The past two years have been filled with anxiety, fear, and heartbreaks because of the pandemic. It may be hard, but we didn’t let those negativities get the best of us as we continue to live, fight, and persevere amid the loss of loved ones and jobs.

Instead of completely sulking and getting hopeless, many of us have gone creative and gumptious when it comes to finding alternative sources of income, thus the rise of online live selling. While sellers have different ways to persuade customers, there’s one who arguably stood out because of her unique and astonishing way of interacting with her “miners” in her online ukay-ukay shop – Madam Inutz.

However, little we did know that behind her crackling curses and boisterous laughter is a woman who have gone through a lot of challenges in life. And for its special Mother’s Day celebration this year, Maalaala Mo Kaya gave us a glimpse of her inspiring life through its two-part episode, which first part titled “Kakanin,” we were able to watch last Saturday, May 7.

Madam Inutz, whose real name is Daisy Cabantog and compellingly portrayed by Mary Joy Apostol and Dawn Chang, grew up in a family that, albeit poverty-stricken, is filled with love. Ever since she was young, Daisy has been so courageous, gumptious, and hardworking, to the point that she got bullied by her classmates for having to drop out of school in order to help their family in their finances by selling the kakanins prepared by their mother (Susan Africa).

But inspite of their plight, their parents were able to raise them into decent individuals by instilling to them the value of kindness and patience, which they carried with them until they became adults. Amid the challenges she went through, someone came that spiced up her life – JC (Gino Roque), who eventually became her husband.

Wanting to give her family a better and comfortable life, Daisy decided to go to Japan and work as an entertainer. Unfortunately, she immediately got fired after having an altercation with one of their customers. With two young children to raise, she decided to just put up a small jewelry business here while husband was the one in-charge of the household with the help of their friend who they hired as a nanny. Unbeknown to them, JC had an affair with their friend and even got her pregnant, which led to their break up.

Instead of sulking, she just moved on in life and worked as an entertainer in South Korea, while her kids were left in the custody of her ex-husband JC. This was where she met the next man she would love, an American military officer named Chris, to whom she would also got engaged with. Just when she thought that it’s already the real love she’s been waiting for, she later on found out that he’s actually already married after his wife confronted her through a messaging app.

That truly broke her heart, but her mother’s loving presence and wise and encouraging words regained her strength. Drawing strength from the unconditional love of her family, Daisy returned to South Korea to fulfill her dreams for her family.

The MMK “Kakanin” episode is indeed a great reminder that there’s more to a person than meets the eye. Thus, we should not be quick in judging people because of how they look, speak, or behave in a certain way because we do not know whether they’re going through something or needing help. The same goes in social media, wherein we only see a glimpse of a person’s life through his/her posts.

After a long time of not being seen on television, Dawn Chang did a remarkable comeback through her compelling portrayal of Madam Inutz in this episode of MMK. From the looks, the way she moves and projects, up to the way she talks! But more than these, she indeed did a great job in exuding the real emotions that the person she’s portraying had felt in every situation.

At the same time, her younger counterpart Mary Joy Apostol also astounded us with her performance, as well as the supporting cast members Susan Africa, Mary Joy Apostol, Pamu Pamorada, and Iñigo Delen, who were able to have their shining moments, too. Of course, the superb storytelling of Director Raz S. Dela Torre and writer Joan P. Habana should not be overlooked as well.

Here are some of the tweets posted by those who were able to catch the #MMKMadamInutz episode:

@thedawnchang teka lang naman, ang galing ng acting! 👏👏👏 kuhang-kuha galawan ni Madam Inutz!!! #MMKMadamInutz

— yuki manansala (@hplsromANTIQUE) May 7, 2022

Effortless @thedawnchang nakakatawa HAHAHAHA Galeennggg 😂#MMK2020#MMKMadamInutz

— D O Y ⚡ (@EnerCenina23) May 7, 2022

#MMKMadamInutz
Ang galing ni @thedawnchang gayang gaya nya..👏👏👏

— Flordeliza B. Darang (@flordeliza_1988) May 7, 2022

Ang galing ni @thedawnchang! 🤣🤣🤣 Gayang gaya yung live selling.. #MMKMadamInutz @MMKOfficial

— RALPH | BATANGAS (@ilovesummer228) May 7, 2022

It's so glad to see you onscreen again! @thedawnchang @MMKOfficial#MMKDawnChang #MMKMadamInutz #MMK2022 pic.twitter.com/1yMB0KriWo

— heyz (@_heyheyheyzel) May 7, 2022

Boses ni madam inutzzzzzz naririnig ko kay @thedawnchang grabe naman!!! Apakagaling mo naman girl 👏👏👏👏#MMKMadamInutz#A2Z

— Bernice Jane Palmera (@Bernice_Libra) May 7, 2022

Appreciation post to @thedawnchang, grabe gayang-gaya at swak na swak sayo pagiging si Madam Inutz! Gandang pang mother's day special 👏#MMKMadamInutz

— JAYB (@iamjayvee0110) May 7, 2022