Cautionary tale of a good man gone terribly, tragically bad

“Dahil sa Pag-ibig” is gaining the reputation of showcasing the greatest number of textured cameo performances seen on TV by veteran actors. Aside from regular leads like Christopher de Leon, Piolo Pascual, Cristine Reyes, Sandy Andolong, Rafael Rosell and Denise Laurel, the series’ new subplot is now fielding Jericho Rosales, Maricar Reyes, Lorenzo Mara, Carla Martinez, Freddie Webb and others.

Martinez, Mara, Reyes and Rosales are good in their credible portrayals of wealthy and well-born characters. Rosales is especially strong and can hold his own against Pascual, so we look forward to a time when their characters possibly clash.

Over what isn’t clear yet, but if it turns out that Jericho’s character as a child was the boy who witnessed Christopher killing his dad, the plot will surely thicken.

Noble intentions

Christopher’s character in the series is exciting because it combines both good and evil. It is a cautionary tale of a good man gone terribly, tragically bad.

The actor starts out with the noble intention of reforming his corrupt province, but makes so many compromises and concessions that he ends up even worse than the evildoers he has replaced.

Christopher’s character is deliciously, instructively complex in its self-contradiction, but the acclaimed actor’s portrayal is sometimes too manuevered and melodramatically underscored to be truly moving and memorable. Perhaps he should bring it down a few notches. Having said that however, Christopher’s acting is still preferable to Piolo’s.

Echo’s got it

Thus far, Jericho is doing quite well in his portrayal as Maricar’s beloved—who is hated by her father—because his family brought down their business. But we daresay that it will take more than just this romantic subplot to make Jericho come into his own as a major player in this TV series. He has to figure more strongly as well in the story’s central thematic conflict, or he’ll end up a second-tier lead.

Whether that happens depends on the show’s creative team. Will they be able to dovetail its central theme and back story with the new subplot that includes Jericho and other new characters? Jericho has proven in past performances (“Santa Santita,” etc.) that he’s got what it takes to turn a seemingly ordinary scene into a memorable tour de force of acting.

Viewers wonder too about Piolo’s character: Now that he has been ordained a priest, will he finally be able to get Cristine out of his hair?

It doesn’t look like it, because despite her now being an architect with a strong social conscience, she still longs, and yearns, and pines for Piolo. The show’s dialogue too seems to point the plot in that direction by hinting that even full-fledged priests are subject to annual reviews of their vocation.

And what about Rafael Rosell, who also yearns for Cristine, despite his already being married to Denise? When will he make his move, or will he make his move?