We’re all about a friends to lovers trope. Give us all of the corniness, the will they won’t they of it all. The friends to lovers trope is an interesting one, because you can play it really right and you’ll have people rooting for the friendship to be ruined. If it’s played wrong, you disassociate from what the relationship is supposed to be growing into and you lose interest in the actors portraying the relationship.
When it comes down to The Billionaire’s Fake Wife, the only thing that takes me out is the really, really bad wig that they put the main character, Jen, played by Kendyl Twa in. I can’t get over it. Kristen Stewarts wig in that one Twilight series movie – it was more believable than this (and if you don’t know what I am talking about – well, then don’t mind that reference). Cayman Cardiff and Kendyl Twa will draw you in though. And even with the wig, you will be kept there.
Why?
Because you believe in their friendship, their loyalty and the slow burn that gets them to where they need to be. I know that they are characters and not real – so don’t come at me. It’s Cardiff and Twa that make you forget you’re watching actors and you just feel like suddenly these characters – however crazy it may get – are real.
JEN TO THE RESCUE
In the series, Jennifer Connor and Roman Johnson were friends from college who didn’t let their one-night stand ruin their friendship. He’s financing her research lab, and she’s doing research to heal her sister (of what I am not sure). The two have a great bond – one that his stepsister wants to ruin.
Cause ya, his Dad and his stepmom want him to marry his stepsister. Apparently she’s a refined woman of the highest caliber. I am going to have to look that up in the dictionary because I thought she was a hospital escapee who needed to sue whomever gave her bangs. Kim was the opposite of refined. She’s hiring thugs and blowing people up.
Roman has to have a wife in order for his Dad to keep funding the charities of his company.
Jen offers to marry him – as you know one does so that they don’t have to marry their sister. Why not? Let’s just say that I could write a dissertation on why not. I am all about ruining the friendship, but it’s a red flag when the man you are volunteering to marry – when his parents are like – marry your stepsister and she sets off a bomb to blow up the building that you are in.
RED FLAGS
But it’s also a red flag when you have to change who you are in order for them to accept who you are. When they have to move Jens sister to Romans families personal clinic on their property, I have so many questions. How rich are they? Can you just walk down the driveway and it’s there? What type of health issues do your family have that you have to have a clinic on property?
All of the sudden Roman and Jen get the idea to steal the life of the receptionship. They bleach Jens hair and it is one of the worst shades of blonde that I have ever seen. They put her in a dress, change her name up, and make her a fashion designer. Ok, Roman, we get you’re trying to beat your Dad at his own game, but this is ridiculous. And then, after exchanges, you ask your Dad to give you the weekend at the family estate so he can test her? Sir, grow a pair and stand up to Daddy.
ON A SOAP BOX
The real thing that I am going to need to talk about here is where is the person in verticals ensuring continuity. No joke. You have no idea how from scene to scene so many mistakes can be easily seen. And this is worse than the they’re having sex and we see the man in the shower with his boxers on. Go in tighter on the scene. I really do love Cayman Cardiff – I think he’s a great actor. Watching this I want to know how he’s fighting a battle – well so is Kendyl Twa – against whomever is failing at their job doing the continuity and whomever is the script supervisor.
Verticals are very soapy and I do understand that. But if you want to break out of that and really sku younger on some – you need to look at these things. Watch one of these with a teenager – they will point everything out that you may miss. My niece sure did.
We can all suspend belief. That’s something most people do when watching television or movies. But I think part of the reason that this is something I continue to harp on, is because these mistakes are something that can easily be fixed in post.
And before you tell me I don’t know – I have worked in the entertainment industry for a long time. I watch these things and I see some really talented actors refining their craft. I see productions on Candy Jar that don’t have these issues and then here we are and I am asking who I need to talk to.
But back to the review
While this entire series, I am rooting for Jen/Emily, I have a hard time with the way that Emily acts. She is supposed to be this confident socialite and she comes across as this insecure, scared, and timid one. I want to believe that she can handle all of the things that are thrown at her – as she seems to. But she seems to loose that confidence when she has to pretend to be Emily.
As a doctor, she’s confident and assured. When you take that away from her – the doctor title – she doesn’t seem to know who she is. Roman tries to always assure her and tell her that she did good. No matter how much pressure she feels, he reminds her that they are in it together. He does everything he can to be the man that assures her and comforts her.
Roman is willing to show Jen his emotions, but she’s got more guards up than he does. It’s kinda endearing. Cardiff, who plays Roman, has a tell when his character is about to confess feelings – his head tilts and there is this soft, gentle voice. But this only comes after he has one hand on an upper part of an arm. Now, I am not saying anything against that, because I love how I watch enough of these that I notice that.
ULTIMATELY
Ultimately, Jen is passing all of the tests that are set before her. Even when her sister is kidnapped (by the evil stepsister and evil stepmom) – she’s passing tests and not seeing her strength. It’s the evil stepmom and sister that make sure she’s outed for being Jen versus Emily.
But I am kinda glad all that happened. Because she found her voice and her strength. Roman was there to encourage her, but she had to find that belief in herself – for herself.
Oh, and she cured her sister. Of what I am still not sure, but she was cured.
There were a lot of ups and downs in this vertical, but ultimately it was a best friends to lovers story. If you take anything from it – let it not be all the breaking of the laws, but rather let it be that you should speak up when you fall in love or someone will probably want to marry you off to your stepsister.
