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Destined to be yours 2nd Episode #DTBYArchitectBenjie
Wednesday, 1 March 2017 17:32Recap (with screen caps galore)
After the usual look back on the previous episode’s highlights, the episode picks up from yesterday’s last scene, with Benjie discovering “destiny’s promise.” But the piece is too expensive for the young architect, so nope. The symbolic hands will not end up with Benjie…yet. Turns out that Benjie is leaving the art gallery in search of a new job in a firm. His oath taking ceremony is taking place that day. But Nana Puring assures him that she will always welcome him back should he need it. More cuddles for Ms Nova Villa (how to be you po?) Before Nana Puring leaves, she tells Benjie to take “destiny’s promise,” saying he can pay for it when he gets the money. So different from the haggling art dealer Sinag and her family faced in the previous episode.
Shift scene to the oathtaking and induction ceremony for architects, where Benjie is seen on stage as part of the top 10 board passers. (Alden in a barong: board passer or Governor of Laguna?)
The excited Benjie turns into a young boy as he hugs his mom. He dedicates his accomplishment to his mom, and they share a tight celebratory hug.
In Pelangi, Tatay Teddy and Nanay Sally talk about the kids and Teddy once again apologizes for his inability to give her and their family a “magandang buhay.” Sally reassures him that when she chose him, she knew that rough times were ahead but she believed in him and continues to do so, that he’ll overcome this setback. She promises to support him, in good times and bad. Sinag overhears their sweet conversation.
Back in Manila, mother and son head to a columbarium where Benjie proudly shows his dad his professional license ID as an architect. As Benjie talks to his dad, the feels come in waves, and our heart goes out to this boy who wishes his dad was still there to celebrate his accomplishments. That subtle break in his voice, his eyes glistening and sober despite his effort to smile, the poor attempt to joke to keep things light: Alden Richards is a master to scenes like these because he has this deep well of experiences from which he pulls from to get the mood.
Benjie then brings out the pocket watch shown in the opening scene in the pilot. Apparently, it’s a lucky charm he got from his dad before he passed away, a watch that originally belonged to his grandfather. As the flashback of that moment is shown, we find out why Benjie wanted to be an architect.
Back in Pelangi, Sinag is alone in the radio booth at night. She talks to her deceased grandfather and asks him is she really looking for the one destined for her, despite her cynical and bitter views on destiny? After seeing her mom and dad, she wonders if she could do the same, to stand by her man no matter what.
Back in manila, Benjie meets Jason at a bar where we first encounter “playboy Benjie” who picks up pretty girls only to cut off communication after a while. Some people in twitter point out that Benjie was more of a serial dater than a play boy. I would agree but then again, I’ve never encountered either one so I wouldn’t know the difference. He immediately scouts the place for a lady to approach only to get the surprise when he finds out that his target was the bestfriend of his last fling. He gets slapped (twice!) but still remains charming, like he’s an innocent boy-next-door.
Benjie makes fun of Jason being mushy with his girlfriend on the phone while Jason calls him out for having no steady girlfriend. He proudly says he doesn’t need a girlfriend (described by Jason as someone who’ll be his date in important life occasions, who’ll worry about him if he stays out late, who’ll take care of him) because he has his mother for all that. “Who’s the corny one now?” Jason asks the mama’s boy.
Next scene, we’re back in Pelangi. In the middle of Sinag and squad’s radio drama (complete with manual sound effects c/o Arman), the radio’s antenna breaks and the broadcast signal is cut off. Sinag is forced to search for company sponsors to finance the repair of the antenna…in Manila.
Benjie butters up to his mom (by praising her cooking, giving her a massage, telling her how hard it was to send out resumes, being soooo cute) to make her more accepting of the fact that he applied for a job Rosales Development. Of course it doesn’t work. Turns out that the Rosaleses that own that company is his father’s family, who disowned him when he chose to be with his mother. “I don’t know why you keep forcing yourself on people who don’t even want you!” You could just imagine how much worse the patriarch treated Amanda and Benjie when his father died in the accident (which is revealed in Amanda’s tearful flashback). We now understand why Amanda is so afraid for Benjie to cross paths with the Rosaleses: Don Vicente threatened to take Benjie away from her.
That scene where Amanda and Benjie are forced to peek around the corner during the funeral is so heart breaking. This is just cruel. To have your right to grieve taken away from you.
Young Benjie thus promises to his dad on his grave that he will always love and take care of her mother.
While Benjie’s mom is crying alone in the dark after rejecting her son’s dream of meeting his father’s family, Sinag’s mom, along with the rest of the family, discusses Sinag’s plan of going to Manila to seek sponsorship for the radio station. Although Sally is reluctant to let Sinag head to Manila, she concedes when the rest of the family votes against her.
