FROM left: Victor Silayan, Cristine Reyes, Zanjoe Marudo and Isabelle Daza
On “Tubig at Langis,” the latest update is that Isabelle Daza’s character has finally made her appearance. She was introduced in a suitably dramatic way, with a crazed man threatening to stab her—prompting Zanjoe Marudo to subdue her attacker and save her life!
Thus far, he’s absolutely committed to Cristine Reyes’ character, but it’s expected that Isabelle will eventually turn out to be more than just a beautiful and temporary distraction.
The plot thickens even further, because Isabelle’s dad, played by Efren Reyes Jr., is depicted as a violent man who’s overprotective of his daughter, so Zanjoe could be getting more than he initially bargained for if he, as expected, launches into an “unintended” affair with Isabelle.
Another potential source of conflict is Zanjoe’s own “interfering” parent, portrayed by Vivian Velez. Thus far, Cristine and Zanjoe have kept the new series’ thespic level high, and Vivian and Efren are such strong players that they can be expected to push it even higher.
The main question mark now is related to Isabelle’s participation in the show. Her past performances have been too listless and laid-back to be noteworthy, but the hope is that this new stellar challenge and the superior company she keeps in this series will motivate her to finally “bite” into her assigned character, and give it her all.
Thus far, the evidence for that relatively more charged and committed approach has yet to convincingly manifest itself. Isabelle’s screen presence is truly captivating, and her eyes are lovely, luminous and expressive—but, she’s still more laid-back than engaged.
Let’s hope that, in the next couple of weeks, she will be given exceptionally challenging scenes that will “stretch” and “force” her to go for the thespic jugular—as her costars are fully prepared to do.
State of flux
On “Ang Probinsyano,” the melodramatic situation appears to be in a state of flux with Cardo (Coco Martin) about to get the goods on the series’ main villains.
But, the storytelling could be going into “second chapter” mode, with the introduction last week of new characters played by Anne Curtis and Christopher de Leon (as her tito).
This early, Anne is coming across as a rich and spoiled designer who is being stalked by some mysterious people, and it looks like Cardo will eventually get involved in her evolving case, as well.
If this new plotting gambit prospers, a romantic angle could develop between Anne and Coco—which could prove additionally problematic for Maja Salvador and Bela Padilla’s “previously positioned” characters.
Another intriguing fillip is the fact that Christopher’s character is being presented as a flawed man—how flawed and suspicious, it’s still tantalizingly unclear.
All of these new inputs and intimations should keep the series’ regular viewers watching, and that’s all to the good for the hit show that has gone on overdrive, due to its sustained popularity.