‘Ikaw Lamang’ sizzles with tantalizing twists

CONCEPCION. Joins Book Two of drama series.

We’re all for innovation on the TV screen, because most shows give us very little of that, so we want to highlight and celebrate the new twist on “Ikaw Lamang,” which last Monday ambitiously extended its storytelling from the ’70s to the ’90s.

—That’s right, all of the principal characters have aged a lot, or some lead actors resurfaced as different personas. To illustrate: Jake Cuenca’s “hyper-monstrous” character, Franco, is now being portrayed in his senior form by Christopher de Leon, who we expect will be as vituperatively vicious, if not more so, than Cuenca.

—Now, that’s saying a lot, because Cuenca really chewed up the scenery during his long, loud and livid stint on the show! As for his young daughter, Natalia, she’s become a sexy young woman played by KC Concepcion.

Doting dad

Last Monday, viewers were informed that Natalia had come home from “abroad” to get married to a rich swain, and her doting dad was prepared to spare no expense to make her nuptials the wedding of the year.

—Aba, dapat lang, since his character had become a prominent and powerful politician in the interim, and was reported to be even setting his sights on the country’s presidency in the coming elections!

—But, trouble appears to be brewing, because Natalia’s betrothed is shown dallying with a buxom flirt, so it looks like Natalia’s “society” wedding could be in for some tacky bumps and grinds before it finally takes place—if it’s fated to do so!

This early, that could be an iffy proposition, because Coco Martin’s son, Gabriel, is also growing up, and he could be in the process of being positioned to become Natalia’s new beau—even if their families are viciously in “multigenerational” conflict. —As in, “Romeo and Juliet” all over again for the nth time, anyone?

Another tantalizing possibility—or even probability—is that the young-adult Gabriel could also be played by Coco Martin—as in, Central Casting comes full-cycle?

These and other possible plot and character developments may confound some viewers, but we prefer to be more open-minded about the series’ Book Two and its many possibilities, ungainly or TH though they may sometimes turn out to be.

As of last Wednesday, Kim Chiu finally made her new appearance as a feisty, motorcycle-riding young woman. Is she eventually going to be discovered to be Natalia’s long-lost sister—and will they ultimately fight for Gabriel’s romantic favor—and ardor? Abangan!