'Chained to My Nemesis': A Review and Conversation with Writer Adrion Trujillo

When a vertical drama is called "Chained to My Nemesis", you would think the title is just being dramatic, right?

Nope. Not this time.

They really said, “What if we literally chained two people together and made them survive each other?” And just like that, personal space officially leaves the building.

The drama follows Tessa Birch, a hardworking biology student carrying the weight of her mother’s medical bills, and Shane de Vere, a spoiled old-money heir hiding his grief behind sarcasm.

Then Shane’s late Gram-Gram enters the chat from beyond the grave and demands that he spend an entire week handcuffed to someone responsible if he wants to inherit his fortune.

Naturally, that someone is Tessa.

Aaaahhh, the chaos really writes itself!

What begins as hilarious forced proximity slowly becomes something warmer, sweeter, and sneakily emotional. The handcuffs are funny, the inheritance challenge is wild, and the enemies-to-lovers tension gives us all the sparks and sharp-tongued banter we came for.

Underneath the rich-family madness, however, is a thoughtful reminder about accountability, loss, personal growth, and learning to care again when life has taught you to keep your guard up.

The poster for "Chained to My Nemesis" | Source: instagram/app.shorts

One Chain. Two Enemies. Zero Chance of Escaping the Feelings.

The best part of this drama is how vividly its characters come to life.

Madeleine Rocha-Barnette brings grounded sweetness to Tessa, along with the perfect “I do not have time for this spoiled man” face. Tessa is intelligent, independent, and quietly carries more than she lets people see. Madeleine balances that strength with enough softness to make every crack in her armor believable.

Kenny Resch gives Shane far greater depth than the usual arrogant rich heir. Beneath the sarcasm, charm, and total allergy to responsibility is someone still shaped by grief. He does not suddenly become perfect because he falls in love. He becomes more honest, increasingly self-aware, and willing to make an effort, which makes his development so satisfying.

Madeleine and Kenny also share such natural chemistry. Their arguments have bite, their teasing flows easily, and the growing comfort between Tessa and Shane allows their gentler moments to land beautifully.

The supporting cast keeps everything wonderfully messy. Bo Burroughs gives Shane’s cousin Conrad a cold, calculated presence, while Frankie Stofan brings glamorous trouble as Rachel, the dangerous ex who refuses to leave quietly.

Add a butler who has clearly had enough of this family’s rich-people nonsense and Gram-Gram creating maximum chaos from beyond the grave, and you have the perfect recipe for romcom madness.

Behind the Chain: An Interview with Writer Adrion Trujillo

Bringing this playful concept to the page is Adrion Trujillo, a Pacific Northwest-based writer and filmmaker whose work explores modern characters with humor and compassion.

Known for projects including "Duke’s Masked Wife" and the vertical drama "Jacked Janitor vs. Golden Boy", he is also the writer behind all the chained-up chaos in "Chained to My Nemesis." I had the absolute pleasure of asking him about forced proximity, complicated characters, and the tender message beneath it all.

Liz: "Chained to My Nemesis" has such a fun forced-closeness setup with Tessa and Shane being chained together. From a writing point of view, what made this kind of setup exciting for you to explore?

Adrion: I'm a big believer in visual clarity in storytelling, so I've always thought a show with a ridiculous visual element causing tension moment to moment would work. Plus, there's always this running joke in vertical writing rooms about how far to take forced proximity. My goal was to tell a story like that and not make it feel like a joke, and I think I mostly succeeded.

Liz: The story has bickering, forced proximity, family pressure, romance, and emotional growth all happening together. How do you keep a romcom playful while still giving the characters real feelings underneath?

Adrion: I think comedy, like drama, should come out of the characters, who they are, and how they react to things; what grinds their gears, what makes them aroused, etc. Tessa being this overworked curmudgeon and Shane being this maladjusted party boy, it just lent itself to a more playful tone. I was very much letting the characters inform things.

Liz: Shane and Tessa both come into the story with strong first impressions, but slowly we see more vulnerable sides of them. What do you enjoy most about writing characters who are not exactly what they seem at first?

Adrion: I just like writing goobers who pretend to be tough guys. The projected tough exterior of a character doesn't appeal to me because it feels false. It feels manufactured. I want to crack the nutshell open. To me that's what makes the character compelling: the cracks.

Liz: Do you think the chain brings Tessa and Shane closer, or does it force them to confront what they have been avoiding? And what message do you hope audiences take from their journey?

Adrion: I think the chain forces them to confront the things they didn't want to admit about themselves, because it gives them no opportunity to hide from each other. Their insecurities and vulnerabilities are all on display, and being curious people, they can't help but notice that thread and want to pull it. To me, the message of this vertical is that it's okay to not get things right on the first try. It's the trying that matters. But being a good person isn't an inherent quality. It's a process. You just have to keep trying to do better.

Final Thoughts and the Lesson Behind the Laughs

That is what gives this romcom more weight than its playful premise first suggests. It understands that growth is rarely graceful and becoming better does not mean getting everything right on the first try.

Funny, charming, and quietly heartfelt, "Chained to My Nemesis" leaves behind a gentle reminder that real change often begins with the uncomfortable decision to stop running and try again.

Watch the trailer: