GMA Network/Viu’s Slay – Episodes 16-19 Streaming-to-Linear TV Comparison

So streaming-to-TV comparison for Slay this week first since Viu delayed the release of their episodes this week for some reason. And it was a pretty eventful GMA week for the series with a lot of new and possibly consequential material!

First, GMA’s episode 16 picks up with the rest of Viu’s Episode 13. Everything’s the same until a few seconds are added after Zach’s father confronts Liv where he asks if they can talk.

The GMA episode then switches the scene of Amelie putting tea tree oil in her diffuser (also cutting it short) with the scene of Juro and Kirby talking to Zach’s kabit Cindy. The rest of the episode is the same material-wise.

GMA Episode 17 then picks up with the end of the tea tree oil scene where Mama Marga comes in to annoy Amelie again. The GMA episode also adds flashbacks to the scenes the characters are referencing. The Viu episode does not do that. I don’t think that makes much of a difference. But perhaps it helps for the TV viewers more than the streaming viewers who would binge the series.

GMA Episode 17 then inserts a new scene of Zach’s father going to Liv and Mama Leona’s home to speak with them and Papa Hector. Tito Lenard says he says he believes Liv is innocent and thought she and Zach made a great couple. He even wanted Zach to use his mother’s wedding ring to propose to her. Liv says she didn’t receive any ring and they hadn’t talked about marriage yet.

Liv suggests Zach gave Cindy the ring and cries that Zach maybe didn’t love her at all. Mama Leona assures Liv that she has done nothing wrong and that it is always the man who lacks and is at fault in the relationship.

Papa Hector asks Tito Lenard to leave now. Tito Lenard apologizes for the trouble as Liv sees him out.

This is a VERY interesting new scene as it paints Tito Lenard in a completely different light. He’s almost the opposite of the guy we have seen so far in the Viu edit. What I got from this scene was that he was sincere in talking to Liv. Yet in the Viu edit, he has simply come across as a drunk father who tolerates his son’s wrongdoings and will pin the murder on anyone they can.

After continuing on with the original Viu scene of Juro and Kirby talking to Gabo at the bar and him telling them about drunk Liv, the GMA edit continues the scene at home as Mama Leona and Papa Hector hash out their relationship once again. She admits she hasn’t forgiven him for what he did to her, no matter how much she tries.

Liv even overhears Mama Leona’s emotional admission that it hurts more because she truly loved Hector.

This is actually a great scene that should’ve been in the original edit as it helps to set-up the eventual scenes later on where the two of them give in to their lingering feelings for each other. *spoiler alert for GMA-only viewers! Lol* The Viu edit kind of makes it seem like they just randomly hooked up. Even with the little scenes here and there of the two of them.

Then another potentially huge new scene. Liv then flashes back to her coming home one night after a date with Zach. Mama Leona pointed out how she felt Zach has been avoiding her, thus she has her doubts about his feelings for her. Liv says she’s just being overprotective and that she knows the type of guy she should avoid. But she is sure she knows the real Zach and believes he’s a good guy.

Mama Leona says Papa Hector was the same way before. And then look what happened. So she wants to protect Liv from that same fate. And vows that if Zach were to ever hurt Liv, she will make him pay.

Oh!!!!! So this is the first indication that Mama Leona may have, not only the motive, but the motivation and determination to come to her daughter’s defense! It’s unlikely she’s the murderer, but this is also a good scene that should’ve been in the Viu edit.

After finishing the scene of Juro, Kirby, and Gabo, the GMA edit continues with Liv and Mama Leona as they have some wine. Liv apologizes for being wrong about Zach and not believing her mother with the warnings.

Mama Leona insists that Liv has no fault in the situation and says if Zach were still alive, she would make him crawl on the ground to beg for Liv’s forgiveness.

Mama Leona comforts Liv and tells her to let all her tears out for Zach for one night only and it will be the last time.

The original Viu edit of Episode 14 ends with Liv finding the tea tree oil in the car as the cliffhanger while the GMA edit ends with Juro finding the tea tree oil on Liv.

GMA Episode 18 and Viu Episode 15 starts out the same. Some switching around of scenes in the beginning, but pretty much the same catfight confrontation scene at the mansion with just a few seconds cut out from the scene with Papa Hector and Tita Marga by the pool.

Then the GMA episode inserts two new scenes. First, picking up on the storyline completely absent from the Viu edit. Sugar’s Mama Lourdes has a dream/flashback walking along with some woman and a cute baby named Sugar. Mama Lourdes mentions how she has long dreamed of having a daughter. The woman then says Lourdes can have her.

Mama Lourdes has the reaction as we do: WTF! Lol

Lourdes wakes up to a video call of Sugar telling her she’s sent some money for them. Sugar is grateful for all her parents have done for her and the money is just a little way for her to repay them.

So! We can assume that Tita Marga gave the baby to that woman who then dumped her off to Mama Lourdes. Lol Sorry, I don’t mean to say “dump off” a baby. But that’s basically what that woman did. At least baby Sugar was raised in a great family, yes?

But this also, I guess, shows that perhaps Lourdes and Marga never met. Or that Marga had been updated with who the baby ended up with, but doesn’t necessarily remember (or care) today.

The second new scene is Liv and Mama Leona drinking again and crying over their broken family. Liv tries to comfort her mother who feels guilty about not having Hector with them.

It’s a nice scene. But again, it simply adds to help support Leona eventually giving in to her feelings for Hector later on.

The GMA episode cliffhanger is Liv realizing Amelie dropped the tea tree oil in her car.

During Liv’s confrontation with Amelie, GMA Episode 19 inserts a flashback to Liv and Amelie working out at the gym with Zach creeping on them. He says he is amused by how close they are even when they’re only half-sisters. The short flashback ends with Amelie and Zach making sex eyes at each other lol

The GMA episode then switches around some scenes which result in actually better pacing. And the cliffhanger is Kirby showing Juro the one sex video from Zach’s laptop.

The GMA episode also likely holds over some Viu Episode 16 scenes (featuring Sugar and Yana as well as Sugar with Liv and Mama Leona back home) for GMA Episode 20.

So this week probably has the biggest differences between the two versions. The GMA episodes added a lot more context for Leona and Hector’s relationship and their lingering feelings. Some interesting insight into another side of Zach’s father. And it also continued to further the seemingly GMA/TV broadcast-exclusive storyline involving Sugar’s origins and potentially being Tita Marga’s daughter.

Really such an interesting and strange experience watching both versions! I’ve never experienced anything like it before!