After going through a lot of setbacks and ordeals in pursuit of finding out the truth behind the fatal accident that almost killed Jane (Loisa Andalio), she and Edward (Ronnie Alonte) still made it to forever in the “Ang Pamatay na Ending” of Love In 40 Days aired on October 28, Friday.
The “Pamatay Na Ending” episode
In the last episodes, we witnessed the desperation of main antagonist Andrea (Mylene Dizon), who happens to be the adoptive mom of Edward, in concealing her crimes by having Jane kidnapped after she acquired the lost footage that would prove her connivance with the debauch life insurance agent Marco (Ahron Villena) and ordering the murder of Edward as he already knew about it.
Just when everyone assumed that Jane would finally expose Andrea’s involvement in the illegal insurance scheme, she quickly had a change of mind and denied it upon seeing Anton holding a slingshot (Allan Paule) outside the room where her press conference was held, signaling her to shut her mouth. And true enough, her little brother MonMon (Josh de Guzman) was abducted by Anton and Andrea.
Desperate to find out where they hid MonMon, Jane and Edward sought the help of his sister Eileen (Chie Filomeno), who they expected had an inkling or know exactly where the location is and could help them relay to Andrea their plea for her to keep the young boy out of their war. But their appeals fell on deaf ears as she refused to help them by repeatedly saying that she didn’t have any idea what they’re talking about.
Unbeknown to them, Eileen actually did her part to help by asking her mom to spare Jane’s family and Edward from this mess and to not push her wicked plans anymore. She suggested for her to simply go abroad and change identity anew, just like what she did before, but she rejected it.
It was revealed later that the reason behind her refusal to backdown is the millions of profits that they would surely lose, which according to Andrea will be for Eileen and her future. Torn between telling the truth and keeping her mom from getting incarcerated, Eileen’s heart as a daughter still prevailed.
Upon seeing the desperation of Jane in saving her brother, Diana (Lotlot de Leon) stepped in and told them that she was actually able to tail Andrea in the past days and hear all her evil plans against them. Thus, although she knew that helping them comes with a hefty price – she would be sent to the purgatory and be gone for good – since this is against their rules, she still didn’t hesitate to tell them everything she knew.
Their companions in Evergreen Mansion even attempted to stop her, but she was really eager to do it as her way to atone for her past mistakes towards her own child. Upon relaying the information and telling them to stay safe, Diana instantly vanished into thin air.
Edward and Jane immediately came to MonMon’s rescue, which ensued to the breathbating altercation between Edward and his biological father Anton. It may be hurtful for him as a child to shoot his real dad, but she was compelled to do it in order to save themselves and get away from him.
The couple then wasted no time in exposing Andrea’s dirty secrets and lies as Edward sent to Robert the lost CCTV footage of Andrea and Marco exiting together from the hotel where they had a meeting. Robert was totally fuming upon seeing it, which ensued to his little heart attack. She then received a call from Anton telling her that Edward and Jane were able to get MonMon, which infuriated her and made her instruct him to kill all of them. Little she did know that he was already in the custody of the authorities and they were actually recording their conversation.
Out of anger, Andrea confronted her daughter and pushed her, thinking that it was her who told Edward and Jane about the location of their hideout. As Robert threatened to surrender her to the police, Andrea escaped and went to Jane’s house, where she had an intense confrontation with Ofelia (Janice de Belen), Jane, and Edward. She blamed them for destroying her life and had an emotional breakdown while brandishing a gun.
They tried to pacify her and convince her to peacefully surrender, which she did eventually. The following day, Andrea (a.k.a. Maria Cristina), expressed how deeply sorry she is for everything that she did, as well as to Edward, but they couldn’t give it to her yet. Aside from the lies and crimes she committed, it was later revealed that she accidentally shot Ofelia, Edward’s biological mother, on the chest when she attempted to shoot Jane and Ofelia caught the bullet for her, which led to her sudden demise.
