I have made a resolution this past week to look at the episodes objectively and stop ranting about the Madison arc. Fam, I’m really doing my best but how can I when 20 minutes of the show is devoted to the character as she schemes her way under Basti’s skin?
The LOWDOWN: Madison continues to ruin Iris and Basti’s relationship by piling more clients in Iris’ direction, hoping she will fail. In so doing, she frees up Basti for herself and tempts him with the things that the old Basti wanted to have. Nestor tries to give his son advice but is also the subject of a plot by by Val who teams up with Madison to bring both father and son to Greece.
Its been increasingly difficult to watch the show of late, to be honest and it pains me because I used to look forward to 9:30 ever since it started airing. Now, this slow burn with Madison is getting on my nerves and she’s getting a lot of screen time at the expense of the other characters.
Sure, I get that they’re developing Loren Burgos to be the main villain for the finale. I’ve accepted that but thing that annoys me the most about this development is the way she portrays the character of Madison. She is so wooden, and her delivery of her lines is so robotic. Viewers can feel that more than the projection, she is more concerned about her accent and her diction which deducts to the emotions that she needs to convey. I get that there was an attempt to make her more human by showing her vulnerabilities but because the delivery was the same whether she was being a bitch or a victim, there has been no actual empathy on the part of the viewers.
I’m not saying this to bash Loren but perhaps, she is not yet as seasoned an actress to pull off the part. This can be remedied by more workshops. Case in point, Angel Aquino’s Tita Val — she’s portrayed as a semi villain but you can feel her humanity, you can understand her pain. Sure, its unfair to compare a newbie to Angel but there has to be standards. That’s all I’m saying.
I get the point of this arc. That Basti is not a saint and Iris is not perfect. No matter how much Basti loves Iris, he will be prone to temptation especially if he is baited with the things he longs for. Meanwhile, as the pressure drives a bigger divide between the two, exhaustion and stress could compel Iris to do or say things that she normally wouldn’t. Its realistic, true. Annoying, for sure, because this is a side of the couple that has not yet been explored. And I totally get that the characters need to be challenged this way.
Still, I don’t like that Ali is being relegated to the background when he is just as invested in The Love Team as Iris and Basti. Instead of creating a solid ending for his arc, here we are preoccupied with Madison. I just can’t reconcile the first two weeks of this show to the last two.
I have faith that the writers are planning something big for the last two weeks but I’ll be honest. It will indeed be a struggle to watch more of this painful bad acting from Madison. I’m doing my best to give Team TIMY the space they need to do their job. Its a sacrifice I will willingly make for the show I love. Kapit hanggang dulo, mga bes. 
dalandan express 
I perfectly follow what you mean Angie. It’s painful to watch that lady as she fails to deliver her part. It’s too bad that some of the main characters in the story are not shown as much. It looks like Cass, Ali, Kelly, Ateng and even Iris are taking the backseat. I’m so looking forward to an excellent last two weeks hopefully resolutions and more kilig moment between Iris and Basti.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Bad acting from Loren! And also bad characterization from the writers. I’m already sick of the 3rd party plot especially since we already saw that in otwol, but to write and direct it this way? Some pure evil cunning rich bitch supported by the wife’s ninang? In what world does this exist? Only in teleserye land. Why dont the writers add in an amnesia, kidnapping, and bombing plot too, since they’re at it! Where’s the realism? The subtlety? 3rd parties abound in real life, yes. But they are not brought about by seduction plots by rich and powerful single young women. Could the writers think of no other possible conflict except for a 3rd party??? Married couples have countless problems, this seems to be the least relevant. I only watch jadine seryes and I rarely react when they write in conflict – that’s the point to fiction isnt it – but this is just too painful to watch.
LikeLiked by 1 person