Destined to be yours Episode 16 #DTBYOportunista
Wednesday, 29 March 2017 11:42![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
catatonic_17Recap
The Obispos get super bad news about Tala, and their financial burden is gravely multiplied. Sinag, Tatay Teddy and Sol go out to find money for Tala’s operation.
At the Mayor’s place, he gets a call about the Obispo’s situation and this scene proves that Dante and Marjorie Escobar are aliens in disguise because they are heartless creatures who have no shred of humanity. The mayor immediately informs Don Vicente about it, knowing that this incident was the perfect leverage for their deal.
Don Vicente in turn calls Benjie to go back to Pelangi to convince the Obispos to sell their land. “I know this sounds bad,” Don Vicente says, “But it’s business.” Benjie looks like he’s become the devil’s accomplice.
Benjie immediately calls Jason (who is still in Pelangi) and instead of encouraging his bestfriend to do the “right thing,” he tells him to do what Don Vicente told him, which is essentially his job.
Sinag goes around looking for people from whom she can ask for a loan. But fails. (Why does this show portray people with money as heartless jerk with no shred of conscience? Lola Helen may very well be the only living kind rich person in this universe.)
Benjie opens up to his mom about what he did without going into details. His mom advises him to follow what he thinks is right. (Let’s get something straight. This whole fool-the-girl-into-falling-in-love-so-I-can-get-their-land is solely 100% Benjie’s idea. Not Don Vicente, Jason, or even the despicable Mayor Dante. It is his brain child. And despite knowing about Sinag’s heartbreak, he chose to continue exploiting her weakness. It’s obvious his moral compass is skewed. And you are asking that kind of person to follow what he thinks is right?)
Not everyone Sinag approached for help was as cold-blooded as that old lady. Friends were willing to pool together their savings to help with Tala’s fees. But of course it is not enough. Sol gets a call from Nanay Sally to inform them that Tala’s condition was worsening.
Benjie was still in Manila, asking for updates from Jason. Of course, Jason knows what’s happening even though he has no connection to the Obispos at all. Who needs to be personally acquainted when he has the Bahay Pag-ibig keeper to supply her with the news? He reiterates his advice to Benjie, to come back to Pelangi and use this situation to get the Obispos to sell their land to the Rosaleses.
Sinag, Teddy and Sol rejoin Sally at the hospital, and the family decides that they need to sell their land to bring Tala immediate aide.
Back in Manila, Benjie takes out personal belongings that he could sell/pawn to help the Obispos in some way. Amanda volunteers her own stuff to help out, even though she’s aware that it’s the Obispo family that is in need of help. (Okay. This woman has every reason to resent the Obispos and withdraw help from them but she doesn’t because she’s a good person. The rich people on the other hand are just plain soul-less. What if Benjie asks Lola Helen for help? I’m sure she’ll willingly do so without batting an eyelash.) She also hands a letter for Teddy and Sally to Benjie.
Lola Helen talks to her husband about Benjie. And Don Vicente makes it clear that his full acceptance is solely dependent on whether Benjie would meet his expectations. (Now we kinda understand why Gabriel chose to elope and why Catalina turned out to be cold and calculating.)
At the Escobar home, Marjorie is all like “why is Benjie not back yet?” And instead of Benjie, they get a desperate Mang Teddy who was there to sell his land. As soon as he hears that the Rosales lawyers were drafting papers, he runs out before he is forced to shake hands with the devil.
At the hospital, Sinag talks to Tala begging her to hold on and stay strong. (HOMAYGASH! I think this is the scene that Alden was teasing Maine during the DTBY grand presscon). It’s heartbreaking to see Sinag forcing herself to smile for Tala and her mom.
Back at Bahay Obispo, Teddy is crying over the land property he is forced to sell. Sol ends up being his pity party companion. The Escobars roll up their yard to crash on their party (and for some reason, Marjorie accompanies her dad. I give up trying to understand why she has to be there) and Teddy hands them the land title.
Sally informs Sinag about Teddy and the Rosaleses deal and goes out to handle what needs to be handles for Tala’s hospital transfer. Meanwhile, Don Vicente informs Catalina about the same thing. Catalina asks where was Benjie while this was all going down.
Teddy was already signing the contract but Benjie drops by the hospital, apparently raising enough money for the Obispos so they don’t have to sell their land (which I doubt is accurate because the 200,000 was merely a down payment. They need more money for the hospital fees, the operation itself, and more for post operation care and recovery. Not to mention the fee they need to pay for staying in a private hospital. I hate to be negative, but yeah, you still need to sell your land.)
Sinag and Sally feel totally indebted to Benjie, and Sally immediately goes and calls her husband not to sell their property (despite having signed the contract).
Random thoughts
* Being a doctor in a teleserye has got to be one of the “hardest” bit roles. They usually are the ones that deliver the bad news, using highly technical terms while looking “professional” with a tinge of sympathy in their demeanor.
* Alden is sooo good. I can actually feel his vexation because of his situation. Before he could fully process the fact that Tala got into a serious accident and the Obispos are in major trouble, he has to be an accomplice in a scheme to get their land.
* I can’t believe Benjie left Jason in Pelangi. What a jerk. He was dragged there to accompany Benjie for his personal agenda (cause let’s face it, Benjie didn’t go to Pelangi for the sake of the project, he was there to be in his grandfather’s good graces), had to endure the lack of signal and urban comforts and being away from his girlfiend, had to go to boring meetings in place of Benjie, and he had to stomach watching by the sidelines as Benjie wastes time to get a family’s trust only to betray them in the end. He is not needed in the Pelangi project (and he doesn’t want to be there) and yet Benjie leaves him there for some unknown reason.
* It’s crazy that Jason has no qualms about taking advantage of the Obispo’s dilemma just to get their land. At least Don Vicennte had the decency to say, “I know this sounds bad…” but this Jason guy. Wow.
* Amanda’s willingness to help in spite of having been inadvertently hurt by Teddy is stark contrast to Mayor Dante and Don Vicente’s move. Since this is a teleserye, karma will get them by the end of this series.
* Ugh, can I just point out how pretentious Marjorie is for wearing a deconstructed concert t-shirt? I bet she doesn’t even know who’s on her shirt. *eye roll*
* I’ve always wanted to know, what exactly does Marjorie do? How does she spend her time when she is not eavesdropping on official mayorial talks, dressing up in as little amount of clothing as possible, and hating on Sinag and the Obispos? Obviously, Pelangi has nothing to offer Marjorie, so what in the heck is she doing there? Unless being her father’s shadow is her job?
* Catalina in a basic tank top is a hundred times classier than Marjorie glammed up. #fact
* What if they just sell the radio station and the lot (but still keep Bahay Obispo)? Wouldn’t that raise enough money? Or mortgage it in a bank?
In conclusion
Being indebted to Benjie is actually the greater evil than being indebted to the Rosaleses/Mayor. Because at least the bad guys are forthright about their evil intentions. Benjie manipulated them to gain their trust.And Sinag and the whole family will soon know (in the next episode) all about his scheme. Sure, they didn’t sell because he convinced them, but his betrayal is unforgiveable.
