All is forgiven

“Bagito” has already ended its eventful storytelling, but we should celebrate its extended stint on our TV screens for launching a long-delayed discussion about teen sex and parenthood.

At 14, the series’ protagonist was exceedingly young, and completely unprepared for the complicated consequences of one night of drunken sex.

Surely, the lessons imparted by the show weren’t lost on many adolescent, ‘tween and teen viewers, who must have ended up thinking twice, thrice, no 10 times before they henceforth allow themselves to be as sexually clueless and irresponsible as Nash Aguas’ Drew!

Cautionary dramatics

Parents and educators were grateful for the series’ cautionary dramatics, and viewers also appreciated its other subthemes, like the intricacies of adoption, DNA verification, broken homes, bearing longtime grudges, and barkada goading and support—etc.!

Unfortunately, after holding firm focus on its dramatic logic and priorities for months, during the show’s concluding week, it succumbed to the usual temptation to lay its final complications on really thick, to assure particularly strong viewership.

In the process, Drew lost his cool and ended up absconding with “his” baby—and became a criminal! But, not to worry, other abrupt shifts in plotting made the show’s resident villains instantly atone for their scenes—and all was handily and predictably forgiven!

When this happens on other teleseryes, we just shrug it off as shrill and messy “melodrama as usual”—but, we thought “Bagito” was made of sterner and better stuff, so we were disappointed to see it going the way of all flash.

Still, we shouldn’t forget the series’ plus points, and focus on how it boosted the careers of some of its cast members.

Its principal benefactor is Aguas, who may not posses stellar good looks, but proved to be a sensitive and empathetic actor.

In fact, his lack of hyper-handsomeness actually worked in his favor, because his performance became an “Everyman” portrayal that was completely “relatable” for the many other nonlookers out there.

Plus points were also gained by Angel Aquino and Ariel Rivera as his parents, and Alexa Ilacad as his BFF. Alas, our favorite character actor, Art Acuña, still wasn’t given enough to do to make his mark—but, maybe next time?