On Overrated TV Shows

So I watched the finale episode of Walang Hanggan earlier.

 

I am bit disappointed, although it was expected because the story was based on the movie, Hihintayin Kita sa Langit. That’s why when Katerina died, it wasn’t s surprise when Daniel followed shortly after.

 

I wasn’t disappointed with the story and the ending, really. I was more disappointed with the dialog and some of the actors’ acting. The dialog leaves so much to be desired for. The narration at the end part was unnecessary. Some conversations were unnecessary. Unfortunately, that’s how TV works. The network and producers have fans to satisfy, so even if a lot of things could have been polished, there was no action done because, that’s what the fans prefer. If it was a movie, there’d be a lot of polishing and perfecting. If that approach happened in a movie, critics would probably fill the world-wide web bashing the production.

 

All in all, I think it’s just another typical and predictable Filipino teleserye finale where someone always dies, someone always goes to prison, the villain always dies at the end, and someone who used to be so evil changes ways. There has already been a lot of that on Philippine TV. The problem with Philippine TV is that they give everything away. The put too much stress on the love between Katerina and Daniel, instead of letting the people see that for themselves. They make sure Daniel’s every sentence has “Katerina” on it. They make sure he talks about her and how much he loves her every time he opens his mouth. Please! It’s just annoying and stubborn sometimes. They portray Katerina as this damsel who always needs to be rescued and taken care of. Really, what’s to love in a girl like that? Isn’t it so much believable to love someone who knows exactly where they fit in this world? Someone who knows what they want, get what they want, work and fight for what they want?

 

As much as I love Coco Martin, I have never been happier now that Walang Hanggan is finally over. I personally think the show is overrated and that there are so many other shows better than this. Actually, if this show had different actors, if this show did not have Dawn Zulueta, Richard Gomez, Coco Martin, JoEm Bascon, Noni Buencamino, and the others, this show would be a total train wreck. At long last, I no longer have to see the exaggeration and inconsistent characters that the writers have created. I no longer have to see their extended dialog that was corny and cheesy.

 

I can only hope that the next show the network has scheduled will be much better in characterization, plot, and acting than the one that just ended.

On Procreation

When GOD said “Go forth, and multiply,” there were only two people, Adam and Eve, and they had everything in the world they could ask for.

That is not the world we live in today. Now, our world is full of different kinds of people. While there is goodness in every man, there is also evil that lurks in every corner. There is poverty, sickness, and suffering. We don’t have the garden of Eden anymore, so yes, while we still obey the very first command to multiply, that does not mean we can multiply anytime we want to.

A parent’s responsibility does not end in child bearing. The biggest responsibility is in raising a child and making sure that that child grow up well and becomes a good man/woman who makes significant contribution for the good of the community, however small that community may be. That is why I support the RH Bill.

I don’t have children. Yet. However, that does not mean I never thought of having one or that I never wanted one. I did, and I still do. The only thing that stops me is the fact that I know I am not ready. I am not ready to take care of a child emotionally, psychologically and financially. While I can afford to be pregnant and have the baby at the best hospital in the city, it is the “after” that I cannot afford yet. The sleepless nights, the expenses for baby care, the dramatic change in lifestyle… and it does not end there. When the infant becomes a toddler, I cannot afford the education, the maturity to guide my child into making the right decisions, the stability… Having a child costs so much, and I don’t want to have a child just because I feel like it. When I start my own family, I want to be able to give my child the best out of everything, which is what a every parent should have the capacity to do.

Why would anyone not want to support a bill that will help the women and Philippine households become more aware of their choices and provide them with easy access to their reproductive health assistance? Is it because the Catholic church says it is against their religion? But it is not the only religion in the country. Is it because it promotes abortion? Well, abortion is still illegal and will remain illegal. Is it because it opens the risk of teenagers having premarital sex? Come on, this has been going on long before the bill was even thought of. Plus, if teenagers engage in premarital sex, it is the responsibility of the parent to make sure their children know what’s right and wrong and that these children make decisions that are for their own good. Is it because they keep saying it is just a front for other countries to gain control of the Philippines? Since when have we, as a country, become truly independent? Do we say we are independent because we have our own president and our privilege to organize “people power” rallies? Are we really that ignorant?

Contrary to what you may think, I strongly believe in God and life. I am “for” life. But what good is “life” when you end up in slums and become the problem of society? What good is life when all a child ends up being is a drug addict or a criminal or even just a poor little boy/girl who never becomes nourished with everything essential (and no, I’m not talking bout just food)? And for the parents, particularly for the woman, what good is bringing children into the world if it is at the expense of you being able to properly rear them?

Is it really just BRINGING A LIFE into this world that’s important? Aren’t we supposed to also think about what we can give to that life we bring? Aren’t we supposed to strive for something more, something deeper, something that’s not just meant to be enjoyed by you, but by your community as well?

On TV and Quality Shows

Walang Hanggan is a Philippine TV Series shown on a primetime slot and rakes in a good percentage of national viewership. The show’s actors are some of the industry’s biggest names. I used to love this show. But not anymore.

Recently, I have to admit, there has been so many things on the show that were too unreal and stupid to happen in real life. They took a good love story and made it into an exaggerated soap opera where everything bad seems to be happening to the protagonists while the antagonists appear to always hold the upper hand.

In the course of the next blogs, I’ll be posting my opinions on the show. Forgive me if the next few posts will bore you. I really just have to react on this because this show has extremely disappointed me.

My first reaction has to be the inconsistency on the character of Manage Genia (Susan Roces). For those who aren’t familiar, Manage Genia is an old lady who took care of Daniel (Coco Martin) when he was kidnapped by Donya Margaret (Helen Gamboa) and left outside the gates of an orphanage. Manage Genia is known to be conscientious and always does what is right, even if it becomes the downfall of a beloved family member. She was the one who told everybody that Daniel is the son of Emily (Dawn Zulueta) and Marco (Richard Gomez) who was taken from them the day he was born. This caused a rift between the mother-son relationship of Marco and Donya Margaret.

When Manang Genia learned that Margaret helped Miguel in getting a loan and corrupting corporate money from Emily, she reprimanded her sister. She also did not support what Daniel what doing for Katerina (Julia Montes) because Katerina was already married to Nathan (Paolo Avelino) and she kept telling Daniel to move on and let the married couple be. No matter how important a family member is to her, if that person has done something wrong, Manang Genia always asks the person to do the right thing and she herself always tries to do the right thing everytime.

However, when she was kidnapped by Nathan, so he can blackmail Daniel to surrender, Manang Genia did not press charges. She saw that Daniel was badly beaten up by Nathan and his goons and was even turned over to the police even if Daniel really did not do anything to Nathan at all. When Manang Genia and Nathan had a confrontation, she said that she can press charges, but she chose not to. Nathan said she could not because she cannot do such a thing to out a relative behind bars.

Now, tell me, what happened to the ever righteous Manang Genia, who was always on the right side and always acted on conscience? Did she, all of a sudden, become an empty shell of a person who did not practice what she preached and was more concerned with family loyalty than in doing the right thing?

You see how inconsistent this character has become? That’s one reason why this show sucks big time.