FPJ ‘tribute’ series flexes its muscles

MARTIN. Portrays standout cop and his “black sheep” twin brother.

THE FIRST telecast of the FPJ tribute drama series, “Ang Probinsyano,” last Monday was all about big production values, as the new show aggressively flexed its muscles to live up to its avowed action-drama intentions.

We welcomed the series’ relative lack of “back story” delaying tactics, as it dramatized the rapid ascent of standout young cop Ador (Coco Martin), who topped his class at the police training academy, unfortunately ticking off his runnerup (Arjo Atayde), who would become his nemesis in succeeding telecasts.

The series’ trailer also more than intimates that Ador will turn out to be an honest and courageous cop, but will be gunned down in his prime, thus making his “black sheep” twin, Cardo, agree to pretend to be him, and take his place.

But, that’s for future telecasts to flesh out. What came across in the first telecast were the series’ “muscular” intentions and its seminal thematic thrusts, all about being brave and honest in public service and protecting the populace, even if those noble traits are no longer felt to be important and “practical” by many. Those themes are important, so we’re eager to see the series dramatize them believably in succeeding weeks.

For now, we can share that the show’s cop-training scenes were brisk and detailed, keeping things moving dynamically while showing what made Ador an outstanding cadet clearly destined to have a great and exemplary career as a police officer. The first telecast’s “family,” action and romantic scenes were less strikingly staged and shot, however.

Heroic feats

If the new series aims to help revive the dormant action-drama mode in local entertainment, it should mount more believable and less improbably heroic feats of derring-do.

On point of performance, Coco Martin makes an appropriately “humble but brave and charismatic” lead—except that he tends to sweetly smile too much—and too often. And he still hasn’t dropped the habit of occasionally biting his lip “for effect.”

On the other hand, the “everyman” quality he first displayed in his indie youth is still there, and helps make his portrayal “accessible.”

For his part, Atayde makes a rather phlegmatic “incipient villain,” and we’re not sure at all if he can “grow” his character into a  major  nemesis, as the storyline and his seminal conflict with “Ador” intensifies.

Thus, we hope that the series will trot out other villains to make up for whatever slack or lack there may turn out to be in the action-drama series’ danger and violence quotient.