For the first time, viewers had the chance to see Lovi Poe and Tom Rodriguez onscreen as a love team for GMA-7’s new drama series Someone To Watch Over Me.
Directed by Maryo J. Delos Reyes, this new teleserye aired its pilot episode on Monday, September 5, on the Kapuso Network's primetime block.
The episode begins in a present-day setting, with Tom’s character TJ seated on a wheelchair while being brought to a grotto.
This transitions to a room where TJ's image is shown through a TV screen.
Lovi Poe's character Joanna is tearfully talking about her husband TJ in an Alzheimer’s Disease forum. She discloses that he has early onset Alzheimer’s Disease.
The series then shows a flashback to the time when TJ and Joanna first met in Vigan.
TJ was strolling around the streets of Vigan when he suddenly saw Joanna and fell for her beauty. He took photos of her using his DSLR camera. When Joanna caught him, she brought TJ to a barangay hall, accusing him of stalking.
But this did not stop TJ from pursuing Joanna. In fact, he immediately expressed his interest to court the lady.
The next day, Joanna was assigned to be TJ’s tour guide in Vigan. When they reached the Vigan Dancing Fountain, TJ carried Joanna and she was drenched by water. She walked out and got mad at him.
As a result, Joanna got sick. To redeem himself, TJ paid all her hospital expenses.
One time, while Joanna was taking break from work, she recalled the guys who fooled her. TJ overheard this and professed his love for her.
PEP presents four highlights from the pilot episode of Someone To Watch Over Me, which airs weeknights after Descendants of the Sun.
- TJ “stalks” Joanna while capturing stolen photos of her.
In their first build-up scene located in Vigan, TJ was instantly captivated by Joanna’s beauty.
When he suddenly lost sight of her, he followed her but she’s nowhere to be found. Joanna suddenly came out and asked him, “Sinusundan mo ba ako?”
TJ was so shocked that he tripped and accidentally kissed Joanna on the cheek, which made her more furious. She pulled the camera that was hung around TJ's neck, moving their bodies closer.
Joanna brought TJ to the barangay hall and complained to her ninong, who also serves as the town’s barangay captain.
However, when he and his assistants found out that TJ (full name: Teodoro Jose Chavez) is the AVP of Green Stock Bank, they mellowed down and appeared to side with him.
Asked why he followed her, TJ answered, “Gusto kong malaman kung ano yung rason dun sa lungkot na nakatago sa mga mata niya.”
Still captivated by her beauty, TJ said that he will court her. However, Joanna told him, “May boyfriend na ako!”
But the captain revealed to TJ, “Break na sila.”
Later on, TJ confided to his barkada: "Para sa kanya willing akong makipagrelasyon uli, kahit long-distance."
- Joanna tours TJ around Vigan.
Joanna had to serve as reliever for two absent tourist guides, which is why she ended up guiding TJ around Vigan.
They went to several scenic spots such as the Vigan Cathedral and even rode a kalesa, where Joanna’s father served as the kutsero.
Because of the belief that people can make a wish upon entering a church for the first time, he told Joanna, “Sana, maging tayo na.”
Throughout the tour, TJ did playful antics to Joanna, and kept on taking her pictures while Joanna remained formal and aloof.
TJ then asked his guide to bring him to Vigan’s Dancing Fountain. He continued to play around Joanna, even running through the fountain.
Joanna completely lost her temper when he pulled her to the fountain, causing her to become drenched.
- Joanna gets sick, TJ asks her parents if he can court her.
The next day after getting drenched in the dancing fountain, Joanna got sick.
Upon learning that she is sick, TJ rushed to Joanna’s house to apologize. They rushed Joanna to the hospital when her fever wouldn't go down.
At the hospital, TJ was able to meet Joanna’s parents and asked them if he can court her.
- TJ professes his love for Joanna.
While on a snack break, Joanna ranted to her friend and colleague Cess (Frances Makil) about men, particularly TJ who promised that he will return for her. Joanna only said, “Dapat hindi ka naniniwala sa ganong klaseng lalaki!”