The next day, Amanda gets an unexpected visitor: Donya Helen, Benjie’s kind and accepting grandmother. Total opposite of her husband. She knows that Benjie sent his resume and portfolio to their company and wants to convince Amanda to let Benjie pursue his dream. I like that neither Amanda nor Donya Helen sat down when they had the heart to heart talk. It further highlights how uncomfortable the conversation was to both parties.
Back in Pelangi, Sinag attempts to book an appointment with a company over the phone. Hilarity ensues.
While Sinag gets rejected in each call, Benjie receives an interview appointment from Rosales Devt. But he decides to take a rain check for the sake of his mom.
Sinag and squad are ready to head to Manila!
Preview to the next episode:
Random thoughts
* Alden proves yet again why his forte is drama. Effortless and effective. And nakakadala. You get swept away in his emotions.
* This scene where Benjie kissed his mother’s head. We almost missed such a precious moment. Thank God for YT uploads and screenshots.
* I’ve no experience with dating or flings so I cannot judge Benjie, but it’s kinda difficult for me to understand how a mama’s boy could treat women so casually, not minding if he hurts them emotionally. One of my twitter guy friends share that his playboy ways are just a façade to keep himself from getting hurt. Another twitter friends adds that he may be afraid to invest his emotions on a girl who might end up leaving him, like what happened to his mom when his dad suddenly died. They make so much sense.
* A moment of silence for all the ovaries that exploded when Benjie winked (09:30)
* I don’t get what’s appealing about guys running their hands through their overly-styled-with-hair-wax hair. It only works with Alden because biceps.
* Sorry, but I just have to get this off my chest: ang tambok ng pwet ni A.
* I sincerely hope that Benjie did not tell that girl “I think I like her” just to get into her pants only to lead her along then set her aside after he got what he wanted. Cuz that would make him scum. Unforgiveable scum. And I’d totally be against him being involved in Sinag’s life in anyway. Baka may STD pa siya no.
* I’ve been screencapping Alden and Maine and I find it unfair that they don’t have any bad angles. Even awkward facial contortions look adorable.
* when you think about how much Sinag’s parents are struggling to make ends meet, and how costly running a radio station is, you wonder how they managed to keep it running after all these years without regular sponsorship. Don’t they have radio advertisements? Companies dealing with livestock feed and agricultural fertilizers I think would pay big money to tap into Radyo Pelangi’s loyal subscribers.
* When Badong volunteered to drive Sinag and friends to Manila, Sinag raises her eyebrows. “Drive us? Using your tricycle?” [of course, the line is in Filipino] I loved how natural Meng was in here. That’s exactly how real people react when they hear something preposterous.
* Benjie in house clothes is so hot for some reason. I guess it’s because we’re so used to see A so glammed up, it’s a breath of fresh air to see him soooo…normal.
* That’s right mommy Amanda. Avoid Benjie’s puppy dog eyes or else all your resolve will melt away.
* A father (Vicente) is blaming an innocent person (Amanda) for his son’s accidental death. (The actor who played Benjie’s dad is named Matthew Mendoza). Someone is unfairly blamed for Matthew’s death. Is this in reference to God Gave Me You (Alden and Maine’s first drama presentation)?
* Young Catalina’s style has always been on point even when she was a teen. Slay gurl. (Of course, she’s played by the young Pirena of Encantadia 2016. Another tyrannical tita with childhood issues of being acknowledged as worthy by her parents).
* Ugh. Don Vicente’s lines are so generic kontra-bida. But
* Would Don Vicente have the legal right to take Benjie away from his mom? Oh right, I forgot. This is a Filipino drama. Money rules the world.
* The age gap between Gabriel and Catalina are huge. Is Catalina really his sister? Is that the source of her insecurities?
* Deym. This is exactly what Pirena looked like when she “comforted” her mom when she had to send Amihan away. So creepy. (Gurl your brother just died. And your parents are all emotional. What's with the RBF?)
* In fairness to Tatay Teddy. Despite his accident on the way to Manila that resulted in the injury of his arms, he did not develop a travel-related trauma. You’d think that he’d be the one against his daughter’s plan to take the same road he took when he got into an accident.
* I really like how they like to contrast how different Sinag’s family is to Benjjie’s. From the color of their clothes, to the background/set, the body language.
In conclusion…
(I am in the state of kilig-induced shock because I was writing this after Maine and Alden’s epic #DTBYLiveChat. All processes that require higher levels of thinking are hereby suspended until further notice.)
