Stepbrother tropes aren’t everyone’s thing. I have lines with them, but this one – well, it was innocent enough. I didn’t mind, even though in high school it seemed to be a nightmare, and kids are vicious. Maybe it’s that Evan Adams stars in it. Maybe it’s that Cailin Peluso and star in it. All I know is that The Day My Stepbrother Knows My Dirty Secret was both cringeworthy and also 56 episodes of pure tension.
When we’re talking “a-list” vertical actors, you can definitely put these two on the list. They are attractive, fun, and always bring their characters to life in different ways. The two seem to battle for attention in each scene, and I am not above saying that in every situation, I don’t know who I am rooting for.
But I do believe that it is Cailin Peluso, Pheobe, that I want to win. I want her to feel seen, and she doesn’t feel seen at all. She’s struggling to tell Conrad how she feels, adapting to a new household with a new stepfather, a stepbrother that all the girls want to be with, and high school. She’s terrified of everything and needs to be pushed out of her comfort zone.
And I think we all can relate to that.
Seth and Pheobe didn’t exactly expect to be family – but here we are. She enters the school locker room, thinking that she’s talking to Conrad and handing him a love letter. Turns out it is Seth. For her to get her letter back, she makes a deal with him – she’ll be his personal assistant, and he’ll give her the letter back.
Enter the mean cheerleaders who don’t know the meaning of illegal, apparently. They steal her clothes and try to take a video of her to put online.
It’s a reminder of how cruel kids can be. Seth isn’t having it, though – he’s ready to take on these cheerleaders and put the head cheerleader, Stacy, in her place.
One thing that I always love about the roles that Adams plays is that he never likes a bully. He’s rooting for the underdog, and his characters are always trying to help people. Sure, part of protecting Pheobe is that she’s his stepsister, and the other half is that he likes her.
I don’t get why there is so much girl-on-girl violence. Like, who cares if someone is a virgin? Why does a girl have to be punished because of who likes her? What does all of this matter? I wish that all these teenagers understood that. I wish that they all got that none of this matters. What matters is who you are on the inside.
What’s endearing about this one is that it’s a reminder that you don’t have to be the popular person or the hero to be seen. Seth likes her and has liked her since he first saw her. He loses his mind when she’s bullied and when other guys pay her attention. He knows what he got into this for, and protecting her is what he does.
I like this story because it is a reminder to believe in yourself. Everyone has their ideas of who a person is, but admitting feelings is the hardest thing in the world. Pheobe sees the good in him, and he sees the good in Pheobe.
The issue is that the two don’t see how much they like each other.
The road that these two have to take – it’s a lot. Pheobe finds out that the guy that she liked – Conrad – took advantage of girls at school and drugged them. Seth pushes Pheobe to be a better person and chase her dreams. When she ends up rejecting Conrad, he releases a picture of her and Seth in a compromising position.
Seth isn’t going to let Pheobe take the blame. Instead, he’s going to take the blame for everything. He said it was a game and that it was over. His father takes it out on him and slaps him.
Seth wants to take full responsibility, but Pheobe isn’t having it. His solution is to leave and move to New York. He tells her that she needs to forget about him, which is not fair. She is broken without him, and her Mom does get that.
I am not all about violence, but Conrad deserved it when Seth laid him out. Seth’s father is really just gross and the way he treats people, but especially his own son – ick.
Eventually, the two will end up together after spending time apart. Sometimes people need to do just that.
Give each other time.
Adams and Peluso are charming in all of the roles that they take on. Part of what makes this role special to us is the fun that they had with it. You see two different sides to their characters – both strength and vulnerability (which we think go hand in hand). Adams is growing beyond the teenage heartthrob and is working towards establishing himself as a leading man. Though in our opinion, he’s just that.
Peluso is a girl’s girl. She’s having fun, showing who she is, and knowing that the sky is the limit.
Whatever you think of the step-sibling trope, I think you’ll enjoy this vertical series. It’s streaming now on Dramabox.