She wasn’t aware of it, until she tried to hug her son, which made her recall the bitter reason why Edward cannot find the heart to forgive Andrea. Evergreen Mansion’s chauffeur George (Benedix Ramos) also arrived to fetch her.
Jane and Edward had the chance to visit her at the Evergreen Mansion and expressed how grateful they are to her. On that same day, they joined the staff in their send-off celebration for Mr. Guzman (Leo Martinez) and in greeting Ofelia for her new job as the general manager of Evergreen Mansion. That night, the sweethearts had a sweet moment under the starry night sky, wherein they talked about the things that happened to them and their aspirations and plans.
He and his bestfriends-slash-bandmates got reunited and formed their band again. At the same time, they were also able to reopen and revive Lifeline Bar. While Edward and Robert are in good terms with Eileen, who also got jailed because of being an accessory to her mom’s crimes, they still found it difficult to forgive Andrea.
During the reopening of Lifeline Band and their comeback show attended by their families, friends, and fans, Edward proposed marriage to Jane, to which she said “yes!”. The finale episode ended with the two performing a duet of “Hindi Bibitawan” onstage.
Takeaways from Jane and Edward’s journey
Those who were able to watch Love In 40 Days from Day 1 would surely know that this is more than just a dramatic and romantic story. As we followed the journey of Jane and Edward individually and together, they’re able to show us various tales of second chances – from their relationship with their families, Jane coming back to life after being in comatose, giving Andrea and Eileen another chance in life after the evil things they did, to allowing themselves to heal and be happy together again.
This series also reminded us of the oft-quoted Filipino aphorism “walang sikretong ‘di nabubunyag”, which was proven by the story arcs of Andrea and Ofelia. They may have tried their best to hide their true identities in pursuit of protecting themselves and the people they love for a long time, but the universe has its wonderful way of revealing the truth, regardless if your intentions in doing so. As what they say, time is indeed the ultimate truth-teller.
At the same time, this teleserye also reminded us that it’s just okay if we cannot forgive someone immediately who crossed us or the people we love since it is really a process. But we must really learn to give it regardless if they asked for it or not in order for us to attain peace of mind and of heart. At the same time, we must also learn to forgive ourselves for our shortcomings and humbly ask for it when needed.
Besides, another thing that this series is able to prove is that love indeed conquers all. Despite the challenges and trials that the characters went through, it’s the love that they have within them and for the people around them that helped them overcome, move forward in life, and be able to be a blessing to them.
And lastly, Jane and Edward’s love for their family and passion for whatever they’re doing have inspired us, too. Their life motto, “Follow your dream. Life is short. Live your life. Love your life,” which we’re able to hear once again in the finale episode is actually a perfect mantra for those people who are losing the drive or motivation in life. We must seize every moment we have in life because we do not know ‘til when we are going to be here.
Positive feedbacks from viewers
Despite being the last in the primetime timeslot, Love In 40 Days was still watched by many Kapamilya viewers, who found themselves hooked with the journeys of Jane, Edward, and the rest of the characters. Aside from its unique and refreshing story, we are also impressed by the performances of the cast, especially of lead stars Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte.
They may have already starred in several films and series already, but we can say that we’re able to further see their maturity and improvements as actors in this project. They’re able to exude the emotions needed in each scene, compel us with their dramatic prowess, and make us kilig with their chemistry. With how compelling their performance was in this show, some of the fans are convinced that they were seemingly not acting at all during the proposal scene in the finale.
Meanwhile, the veteran and seasoned thespians were able to astound us with their remarkable portrayals, which we can say were quite different from the roles they used to play before in their past projects. At the same time, the young actors and the newbies were able to impress us with their acting, too!
Thus, netizens couldn’t help but express how much they’re going to miss the series and the whole cast by tweeting on Twitter using the hashtag #L40DAngPamatayNaEnding and topic “JANEnEDWARD LOVE WINS” that made it to the top local trending topics on Twitter.
And here are some of the comments from fans and viewers that we’re able to spot:
Congratulations for the successful run, Love In 40 Days family!