Relationships are hard enough without working with an ex. That is in real life and apparently in Vertical Dramas also. It’s apparently torture no matter real or fictional. But sometimes one must go through the hardships in order to see the mistakes made and the assumptions that one should never make. Office Enemies, stars Rebecca Stoughton and Noah Fearnley and is a lot of laughter, assumptions, fun, and missed opportunities.
And some opportunities found.
In typical vertical fashion, someones drugged and that leads to accusations that change peoples lives. That is what happens, but when it’s a vertical there is going to be more along the way. The drama will lead to second guessing and wondering if the other person has betrayed you.
Hint: they most likely haven’t.
In Office Enemies, Rebecca Stoughton plays Riley. She’s strong, independent and stubborn. Riley was engaged to Owen, played by Noah Fearnley, but broke off the engagement when she found him in bed with someone else.
Hint: He was drugged.
Owen’s company is acquired by the company that Riley works for. The two end up being placed in the same office, as the two are competing for the job of COO. The one that lands a contract with the government is going to get the job.
Their job puts them against each other and that is definitely making for good entertainment. The way that they compete and try to sabotage each other is quite funny. Rebecca Stoughton and Noah Fearnley have great comedic timing, but also great chemistry on the screen.
Stoughton is quite strong in her role – being able to show both commanding the scene, but also a sense of vulnerability. She’s making you root for Riley and really dislike Owen. But looking back at the series I realize that even though I started to dislike Owen, he also took a lot of what Riley said in stride. He loved her still.
Owen’s family hates Riley and yet he’s definitely willing to put up with them disowning him, because he loves her. He doesn’t want to be with anyone else, and is looking for forgiveness, but for what isn’t what you would expect. He didn’t want anything but her happiness. It may not have been that way at first, but it definitely ended up being that way.
Their boss is a chauvinist pig. He berates Riley but tries to always have Owens back. It results in Owen getting the job. BUT in true vertical fashion, as he gets the job, there are a lot of things that lead to him trying to set the record straight with Riley.
Love is a strange thing. It will make you do stupid things, but also it will make you smart ones. He tells Riley that he never cheated, that he was drugged. He didn’t tell her because she was already upset. He wanted to tell her, but the guilt of hurting her has been too much. The thing that has never changed is his love for her.
As her life gets more complicated – with her Mom dying and the tech that she’s invented being taken from her – he shows the man that he is. He offers to do a bunch of crap for their boss in order for Rileys Mom to get the help that she needs.
He ends up taking a big chance in order to make sure that Riley has and gets the life that she deserved. And is part of that being with him? Yes. That is true. And the two being together is a what I was rooting for the entire time.
Rebecca Stoughton and Noah Fearnley have great on screen chemistry, and shine in a series together. Fearnley is absolutely hilarious in an understated way, but also charming AF. Stoughton is commanding and like Fearnley, she is hilarious in an understated way.
Office Enemies is filled with a ton of tropes, a ton of laughter, and a ton of crazy drama. It’s a must watch if you are into Vertical Dramas.
