Due to her frankness, especially when it comes to media interviews, as well as portraying roles that have straightforward and crabby personalities, Maricel Soriano is tagged the “Taray Queen of Philippine Showbiz”.
And we’re able to see that facet of her in the controversial series Linlang, as she played Amelia Lualhati, the loving yet domineering mom of Alex (JM de Guzman) and Victor (Paulo Avelino) and the terror mother-in-law of Juliana (Kim Chiu). Let’s look back on the kontrabida moments of Maricel as Amelia so far in this Kapamilya Update feature!
Just on the pilot week, she immediately astounded viewers with her antagonistic chops. In the first episode, Amelia exhibited her katarayan as she admonished Victor and Juliana about getting betrothed and having a family while they were still in college. As they promised to work it out together, Amelia told them that it was indeed the right thing to do because they couldn’t expect anything from them since they were not rich.
We then found ourselves arguably dumbfounded by the sudden shift in the way she talked to Juliana after her grandma Pilar (Ruby Ruiz) and Kate left. As Juliana expressed her willingness to help with the household chores, Amelia told her that she actually wouldn’t be shy to boss her around and reminded her that she’s the only queen in the house. When Juliana remarked, “Ako po ‘yong prinsesa?,” Amelia icily responded, “hindi ka nakakatawa.”
Apparently, she’s not just a terror mother-in-law, but also a gossipmonger. While dining with Alex and his then girlfriend Sylvia (Kaila Estrada), Amelia reiterated how still vexed she was that Juliana and Victor wasted their lives by having a family at an early age instead of focusing on their studies. Thus, she couldn’t help herself from comparing her to her mom, who was rumored to be flirting with different men. Alex stopped her since it was already tsismis and defended Juliana by saying that she’s probably different from her mom, to which Amelia said that they couldn’t say so.
Eyes surely rolled when she bragged to Juliana’s family about the huge and beautiful house of Alex and Sylvia which has five bedrooms and good ventilation. She also boasted about the “napaka-perfect” cooking of Sylvia as she called them to eat. As they feasted on the sumptuous meal prepared for them, Amelia schooled them, particularly her granddaughter Abby (Hanna Lexie), about the food they were eating.
The Diamond Star then exhibited her dramatic prowess in the scene wherein she got irked after Victor asked for his share in their house as his inheritance, which was promised to him by his late dad. Amelia reminded him that his father didn’t have any contribution when they acquired and built that house, so he doesn’t have the right to ask for any share.
Their confrontation got more intense when Amelia reminded her that he is his father’s son to another woman and she only allowed him to stay with them out of pity after his dad told her that his mom already died. Even though it was hard to believe, Amelia told him that she cares for him, but not the same kind that she has for her real unico hijo Alex.
Did these taray moments of the one and only Maricel Soriano also get you gigil, Kapamilya? Catch her on Linlang, weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5 and A2Z.