Months after her talked-about transfer to ABS-CBN early this year, we now get to see Janine Gutierrez in her first-ever teleserye as a Kapamilya – Marry Me, Marry You – which premiered last Monday, September 13. And now that its strong pilot week is done, let’s look back on the happenings in its first five episodes that truly brought laughter and tears to the viewers!
The tear-jerking, exhilarating first five episodes
Just on its first episode, the series immediately stirred us with the heartwarming opening scene of Janine with real-life mom Lotlot de Leon, as they portray the mother-and-daughter tandem of Judith and Camille. The latter was holding a piece of yellow paper, seemingly asking the former “paano mo malalaman kung nagmamahal ka nang totoo?” as they sat side-by-side with each other by the shore, facing the sea. Judith responded to her and vanished into thin air afterwards, with the bundle of colored papers from a round brown container rustling on the sand one after another.
As it turned out, that round brown container holds the pieces of paper where Judith wrote her pieces of advice that Camille may need as she grows up and she’s not around anymore to guide her. A few days or weeks later, Judith succumbed to cancer and the young Camille (Angeline Tan) was left under the custody of her three “mommies,” or the best friends of her mom – Marvi (Vina Morales), Elvie (Cherry Pie Picache), and Paula (Sunshine Dizon), who vowed to take good care of her despite having their respective families in the future.
And they indeed stuck by their promise as they’re able to build a huge, extended family together, who help one another in times of need. Camille also cheerfully chips in with the salary she receives from her job as a barista. With the tight bond she has formed with them, she refused the marriage proposal of her boyfriend Rick (Akihiro Blanco), who wanted to bring her to Brazil without considering how her family would feel.
She may have her heart broken, but Camille seemed to have found a new Prince Charming that same evening in a not so romantic way. Andrei (Paulo Avelino), the young and handsome yet domineering president of Infinity Tech, accidentally hit her with his car as she was crossing the street that made her lose her consciousness. By a curious twist of fate, it was revealed that they both possess infinity bracelets, which Andrei retrieved in his car when he rushed her to the hospital and eventually returned it to her when they met at the coffee shop where she works.
We began to see how extremely different their lives are in the succeeding scenes, as Camille clearly belongs to a close-knit family despite not being related by blood, while Andrei is aloof with his biological dad-slash-boss Emilio (Edu Manzano) and his stepfamily Lavinia (Teresa Loyzaga) and Xavier (Keann Johnson).
They may have had a rough start, but the universe had a way of pushing them towards each other as they eventually needed one another. Andrei needed Camille to close a deal with Mr. Martin Mercado (Joel Saracho), a regular customer in their coffee shop who’s so fond of her, while she needed the huge amount of money he was offering in exchange for her service in order to pay the hospital bills of her Mamang Elvie, who was intentionally stabbed by her subordinate.
Aside from the infinity bracelet, it was also revealed that they both have the same model of handheld game console which were given by their mothers. This rekindled the curiosity of Camille, so she asked Paula and Marvi about the one she now owns and if they know something about her boss, to which they both seemingly lied.
And in the fifth episode, we were able to find out that the reason behind Andrei’s indifference was his sad childhood, as his mom allegedly abandoned him to his then-estranged dad. An accident brought the young Andrei (Izzy Canillo) and Camille together for the first time when she saved him from getting drowned after he slipped on the breakwater and fell to the sea when she threw the console given by his mom as per his father’s command.
Going back to the present time, Camille and Andrei, together with his assistant-slash-friend Cedric (Jake Ejercito) were able to successfully persuade Mr. Mercado to accept their proposal. However, he retracted it immediately upon finding out from her that the project has only something to do with their company and not for the general good. This made Andrei totally furious, instantly ending their contract and paying the salary he promised her despite her protest.
Instead of getting disheartened, Camille was still determined to help Andrei. Thus, she quickly rushed to the office of Mr. Mercado to ask for a second chance after getting inspired by a tear-jerking moment that she witnessed in the hospital. She then headed to Link Telecom’s headquarters to talk to either Cedric or Andrei, yet both of them were not there. So, she tried calling Andrei and found his phone behind the exit door going to the rooftop.
Drunk, Andrei stood on the ledge and repeatedly lamented how he’ll prove his worth and make everyone regret for underestimating him and treating him like garbage. Camille was able to catch him just in time before he fell, enabling her to see the vulnerable side of him.
Rave reactions from netizens
With its light and relatable narrative that captures the unique extended family culture of us Filipinos, viewers find Marry Me, Marry You refreshing and exciting to watch, with others even comparing it to the Korean dramas they’ve already watched. Thus, they’re grateful and delighted that Dreamscape Entertainment mounted this wonderful project, which is directed by top-caliber directors Dwein Baltazar and Jojo Saguin and written by Genesis Rodriguez, Abi Lam Parayno, Camille de la Cruz, and Wilbert Christian Tan.
Aside from the well-written script and promising plot, not to mention the impeccable cinematography, netizens also couldn’t help but gush over the impressive performances and unmistakable chemistry of the cast, especially Kapamilya newcomers Janine Gutierrez and Sunshine Dizon, whose acting skills and acting range as actors we’re able to see for the first time in an ABS-CBN show.
As the family was able to catch the attention and emotions of the audiences and got us instantly hooked in the first five episodes, it’s definitely no wonder why its pilot episode skyrocketed into the top trending topics on Twitter.
Here are some of the rave reviews we spotted on the microblogging site that used the first episode’s hashtag #MMMYFamily:
Aside from the abovementioned actors, the romance-comedy series is also starred by Lito Pimentel, Joko Diaz, Jett Pangan, Iana Bernandez, Adrian Lindayag, EJ Jallorina, Fino Herrera, Meann Espinosa, Luis Vera Perez, Angelica Lao, Analain Salvador, and Mariella Laurel.
Never miss an episode of Marry Me, Marry You, weeknights after Huwag Kang Mangamba on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z Channel 11 and TV5!