I’ve been staring at my computer for about twenty minutes, asking myself where to even begin. Scandalous is an adaptation of the LJ Shen book, starring Meg Bush and Mark Hermann. What it should be starring is a cold shower for all of us, because lordy, this vertical is HOT.
The vertical is about, “When young and fiery Eddie is forced to work for and spy on her father’s ruthless rival Trent RexRoth, their hatred sparks into a forbidden desire – an age gap love that could ruin them both.”
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Now, I love a good book-to-movie adaptation and I will be calling this series a movie because that is what it felt like – a movie.
I am going to say something I don’t always say – but we don’t give Mark Hermann enough credit. Is he hot? Yes. Can play action and drama? Absolutely. A total Zaddy? All signs point to yes. Watching Scandalous, you get to see how he can transition from emotion to emotion and do it flawlessly.
Hermanns character of Trent RexRoth is a no-nonsense businessman. He’s cutthroat and intimidating, but also has a heart. He’s a father first, and nothing matters more to him than his daughter, Luna.
Bush’s character of Edie is devoted to her little brother and is afraid of her father. RexRoth had bought her father’s company, and that made her blame him for her family going broke. She’s forced by her father to steal – him using her brother over her.
Edie has a job as a personal assistant, but what she doesn’t realize is that the company she is going to work for was just bought out by RexRoth. She’s going to be his personal assistant and that (initially) works for neither one of them. So, Edie, thinking that she’s going to be fired, decides to go balls to the wall.
She is let go, until she isn’t. When she makes Luna laugh, there is no way that Rexroth is letting her go. She hasn’t spoken, laughed, or smiled in over two years. Edie getting a response out of her was special.
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Now, don’t get me wrong, the relationship between Rexroth and Edie is very complicated, but their attraction is very strong. The two are in a game of cat and mouse with the angst of some of the best romances out there. Hermann and Bush make the viewer believe that love will always find a way.
As with any vertical (or movie or television show), there is a lot of drama. The drama in this one involves horrible fathers, kidnappings, enemies to lovers, and, well, co-workers that flat out suck. It doesn’t really matter, though, because when there are a lot of tropes and ups and downs, it makes it more interesting.
There is a lot of kissing, but it works. It’s not overly done, and every kiss moves the story forward. Though Hermann and Bush have on-screen chemistry, the kissing isn’t necessary. Their body actions, facial expressions, and timing make the angst more intense.
Hermann and Bush have long been vertical stars, and we do love them. The age gap doesn’t matter. All that matters is that these two are challenging each other and loving each other. All that matters is that they are protecting the people that they love.
One of my favorite things about this movie is the reasons that Edie and Trent are always trying to put others in front of themselves, but as they do, they remember that fighting for themselves is important to. Each one has someone to protect, but through the movie they remember that they can’t do it all on an empty.
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Each one of them challenges the others and that makes them better people. He’s always there to save her, and she’s always there to challenge him. I know that there are other people in the cast and they all did a great job. The thing is that Hermann and Bush have so much chemistry that it’s all that you can focus on.
Scandalous is hot, but more than that, it’s a story of redemption and family. It’s a story of fighting what you believe in and not letting anyone stand in your way. It’s a story about loving who you love and fighting for that love, but also protecting that love.
And the reason that it does so well? Well, that’s Hermann and Bush.
Scandalous is out now on ReelShort.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Edie’s father is the worst
- I don’t like how people always want to hit each other
- Why are ex-wives in these things always crazy
- Did we mention Edie’s Dad is the worst
- That Santa costume – I would kick someone
- Love how Trent wakes up and is like don’t wanna talk about being shot, but hey, I got you custody of your brother
