The villain can be as complex as the hero. After all, nobody is completely good or bad. In the Kapamilya series Dirty Linen, Carlos Fiero (John Arcilla) is not your conventional ‘kontrabida’ in that he’s a husband and a father, and sometimes he shows weakness and emotions of love and sympathy. In this Kapamilya Toplist, we look back on scenes that hint at his ‘good side’.

Carlos can kill for money and status but he will never betray his family. Barring the moral aspect, we can say he’s a good brother to Feliz (Angel Aquino). He will march with her to hell if needed. He didn’t pull away during one of her darkest moments. If not for her, Carlos would’ve killed Ador (Epy Quizon) after the latter’s porn business was exposed. But, out of care and love for Feliz, he cleaned up the mess himself by burning down Ador’s secret room. He then lectured her about being gullible, then backpedalled, “I got your back. Ikaw lang ang matigas ang ulo.”

He understands her even in her quiet moments. And whenever he senses her pain, he’s there to lighten up the load. In one scene, Feliz opened up about her feelings of hurt and neglect, saying she feels empty as Doña Cielo (Tessie Tomas) never showed her trust and love. Feliz said she feels alone, to which Carlos rebutted, “Nandito ako. Kasama kita.”

As a father, Carlos is almost admirable. In a scene, he lovingly praised Chiara for winning a math competition, which, on the contrary, was ignored by her mom Leona (Janice de Belen). The sweetness in this father-daughter moment was worth noting. Carlos was gentle and supportive. He even expressed his excitement to award Chiara her medal on stage, certain that she will graduate as class valedictorian. And when Chiara mentioned she is headed to a mall in Manila, Carlos gave her his credit card, then, ordered Abe (Joel Torre) to drive for her.

Like father, like daughter, Doña Cielo (Tessie Tomas) noted one morning when Leona called out Chiara for using her mobile phone during breakfast. The young Fiero stood up. Now she’s done eating, and therefore can freely use her phone. She then requested her dad to drop her off at school. Carlos willingly obliged – anything for his “bunchuchay”.

Beneath his tough demeanor is a strong instinct to protect his kids. He always comes to the rescue, such as when Aidan got arrested for his participation in Leona’s fight den and had trouble in his relationship with Sofie (Elisse Joson). It must be a hard job giving his son tough love. He’s all for discipline, but all his harsh words and parenting style only come from a place of love.

Despite his philandering and complicated relationship with Leona, he loves and cares for her, evinced by his decision to keep her, that is, even if he had to defy Doña Cielo’s order. When Leona’s affair with Olga (Andre del Rosario) was disclosed, Carlos convinced his furious mother that they’d manage to fix the mess and that Leona has done a lot for their family.

In the recent events in the town of El Hambra, the Fiero clan grieved Carlos’ death, keeping everyone curious about the narrative. Don’t miss the next episodes of Dirty Linen, weeknighst, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5, and A2Z.