I
feel inspired! Try as I may, I can't really stay away from blogging. Blame
it to the Holiday rush, after all it's only exactly 1 month before Christmas!
My favorite time of the year. And as I countdown to Christmas day, I will just
let the inspiration flow ~
Now that our favorite lovebirds are engaged, for REAL this time no longer just for legal purposes. What’s now in store for Clark & Leah? Other than the inevitable wedding, of course!
Following the elaborate preparation and the heart-piercing
proposal that pretty much the theme of last week’s set of episodes, it was
rather disconcerting for #OTWOLBackslide – when I saw the hashtag, my initial reaction was
“REALLY? I want to kill someone NOW!”. Ok, so maybe not that extreme, but I
sure feel like punching the daylights out of someone… Jigs, maybe.. But, I was
able to keep my resolve as the hashtag could very well be attributed to Jigs.
Backslide from his “road to recovery”, as Maggie calls it. With the recent
developments, Clark & Leah's relationship put in proper order, Jigs was
actually doing alright. That scene when Maggie was venting on the punching bag
in the gym, and Jigs went out of his way to help her, it was a clear indication
that he’s starting to realize that other people also matter, and he can be
selfless when the need arises. Of course, Jigs does not automatically turn into
the gracious prince charming, as he criticized Maggie when he met the Ex, but
still that’s how their dynamic work. I especially laud the scene in the bar,
after Maggie’s encounter with the Ex and how she realized that she’s finally
ok, I love that part! How she shared that moment with Jigs, I was hoping that
could help shed light on him. And for a moment there, I think it did. Though
the succeeding events would prove that it was not enough.
So, fast forward to Jigs coming home to the Philippines. It
was literally so fast, like he teleported or something. (smh) We didn’t
even get to see him in traffic, I mean that should give us at least 2 gaps in
the episode, right? In any case, at a blink of an eye, he’s there.. at the
gate.. all set to bring chaos to Clark & Leah. In my opinion, he should at
least be battling jetlag for a day or so.. Anyway..
Pamamanhikan time, extended families on both sides are all eager to take part in this momentous event in Clark & Leah’s relationship. Leah and her extended Tenement Uno family, and Clark with his family and #TeamRaksNotDead ~ Lol. I thought it was really hilarious how Axel & Kiko muscle their way into being counted in the pamamanhikan entourage. But it was not all off, I mean, they did play a big part in the preparation of the proposal, so it was ok for them to be Clark’s “extended family”.
Now as everything was almost set for the pamamanhikan, Jigs unceremoniously made his presence known, in a manner that has Jigs written all over. He’s got major GALL, that much I should say, for coming to Leah’s unit unannounced and all. What I really, really liked was how Tatang reacted to his proclamation of the truth about Clark & Leah. Again, a GOLDEN moment for Tatang Sol! Serves him right for letting his ego run just about every decision he has made from the time he decided to fly back to Manila. Jigs, it doesn’t hurt to use your head from time to time. Clearly, your arrogance is not getting you anywhere!
Since his effort to confront Leah didn’t work ~ seriously? he really thought that would get him somewhere? Geez! Jigs now resorted to inflicting physical pain to Clark. He’s dumb and he’s a big coward, so brute force was his next big step. And poor Clark, as he has no intention of fighting back, was just deflecting Jigs’ punches. (yes! it’s bias, get over it!) Lola Pachang would soon witness them fighting which led to the regulation-teleserye elderly reaction, a mild stroke. With Lola in the hospital, Clark had no other choice but to push the Pamamanhikan to another date.
Too much drama, and action! But I guess, it was an encounter waiting to happen. Was it out of proportion? In a way, Yes, but since this is Jigs, then it could be attributed to his demeanor, so I say it was within the normal expectation. Clearly the LONG road to Happy Ever After is not paved with rainbows and picturesque lavender-laden prairie, but that too was expected. We still have a long way to February 2016, so the story needs to be stretched to last for at least that much.
In any case, the efforts are pretty obvi with the teaser & bts photos of additional characters: Paulo Avelino is now gracing the teasers; Bailey & Ylona were subtly introduced to the show in the recent Kapamilya Christmas event in Trinoma. So the question is, how are they going to fit into the story without straying far from the original context? I hate myself for admitting this, but at least Angela’s character had a back story in the US (damn it! ~ Let it be known that this acknowledgement does not in any way suggest that I approve of her coming back into the picture!). For the inquisitive minds, there are just a lot of questions to go by.
§ Paulo is said to be the NEW boss in Leah’s work place, how would that fare into the Clark & Leah equation? Leah’s job had never posed an issue in their relationship before, so how would a new manager matter in the situation? Would it play out like the 90’s Judy Ann TV dramas, where all the attractive male characters were clamoring to win her affection? I sure hope not. But with all the ballyhoos around Paulo’s entry into the drama, I hope this won’t turn into one of those convoluted twists with no clear resolve. It’s way too early to pass any judgment but I just don’t see how he’s going to fit in the puzzle.
