#TIMYBrokenHearts: Love isn’t always enough

Before I start with the episode recap,  let us all just take a moment to appreciate the acting of James and Nadine in that entire first gap. From the break up, to the moment Basti’s tears just flowed in the aftermath of Iris leaving him – and the silent tears that fell on Iris’ cheek as she tried to keep up a brave front in front of her family. Bravo James and Naddie. Great job, you two. Those silent tears spoke volumes of pain. The subtlety, the emotion, and yes, Daryl’s Ong’s vocals made us even more depressed about the break up. Thanks Daryl – not.

Basti and Iris finally get the chance to talk but all of Basti’s best laid plans and optimism went down the drain when Iris shut him down. It seems that the hurt of the break up, her mom’s opposition to the relationship and the stress of her family troubles combined to make her decide to let go of Basti, who was up until the last second expecting that things would suddenly be okay. Of course, Ali sticks by both of his friends in their time of need , setting aside his own feelings to make sure that his besties are alright.

While many would fault Iris for her decision and think it was harsh of her to simply break up with Basti because he hurt her, I absolutely got where she was coming from.

The character of Iris is a woman who loves truly and deeply and that is the same reason that when she gets hurt, it is even more painful than usual. Before she took a chance on love for the second time, it was clearly established that she was uncertain about pursuing her feelings because she’s been hurt before, and only recently. Basti assured her that he would never do anything to hurt her. And I get that Basti meant every word.

But at the first sign of things not going his way, Basti let her go, without thinking of her dilemma, that she was caught in between her love for her mom and her love for Basti. She was asking for space and a cool off to give her mom some time to calm down before reconsidering her relationship with Basti. When she said cool off, she did mean cool off, not break up. She never intended for them to break up, that was until Basti said the words. Basti’s mistake was that he didn’t listen to her when she needed him to. He failed her. And now, he’s suffering the consequence of his impulse.

In this episode, Iris tried to appear strong, and the more she tried to repress her feelings, the more effective Nadine’s acting became.  I understood her quiet heartbreak – when the pain just hit at any given time, when, even when she tried to hide it, it made her want to cry every time. It was the same pain she felt with Ali and I don’t blame her or judge her for wanting to steer clear of love anymore.

It was a good thing she had a Lolo Soc who was sensitive to her pain. At least there was one adult who truly felt concerned for her well being and happiness. Her mom knew what she was going through and yet, Cass chose to turn a blind eye to her role in her daughter’s heartbreak just so she could erase Nestor from her life.

Of course Iris is not faultless in the break up, she could do well to not be so narrow minded and self absorbed that she never even gave Basti a chance to explain his side. She refused to listen because she was afraid that she would falter, and as a result, she chose to hurt Basti and hurt herself in the process.  Iris saw love as a flaw when it should have been a strength, and when she said it, it made me so sad because she and Basti have truly been through so much as individuals and as a couple that even before the love had a chance to blossom, it was nipped in the bud.

Kudos to Basti for keeping such a clear head despite being inebitrated. For someone who has suffered his first heartbreak,  he balanced out being emotional with being logical, and its really cool how he immediately thought of a way to recover from heartbreak and not destroying himself.  Basti is showing maturity beyond his years and experience. I just hope someone doesn’t see what a catch he is before Iris comes around.

Ali gets tons of brownie points for being the best bro ever. Tonight was all about the subtlely and the slight shift in his expression when Basti told Iris I love you in his sleep…  ouch bro. Just, ouch! But he got back at Basti with that savage “you were my first heartbreak” while they were hanging out. Hah! Good for you Bro.

All in all, tonight’s episode was awesome . Painful still, but great. And it also managed to get us excited about whom the rest of Basti’s family will be. We already caught a glimpse of Baby Leah. Who could the rest of the cousins be?