as a man filled with pain and searching for redemption. And redemption isn’t that easy to come by all of the time. For Edward he thinks that avenging his father is being in control of situations, but Olivia was the curve ball. She was the person that he wanted to save, to hold tight, to make sure that it was all going to be okay.
She was the catalyst of change. Of his change.
He’s going to make mistakes and so is she. But when he finds out that she’s pregnant – it’s not a matter of winning, it’s a matter of love. Jesse Gallagher and Tim Stein may not have all of the on screen chemistry that one would want but I do get the casting of them. I really would like for everyone on vertical dramas needs to be a nineteen year old damsel in distress.
But as usual – Stein draws your attention in and makes you want to see him in other projects (not all of the vertical kind).
And as for the production value that I normally trash? Well it was upped in here. Someone paid for lighting and that I will always applaud.
True Princess Vs. Fake Heiress wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great. But it definitely was fun to watch.
