Bea chooses Ian over Xian

Ian Veneracion and Bea Alonzo (right)

For weeks now, Bea Alonzo has been the female star “with the longest hair” on TV, because her ongoing rom-com series, “A Love to Last,” has her being courted by handsome screen swains who even have jauntily round-alike names, Ian and Xian.

That’s right, both “papable” hunks have been soulfully vying for Bea’s heart with every throbbing fiber of their being, and the lucky gal has had the hardest time whom to favor with her much-yearned-for “yes.”

Would it be Ian Veneracion’s “more mature” character, a family man who’s had his marriage (to Iza Calzado) annulled—or, will she choose the younger and “less encumbered” character played by Xian Lim, who used to be her BFF but has finally realized (slow-learner) that his love for her is not platonic?

The answer to that tantalizing question antsily bugged the series’ empathetic viewers as well, and many of them would have opted to make a “buy one, take one” decision, since both prospects were so yummy.

For our part, however, we more realistically knew that Bea would end up choosing Ian—well, because he’s the series’ male lead.

And so it recently came to pass on the show that Bea finally made up her mind—and sadly, bittersweetly had to face up to her true feelings—and turned Xian down.

She did it to spare him more sleepless nights due to her indecision. Xian was crushed, but took it like a man, as everybody knew he would, and “philosophically” went back to BFF status.

Intriguingly, Xian’s loss does not yet mean Ian’s triumph. After all, if Bea “officially” admits her love for him, they’ll have to be altar-bound in no time at all—and that would mean The End for the antic-romantic show.

No, to keep viewers in delicious suspense for some more profitable weeks (and months?), we may know that she loves Ian more, but he doesn’t know it  (yet), and there are bumps on the road to marital happiness that first have to be smoothened out.

Mainly, Iza may be officially Ian’s ex, but she’s still very much in the picture and may still love him—even if she was the flighty one who caused their marriage to self-destruct.

She’s behaved so erratically in the past that it could happen, so it looks like Bea has to play her best game to finally clinch and claim Ian as her husband.

Luckily for her, Ian is clearly besotted with her, while Iza irritates him, and her only hold on him now is their children. So, logically, Bea will end up in Ian’s arms at the show’s finale.

But, TV drama series have their own kind of “logical illogic” that kicks in to keep viewers antsily viewing—so, that longed-for denouement will happen only after more twists and turns and twerks in the Bea-Ian-Iza teleserye.

So, Bea’s supporters also have to be alert and aware of the pitfalls and land mines lurking on the winding way to rom-com happiness, and empathetic bliss.

Yes, the show is optimistically  titled “A Love to Last,” but for it to live up to its palpitating pledge  of “forever,” everyone has to stay the course.

The challenge for Bea’s character is to be creative enough to succeed despite Iza’s character’s advantage in years, wiles and her psychological grip on Ian’s sense of duty as a father.

Will she measure up to the tantalizing test and challenge?

Beatifically. INQ