BLISS RATING: ★★★★
“Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things.” – Terry Pratchett
Erotic, sensual, and steamy. This breaks the mold of every other BL series out there by a mile! It is astonishingly different with twists and turns I did not expect and deeply appreciated the production efforts. This really is an astounding series that needs to be seen to be believed. Undoubtedly, this will not be for everyone, and some may not appreciate its darkness or its delve into the occult. I intensely dislike witchcraft, occult, and dark themes (I am a person prone to night terrors) and avoid these at all costs but my curiosity got the better of me. I am glad I got over my anxiety and watched this, as it is a tragic story told with mysticism and dark magic.
It involves a young man named Vee (Daryll Rodriguez) who is befriended by Jennifer (Allora Alcantara). Jennifer dabbles in witchcraft which she learned from her mother who is a witch. Secretly, Jennifer is in love with Vee. However, Vee is seduced by Jennifer’s brother Dong (John Mark De Vera).
Through a series of dastardly manipulations and blackmail, Dong and Jennifer’s younger brother, Jay (Victor Ronald Relosa) also have sex with Vee. Through witchcraft, so does Jennifer. So, all three siblings had sex with Vee! (He must be a stud). What a crazy departure from your regular BL series.
There are so many twists and turns in this series, and you feel profoundly sad for Vee who seems like a pawn in their awful scheming. This story makes the story of the Perils of Pauline look like a walk in the park. I do not want to give too much away here, and I do have to tell you that the ending is mind-blowing. I honestly did not see that coming, although there were clues throughout the series that seemed ‘odd’ but I did not pick up on them, making me feel silly. I should have, as Vee was giving away his intentions all along. Enjoy the suspense.
While some might not have liked the acting here, I thought it was brilliant, entertaining, and on point. The only character that I did not believe was Sister (Claudia Enriquez). She seemed over the top in her portrayal and simply did not convince me. The others certainly did, especially Jay as he descends into madness. They all got into their roles and made them believable and with a script that at times was a bit weak, made it work beautifully. There is such a deep connection among all of them and you can see the chemistry between them. The fondness between Vee and Dong is palpable and there is more of a softness between the two than with Jennifer or Jay.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series? Oddly, for me (and I may be in a minority of one) I thought the character that literally stole the series is only a minor character, but he captures and controls the scenes he is in. He is the best friend of Dong named Allen (Claudio Clement Canlas). He masterfully and with incredible skill plays the understanding friend with both passion and intense discernment and acceptance that is so human and seemed so real. It is amazing how sometimes the smallest part can have such a great impact on a series. I do hope he is given more roles because I for one deeply appreciated his approach to his role as an understanding friend. He was so natural and in a short period of time revealed his character’s entire personality. His movements, gestures, tone of voice, interactions just all seemed so real to me. Kudos for taking this small role and making it your own.
There is a lot of sex in this series. It is one of the most erotic BL series I have seen, and it is not afraid or ashamed to display it. It is raw, lustful, and manipulative in most cases interspersed with a softer, gentler aspect, when it came to Dong. Although there are some risqué scenes, I did not get the idea that they were placed there for shock value. Perhaps because it was all being manipulated by witchcraft made it feel as if it was supposed to be this way.
Sex in this series is the theme, pure and simple. All are lustful but guised it by calling it ‘love’. There was nothing lovable about what they do and did to each other in the name of love. There is no ‘good’ here. Even the Sister in her own right is hiding secrets and a very dark past and uses religion to pretend to be good. She too is just as evil and as corrupt as the persons who practice witchcraft. One can then understand how one would not be able to tell “good’ from “evil” if the outcome is the same for both. And that is how Vee feels. All the actors are very good-looking and are not inhibited to show, in some cases, more of their body than in other BL series. This again adds to the authenticity of the story and its character.
Also, this series does not present the Church in a good light. It presents the darker side of religion — the one where there is a personal definition of what is ‘evil’ and sinful and is destructive to the development of any type of overt caring or warmth. I do remember those days when I was a member of the Church and the harm that it does and did to people who did not conform. It was and still is abusive and hateful.
This is a very strange, unique BL series that breaks the mold of storytelling. It is short, perhaps too short as characters had to transition quickly into different personalities. I did get caught up with all the drama of the intense manipulation that was going on and lost sight of where the story was going. Honestly, that is a good sign of acting outcomes when you can do that and for me. They hooked me. It may take me a while to unpack this series. All I know is that I liked it. Its characters are deliciously wicked, and they all did a very good job of portraying evil temperaments with essentially no socially redeeming values. They are all so flawed and nasty.
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