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magomo · 2 years ago

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Not Harry Potter-related post. This will be in the Filipino-English with lots of modern slangs. It may not be legible to my friends/ moots here 😆

MARIA CLARA AT IBARRA

My own take on this fantastic series, especially on Fidel’s character. “Maria Clara at Ibarra” is a teleserye or a tv series in the Philippines based of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, two novels of our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. It’s about a Gen-Z Filipina being isekaid to the world of the novel. This may be a long post. Cuz I’m just gonna be ranting about my theories and my thoughts

I initially did not watch the first few weeks of Maria Clara at Ibarra properly. I watched it syempre pero kapag yung scenes are parang pinupush together si Klay and Ibarra, di ko pinapanood. It did not sit well with me. Ibarra was known to be faithful and for him to fall for another girl named Maria Clara was such a major OOC and I didn't like it. So sabi ko since di ko bet di ako manunuod coz I don't like talking bad about actors who are actually good at their jobs.

But then! Turns out that was just Klay's kalandian era. Buti na lang nagbalik loob ako. Sinabihan ako ng kapatid ko na lalabas na character ni Sisa and that got my attention! Sisa has always been a character na madalas i-dogshow ng mga tao. Pag nasabihan ka ng "Si Sisa ka ba?", it meant "baliw ka ba?". But we knew there was so much more to her character. Anong nangyare sakanya? Bat siya nagkaganun? How is GMA going to execute Sisa's tragedy? Dami kong tanong. So ayun nanuod na ko ng maayos. And grabe!!! As in grabe! Andrea Torres! Yung chills! Potek grabe yung chills ko sa mga eksena mo mamsh! Literal chills tapos naiiyak ako kase shet! Ang galing mo Ms Andrea Torres! Yung pagportray niya as Sisa was seriously superb. Sisa was more than a baliw! Pinakita nya na people who suffered so much in life, kahit gaano sila kalakas, masisiraan talaga ng ulo. Lalo na nung may mga vultures and nakita niya remains ni Crispin. Grabe yung iyak ko. Sa totoo lang I can't even explain it well. Nagwoword vomit na lang ako kase honestly speechless talaga ko. All I know is ang galing galing ni Andrea Torres.

And then there was Fidel. The greatest mystery of the MCI Universe. Trailer pa lang sabi ko sino role ni David Licauco (bebe quoh)? Eh crush na crush ko pa naman si David since Mr Chinatown (lande mo gagu). So that got me thinking. And I think lahat naman tayo. There was no Fidel in the books. So sino ba siya? Nahook tayo sa character niya kasi wala nga siya sa books. He got us watching kasi gusto natin siya makilala. We want to know who he is, what he is like, what his role is. And honestly speaking, the mystery of Fidel's character was actually the basis and the heart of many theories sa MCI. Nagresearch pa ko, pero wala talagang Fidel. Akala ko nga nung una original character din si Fidel. Like, his character was made up to compensate Klay's lack of romantic partner. Kase I was sure na hindi bibigyan ng ibang leading lady si Ibarra, si Maria Clara (Julie Ann San Jose) lang tlaga. And nacurious na din ako paano magiging flow ng kwento kase nga andun na si Klay so may mababago at mababago talaga. Andun na din si Fidel, na wala naman sa book so pano ba makakaapekto yung role niya sa story. Because of that, nagpile up lang theories about sa story. And ganda lang ng effect nun, lalo na sa youth! They even bought physical copies of the book 😭 sobrang nakakaproud. They were curious too kung paano na magiging flow nung story. And because of the theories, it got all of us thinking. We were analyzing all of their actions, we were theorizing their characters, we were trying to predict ano na mangyayare. In a way, nadevelop yung research and investigative skills natin. What I really commend about MCI was that it remained unpredictable until the very end. Last night na ngayon and we still don't know kung ano mangyayare. It got us hyped from start to finish. Yung antics and quirks ni Klay makakarelate ka din. Tawang tawa ko sa shenanigans niya pati yung paggamit niya sa mga modern slangs. And yung FiLay!!! FiLay nation make some nooooise! Yung enemies to lovers samahan pa ng slowburn at belligerent sexual tension then mutual pining is *chef's kiss*. Anlaptrip ng bangayan nila, yung pang aasar nila sa isa't isa. Bardagulan era at its finest 😂 lagi silang highblood pero grabe yung kilig.

