Yeah, I'm still on this John Lloyd/Bea kick...
So, I guess I've been MIA for a bit? Mostly because I found Book 1 of Maging Sino Ka Man on YouTube with English subtitles and got so ridiculously wrapped in it that I couldn't spare a moment of free time for anything else. OH MY GOD, THIS SHOW! It was so, so, so good. OMG, by far the best soap that John Lloyd and Bea have ever done, although, technically, this is the only one that I could 100% understand, but still, it was amazing. By now, I've come to expect insanely over the top villains and ridiculous scheming plots that just get tiring and lead to nowhere, but this show? While it did sort of contain those elements, it was done well and effectively. I think what I enjoyed was that pretty much everyone brought about their own downfalls, and even the villains came to realize this eventually. But, obviously, my main element of enjoyment was the Jackie/Eli love story. It made me laugh, it made me cry my eyes out, it made me sigh in contentment, it made me shout at my computer screen, it made me want to give up on Eli all together but Jackie loved him so completely that I just couldn't, and then it made me cry again, and then it made me laugh again, and just... it was so, so beautiful. John Lloyd and Bea gave brilliant performances, which, yeah, I always say that, but seriously, they outdid themselves in this one. Jackie's the beautiful, kind rich girl that Eli crushes on from afar, Eli is a poor orphan who's being raised by a loving family, Jackie and Eli have super adorable run-ins where Eli concludes that she's a snob but he's also kind of dazzled by her craziness, and then Eli's brother Pong gets involved in the kidnapping of Jackie because he needed the money for his father's heart operation, and Eli had a feeling that Pong was doing something stupid and ends up finding him after Pong had crashed the getaway van in an attempt to save Jackie and he asks Eli to hide Jackie, and then Eli and Jackie end up in a barrio and he tells the country folk that Jackie is his wife, and naturally Jackie wakes up with amnesia and trusts the story, and she and Eli fall in love after many trials and tribulations, but then Jackie gets her old memories back and forgets about Eli and this KILLS HIM, even though it's better for his family because it means that she doesn't remember that she had been kidnapped, and then through a crazy string of events Eli ends up working for Jackie and she falls in love with him yet again and it's even more adorable than the first time, and they fight for their love (literally, Jackie's father even beats her up after he has Eli nearly beaten to death) but, eventually, Jackie gets her full memory back and leaves Eli and goes back to her tyrannical father and it just all goes downhill from there. Eli gets hell-bent on revenge against Jackie's father and he ends up coercing Jackie into marrying him and he's such a jerk to her and I just keep thinking, "Man, this all could have been avoided had she just taken a day or two to cool down after she got her memory back and not gone back to her father, especially since, you know, she chose to marry Eli anyway." And so now, on their third attempt at romance, Jackie is still in love with Eli but Eli blames her for her father's sins even though he doesn't mean to and he's just awful to her but she refuses to give up on their love but he doesn't exactly know that she loves him until he's hurt her so much that it's kind of obvious she still loves him, but his heart is so full of rage that he just can't give her the love that she deserves but he also doesn't really want to let her go, but in the end they both decide to free each other and go their separate ways while Eli learns to love himself again, and then we get to see Eli and Jackie fall in love for a fourth time. It's insane.
But anyway, the overall theme of the show was basically that forgiveness and humility = salvation while bitterness and vengeance = hell. What's interesting is that the most evil character was probably Fidel (Jackie's father), but because he had the capacity to love he ended up being "saved" by that love when he finally looked at himself and saw what he was doing to the people that he supposedly cared about, and he finally took responsibility for everything that he had done and stopped blaming other people for his actions. Same thing happened with Eli. He never actually stopped loving Jackie, and that saved him from Oca's complete manipulation (and his love for his adoptive family made him realize that he was turning into someone that they never would have wanted him to be). But then there's JB's mother, who was actually the lesser of the three main villains, and yet she ends up suffering the most because she doesn't know how to love selflessly, nor can she forgive anyone, not even her own son, so in the last shot we get of her she's basically stuck in this terrible hell with a dude that is even more evil and controlling than she is, and that's directly contrasted with the wedding of Jackie and Eli where the scenes are practically glowing and absolutely everyone but JB's mother is there experiencing the happy ending. Of course, the happy, sappy ending gets a little ruined by the random setup for Book 2, and that's pretty much my only complaint about the show. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A PERFECTLY SAPPY ENDING, DAMN IT! I will probably seek out Book 2 tomorrow even though it's not subtitled, because, well, I want more Jackie/Eli coupley goodness. THEY ARE SO CUTE. SO CUTE! See? *dreamy sigh* More adorableness. Angsty adorableness! Okay, I'll stop now. I kind of want to link to like every single Jackie/Eli scene there is, but I'll try to restrain myself. On a side note, the acting in this soap was superb, aside from Sam Milby. Like, seriously, how does this dude keep getting acting gigs? I just don't get it. He did grow on me towards the end though, I must admit, but seriously, dude lacks skills when it comes to ~emotion~, especially when his scenes are paralleled with John Lloyd's (or when he's in a scene with Bea where Bea is simply fantastic and Sam... isn't).
