Pucked In The Friend Zone Review: One Should Probably Just Be Honest With Their Feelings

One thing that I can not handle when it comes to verticals is the casting – the want to cast actors that can not pass as being in high school as well, being in high school. Not every story needs to be in high school and this one would not have lost its appeal if it was not high school. It actually takes away and pulls peole out of a story when they try to pass someone off as younger. Love you Seth Edeen, but you can’t pass as a high school senior anymore. Pucked In the Friendzone is definitely oh so high school.

Before you come at me for shading him – I am not. I actually think that Edeen has some great roles to play. I do get that Edeen has a strong hockey background and part of this series involves hockey. I am, however, a fan of Edeen and Hannah Lowry together on the screen. I just believe that Edeen has some really strong roles that he could be playing.

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In this vertical – Edeen plays Grayson Hayes. He’s the popular guy and his best friend Reese (Hannah Lowery) is the nerd. But the two don’t care what everyone else has to say about their friendship. But the Queen B at school, Piper (JC Ann) definitely has something to say about it. She hates Reese and doesn’t understand why Grayson likes Reese. She’s determined to manipulate the situation and make sure that her and Grayson stay together.

She puts the nail in the coffin between Grayson and Reese, Piper makes sure that Grayson doesn’t get to take Reese to the prom. She fakes a hurt ankle, making it so Grayson has to take her to the hospital and making him unable to pick up Reese for prom. What he doesn’t know, when he calls Reese and just says that he’ll be late, is that she’s crying behind a tree. You see she had walked over to his house to meet him.

If you watch Hannah Lowery‘s verticals, you will know that this actress is everywhere in the vertical world. But what you will also realize is that her characters have a tendency to get their heart broken over and over again. Every single time that I see her on the screen I want to jump in and protect her, beating up every single person that breaks her heart.

In Pucked In The Friend Zone, Lowery shines. Reese is so relatable – a girl who gets her heart broken but finds a way to pick up the pieces. She moves forward, finding her dreams and embracing them. She works hard while leaving the past behind.

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Until Grayson finds her by chance. He sees her and doesn’t want to let her go. The two find a way to be friends, at least friendly enough to make a deal. She acts as his girlfriend for his sisters wedding festivities and he’ll introduce her to her favorite designer. She takes the deal and expects it to be easy.

But nothing is ever easy.

The two keep coming up against his mother hating her and Piper trying to destroy them. People want to out their relationship as fake, but Reese and Grayson are determined to not let anyone figure that out. But over time it’s because they can no longer deny all of the feelings that they’ve kept inside.

It doesn’t matter that a video of him the in the shower pleasuring himself was edited to make her believe that he was moaning Pipers name. It doesn’t matter that his Mom is cruel to her. What matters is that at the end of the day he’s not going to let her go. He wants to be with her. She wants to be with him.

But being together – that takes vulnerability. That takes compromise. Now, while somethings are unrealistic, it’s the romantic elements that will keep you watching these two on the screen. Feelings are never easy to confess, but when you don’t – misunderstandings reign supreme. This series was one of the better friends to lovers stories we’ve seen.

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Sometimes you have to take a step back and see what surrounds you. Relationships aren’t always so simple, but when you have the courage to embrace them, they can and will be beautiful.