Maria Clara at Ibarra may have ended last week, but fans are still not over it.
It’s not surprising that Maria Clara at Ibarra (MCI) has amassed a massive group of very dedicated fans who continue to have animated discussions about the Kapuso prime-time series on Facebook and other social media sites.
Casual viewers loved how entertaining it was despite telling a historical story, while critics praised it for its topnotch quality—from storytelling to directing and cinematography to the acting of its talented cast.
Historians also showered the show with praise.
Xiao Chua, a history professor from the De La Salle University, said in an interview that the show made him emotional.
“And talagang dito ko makikita, ito pala yung power of the Noli and the El Fili sa mga unang nakabasa noong una. That was the gift.
"Kasi I'm a historian, I'm jaded already about it. I'm jaded already. I don't feel it anymore. I just know...
But Maria Clara and Ibarra made the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo something of an emotional thing for me,” Chua said.
MCI also received several cultural awards in January 2023.
The historical drama received the Green Zeal Award for Excellence in Bridging Boundaries through Culture and Arts from De La Salle Araneta University.
It also got a special citation from the Order of the Knights of Rizal for "bringing Jose Rizal's works, the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo to a new generation, rekindling to them the ideals of freedom and nationalism for which all our heroes fought and died."
ANATOMY OF Maria Clara at Ibarra
In an interview with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), GMA-7 executives admitted that MCI was conceptualized as early as 2019, but they had to pause production because of the pandemic lockdowns.
The show needed to be grand in scope and entailed shooting in out-of-town locations, something which would not have been possible with the lockdown restrictions.
“We did not want to compromise kaya it was delayed,” said Cheryl Ching-Sy, GMA-7’s Vice President for Drama.
“Nung medyo maluwag na, that's the time na sabi natin, 'Ready na. Di mako-compromise yung material.' Kaya siya na-produce.”
Its pilot episode premiered on October 3, 2022, and its finale was aired on February 24, 2023.
MCI wouldn’t be a hit without its cast of talented actors, led by Barbie Forteza.
The Kapuso actress played Klay Infantes, a Gen-Z nursing student who enters the portal to Rizal’s historical novels.
Barbie thanked the show’s supporters in an Instagram post after the show’s finale. She wrote, “Salamat sa lahat ng nagmahal sa aming programa. Sulit ang lahat ng hirap at pagod dahil sa walang kapantay ninyong suporta.”
David Licauco was just as thankful, as his popularity reached new heights because of his role as Fidel, Barbie’s screen partner in the series.
"To my MCI fam, I appreciate all of you. To GMA, thank you so much for giving me this once in a lifetime opportunity,” the actor-businessman said on Instagram.
Dennis Trillo, meanwhile, said Crisostomo Ibarra was one of his most worthwhile roles.
“Nais kong ibahagi ang mga kaganapan sa pagtatapos ng aking huling eksena, sa maituturing kong isa sa pinaka makabuluhan at importanteng proyektong kinabilangan ko,” Dennis said in an Instagram post.
Julie Anne San Jose agreed with Dennis about the importance of the show. The singer-actress expressed that playing Maria Clara made her fall deeper in love with acting.
"Mas minahal ko ang aking larangan bilang artista sapagkat kami ay naging instrumento upang maipakita namin ang makulay at maalab nating kasaysayan," Julie Anne said.
VIRAL EPISODES: MARIA CLARA AT IBARRA
MCI was the talk of the town throughout its 105-episode run.
Its episodes constantly trended on Facebook and Twitter, with many watching some scenes over and over.
Here are some of MCI’s most memorable moments:
Klay fights for women’s rights
On episode 35 (aired on November 19, 2022), Klay stands up for herself when she overhears government officials denigrate women in a dinner party.
She gets angry, stands up on a chair, and shouts, “Men have no right to tell women to shut up!”
This scene trended on Twitter, with many praising its feminist themes.
Sisa loses her mind
On episode 23 (aired on November 2, 2022), Sisa plunges into the darkness when she realizes that she has lost both of her sons.
Andrea Torres, who played Sisa, earned rave reviews for her excellently-acted breakdown scene, which lasted for more than seven minutes.
Sisa mourns Crispin
Andrea delivered another heartbreaking performance in episode 68, when Sisa found the corpse of her youngest son, Crispin. The episode aired on January 4, 2023.
Maria Clara confronts her real father
On episode 63, aired on December 28, 2022, Maria Clara confronts Padre Damaso after she realizes that he is her real father.
Julie Anne earned good reviews for her performance in this scene, and her delivery of the line “Sumpain nawa tayong lahat ng Panginoon!” went viral on Twitter.
Crisostomo Ibarra convinces everyone to stand up for their rights
After facing a false accusation that he was the leader of the upcoming rebellion, Crisostomo Ibarra interrupts a Church mass to convince everyone to fight for their rights.
A clip on Twitter of the scene from episode 70 has been viewed more than 750,000 times. This scene was aired on January 6, 2023.
Crisostomo Ibarra takes revenge on Padre Salvi
Episode 95 may show the death of Maria Clara, but it was Crisostomo Ibarra’s deadly use of force against Padre Salvi, the show’s villain played by Juancho Trivino, that was talked about online.
After Padre Salvi accidentally kills Maria, Crisostomo picks up his gun and brutally shoots the evil priest to death. The episode was shown on February 10, 2023.
The multiverse twist
Many viewers were shocked when the show revealed on the final episode that Mr. Torres (Lou Veloso) actually leads a team of fireflies that can also enter books written by other authors.
This opens the possibility of a sequel where the characters enter other Filipino books. A clip of this revelation that was uploaded to Twitter has been seen more than 600,000 times.
What are your favorite scenes in Maria Clara at Ibarra? Sound off in the comments.