Setting the stage for more adult portrayals

James Reid and Nadine Lustre

Last Jan. 20, we caught the final telecast of the JaDine rom-com, “Till I Met You,” to see how it would conclude its storytelling. In the course of its long run, the drama occasionally ruffled some feathers in its bid to push the envelope and go for “out-of-the-box” plot and character development.

Its third stellar character, played by JC Santos, was soon revealed to be gay, and a love scene involving Nadine Lustre and James Reid “disturbed” some viewers with its “more graphic than usual” depiction of young love and passion.

Would the finale similarly dare to be different and perhaps downbeat, or would the series’ young married couple still end up in each other’s loving and forgiving arms?

At first, as the final telecast unfolded, it looked like the regulation Happy Ending might not take place. After all, the show’s male protagonist was (mistakenly) thought to have fallen for the seductive wiles of another woman, breaking Nadine’s already wounded heart. So, when she opted to win it all, who could blame her?

Happily, however, before the couple’s fate was permanently sealed, it was revealed that the seduction had been staged and faked, so the dismal denouement could be averted.

Unfortunately, James was already about to fly out of Nadine’s life for keeps—so, there was nothing to be done!

Or, was there? Nadine refused to accept their fate, and rushed to the airport to prevent James from leaving. But, she got there too late, his flight had already taken off, so Nadine couldn’t do anything but indulge in a big emotional breakdown.

But, hold your horses, all was definitely not lost: After she had gotten a grip on her tear ducts, Nadine discovered, to her and the show’s viewers’ relief and delight, that James had not flown away, and was in fact waiting for his bruised but still loving beloved to show up—and forgive him (for a sin he didn’t in fact commit)!

So, the JaDine drama series decided to end predictably, happily and on the side of the angels, after all.

The decision to finally play it safe dulled the show’s resolve to be edgy and different—but, its two leads still benefited from the “more adult” thespic showcase that it provided.

Newcomer Santos similarly gained from the stellar exposure, despite the fact that, toward the end, the series’ storytelling relatively left his character in the lurch, as it chose to focus on the JaDine love team and the female interloper.

All told, therefore, “Till I Met You” was a good move for the JaDine love team’s career arc, making it easier for the two stars to soon “graduate” to young-adult roles, plots and themes.

Since TV is limited in what it’s allowed to show, the big, definitive move to more mature performances will most likely have to happen on the movie screen—perhaps, as early as 2018?

Best-selling author

VR Books has come out with three books by best-selling author Marcelo Santos III—the novels “Para sa Broken Hearted” and “Para sa Hopeless Romantic,” and the hugot book, “Mahal Mo Siya, Mahal Ka Ba?”

Marcelo Santos III is the creator of YouTube’s “Love Stories on Video,” writing and directing short films like “My Super Fan Girl,” “Tadhana” and “A Better Love Story.”