Destined to be yours Pilot Episode
Tuesday, 28 February 2017 06:46![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catatonic_17
To know more about the plot and characters, head over here
Recap of the Episode (with screen caps galore!)
The episode starts with Sinag Obispo's (Maine) voice over, talking about destiny and meeting the one meant for you, as the scene shows a typical rush hour in Metro Manila. Sinag is seen wearing a flowy yellow dress lining up to ride the train, while Benjie Rosales (Alden) gets off a sleek car (after pocketing his pocket watch. WHO USES POCKET WATCHES IN THIS DAY AND AGE???), looking dapper with his suit and bowtie (WHO COMMUTES WEARING FORMAL WEAR???). Apparently, he also will ride the train. (Traffic in Metro Manila is soooo bad that even if you have a car, riding a train will get you to your destination faster). Sinag and Benjie will be shown in the same frame but will never meet, until they get in the same train wagon and the train crowd forces them to bump into each other. And smile that Close Up smile. (Never mind that they are complete strangers).
Oh and they would happen to overhear the same song (the drama's OST) from a random passenger's headphones.
But the romantic spell is broken when it's revealed that Sinag (who works as a DJ in the local community radio station) was highly critical of notions of destiny and romance. (the opening sequence was just a dream sequence). She goes on to rant about the futility of believing in love and destiny. A random caller calls in to ask if she has ever been in love before. Sinag then goes to flashback mode.
DJ Sunshine ready to give you your daily dose of hugot
She'll narrate that she once believed in love because her grandfather (who originally ran the radio station) would talk about her deceased grandmother, his one great love. Sinag grew up in a house of love, her parents (who were both artists) were not shy in showing affection for one another. One day, during their town's festival, she got separated from her parents and was saved by a young boy (a visitor from the city). He accompanied her the whole day, treating her to ice scrambol, easing her worries about ending up in an orphanage. For some reason, they both end up in a pond as they were walking back to Sinag's home. She is finally reunited with her parents but before she could tell the boy his name or get his, he is also found by his frantic parents.
Then she goes on to narrate about her first love when she was in highschool, Eboy. Though he promised her forever, he left young Sinag crying by the road, begging him not to leave her. To top it all, she ends up stepping on animal poop as she was having her moment. She has been jaded ever since.
Eboy o ebak? Boys who break young girls' hearts are worse than horse poop
However, she finds herself wondering what if the young boy she met then was her destiny. The scene ends with Sinag playing a song dedicated to that young boy she befriended in childhood. Of course, she would play the drama's OST, "Aking Tadhana." And of course, Benjie would also be listening to the same song on his phone, as he overlooks the night sky in Metro Manila. (this is the first glimpse of present day Benjie that is not from the dream sequence).
Through his conversation with his bestfriend, Jason, we find out that:
1) they're architects who passed the board
2) they have a habit of conversing in english (cuz apparently people in the city speak that way; in contrast to the townsfolk in Sinag's province)
3) he can blunt and frank toward his bestfriend ("ano bang pakialam mo? Istorbo ka," while chuckling)
4) he's fond of tautologies ("Once it hits you, it hits you.")
5) he thinks highly of himself (landing one of the top 10 spots on the architecture board does give a boost of confidence) but is diligent in honing his craft (not resting in his laurels)
6) Jason has a girlfiend and Benjie dreams of making it in Rosales Development (a top real estate company) - a hint of his real connection to the company beyond his name
Back to Pelangi (Sinag's town), we see a typical day at work for Sinag at the radio station (Radyo Pelangi-the only radio station in their town). She has to deal with PDA-ing friends (her bestfriend Ninay and her boyfriend Arman), stalling for late radio guests (who happens to be her childhood friend's grandparents), and bitter interviews about love. (The love story of the old couple Sinag interviews is reminiscent of the couples interviewed by Kap Jose in EB.) We see Sinag's relationship with her friends - how they voluntarily help her out for free, how Ninay would remind her to not let a single heartbreak tarnish her view on love and Badoy's (the childhood friend with the grandparents) secret unrequited love towards our lovely DJ.
We also get a glimpse of Benjie's typical day. When he is not busy brooding and sketching design plates, he helps out in a art gallery owned by Nana Puring as a hired help. Apparently, the owner took him when he was just 18, helping him fulfill requirements for his architectural degree. Nana Puring bemoans the day he has to leave the gallery in search for a job at a firm. We also see how lambing he is to Nana Puring and his mom (who came to fetch his son for lunch, and to sell her wares as well).
More on Sinag's family. We find out that Sinag's dad, Teddy, can no longer sculpt, and the family is struggling with making ends meet through sales of their artworks. High lighting their financial woes is Sinag's little brother's dream of going to a school in Manila to take up computer engineering. Sally (SInag's mom) is forced to sell art works that had sentimental value to the family to an art dealer, who turns out to be Nana Puring. Teddy drowns his sorrows in alcohol as Sinag comforts him. He feels he is a useless dad because he could no longer sculpt and provide for his family. It's revealed that Teddy got into a bus accident on the way to selling his sculptures in Manila for a high price, resulting in his loss of dexterity. He would've died if it weren't for a kind stranger who pushed him off the bus before it rolled into a cliff. The stranger turned out to be Benjie's dad. Benjie is shown gazing at his father's picture. clearly still missing him after all these years.
