Wake Me Up My First Love

starring: ELENA FLURY & JOEY JAMES FRENCH

Cathy, the fierce boss of the Scorpion Gang, falls into a coma after a staged car accident. When she wakes up, her family elders deceive her into bringing home Prince Alexander of Monaco as a sperm donor to secure an heir…

REVIEW

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don't think the cast will mind me saying the plot & script here is total madness. I mean the set up is insane - he is brought in to be a sperm donor to a Mafia Boss in a coma.

But I don't come to verticals for logic. You have to leave your brain at the door. And if you are prepared to do that it is really rather brilliant

Because we finally have a kick ass female Mafia Boss. Cathy calls all the shots, dominates the room, physically throws down a challenger and is a boss with the guns

@elenaflury nails the dream role. Teamed up with the icon that is Michelle, we have 2 awesome ladies dealing with all the elders welching out on their deals with the Scorpion family (I saw you @mike.kelson.31 ) You couldn't ask for a stronger female lead character, she almost goes too far threatening Alexander, and tearing up the photo of his beloved.

She is lucky that Alexander is who he is, a male character who shows men can be gentle, clever & kind. It is the most amazing reversal of the sexes and the fact a Vertical does it is phenomenal

It works because @joeyjamesfrench is the perfect foil for Elena's toughness. Alexander is gentle but he is never weak, he deals with things at the end, and has a genius moment where his Gen Z marketing solution for the Mafia totally confuses millennial Enzo @_joshuaduncan

I adore @tombowen91 as Andrew, just watch everything he does, every reaction is superb, he has so much fun and needs a lot more screen time.

Look the plot is ludicrous at times, we have unnecessary voice over monologue (@joeyjamesfrench is a darn good actor and you can see it all in his expressions) but it is fun, and has a great romance at the heart of it, with 2 opposites coming together. The back hug when A stops C from shooting herself, and comforts her is so well done.

This is why I fell in love with verticals. In amongst this madness there are some great ideas, fun moments and good performances.

I want to see @elenaflury in more kick ass roles

And @joeyjamesfrench should be the next Vertical pin up for all the teens. Seriously cast him in everything, that's how you get the YA audience. Big teen agrees. That's the voice of youth right there

💖 Top swoonworthy moment:

This is very cleverly done as we have a real role reversal here as Cathy spends a lot of time at the beginning threatening Alexander as she fights for survival, but slowly learns that she is underestimating him, and that Alexander is the one person she can trust the most. The fact that it works so well is a credit to the leads.

🦹🏼‍♂️ Top villain award:

Tom Bowen has a ball as Andrew, we need lots more of him on screen causing chaos please. One of the best and most fun male villains I have ever seen.

😂 Comedy gold:

Unintentional but the subtitle that said ‘I’m sorry caffeine I can’t leave you here to die’ rather than Cathy made me giggle. Because that Is how I feel about coffee.

🎺 Unsung hero:

Michelle is an ICON.
We all need a Michelle.
Also have a lot of time for Enzo who is in an impossible position, and also has the first Scottish accent I have seen on screen in a vertical.

✍🏼 DETAILS

2025

Available on Dramabox