FOR SOMETIME now, we’ve been urging the hit “AlDub” segment’s writers on “Eat Bulaga” to spice up their storytelling if they have to extend it, without coming across as a thrice-told tale. Well, it looks like somebody’s been listening because the noontime segment is now one of the most “eventful” attractions on the tube.
Last week, not only did a new and similarly feisty grandmother, Alden Richards’ Lola Babah (Ai-Ai de las Alas) made her psychedelically colorful entrance, but just a couple of days later, her “intended” and preferred girlfriend for him, Cindy, also staged her stunningly tall and zaftig appearance!
The Russian stunner was further lavishly built up by Lola Babah as also being an international model and a Harvard student—making her an all-around “beauty and brains” combination, who adored Alden, to boot!
No wonder, poor Yaya Dub (Maine Mendoza) was reduced to a shivering bundle of jealousy and insecurity—but bully for her, she chose to “fight back” by (humorously) trying to beat Cindy at her own modeling game!
It was all for laughs, of course, but that was the point: With these new plot wrinkles, the daily segment has become humorous and viewable again—unlike in the recent past when, after some four months on the tube, it had become predictable and blah.
Fans of the portion still doted on it, but less “die-hard” viewers were tempted to look for less repetitive fare. Now, at least, even those viewers have something fresh to smile, giggle and belly-laugh over—until even Lola Babah and Cindy similarly begin to overstay their welcome.
Cindy factor
What’s good about the recent infusion of “the Cindy factor” is that it “forces” Yaya Dub to “fight back” to retain Alden’s love and full attention. This enables her character to reveal new and gutsier aspects to her psyche and persona and that’s all to the good because it makes her more interesting and dynamic.
As for Lola Babah, she similarly “forces” Lola Nidora (Wally Bayola) to do more than just scream and yelp and yowl, as she periodically rains on AlDub’s love parade to keep the segment’s central conflict alive.
Her loud, livid and dictatorial antics had gotten too push-button and irritating to bear, which is why we welcome Lola Babah’s melodramatic appearance because it’s a fresh input—and evens up the score!
But, how much longer will the freshness last? Babah’s initial grand entrance was a lulu, because Ai-Ai made her character snap, crackle and pop in an ornately over-the-top fashion. The second time we caught her act, however, the impact she made was not as strong.
Ditto for Cindy, whose debut was a complete surprise and delight.
Props to the show for finding this really tall and lissome beauty—who also knows how to make fun of herself—and score her own “Dubsmashing” points, to boot!
However, her follow-up appearance was less creatively idiosyncratic, so she could end up becoming predictable as well—unless the production serially thinks up fresh things for her to do and say.
That’s the way it is on a daily segment with a small central conflict and a romantic-comedic plot and theme—it’s dauntingly difficult to sustain. Which is why the production has to really hustle and be super-mega-creative—or conclude its extended storytelling while the concluding is good!
(P.S.: Cindy is played by Alina Bogdanova, who’s been modeling in Asia for three years.)