There's a stark contrast between the Sinag's happy household (that weathers any storm as long as they're together) and Benjie's family (with his mom not supportive of his dream, and his father's family not accepting him, save for his lola).
Next Episode's preview:
* Sinag and squad heads to Manila to ask for sponsorship (?) for the radio station from...The Rosales Development Company
* Sinag and Benjie both head to the company building at the same time...same frame, still not meeting
* Sinag tries to get around the "no appointment no entrance" policy by roping herself with a random stranger...who happens to be Benjie.
* Conflict again! The owner of the company (who turns out to be Benjie's grandfather) belittles his ability (cuz he didn't come from a top school) and Benjie promises to prove himself to be a "valuable asset to his company."
* Sinag is dragged out of the building.
Random thoughts in bullets:
* Mystery 1: The case of the missing eye glasses during the train scene.
* It's so cute that Sinag's grandfather's name is "Lolo Doro," in reference to Kalyeserye's Lola Nidora.
*Although the meeting-in-childhood (and getting saved by a young boy) is a cliche, it works because it shows the hand of destiny at work. The story presents the theory that you could've already met the one destined for you, but because it isn't the right time for your story to unfold, you will go on separate paths until the right time comes for your paths to cross again. That's how Nicomaine and Richard's story played out. They met 5 years prior to their July 16, 2015 splitscreen meeting in EB.
* The location for the drama is soooo picturesque. Instagram worthy. Sinag lives in a museum! How awesome is that. And the art works are all divine. Hope we get to meet who the artists are behind the artworks. They deserve the love as well.
* When young Sinag and young Benjie shared the same spoon to eat ice scrambol. That is soooo Alden and Maine. Laway exchange program!
SinJie vs ALDUB Laway Exchange Program
(ALDUB screenshot ctto musingsofasolomum.wordpress.com)
* When the random puppy crossed young Sinag and young Benjie's path on the way to her house, she immediately forgot her worries of never finding her family again and rushes to run after the stray dog (who may or may not have rabies).
* I don't get why they had to add the scene where the kids fall and play in the river. (because it wouldn't be memorable if they were able to reach her home without any incident? or to showcase the beauty of the location?)
* Or was it to establish that Sinag was mischievous even as a kid? When she fell in the pond, she made it look like she was drowning, only to pull young Benjie into the shallow water with her.
* Mystery 2: How did young Benjie's white shirt stay white after falling into a natural pond?
* Benjie, already breezy at such a young age. He already had his arm around Sinag without even exchanging names. (as if your one skinny arm around her will help to ward off the chill of the night breeze)
* Fist bump: sign that you'll be friends forever. Never mind if you never got each other's names and other basic information.
* So weird that the DTBY theme is played from a vinyl record. Vintage song?
* Loved that so far, all the characters are written realistically. These are people you'll most likely meet in life. And the challenges they face are relatable (highschool heart breaks, artists' struggling with finances, a father and artist burdened by the injury of his hands in an accident, a son quietly dealing with the sudden loss of his father).
* Sinag's radio show features the love story of couples in their community. Just like in Eat Bulaga's Kap's book of amazing true love stories (only minus the bitter Sinag).
* Although Alden claimed that he got rusty when it came to acting, his scenes were a delight to watch. Especially that scene were he gazed at his deceased father's picture. No monologue. It only lasted a few seconds (19 to be exact) but it delivered the right emotions. We also discover that behind Benjie's happy-go-lucky confident facade is a young boy still longing for his father.
* I have a feeling the scene where Benjie had a convo with his bestfriend was shot when Alden was sick.
* My heart twitched when I heard Benjie call his mom. It's been so long since Alden had an opportunity to call out "Ma."
* Sinag's younger siblings are adorable comic reliefs
* TBH, medyo awkward yung musical scoring.
* It's a known fact that Alden could cry at a drop of a hat, with tears filling and rimming his puppy dog eyes before dropping in neat trails. But Meng could easily catch up to him when it comes to crying. She's a fast learner. She could cry out loud like a kid and quietly shed tears like a natural.
* And I love the contrast: Sinag reluctant to let go of Destiny's Promise while Benjie is delighted to see the piece
In conclusion...
It was a pilot episode that was worth the wait. Technically, a lot can be improved on, but story-wise it had a solid plot. There are so many contact points between Sinag and Benjie, so many shared histories, and yet they meet in such an unexpected way. Can't wait to meet the rest of the cast for the plot to thicken.
possible points of major conflict between the SinJie CP:
* when Sinag finds out that Benjie intends to buy their property for the company, to gain his grandfather's approval and acceptance
* when Benjie finds out that his father died saving Sinag's dad