Er, anyway, JOHN LLOYD AND BEA 4EVR!!!1!1! I'm pretty sure that Maging Sino Ka Man is now my new favorite thing of theirs. At least, Book 1 is, haven't watched Book 2 yet (but I doubt I'll enjoy that one as much seeing as how most of the stories came to a satisfying conclusion in Book 1).
The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Oh, gosh, Owen Harper from Torchwood, no contest. UGH, HE IS SO GROSS. Robin Hood as played by Jonas Armstrong comes in as a close second. DOUCHEBAG.
Day 24 - Best quote
"To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it." ~ Jeff Winger, Community
This is brilliant, because 1) that's exactly how I feel about both Paul Rudd and organized religion, and 2) this quote can apply to so many things if you just take out "religion" and substitute it with something else.
Day 01 - A show that should have never been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show ( aired this t.v season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best t.v show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First t.v show obsession
Day 29 - Current t.v show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
The 30 Day Film Meme
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
The Sixth Sense? I haven't watched many films where twist endings happen, so, that's the only one that comes to mind. Oh, oh, I know! Me, Myself, and Irene where Jim Carrey's thumb gets shot off. I was not expecting that. And the weird part is that it still shocks me even though I've seen that film dozens of times.
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits
Well, clearly Austin Powers wins for best opening credits. I am also quite fond of the opening credits for Naked Gun 2 1/2. As for closing credits, that would be any Jackie Chan movie that shows the bloopers at the end, because that is always my favorite part of Jackie Chan movies.
Day 01 - Favourite foreign language film
Day 02 - A film that is underrated
Day 03 - A film that brings you unadulterated happiness
Day 04 - A film cliché that you love
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits
Day 09 - The best soundtrack/score to a film
Day 10 - Favourite classic film
Day 11 - Favourite black-and-white film
Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view
Day 13 - A guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A film that disappointed you
Day 15 - Favourite film sequel
Day 16 - Favourite film character
Day 17 - Favourite film quote
Day 18 - The best overall cast in a film
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
Day 20 - A moving (emotional) scene
Day 21 - Favourite film from your favourite actor/actress
Day 22 - Favourite Academy Award acceptance speech
Day 23 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 24 - The best page-to-screen film adaptation
Day 25 - Favourite film villain
Day 26 - Favourite film poster
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 - Favourite film from your favourite director
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favourite film
Day 30 - Your favourite film of all time
But anyway, the overall theme of the show was basically that forgiveness and humility = salvation while bitterness and vengeance = hell. What's interesting is that the most evil character was probably Fidel (Jackie's father), but because he had the capacity to love he ended up being "saved" by that love when he finally looked at himself and saw what he was doing to the people that he supposedly cared about, and he finally took responsibility for everything that he had done and stopped blaming other people for his actions. Same thing happened with Eli. He never actually stopped loving Jackie, and that saved him from Oca's complete manipulation (and his love for his adoptive family made him realize that he was turning into someone that they never would have wanted him to be). But then there's JB's mother, who was actually the lesser of the three main villains, and yet she ends up suffering the most because she doesn't know how to love selflessly, nor can she forgive anyone, not even her own son, so in the last shot we get of her she's basically stuck in this terrible hell with a dude that is even more evil and controlling than she is, and that's directly contrasted with the wedding of Jackie and Eli where the scenes are practically glowing and absolutely everyone but JB's mother is there experiencing the happy ending. Of course, the happy, sappy ending gets a little ruined by the random setup for Book 2, and that's pretty much my only complaint about the show. I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO A PERFECTLY SAPPY ENDING, DAMN IT! I will probably seek out Book 2 tomorrow even though it's not subtitled, because, well, I want more Jackie/Eli coupley goodness. THEY ARE SO CUTE. SO CUTE! See? *dreamy sigh* More adorableness. Angsty adorableness! Okay, I'll stop now. I kind of want to link to like every single Jackie/Eli scene there is, but I'll try to restrain myself. On a side note, the acting in this soap was superb, aside from Sam Milby. Like, seriously, how does this dude keep getting acting gigs? I just don't get it. He did grow on me towards the end though, I must admit, but seriously, dude lacks skills when it comes to ~emotion~, especially when his scenes are paralleled with John Lloyd's (or when he's in a scene with Bea where Bea is simply fantastic and Sam... isn't).
