How TIMY is setting a new bar for Primetime

MATURE BEYOND HIS YEARS. When he acts, he doesn’t need dialogue to convey his emotions as his eyes are enough to communicate his feelings. (screengrab/ ABS-CBN)

I had initially planned to do these episode reviews at the end of the week to give more comprehensive insight into the weekly event in JadaoneLand (May JadineLand so Direk Tonette should have her own). But after tonight’s episode, I have so much feels I don’t know what to do with so I have to share them before I burst.

There have been plenty of series that have attempted to draw inspiration from real life scenarios to fuel the entire run of a daily soap. However, because of the pressure of having to come out with material that would sustain an audience for months (or sometimes years), they often fall into the trap of holding back and keeping key points close to their chests until such time they are nearing the finale and then unleashing all of the reveals in one go.

From TIMY’s lightning paced first week, I get the feelings that this show is about to turn primetime on its tail. Here’s how is setting the new bar.

 

1. NOT YOUR TYPICAL TELESERYE. After watching and rewatching On the Wings of Love, I know enough that Direk Tonette and her team will not simply rely on cutey patootey stuff to get the audiences hooked to the show. Jadine has proven their chemistry a thousands times over and its a given, but the show gambled on a unique and sensitive subject and a relative newcomer to act as the third person in the triangle that fans would typically be resistant to. Week 1 established the backstories of all of the characters and the first two episodes of Week 2 #TIMYSigns and #TIMYTheDugdugMoment both set up the comedy beautifully, only to shock audiences  by teasing the big reveal about Ali’s homosexuality in the Abangan, this after establishing that Basti is developing feeling for Iris. While some series would save that bombshell for the third month, Jadaone and Co. threw caution to the wind and let it out in one go this early in the game.
   

   While some series would save that bombshell for the third month, Jadaone and Co. threw caution to the wind and let it out in one go.

2. MATURE ACTING for a young cast. While Jadine is typically known for delivering on the kilig, the excellent direction of this series, along with a strong supporting cast challenges these two lead characters to push the envelope further. Nadine successfully channels her inner kikay to deliver a different persona from Leah, and her comedic timing is impeccable. Her rapport with her co stars Kim Molina and Carmina Villaroel further amplified her character’s likeability even though at times, she seems too uptight and possessive. She has also grown in the drama department, crying more naturally and effortlessly as compared to her beginning episodes in OTWOL. James on the other hand, is a natural talent. He portrays the carefree role quite well because Basti is more like him in real life than Clark. But when he acts, he doesn’t need dialogue to convey emotions as his eyes are enough to express what his character feels. He plays off well with the others, and his resemblance to Zoren and the conflict in their characters is just so intense. JC Santos, on the other hand, is a remarkable actor with a theater background. He thrives in both comedy and drama and his struggle is real. It cuts like a knife each and every time. Precision acting from this guy. Bravo!
3. Cinematography fit for a movie. What do you expect from award winning cinematographers Dan Villegas and Mycko David? Each shot is framed to perfection.
4. It inspires conversation. The struggles of the LGBT community is front and center in this series, as is the conflict between love and friendship. When you’ve been friends and MU as long as Ali and Iris, would you jeopardize that friendship with a secret that threatens the love that you share? If you were Basti, would you sacrifice your own feelings so that you don’t cause a rift within a budding friendship? Will love also come between family? Or is one’s happiness worth fighting for? So many questions raised in the first week alone and this sets the tone for the fast paced series that comes out with guns ablazing. For Ali, his dilemma as to how to break the news to everyone that he loves presents a real and honest struggle. While there have been series that tackled the issue of homsexuality before, TIMY manages to balance its approach to the issue with a sensitivity and maturity that allows even the most closedminded conservatives into at least listening to these real life scenarios. JC’s portrayal also contributes to the effective personification of the conflict at the heart of the series.
   

   While there have been series that tackled the issue of homsexuality before, TIMY manages to balance its approach to the issue with a sensitivity and maturity that allows even the most closedminded conservatives into at least listening to these real life scenarios.

5. That DUGDUG Moment. The subject may be a tad too serious for this timeslot but James and Nadine always succeed in making audiences fall in love no matter what the circumstance. Their chemistry is so real that even during the scenes that they are fighting, or standing feet apart from each other and not even interacting, audiences feel an electric charge that passes between them when they look at each other. It may just be me but I could feel James’ struggle to be the third guy as his real life girlfriend walks the romantic streets of Greece with hands intertwined with another dude. Even Basti and Ali have chemistry. What’s good about this trio is that they help each other shine with every scene. They gel well together because there is a certain level of comfort with each other that audiences respond to.

Of course, there are plenty more reasons to watch TIMY but I’ll have to stop with this for now. Its just so refreshing to see a series that braves convention and ventures into a different type of storytelling that is not typically the market for this timeslot.

A lot of naysayers are dismissing the pilot week ratings and comparing it to the show’s predecessors. Not to be defensive but let us factor in the fact that Jadine and Direk Tonette are new kids on the block for this timeslot. Plus, they’re dealing with an experimental concept that is by far different from any other series that aired at this particular schedule.

But so far, I’m still struggling to find a weak episode in the first seven outings, because I couldn’t in all seriousness say that there is any. Everyone involved in this production showed up with their A-game and audiences could sense the passion and the hard work that came with this series.

Tell all of your friends to watch this series, whether or not they are fans of James and Nadine. This is the type of show that would leave a mark even after its over, but luckily for us, its only just begun. This show is most definitely a gamechanger, much like its stars. This show is groundbreaking. Mark my words. They’re setting the bar high, and its fun to be part of this journey (although there will be heartbreak along the way).