GMA 7’s latest late-morning drama series, “Calle Siete,” has had an iffy start, with its basic story evolving around Eula Valdes’ character being distractingly embellished with numerous subplots and subsidiary characters, ostensibly to enliven the series’ plotting and entertainment value.
Initially, the distracting underscoring involved newbie Patricia Tumulak’s character. Next, undue emphasis was placed on the series’ teen characters, for “youthful” viewer appeal.
Then, another character’s “closet gay” subterfuge was focused on, followed by adolescent costar Ryzza Mae Dizon’s “puppy love” subplot.
Most recently and unproductively, the show has used up too much screen time on an older character’s “beauty pageant fixation,” going on and on about her gauche attempts to vie for a beauty title.
Through all of these relative distractions, viewers have had a hard time focusing on the show’s central situation, the unexpected financial woes of a hardworking OFW couple (Eula and Christian Vasquez), whose savings have been compromised by the ill-advised transactions entered into by the family’s clueless lola.
The focus problem has been aggravated by the fact that Christian’s character’s arrival from abroad was held back for many weeks, so Eula had to cope with the shocking news on her own, as best she could (which was—not very).
Well, that particular problem was finally solved with Christian’s recent arrival. He expected a happy homecoming, but was greeted with one hapless “surprise” after another—the latest of which was his well-meaning wife getting duped by a networking scammer. Gee, thanks, honey!
So, what are he and Eula going to do to set things right? We hope the other, lesser characters stop muddling the situation with their own, itty-bitty concerns, so that something central and cohesive finally occurs.
Now that Christian’s character has finally made his belated “grand entrance,” we feel more upbeat about the series’ heretofore flagging fortunes.
Their recent team-up on “Princess in the Palace” was successful and effective, so they should be able to put their proven “chemistry” to good use again, to boost this new series’ prospects.
CHRISTIAN Vasquez
But, that can only happen if the show’s subplots are toned down for a spell, to give the lead characters the time and space to set things right again.
Yes, there’s something to be said for “syndrome” plotting and “ensemble” performances, but those potential plus points are not well-utilized in this series’ instance, because the secondary characters are allowed to call too much attention to themselves.
This makes the leads have to share too little screen time with too many other pushy players.
Scripting and direction are supposed to make sure that this doesn’t happen, but there’s an obvious disconnect as far as that goes, so Eula and Christian should insist on their characters’ dominant and rightful central focus—not for their own, “selfish” ends, but to imbue the series with cohesive, organic unity.