Er, anyway, JOHN LLOYD AND BEA 4EVR!!!1!1! I'm pretty sure that Maging Sino Ka Man is now my new favorite thing of theirs. At least, Book 1 is, haven't watched Book 2 yet (but I doubt I'll enjoy that one as much seeing as how most of the stories came to a satisfying conclusion in Book 1).
The 30 Day TV Meme
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Oh, gosh, Owen Harper from Torchwood, no contest. UGH, HE IS SO GROSS. Robin Hood as played by Jonas Armstrong comes in as a close second. DOUCHEBAG.
Day 24 - Best quote
"To me, religion is like Paul Rudd. I see the appeal and I would never take it away from anyone, but I would also never stand in line for it." ~ Jeff Winger, Community
This is brilliant, because 1) that's exactly how I feel about both Paul Rudd and organized religion, and 2) this quote can apply to so many things if you just take out "religion" and substitute it with something else.
Day 01 - A show that should have never been canceled
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching
Day 03 - Your favorite new show ( aired this t.v season)
Day 04 - Your favorite show ever
Day 05 - A show you hate
Day 06 - Favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 07 - Least favorite episode of your favorite t.v show
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch
Day 09 - Best scene ever
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you
Day 12 - An episode you’ve watched more than 5 times
Day 13 - Favorite childhood show
Day 14 - Favorite male character
Day 15 - Favorite female character
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show
Day 17 - Favorite mini series
Day 18 - Favorite title sequence
Day 19 - Best t.v show cast
Day 20 - Favorite kiss
Day 21 - Favorite ship
Day 22 - Favorite series finale
Day 23 - Most annoying character
Day 24 - Best quote
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new)
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale
Day 27 - Best pilot episode
Day 28 - First t.v show obsession
Day 29 - Current t.v show obsession
Day 30 - Saddest character death
The 30 Day Film Meme
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
The Sixth Sense? I haven't watched many films where twist endings happen, so, that's the only one that comes to mind. Oh, oh, I know! Me, Myself, and Irene where Jim Carrey's thumb gets shot off. I was not expecting that. And the weird part is that it still shocks me even though I've seen that film dozens of times.
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits
Well, clearly Austin Powers wins for best opening credits. I am also quite fond of the opening credits for Naked Gun 2 1/2. As for closing credits, that would be any Jackie Chan movie that shows the bloopers at the end, because that is always my favorite part of Jackie Chan movies.
Day 01 - Favourite foreign language film
Day 02 - A film that is underrated
Day 03 - A film that brings you unadulterated happiness
Day 04 - A film cliché that you love
Day 05 - Favourite love story in a film
Day 06 - Favourite actor/actress
Day 07 - The most surprising plot twist/ending
Day 08 - The best opening/closing credits
Day 09 - The best soundtrack/score to a film
Day 10 - Favourite classic film
Day 11 - Favourite black-and-white film
Day 12 - A film that permanently altered your point-of-view
Day 13 - A guilty pleasure
Day 14 - A film that disappointed you
Day 15 - Favourite film sequel
Day 16 - Favourite film character
Day 17 - Favourite film quote
Day 18 - The best overall cast in a film
Day 19 - The most hilarious film you've seen
Day 20 - A moving (emotional) scene
Day 21 - Favourite film from your favourite actor/actress
Day 22 - Favourite Academy Award acceptance speech
Day 23 - A character who you can relate to the most
Day 24 - The best page-to-screen film adaptation
Day 25 - Favourite film villain
Day 26 - Favourite film poster
Day 27 - A film that you wish you had seen in theaters
Day 28 - Favourite film from your favourite director
Day 29 - A piece of trivia from a favourite film
Day 30 - Your favourite film of all time