Slap-happy

DANTES. Reeled from Maricel Soriano’s realistic blows.

Quite idiosyncratically, this is turning out to be the month for slapfests and slugfests on TV, either actual or of the enacted sort.

Leading off early this month was the violent reaction of Maricel Soriano’s character to her belated realization that her heretofore perfect husband, Dingdong Dantes, had up and married a second wife, Lovi Poe, and had had a love child with her.

Instead of just crying herself a river like most other wounded wives, Maricel physically hit back, really hard, and Dingdong reeled from her realistic blows. Later, Maricel similarly slapped Lovi for being complicit in his bigamous act—and, the last time we watched their show, “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real,” Maricel’s tirades and assaults appeared to be far from over!

On US TV, the “in” thing now seems to be reality TV shows’ penchant for real violence as opposed to the “pretend” sort. The most obliging reality show in this regard is the “Real Housewives” series emanating from different posh parts of the United States, with their resident wealthy and neurotically competitive vixens all too ready, willing and able—to disable one another in huge cat fights that slack-mouthed viewers look forward to periodically witnessing!

It’s become par for the course for these rich bitches, once they’re properly stoked and inebriated, to hit each other without compunction—and to say sorry much later.

Shocking assault

The most unexpectedly shocking assault seen on the show earlier this month was when a Real Housewife, who happened to have a prosthetic leg, actually took off her fake limb—and proceeded to use it as a combination baseball bat and battering ram! —Now, who could possibly top that?

On local TV, viewers were surprised recently by the news report, complete with corroborating video, of QC Mayor Herbert Bautista getting so ticked off by an uncooperative drug dealer from China, that he hit the sullen alien in the face—not once, but twice! The mayor later apologized for his loss of self-control, but it’s gotten him on our slap-happy list.

Back to Hollywood stars, quite a number of them have had it up to here with nosey paparazzi who harass even their little kids, and some of the stars have been hitting back—not just confiscating the intruders’ cameras, but also physically “expressing” their disgust by way of slaps and slugs!

Finally, a lot of CCTV-originated TV footage shown on news and magazine shows of late have made it a point to record big, all-out street brawls involving male and female gangs and other combatants. The participants may be the exact opposite of stellar, but their smarmily violent actions make for “shocking” viewing, all the same.

When will the TV slapfests end? Only when viewers get sick and tired of them, and stop “enabling” them by way of their avid and even rabid viewership!