We’re still in the revving up phase of Pulang Araw. But we’re definitely getting closer to “the exciting part,” as Filipinos like to say with their teleseryes.
This third week of episodes continued to fill out the family stories, particularly that of the Borromeos. The highlight of the week is certainly Adelina and Teresita’s reunion with their father Julio on stage at the theater.
It was a wonderful moment and I think played perfectly by Barbie Forteza, Sanya Lopez and Epy Quizon. The juxtaposition of the vaudeville stage with family reunion and the continuing threat looming in the shadows is what powered this week. And this scene really delivered.
I will admit that a lot of the time so far, Barbie Forteza’s performance as Adelina kind of steers toward her usual shtick. And I don’t mean that in a negative way. It’s just Barbie Forteza is known for her bubbly, spunky, sassy personality both on and off screen. And so it can feel a bit awkward in a historical drama like this.
(The accents are also awkward a lot of the time, but that’s unavoidable without casting actual native speakers in the Japanese roles or casting actual people from 1940 lol)
At the same time, I don’t begrudge some creative liberties to be taken even in historical or period dramas. And at the same time, we know this bubbly, bright young woman will have her world turned upside down by the war. So it will be a striking contrast.
And that’s really what this week continues to do. Help set up the jarring for before and during World War II in the Philippines.
This week featured very familiar and typical Filipino teleserye tropes once again. But again, regardless of these different personalities and backgrounds, everyone will be gravely affected by the war. Rich or poor, Filipino or American or Japanese; all will suffer and be affected somehow. And seeing these people’s lives come crashing down, I’m sure, will fuel some really good and engaging stories. Especially watching them rise up against the odds.
So while I know all this stepmother drama and arranged marriages and meet-cutes between Adelina and Hiroshi are necessary, like I’ve mentioned before, I am just more interested in the historical aspects of the story. Especially when we rarely see this period of Philippine history depicted in film or TV.
That’s why the most interesting scenes this week for me were those of the Japanese in the Philippines making moves in preparation for the invasion. The scene in Episode 12 where Tanaka-san, Akio and the colonel were discussing their plans away from the rest of the family is my next favorite scene after the father-daughters reunion.
It’s seeing these different dynamics between the Philippines and America and Japan that is so interesting and engaging to me. So the closer we get to the war itself, I think the more I will really be excited to watch the series every week.
Overall, a solid third week. But it seems like next week is when the big moments begin. So I’m very much looking forward to it!
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2 thoughts on “Pulang Araw – Episodes 11-15 Thoughts (Week 3)”
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I understand what you said last week about how the teleserye editing kind of works against it. Like, if this were a one-hour series, we’d be at around Episode 4 now. BUt as a daily, it can move at slower pace. Or it feels like it. But as you said, next week looks to be when the real drama starts. I think after one month, it’s really time to get on with it. They’ve done enough to set-up the characters and their situationss
Yes, just like with Voltes V, the pacing suffers from the teleserye format. But we’ll see if they can work around it as we move forward.