§ Bailey & Ylona – as much as I welcome their cuteness into the story, I’m still not sure what role they’re going to play and how that would blend into the OTWOL realm.
And in the spirit of injecting more twists & conflicts into the storyline, there are a number of existing sub-plots that just needs revisiting:
§ Nanang – for crying out loud! How long before it will be revealed to Tatang that she is alive? The longer this takes, the more complicated it will get. I mean, put yourself in Tatang’s place for a moment, how would you feel if this fact have been kept from you? Leah & Tiffany should learn from Tatang’s reaction when he learned about Leah being married. I understand that he’s recovering from a heart condition, but I hope they’d give him more regard than that.
§ Nanang & Brent – this is another conflict waiting to be explored. How will Brent accept this new phase of his life? And when he does, how will he manage having to connect with his two older sisters? I can see a possible scenario where Clark can help Leah understand and be more open to accepting Brent, as it’s somewhat similar to his situation with Jordan & Jenny. The only difference of course is that he’s the older sibling, and Jordan & Jenny knew about him all their lives. Still, it’s a workable angle.
§ Jigs – when will he ever move on? When will he ever get resolve? It’s a steep & slippery road when it comes to him as he is the resident antagonist. But they have already shown another side of him with his interaction with Maggie. I understand that his is not an overnight solution, that much is true. But still, I hope Jigs get more substance as he can very well be more than the unfortunate hateful character that he is now. Who can ultimately help him move on? Tita Jac? Maggie? Perhaps, Angela (fingers-crossed – I know it’s a long shot!). I hope one day he’ll realize his destructive ways that caused his relationship with Leah to fail, and that he find a way to forgive himself enough so he can make amends with Clark & Leah.
§ Tiffany, Adrian & Tolayts – this had already been scratched on the surface, but not enough for any clear development yet. I do realize that this is a sensitive situation because there’s a kid involved. But for the sake of lengthening the story, this may be something that needs looking more into.
§ Rico, the resident orator – I know his character may seem an unconventional choice to delve into. But if you look at his back story, he was scorned in his past relationship, which made him the eloquent declaimer that he is now. It could be that through his series of love speech, his words would somehow touch the heart of a member of the audience. Then he would find love again - be it someone new, or probably patch things up with this Ex & find some closure. Something compelling enough that would help Jigs see things in a different light, and make him understand and finally push him to move on.
§ Cullen & Monette – how can I forget the original advocates of Clark & Leah Forever! Before Axel & Kiko, there was Cullen & his undying support for Clark. And there’s Monette, who was Leah’s friend and sister in the US. These two have helped Clark & Leah realize that they were meant for each other. And in the process of playing matchmakers, they found their match in each other. Now that they are also engaged, they may encounter some technicalities that might cause some pretty minor wedge in their relationship. Leah & Clark will then enter to the rescue, and like a good-natured role reversal, Clark will talk some sense to Cullen by citing examples on what he had to go through with Leah, which frankly was quite a LOT! And Leah would be there for Monette, help her to be reasonable. Leah could relate to Monette how difficult it was for her, and how that took toll on her relationship with Clark – that it almost ruined her chance for her happy ever after! (it came pretty damn close!) But then she realized that her love for Clark mattered more, which made her decide to choose LOVE & how that ultimately lead to where they are now. Let’s face it! It’s a pretty good story. And who else will understand and appreciate that more than Cullen & Monette. In the end, Cullen & Monette would realize that their love is bigger than the minor disputes & patch things up. On the other hand, Clark & Leah will have a chance to look back on how far they’ve come, and appreciate the journey that strengthen them to get that happy ever after that they truly deserve.
See, everybody gets a happy ending. No loose ends untied. No open-ended conflicts left unresolved. And that’s without straying far from the original setting of the drama.
- Is it going to extend the story? – check!
- Are the twists and sub-plots related to the story premise? – check na check!
- Will the final resolution be looped back to the main context of the story? – check na check na check!
But hey, this is just me agreeing with my inspired creativity. Everyone’s welcome to come up with plausible plots and side-stories. These are just some suggestions that I came up with.
Photo credits: ABS CBN channel, iWantTV, screen caps of my TV & YouTube. ❤
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| xoxo ~ |
. I believe this is the adverse effect of being finally free to express LOVE. Ergo, unli mushiness ~ LoL
I had to admit, though, I really appreciate the thoughtful effort of Leah coming to Clark's workshop to surprise him with his favorite dish adobo. It's nothing grand, but it was such a sweet gesture. A happy memory of their time together when they were still in the US. 
