Wrath, revenge, vindication filled the accomplished final mission on The General’s Daughter.
And we witnessed superb action-filled scenes at its finest, the best we’ve seen so far on television, with Angel Locsin proving that she has indeed leveled up the ante in her craft—both in the realm of action and drama.
We see her as the enraged Rhian Bonifacio out to avenge her unspeakable personal losses that included the murders of her beloved Elai (Arjo Atayde) and Nanay Sabel (Maricel Soriano) at the hands of her adoptive father Tiago (Tirso Cruz III) in a mission to finally bring him to justice. Here, she went on a precise, cunning and careful attack on Tiago and his men.
After government troopers stormed Tiago’s hideout, the vicious villain and his gang scampered out and rushed to a nearby port where an escape yacht was waiting. As killing machine she was molded to be, Rhian would easily get past and slay Tiago’s minions. And when the yacht surged away to the open sea, Rhian made that jaw-dropping stunt of chasing it on a jetski while firing her AK-47 at will.
No stunt double
Known for not using any stunt double in her precarious scenes, Angel would maneuver the jetski around the yacht and completed a one-woman massacre of the entire group of Tiago’s men on board the yacht, including its captain. After her assault, Rhian swam and reached the now defenseless vessel with only Tiago alive on board. Tiago however was at an advantage as he hid while Rhian entered. He would beat her to the draw and shoot her down.
As Rhian lay injured, Tiago would incessantly harangue her about being not the upright person she thinks she is, being the merciless murderer she raised and trained her to be. He would even insist that he is her real father, who molded her to what she is at the moment.
But Rhian would take none of that. She knew she was nothing like Tiago, the man she thought was her father all her life, who took her to seek revenge and kill her real dad, Marcial (Albert Martinez). And in one massive show of brute strength despite her gunshot wound, Rhian would rise and beat up her lifelong tormentor. With every blow she made on Tiago’s face, Rhian mentioned that those were for the crimes he did to her and her loved ones, most notably for Eli and Nanay Sabel. And he lay bloodied and battered, Tiago would take out his last ace—a grenade he would use to kill them both.
But Rhian would stop him from immediately setting it off. She would get it, place it in his body, and release the pin and make the run for it, before the yacht exploded.
Choosing the normal life
With Tiago finally gone, Rhian was a new person years after. While she was still a special trooper under the orders of her father, the “General’s Daughter” would choose the normal life and spend time in a faraway paradise with her true love, Franco (Paulo Avelino).
Rarely do we witness such a grand production that entailed the most elaborate and death-defying action scenes. Stunt choreography was exceptional, as with breathtaking camera work that captured not only those riveting gunbattles and hand combat, but those picturesque shots of the surrounding locations.
Of course, dramatic performances were at its best, with Tirso Cruz III giving his incredibly splendid portrayal of Tiago, whom we all despised all these months leading to this finale. And in this last episode, we even more fuming with his actions, leading to his final confrontation with Angel’s Rhian. Tirso really takes his villainous depiction to the greatest heights, yet with the right amount of believable and natural thespic flair.
Reclaiming her identity
In the finale, it was all about how Rhian would reclaim her identity as Arabella de Leon on the one side and being the same effective and dependable 2nd Lt. Rhian Bonifacio the military would call on for difficult missions on the other. And Angel Locsin was brilliant and outstanding in all aspects of her portrayal—from the incredible, amazing stunts she pulled off to the extraordinary acting chops she delivered. To put it simply and without any other words to size up her performance: She was truly amazing.
Netizens were likewise impressed: