Michelle Vito and Miles Ocampo have offered clear proof of their brilliant acting craft, essaying the popular vlogger couple Tanch Lobete and Sarah Garcia in the Maalaala Mo Kaya episode “Scarf” on October 23.
They offered a credible and genuine approach to their characters, giving a deep and sensible depiction of their journey as a couple, and the individual ordeals they went through to finally validate their true love.
Tanch (Michelle Vito) had been a troubled soul, facing the pitfalls of a broken family that forced her to take her own battles all by herself, including finding ways to support her personal needs, such as engage in casual sex in exchange for large amounts to pay debts or finish schooling.
During these escapades, Tanch met the married man Juan (Simon Ibarra), with whom she had an illicit relationship that bore a child. While Juan urged her to abort their child, Tanch decided to keep their child and raise him, even if it meant doing it on her own. But Juan eventually supported Tanch’s decision, and accepted the setup. He also vowed to Tanch that he would eventually leave his wife, and marry her. Juan also took measures for Tanch to get accepted to train and eventually work as a flight attendant in a major airline.
During her training, she met a fellow flight attendant trainee named Sarah (Miles Ocampo), who had impressed her with her strength of character and devout faith. As their training proceeded, Tanch’s admiration for Sarah grew wider and deeper.
It came to a point when Tanch realized that she was already falling in love with Sarah. Though attraction was mutual, Sarah first resisted her true feelings for Tanch, telling her to stop her advances. But soon, Sarah would appreciate Tanch more, offering her the support she needed both in their difficult training sessions, and in her personal life.
Sarah then could not hold back her feelings and gave in. They became a couple, albeit in secret, though Tanch could not help but spill their romance to Juan in a video call, who expressed his surprise and disgust with her admission.
In their blissful encounters while on- and off-duty, Tanch and Sarah enjoyed their affection and real love towards one another. But when graduation time came, Juan started to assert his presence in Tanch’s life, even trying to destroy their relationship by actually proposing marriage to Tanch in front of Sarah.
He would even tell Tanch that if she ends their relationship because of Sarah, he would expose their “scandal” to the airline higher-ups.
Tanch begged Juan not to do so, and agreed to stay in a relationship with him, even as she continued her romance with Sarah. As Tanch and Sarah lived together in a condo with the former’s child, Juan always visited to assert how Tanch has always been “for himself alone.”
Since Tanch had also asserted her love for Sarah, Juan made an indecent proposal of siring a child with Sarah as well, so that they could live as “one happy family.” The idea first sickened Tanch, but when Juan threatening her that he would prevent their child from seeing her, Tanch became distraught and desperate.
She then opened this “proposal” with Sarah, who was very much disgusted, castigating Tanch for always giving in to Juan, all for the sake of being with their child. Sarah reminded Tanch that she has all the rights to keep custody of their child, who is a minor, more than what Juan claims to have. She told her to not just fight for her child, but more so for herself as a person. Sarah then walked out on Tanch, who felt her girlfriend had given up on their relationship.
When Tanch was working on an international flight, Sarah met with Juan in Cebu to confront him about his indecent proposal. Sarah asserted that she nor Tanch would never give in to his desires, and that he should stop ruining and interfering with their lives as a couple.
But as Sarah fought for the love of her life, Tanch had other things in mind. Feeling dejected and depressed, Sarah dated a former flame, and had a one-night stand with him.
Guilty about her actions, Tanch admitted to Sarah that she cheated on her. Sarah then broke down, and vented her ire on Tanch, saying that while she was fighting for her when she confronted Juan in Cebu, there she was, cheating on her. Sarah told Tanch that she already grew tired of Tanch’s weakness in dealing with her problems, always looking for the easy way out of them. Sarah told Tanch that she wanted out of their relationship.
When she realized that her actions had devastated the person she truly loved, Tanch became more forceful and emphatic about what she wanted in her life. She told off Juan in their own confrontation about her disgust towards him, and that he decided to cast him off from her life, and raise their child on her own.
Months passed and Tanch had decided to move on from being a flight attendant and try her hand in becoming a pilot. Sarah had also been seeing a guy, with whom Tanch thought her now ex-girlfriend was having the time of her life, judging from Sarah’s photos with him shared on social media.
But when they coincidentally meet at the airport as Tanch was about to board his final flight as a stewardess, Tanch said she was happy for Sarah having moved on from their relationship, but left in tears showing how still she still longed for her. Sarah slowly appeared to feel the same, and also broke down as Tanch left.
Finally feeling validated about her genuine love for Tanch, Sarah went to her and expressed her sadness about losing her in her life, and that she was sorry for the hurtful words she said that led to their separation. Tanch admitted that her own actions led to the failure of their relationship, and she was sorry for all that has happened. But Sarah also acknowledged her own faults, especially during the time
she was scared of declaring her love for Tanch. She said she has now moved on from her current relationship and would like to rekindle their romance.
Reunited, Tanch and Sarah have since not let go of one another as lovers, sharing their best lives with each other and showing how much their love led them to become the best versions of themselves.
As heartwarming and wonderful a love tale it was, MMK “Scarf” brought out resounding portrayals from the lead cast, especially Michelle and Miles, who took on roles that were beyond their comfort zones as actors. And they did splendidly, displaying incredible depth and sincerity with portrayals, thanks to the superb script written by Jaymar Santos Castro, and masterful creative guidance by director Raz dela Torre.