IT WAS KYLIE’S MAGIC AFTER ALL
I wondered if my fascination for Ybramihan was because of the story. And that refusing to watch it after Kylie left the show was just some sort of rebellion after all. Was the magic really because the Ybrahim and Amihan storyline was in fact very powerful? Would it have worked if it was any other artist who played the parts?
And as I think about it, I was reminded I didn’t like Dingdong Dantes before - no matter what character he played. So maybe that was that. 2005 Ybramihan didn’t work for me because Dong never had a chance of endearing his character to me.
Am I doing the same thing to Ariana? Just because I didn’t like her apathetic acting in Meant To Be doesn’t exactly mean she would fail as Amihan’s reincarnation right? So I watched it last night. Giving it a shot.
And you know what? The episode left me in a puddle of tears. The only scene I took away was that moment when PaoPao realized there was no punchline - Amihan really is dead. And it resonated not just as a slap of reality but also as a loud ringing reminder that we seem to have kept ignoring: Amihan is long gone and she will never come back.
“Wala na yung una at katangi-tanging diwatang nagmahal sa akin”
Who played mature PaoPao? To be honest, I wasn’t really moved by his acting, his facial expression didn’t seem like that of someone who just realized they’ve lost someone. But Imaw’s ‘balintataw’? That would have brought anyone who loved Amihan down on their knees. It was just heartbreaking watching that hologram play out. Like reliving the exact moment they broke your heart into tiny little pieces. Sabi nga ni Ybrahim:
Walang ipinagbago Amihan, kahit matagal ka nang namayapa, hanggang ngayon nasasaktan pa rin kaming lahat
True enough. Kylie has long left the show, I think it has been months already yet it still pierces right through your heart to see her face. Which I find amusing actually. I used to hate that “resting pained expression” on Kylie’s face. Now I can’t seem to get enough of it that I had to replay youtube clips and that scene from last night on how she died.
So, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: Ariana. Sorry, but maybe it was just me, I didn’t feel kilig in her scene with Ybrahim. The touches on her hand and shoulder and the stolen looks that were supposed to be subtle were just too blatantly played out you couldn’t be fooled by the effort to remind you it was Amihan’s ivtre inside of her. And what made it such a fail was Arra’s ‘wide eyed bland expression’ on her face whatever the scene may be. She kind of reminded me of Kris Aquino - that one expression for every single emotion. It was kind of hard to miss. I have seen that in her breakup scene with Ivan in Meant To Be. Sorry, dear, maybe I am too attached with Kylie’s Amihan but that 'one facial expression for all’ kind of just doesn’t work for me the way it probably should.
Ruru has obviously been putting more weight than he should just so it works out. Pero iba pa rin eh. Iba yung looks nya kay Kylie eh.
So this I would have to conclude: it was Kylie after all. Ybramihan worked its wonders to me because of how Kylie took the reins on her character. Of how Ruru seems to be basking in the glow on Kylie’s face, on how he seems to get lost in her eyes, and how his lips seem to be pulled into a bright smile whenever he sees her. It all seems automatic and natural when he’s in a room with Kylie.
Kinakailangan ng iyong ama na bumitaw sa alaala ni Amihan kung nais nyang maging masaya muli
And that quote from Alena. No, Alena. Maybe you’ve never loved someone the way Ybrahim loves Amihan or the way we love Amihan and Ybrahim. But understand this: you don’t let go of someone and their memories just so you can be happy. Happiness finds you when you least expect it. He’s not sad because he keeps Amihan’s memories, he’s sad because he feels like being happy would be like robbing Amihan - like it would be unfair to be happy when she's not around. And because their love was so powerful that it was hard to move on from that. And what he needs is not to let go of those memories but for someone to remind him that it’s okay to keep Amihan in his heart BUT it’s also okay to be happy and to move on with his life. Because Amihan would want that. And that my dear, is how you tell someone to move on (not by telling him to let go of Amihan’s memories)
In case there is ever any doubt, it has all been blown to smithereens. Ybrahiman didn’t get me hook because of Ybrahim and Amihan after all. It was all because of Ruru and Kylie. Ruru wouldn’t have worked with anybody else in that show. Because it was Kylie’s magic all this time…
