New complications and characters confound viewers

PASCUAL. Compelled to tolerate too many nasty assaults and schemes.

As many TV drama shows rush pell-mell to their conclusion before they’re replaced by new teleseryes, their concluding plots and subplots are sometimes turning out to be too much of a handful and mouthful to effectively appreciate—and masticate.

It sometimes feels like we’re being hit this way and that in the solar plexus by a concatenation of shrieks and blows, each demanding our dazed attention!

On “Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real,” for instance, new problems and complications were being introduced right up to its recent conclusion on a practically daily basis, and the shocking assaults were no longer being perpetrated by previously identified “resident” irritants like Maricel Soriano’s Millet character.

In fact, Maricel was mostly limiting herself to “pain and anguish” mode, and the assaults and complications were being initiated by her character’s dad (Robert Arevalo) and his similarly outraged and enraged counterpart, Lovi Poe’s pater (Tommy Abuel).

In addition, assaults are also coming from other characters like Lovi’s spurned suitor, who up and shot Dingdong Dantes, driving everybody crazy since his violent act had come most unexpectedly, from way out of left field.

Main ‘victims’

On “Hawak-Kamay,” new characters and complications have similarly fuzzed up the series’ generally involving storytelling, and the main “victims” are the characters played by Piolo Pascual and Iza Calzado.

Being the show’s mature leads, they shouldn’t have to dazedly keep reacting to other and lesser instigators’ schemes—like Nikki Gil’s decision to get Piolo back at all cost, and Iza’s former flame (and her daughter’s dad’s) dark plot to get her to return to his craven embrace, even after he’s treated her so crummily for years!

The fact that Piolo and Iza’s characters are being compelled to tolerate these nasty assaults and schemes dilutes their strength as characters, and that’s not a good thing for program leads. To make things worse, the series has many child characters also begging for their own focus, so Iza and Piolo are ending up holding the smallest part of the plotting equation, which no self-respecting lead should have to do.

Incidentally, our fears about the series’ young characters’ “crush” relationship are turning out to be all too true, as some parents of young children have already expressed their apprehensions about how this new subplot will negatively impinge upon their own kids’ views on precocious romantic involvement.

If these initial fears expressed by only a few turn into a flood of fretful reactions, don’t say we didn’t warn you!