Ever since it was announced that ABS-CBN was going to release Senior High last year, it was indeed met with sheer excitement and great expectations because of its interesting plot and impressive cast line-up.

As we all know, it is starred by some of the brightest and up-and-coming young stars in the local entertainment scene, along with a few veteran thespians, to whom they’re able to keep up with when it comes to their dramatic performances.

And now that it’s about to arrive at its anticipated “Ender to Remember” finale on January 19, let’s look back on some of the shining moments of Senior High’s Gen Z stars during their acting showdown with their senior castmates in this feature!

Andrea Brillantes with Angel Aquino and Baron Geisler

Having to play a role is already challenging, but what more if you have to play two, right? And that’s what Andrea did here as she astonished us with her portrayals of twin sisters Luna and Sky. With the sudden demise of Luna, she got to focus on Sky and has been doing a great job in projecting a feisty young lady who’s willing to fight with all her might in order to seek justice for the death of her twin sister and for all her fellow Northford High students who got exploited and abused by the higher-ups and authorities – including her estranged father Harry Aguerro (Baron Geisler).

Her tenacity and boldness in pursuing what she thinks should be done despite the repercussions are what usually trigger her scorching arguments with her mother Tanya (Angel Aquino). And in this particular scene, Sky berated Tanya for letting Harry come over to their house and be part of their conversations regarding the next steps that they should take in resolving the mysterious case of Luna. She tried to convince her mom that involving him was so wrong since he’s clearly biased towards his two legal children Archie (Elijah Canlas) and Z (Daniela Stranner), who were also the bullies of her late twin sister, and is not really genuine in bringing justice to her death.

In the end, Sky was able to persuade Tanya, especially after telling her about the incident when Archie and Z tried to drag her with their car during one of their altercations. She finished their heated exchange by asking Tanya to open her eyes and wake up to the discernible truth.

Juan Karlos Labajo with Ana Abad Santos

After leaving us with last-song syndrome through his hit songs, Juan Karlos has been impressing us with his portrayal of Gino in Senior High. Even though this is his first acting project after a few years, he has proven that acting is indeed still in him with how he’s able to pull off his character.

In this particular scene with veteran character actress Ana Abad Santos, who plays his mom Cecille, Juan Karlos wowed us with how he easily shifted from one emotion to another. From confusion about what his mother confessed to her regarding her last conversation with Luna, we really felt his agony about losing the girl he loved and not being able to do anything to fight and attain justice for her.

Juan Karlos Labajo with Mon Confiado

Aside from the dramatic facet of Gino, Juan Karlos is also able to display the intense and mad sides of him as well, especially during his scenes with Mon Confiado, who compellingly takes on the role of his abusive and wicked dad, Governor William Acosta.

After finding out what happened to his mom, he pinned the blame on William who he firmly believed had something to do with it. However, instead of apologizing nor owning up to his mistakes, William insisted that it was all Cecille’s fault because she was the real lunatic and monster between them, and that he had done everything just to save him and his mom.

A fisticuff ensued between them, and we could just wonder how Juan Karlos mustered the courage to throw strong punches at the esteemed character actor and even strangle him. Such a mind-blowing performance there, Juan Karlos!

Kyle Echarri with Sylvia Sanchez

We all know how promising a singer, dancer, and host Kyle is. And in Senior High, he’s able to showcase his acting chops through his portrayal of Obet, who is raised by his loving and hardworking “amam” (read backwards as “Mama”) or grandma Lydia, played by veteran actress Sylvia Sanchez.

While we usually see them being on good terms, it’s rare for us to see them arguing, just like in this specific scene. Lydia insisted on telling the authorities about the real connection of Harry with Luna and Sky, assuming that it could help with the case of Obet’s older brother. But he perceived otherwise, explaining to her that it could further put his Manong Tonio’s (Rap Robes) life in danger while inside the prison. Besides, he also firmly believed that they couldn’t trust the authorities anymore, and that they do not have the means and capabilities to protect his manong and take him out of jail.

They had an intense argument, which obviously hurt the feelings of Lydia. But their misunderstanding didn’t last long as they eventually made amends the following morning.

Zaijian Jaranilla with Gerald Madrid

Those who were able to follow the showbiz career of Zaijian would know that he is one of the most dependable actors of his generation. Ever since his child star days, he’s indeed able to showcase his incredible prowess and versatility as an actor. And in this series, viewers admire him for his compelling portrayal of Tim, which sheds light on the stories and struggles of the members of the gay community, especially when it comes to coming out of the closet.

We can say that this particular scene is among the most heart-rending and most powerful that Zaijian has done in the series. He indeed shone here as he and seasoned actor Gerald Madrid depicted the coming out scenario that some of the gay people could only dream of. We really felt their hearts, as if it already happened to them.

Elijah Canlas with Baron Geisler

Arguably, Elijah is new to the eyes of many viewers, since he usually took on minor roles in the previous projects he did prior to Senior High. Thus, we were truly impressed by his performance as Archie, one of the antagonists who we eventually learned to love as he seems to soften up towards the victims of his and his sister Z’s bullying.

And in this particular scene, Elijah surely astounded us with his acting showdown with Baron Geisler, who serves as his onscreen father Harry Aguerro. With how convincing their performances were, both of them seemed to vanish as it’s only their characters who we just saw onscreen. As he discovered that Harry is the real father of Sky and Luna, Archie attempted to make him confess it, but Harry responded by assaulting him and challenging him to tell what he knew to his mom Sasha (Desiree del Valle) and sister Z.

Miggy Jimenez with Mon Confiado

Probably another new face on this list is Miggy, who appeared in several indie projects prior to Senior High. And on his first acting gig on television, he immediately astonished us with how he’s been taking on the challenge of portraying Poch. He’s able to successfully convey the emotions and personality needed in his role and was really effective in showing his different facets.

And in recent episodes, we’ve seen him sharing the screen with esteemed character actor Mon Confiado, who plays her sugar daddy Governor William Acosta. He may be new, but Miggy is amazingly able to astonish us with how he’s able to keep pace with Mon’s dramatic prowess. Just like in this scene, wherein Miggy didn’t have to talk too much in order to express the pain that he feels inside and outside. All he had to do was cry and show his agony through his facial expressions.

Grae Fernandez with Floyd Tena

The arrival of Grae indeed surprised and delighted viewers since it had already been quite some time since he was seen on TV. Playing the role of Yosef, the brother of Yana (Nour Hooshmand) who aimed to exact revenge on Gov. Acosta and Vice-Principal Reginald Castrodes after their delinquencies took a toll on her well-being.

Although his acting prowess is something that we’re not surprised by anymore since he came from a family of great actors, we couldn’t deny that Grae indeed shone in this series. And one of the highlights of his special participation here is this scene, wherein we really saw and felt the wrath and anguish of his character against Mr. Castrodes, played by seasoned theater thespian Floyd Tena, by torturing him.

With how these young actors stood out in their stints in this series, we would want to believe that their respective characters are really written or carved out for them. Thus, we can say that the future is indeed bright for them with how beyond impressive actors they all are, who can keep pace with the performances of their seniors.

Watch out for more shining moments of these Gen Z cast as Senior High approaches its “Ender To Remember” finale, weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5 and A2Z.