In ‘A Beautiful Affair,’ viewers meet interestingly flawed protagonists

BEA ALONZO and John Lloyd Cruz in “A Beautiful Affair”

The first telecast of the new ABS-CBN teleserye, “A Beautiful Affair,” last Oct. 29 was a visual treat, thanks to the production’s inspired choice of Vienna, Austria, for its initial location shoot.

Vienna is famous for its lovely edifices and vistas, and the new series takes full advantage of the city’s exquisite eye candy.

On point of characterization, the show is similarly eventful, with leads Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz portraying interestingly flawed and troubled people. He’s an otherwise brilliant and self-made young man whose career and life have sadly gone sour, while she’s just been jilted by a faithless beau, who’s left her high and dry in Vienna.

The viewer senses with some excitement that these two “losers” are somehow meant to help each other get past their respective traumas, and find new hope and a happier future together.

We still hold on to that upbeat thematic prospect. At the moment, however, the two lead characters’ relationship has definitely started off on the wrong foot. That’s an understatement, considering that the drunken John Lloyd is even seen peeing on his lovely leading lady at a public fountain!

After that “stinky” introduction, we wonder how she would even consider forgiving him. But, of course, she will have to, if they’re eventually going to end up as a coosome twosome.

Soon, the answers

For the moment, however, they’re lost and trapped in a strange and hostile European city known for its beauty—but all they’ve experienced of it thus far is its cold and ugly underbelly.

Ironically they’re both Filipinos, but instead of comforting each other as all kababayans  should, they end up adding to one another’s woes!

In particular, we wonder why John Lloyd’s otherwise high-flying character has suddenly crash-landed so nastily in a foreign land.

As for Bea, she seems to have everything going for her, so why should her beau turn out to be such an unappreciative lout and cad?

In due time, of course, we’ll get the answers to these and other questions. Some questions we don’t need to ask, because we’ve been told that the series’ third storytelling leg involves the character played by John Estrada, a construction magnate who turns out to be involved with both John Lloyd and Bea.

No, he isn’t John Lloyd’s lover, only his surrogate dad. So, when John Lloyd hears that, after their brief “affair” in Vienna, Bea came home to the Philippines and became John’s girlfriend, he’s thrown for a loop!

Will he fight for Bea’s love, or will his gratitude to John for turning his life around hold sway?

What about Bea—when John Lloyd reenters her life, will she find (some) room in her heart for him as well?

Finally, what about John’s reaction when he learns that he’s sharing Bea with his surrogate “son”? Hmm, there could be much more to this new series than just Bea and John Lloyd’s introductory “tinkle”!