GMA Network/Viu’s Slay – Episodes 7-12 Thoughts

Finally got to catch up on GMA Network/Viu’s Slay this week. And these six episodes were a bit wobblier than the first six.

So I fell behind on the show because the episodes weren’t *ahem* available online. But it kind of worked out with me binging Episodes 7 through 12 because they basically worked like a full story arc. Specifically, the episodes focused on Sugar being the prime suspect.

Episode 6 ended with the discovery that Zach’s lighter had been tampered with. And so the succeeding episodes painted Sugar as the culprit and raised the suspicions on her. At least, in the show. For us the viewer, I think it would be a safe bet to assume Sugar is actually not the killer at all if they’re fleshing all this out in Weeks 2 and 3. I mean, we haven’t even gotten to the other three ladies yet, so there’s obviously plenty more story to explore moving forward.

Still, these episodes with setting up Sugar with the lighter and then revealing her potential motive to the Inspectors and the ladies really could’ve fit in a single hour-long episode rather than six half-hours. It kind of dragged. Especially with that high school burn friend subplot that was very strange.

Like, I get wanting to establish Sugar’s life growing up, how her personality might be “weird” to some people. Perhaps helping to drive suspicion on her. But I don’t think it worked at all and could’ve easily been left out and still get the same result by the end of Episode 12.

The way they played all this out makes me less excited to see how they play out unfolding Liv, Amelie and Yana’s respective stories and angles coming up.

But we’ll see.

I think the biggest positives for these episodes were the basic character moments for our four ladies. Seeing Sugar sort of buckle under the pressure and perhaps revealing she might not be capable of plotting an elaborate murder. In a similar way, seeing Yana be too much of a clumsy spaz to do the same. At least, if she were to have killed Zach, it would’ve been more accidental rather than deliberate.

Then there’s Amelie and her tsundere shtick. Suplada on the outside, caring and hurt on the inside. I definitely wished she just snapped back at her mom during that one scene. But I guess that can wait until it’s Amelie’s turn in the spotlight for the week.

And finally Liv. It seems like the show will be focusing on her in the next week and exploring how far she might have gone to make Zach pay. Of course with Liv, she’s an emotional wreck. And that probably lends to her being the prime suspect of the four ladies. Not only because of the abuse she suffered from Zach, but because she seems to emotionally unstable at the moment, she could do anything it seems like.

As for suspects, it seems we can rule out Emman. Again, another early dismissal of his potential. But he could certainly be an easy out in the end. Which I hope he’s not. It would be underwhelming, to be honest.

There’s still business partner Luke, Yana’s not-friend Gabo, the now-missing Jigger (where’d he disappear to?), and even Sugar’s dead brother. Can also not rule out Liv and Amelie’s father, Amelie’s mother (who could easily hire someone to kill Zach on the low), Zach’s own drunkard father, and even Inspector Juro too.

With all these suspects left to explore, having these six episodes focusing on Sugar (and on a smaller scale, Emman) probably eliminates her from killer suspicion. And the way the week ended, it seems like she’s also transitioning to the resident amateur sleuth role too. Especially as she learns her brother might have had many secrets he was keeping from their family.

Now, from a production standpoint, a big part of why these episodes were kind of sketchy is because of some odd editing choices. Whether it was the music or the tonal whiplash in scenes, it felt awkward and not pulido or smooth.

A few examples included that scene of Liv and Yana literally laughing as Amelie’s mother tore into her and insulted Sugar’s family. Or the goofy music whenever Gabo pops up in front of Yana, even if it’s in the middle of a serious scene.

Shifting tone within scenes and in the series as a whole can be fun when done well. But here on Slay, especially in these six episodes, it was much more tonal whiplash instead. Awkward, abrupt, and jarring. It really took a lot away from the overall vibe of the series, but also kind of diminished the substance of what the narrative is trying to do at this early stage.

Even the scenes with Inspectors Juro and Kirby, which I enjoyed a lot in the beginning felt a bit too forced this time around. Again, almost making them pure comic relief rather than a fun back and forth.

The brisk pace of the first six episodes came to almost a screeching halt with these six. Maybe not because of the substance and the character moments in the story, but in its execution. Sadly, even some of the cast’s performances were lacking and sometimes bordering on cringe. Not even in a campy way. But a “What are they doing? And why are they doing it?” kind of way.

So far, I’m still sticking with show, no problem. But moving forward, I hope they can tighten it up a little bit. Maybe speed it up a little. Ease up on the random tonal shifts. They can still be dramatic, campy, and fun without forcing it.