After months of waiting, the much-awaited KathNiel teleserye comeback has finally arrived! And just on its pilot week, it instantly captivated our hearts not only through its refreshing and impressive narrative, but with the astounding performances of the entire ensemble cast, too, spearheaded by Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla.
Attesting to that was the huge number of viewers and the rave feedbacks of the netizens who were able to watch the first five episodes across various platforms of ABS-CBN. We already got a glimpse of Eloy and Ali through the teasers and full trailers released in the previous months, but we’re able to get to know them further since the series premiered on local television last May 16.
Titled “Odd Encounter,” the two main characters indeed met in a really bizarre circumstance. They crossed paths at a luxury hotel where Ali was accompanying her businessman-patient Bart (Bodjie Pascua), while Eloy, a con artist, was there to execute his and his friends’ plan to exact revenge to the cunning hotel owner Tara Inocencio (Jenny Miller), who ran over Mang Ben (Earl Ignacio), the father of their friend Tox (Gillian Vicencio), that got him injured.
While Ali’s stunning splendor got him really smitten, Eloy’s distinct scent brought her strong allergic reaction as she sneezed the moment he passed by her, interrupting her selfie with Bart, who he initially assumed was her boyfriend.
Unbeknown to them, they already met at a hospital when they were still kids – when Eloy’s mother Miriam (Mickey Ferriols) died and his father Fred (Romnick Sarmenta) got arrested due to a vehicular accident.
As they moved on to their respective duties that night, Eloy was able to easily make Tara fall for his irresistible charms and “spiked” her drink without her noticing it. This got her unconscious while they were inside her penthouse, enabling him to steal Php110,000, which he deemed was enough to cover the expenses of Mang Ben’s treatment.
Unexpectedly, Tara woke up and immediately alerted the security officers that a robbery took place. Eloy and friends had managed to escape despite being caught and him being shot by one of the guards who attempted to stop them.
Later that night, Ali saw in the news that the hotelier, who she saw earlier with Eloy, had been robbed. As someone who’s willing to fight for what she believes in is right and just, she immediately went to the police station to tell the authorities what she knew about the heist. But Captain Ivan Rosales (Cris Villanueva) dismissed her after failing to describe the physical features of the alleged culprit.
In the second episode dubbed “Allergic Reaction,” we’re able to see how truly hardworking and gumptious Ali is, as she also helps her mom Margie (Gelli de Belen) and younger sister Pat (Bianca de Vera) in their online live selling business. At the same time, we’ve found out that Eloy used to be in Law school, but was compelled to stop due to lack of finances.
Ali and Eloy once again bumped into each other, but literally this time, at the hospital where the former works as a nurse, while the latter accompanied his friend Tox in visiting her father, who was among the patients. Ali was able to recognize him, but failed to go after him as he quickly escaped.
Unbeknown to her, Eloy went back inside and eavesdropped to her conversation with her fellow nurse Queenie (Mary Joy Apostol), saying that she’s able to unintentionally take a photo of the alleged thief when she had a selfie with Bart at the hotel lobby. This alarmed him, so he and his friends immediately plotted how to stop her from turning over the photo to the authorities and to completely hide their crime.
And they’re able to find a way to win her and her family’s favor by helping Margie when she got scammed. They’re able to catch the scammer and personally return to them the Php15,000 she wired him in exchange of the bags she was supposed to order. Even though he introduced himself as Michael and didn’t wear the “Escapo” perfume he wore during that fateful night, Ali was still able to recognize his face and voice. His good deed, however, also didn’t diminish her suspicions towards him, as she’s really keen to have him caught by the police. Ali may be sure that he’s indeed the thief, but Capt. Rosales had to reject her due to her failure to present any evidence.
Little did they know that their connection would further get complicated because of significant person – real-estate magnate Lolo Hugo (Ronaldo Valdez). As his neurologist encouraged him to have someone who would be by his side almost round the clock, he agreed to hire Ali to be his private nurse, which she gladly accepted. On the other hand, Eloy is eager to find out the old man’s connection to his father’s imprisonment, after he caught their lawyer talking with and handing the copy of the resolution of the Supreme Court regarding their appeal for his father’s case to one of the senior partners in Hugo’s company.
KathNiel’s return to primetime is nothing but grand since it is the first-ever television show to have premiered both on TV and top streaming platform Netflix. Many audiences are surely able to identify with the refreshing and relatable narrative through the themes and scenarios that also happen in real life. Some of us can even find ourselves in Ali and Eloy as they confront the challenges in life, such as injustice, poverty, and even grief.
Despite its adult theme, 2 Good 2 Be True is still able to captivate even the young ones because of the theme of romanticism, family, and friendship that truly appeal to people of all ages. It may be only on its pilot week, yet it has already instilled valuable takeaways and provided laughter and good vibes to the viewers – making it the feel-good show that we really need in these horrible times.
The on-and-off-screen loveteam has indeed succeeded in showing a different light of them in their portrayal of Ali and Eloy. Kathryn indeed won our hearts as the hardworking, optimistic, loving, and palaban Ali and truly shone in her every scene. Daniel, meanwhile, once again made us fall in love with his ‘bad’ boy image.
Seasoned and veteran thespians astounded us, too, with their ever-exemplary performances and versatility. Their chemistry with one another is indeed palpable.
The collaboration of top-caliber directors Mae Cruz-Alviar and Paco Sta. Maria with brilliant writers Denise O’ Hara, Jaja Amarillo, Jmar Castro, and Raymund Barcelon are truly magnificent, being able to bring out a different KathNiel, yet the same magic that spellbound us in the past 10 years.
Here are some of the comments from the netizens about the series that we’ve spotted on Twitter:
Will Ali be able to prove that she’s been right all along in suspecting Eloy as the culprit in the hotel robbery? Will Eloy soon discover the real-estate tycoon’s involvement in the car crash that changed his life forever? Let’s all find out by not missing an episode of 2 Good 2 Be True, weeknights after FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z Channel 11, iWantTFC, and TFC.