RIVERA. Belated revelation.
“AMAYA” was one of 2011’s most popular teleseryes, and was praised for its focus on pre-Spanish life and culture, which reminded today’s viewers of our rich past and proud traditions.
On the debit side, the series’ plot unfolded in an all-too-predictable manner; its lead actress, Marian Rivera, was miscast as a feisty warrior and tribal leader; its principal villain, played by Gina Alajar, was less than truly fearsome, and the story’s combination of harsh reality and “supernatural” exoticism proved to be an unwieldy mix.
Despite these flaws, however, “Amaya” can be lauded for making viewers realize that our slavish absorption with foreign lifestyles and mores has robbed us of our essence as a people, which we should try to regain to come into our own rich patrimony.
We caught the concluding telecast of “Amaya” last Jan. 13 and were disappointed to see that, up to their final encounter, Marian and Gina’s characters remained obdurately misaligned in their respective roles. Thus, their last duel of wits and supernatural powers couldn’t rise to the truly climactic level that the series’ concluding episode required.
They were further hobbled by the lack of believability in some of their actuations. Surrounded by many enemy warriors, Gina’s character was still able to get a hold of a weapon, grab a young hostage and make her escape on a banca!
It’s a good thing that the gods were on Amaya’s side, so she was able to stop her bitter foe by walking on water(!) and commanding a dormant monster from the deep to attack the villainous queen and give her the scare of her life!
After its principal villain was so definitively disposed of, we fully expected the episode to end on a triumphant note, and for Amaya and her lover, portrayed by Sid Lucero, to finally find peace and contentment.
—But, it was not to be: Since they were leaders of their respective peoples, Amaya felt it right and proper for them to think of their regal duties rather than their personal happiness, so they had to go their separate ways!
To be sure, the series did finally achieve its regulation happy ending some sequences later, when Lucero’s character abdicated his throne to become a “mere citizen” in Amaya’s realm—but, the delayed or protracted conclusion made the show’s final ending decidedly anticlimactic.
What finally gave it a dramatic surge was the belated revelation that, many years ago, Amaya had a “secret” child by her lover, so the boy could now embrace his elated father—and the complete joy and fulfilment could finally reign in Amaya’s heart of hearts!
Now that GMA 7 has shown that period, “ethnic” dramas can be popular with today’s televiewers, despite the importunings and distractions of “trendier” and more modern story lines, we hope that the channel will soon follow up with another series celebrating our dim and distinct past—and once more prove its radiant relevance today!