She recalled how she was fooled by her previous suitors: one who broke up with her after six months, and another who had a girlfriend before they broke up.
Joanna then declared, “Hindi ko kailangan ng lalaki ano, mas masaya kaya ng walang boyfriend!”
Cess then suddenly saw TJ who overheared Joanna’s rants. He called Joanna on her cellphone.
Cess told Joanna that she might be missing an important phone call. When Joanna saw that it is an unknown number, she dismissed it by saying, “Kung wala sa directory ko, hindi importante. Baka manloloko lang 'yan!”
TJ knelt down before her and vowed, “Hindi kita lolokohin. Papakasalan kita.”
- Joanna speaks in an Alzheimer’s Disease forum about her husband.
The opening scene was quite emotional as Joanna showed her husband confined in a hospital, seated in a wheelchair, looking around as if he were lost.
Joanna tearfully related that at 32 years old, her husband is suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease. “Sabi sa statistics, five percent ang tinatamaan ng early onset Alzheimer’s disease bago mag-55.”
THE VERDICT. Lovi Poe and Tom Rodriguez already displayed good chemistry on the show’s pilot episode, mainly because of Tom’s effective portrayal of a playful guy in contrast to Lovi’s man-hating character.
Lovi's Joanna uses conversational language, as written by Agnes G. Uligan and her team.
However, most of Tom’s lines tend to be poetic and flowery, in contrast to the personality of his character TJ who is playful, happy-go-lucky, and fun to be with.
It is quite puzzling though that TJ immediately expressed intent to court Joanna, despite her rude treatment towards him, on the first time they met.
Of course, traditionally and ideally, men would get to know women first before entering the courtship stage. However, it might be part of TJ’s impulsive personality and characterization, which could be displayed further the series.
Lovi continues to prove herself of the title of GMA’s Premiere Actress. She doesn’t need to engage in big confrontation scenes just to show her acting prowess. In fact, she is believable as a professional tour guide, not until TJ pushed her to her limits and and she walked out on him.
The supporting cast memebrs, played by Ronnie Lazaro, Isay Alvarez, and Frances Makil, add flavor and excitement to the pilot episode.
The pacing of the story is quick and soon, viewers will be able to see Tom and Lovi's characters as a married couple.
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Unfortunately, a lot can be improved in the technical aspects: especially Lovi and Tom’s scene in the Vigan Dancing Fountain, where an audio problem ensued from Lovi’s end (her lapel mic, perhaps).
Director Maryo J. Delos Reyes’s camera shots may remind us of old soap operas aired on primetime. It may be a good thing for some, as they might have the nostalgic feel of previous teleseryes but it may also bore others who might not be used to this camerawork.
Several musical scores were heard during the episode, as using just one score could be repetitive. However, the musical scorer could be thinking that it might serve as the show’s own trademark. Nonetheless, the chosen music is soothing and calming to the ears.
It is unusual to watch the opening scene wherein only natural sound can be heard: the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves as the wind blows. Someone To Watch Over Me is different from other programs that does not rely that much on music to set the mood.
The producers maximized the use of Vigan as a location as it presented the best of the province: the breathtaking view of the zipline, the Dancing Fountain, the Cathedral, the pottery business. Viewers were also able to get historical information about Vigan, thanks to Lovi's tour guide character.
There are still a lot of room for improvement for Someone To Watch Over Me, although it is off to a good start.
It is also interesting to see how early onset Alzheimer’s Disease will affect the story of the married couple.
Viewers can also look forward to acting of Edu Manzano, Jackie Lou Blanco, and Max Collins in future episodes. It is interesting to note that Max will portray a bida-kontrabida role for the first time again after so many years.
We are hoping that Someone To Watch Over Me, will be able to match the standards set by its timeslot predecessors (Because of You, Juan Happy Love Story).
It also has the added pressure of differentiating its treatment of Alzheimer's Disease, especially since there was a daytime teleserye that aired on a rival network tackling the same ailment.
If anything, Someone To Watch Over Me will hopefully show the power of love to transcend one's physical limitations.
Ed's Note: The 'PEP Review' section carries the views of individual reviewers, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the PEP editorial team.