BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“You don’t need my permission to love who you want to love.” – Quote from Love At First Spike
Honestly, series that have recently been produced by the Philippines centering around BL have been, shall we say, less than stellar. So, I was not optimistic about this current one. But I was indeed pleasantly surprised and found this story to be exceptionally well done. It is not just entertaining, it is contemporary, relevant, and quite consequential.
It is a story about a high school hot-headed basketball player named Uno Santillan (Emilio Daez) who is kicked off the basketball team for fighting with the wrong players. To keep his athletic scholarship, he must join another sports team and the only other sport that was willing to accept him was the boys’ volleyball team which is made up exclusively of gay and/or LGBTQ members. In addition, the Captain of the volleyball team, Jared Aragon (Sean Tristan) and Uno were once very close friends. But several years ago, when Jared came out to Uno, tension between the two spilled over into a rift which morphed into a giant and irreparable schism. Mean and ugly remarks were made against Jared and his teammates by the basketball team, which included Uno.
This story is a tale of their redemption along a journey involving major growing adjustment pangs between the two of them. However, it also created a path to learn about each other through the eyes of the other members of the team. Because no matter how much you might want to deny it, we influence others sometimes in ways we least expect it. So, it is not just a story of restoration, it becomes a story of acceptance also.
Parts of the learning curve to understanding the rules of volleyball were serendipitously taught to Uno by Farah Salcado (Reign Parani). In so doing, each began to be attracted to one another. With both being straight, it was certainly a natural consequence for them to want to spend time together. The problem was, however, Jared. Jared continued to and still does like Uno. And Farah, being the niece to Jared’s father, was forced to live with Jared’s family because of a car accident that caused her mother’s death. So, Farah, besides being intensely loyal to Jared since he always supported her, was her rock in an otherwise tense household, as Jared’s mother did not like Farah.
This is above all also a story of misfits. If you are familiar with the Christmas tale about the island of misfit toys, then this story will make more sense. To some degree, it is even more relatable because each member of the volleyball team represents an oddity from a world of nonconformists. Despite each of their quirks, idiosyncrasies, vulnerabilities, and certainly weaknesses, plus seeing the world only through their individual set of eyes, when push came to shove, they rise above all of that and prove not only to themselves but to the rest of their community, they are a force to be reckoned with. They can and do work together to form a cohesive unit ironically based upon a diversity of individual strengths, pulled together to form a union. It is magical to watch, really.
This is a deeply personal series to watch because we notice how others see them and frankly how they view themselves. It is painful and sometimes sad but always idiosyncratic particularly if you are a member of one of their sodalities. You feel that they are not accepted as equals. If you leave with no other lesson learned but this one, I hoped what is processed is that there is always someone who has it worse than you but your role is to try and make yourself fit in for the betterment of the entire community to function as a whole so we can all move forward, as best we can. Along the way, we hopefully get to learn valuable life lessons about equality and love. Or at least to learn to define acceptance for us. That is simply all the men’s volleyball team was seeking – recognition and love for who they are.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? This is an exceptionally well-acted series. Given the intricacies of the storyline and the involvement of the personalities of the characters, emotions had to be shown by many of them that were deep, real, and raw. And they did an admirable job. Who outshines in this series is Lance Reblando as Diamond. She is trans and on more than one occasion, she must defend her sheness. And Lance as Diamond does so with a sense of personal dignity and grace, yet I think from painful personal experiences, (both from an on and off the screen perspective). I cannot imagine the anguish one must feel to simply want to be yourself, knowing fully you are indeed different. The one place she will be accepted is on the volleyball team. This is her home. Her family. Lance comes into this role obviously with a sense of personal investment and it shows. She has heart and her portrayal of Diamond is exactly that. It is quite polished and multifaceted and radiates with brilliance and enormous respectability.
There are a lot of specifics to this series. Not all of them are pretty. Jared is self-centered, arrogant, spoiled, feels entitled (let us face it – he is!), and uses his gayness at times as a crutch to not grow up. Can you also say self-absorbed as well? While those of us who are gay have always faced being discriminated against in some form or another, we must learn to live with it as we grow older and put it all in context. Which is what this story is all about. In that process, Jared, on the reverse-side, says some cruel things both to his cousin Farah and Uno and he feels somehow that his feelings for Uno were more entitled than Farah’s were. He indeed has a lot to learn, and, in my opinion, it will take him some time to grow out of this stage and accept a reality that the world is not his to command.
This is a deeply remunerative story that is argumentatively perhaps not a BL but why bother with semantics. It is certainly a deeply moving LGBTQIA+ series and, whether we like it or not, BL is part of that world. A gay person falls in love with a cisgender straight gay who falls in love with a gay guy’s cisgender straight female cousin. How does one think all of this is going to turn out? All this time staring Jared in the face, obsessively supporting him every day, is Ethan Villanueva (Dylan Yturralde). The one person who is in love with Jared who, of course, never sees it. Everyone else does, except Jared. What will happen now that Ethan has expressed how he feels?
This is assuredly a moving series that tackles more than gay issues. It tackles bullying in general, making mistakes in growing up, relationship issues with parents, and how to survive those awful awkward teenage years. It also deals effectively and maladroitly with jealousy issues that seem like insurmountable obstacles when you are a teenager but will, when you are older, end up being just fond memories tucked away to be recalled during special occasions.
This is a very enjoyable series, and I would have happily placed it on my Apotheosis list except for one reason, which admittedly is my own pet peeve. I can see no reason for this series not to have been played by actors and actresses who are of high school age or much closer to that age than these individuals were. All these performers were well in their 20s. I honestly and firmly believe that young performers should play young roles; not individuals in their mid-20’s. Their own life experiences come out, unconsciously and it frankly showed. I knew all these performers were not close to being teens because it became obvious. In terms of physicality, mannerisms, and smoothness of presentation and natural level of maturity that broke through. They lacked undiscipliness, if there was such a word. When you have experienced life, it shows, no matter how hard you try to cover it up. The anxiety, the fear, the trepidation, the natural awkwardness, the uncertainty are all missing. The performances are too polished. These are great performers, and I have nothing against their acting skills. Far from it. They did a fantastic job! I just wanted something more real. That is what was missing. And this series screamed for it.
Nonetheless, this is an exceptional series that is worthy of your time. Its message is clear. Its entertainment value is off the charts, and this is certainly one of the better series to come out this year from the Philippines and obviously one of the best Filipino series for this year, whether you call it a BL or not.
Leave a Reply