Ako naman my own theory was that Fidel was a minor character of the book but he was a Tabula Rasa, a blank slate. He was like the Daphne Greengrass of Harry Potter. Her name was mentioned pero yung story niya was blank. Kaya nga fanfiction writers are fond of her kasi she doesn't have her own story so writers make her stories on their own. I thought Fidel was like that. Ibarra and Maria Clara's story was already written from start to finish. Their stories were predetermined. Kaya nga kahit anong gawin ni Klay, namatay pa din sila because that was how their roles were written. The only difference was the way it happened. In Klay's version, Maria Clara died protecting her man. Clarita was also so much stronger here than in Rizal's version. Ibarra died, not alone, but surrounded by his friends. Also, both of them died in Klay's arms. Kaya siguro nag-hold on si Klay sa pagkabuhay ni Elias. He was supposed to die sa first book. He was proof na kaya ni Klay baguhin yung kwento. This was the case with Juli as well. Pero siguro, di talaga pwede for our main characters. Anyway, back to Fidel. As I've said he's a blank slate. His story was not predetermined kaya hawak niya yung destiny niya. He can choose what path to take without it interferring with the story. Feel ko nga kung sumama siya kay Klay sa modern world, the first time she went back, okay lang. The story would go on kahit umalis siya sa book. Pero may plothole. Unlike Daphne Greengrass na may pangalan at least, si Fidel wala talaga. I thought maybe iba name niya sa book. Pero I don't know kung sino. So kahit ako, I doubted my own theory. Inisip ko na lang baka totoo yung theory na galing siya sa real world. Basta para siyang si Haru of Extraordinary You (July Found by Chance). Diba nameless extra siya tapos biglang nagkaron ng role? Parang ganorn.

And what a plot twist! Ang ganda and ang galing! Naisip talaga yun ng writers. I wouldn't have thought about it. Pero shet napa-palakpak ako nung nalaman ko essence ng character niya and legit naluha ako. That was brilliantly written. Very fitting and mapapasabi ka ng "HOW COULD WE FORGET ABOUT THEM? THEY DESERVE TO BE RECOGNIZED TOO!"

In a way, tama din pala yung theory ko. Fidel was a minor character in the book na "hanggang dito" lang yung role. And iba nga yung name na ginamit! His role was too minor na yung palayaw niya lang or yung pinangkukutya sakanya, Albino, was used and not even his real name. His character had no notable scene nor significance as his role supposedly started and ended as “Crisostomo Ibarra’s playboy friend who used to attend the Seminary”. He was only in at least one scene and was only mentioned a few times. That was it. Pero dahil sa entrance ni Klay sa book, nagkaroon siya ng maayos na papel sa kwento. If it weren't for Klay, he was gonna remain the playboy he was and magiging boyfriend ni Victoria. Dapat yun na yun. But because of his arguments and confrontations with Klay, nagkaroon ng color yung character niya. His involvement with her gave depth to his character and a bigger role. Fidel was initially a misogynist, who hated Klay's straight-forwardness and her being too opinionated. Yung ugali ni Klay na di nagpapatalo infuriated him to the point na ang tawag niya kay Klay ay bruha ("witch"). However, due to her influence, narealize ni Fidel na napaka narrow-minded niya pala and there's more to Klay than the annoying palasagot Binibini na di mapigilan ang bibig. He found her kakaibang ugali, morals, and ideals to be intruiging. He was attracted to her just as much as he hated her. This was why he gravitated towards her. Ang ganda ng character development ni Fidel. He was just a privileged and entitled man na walang pakialam sa kahit ano prior to Klay but because of her influence, he actually saw kung ano pinaglalaban ni Klay and he did not only fall in love with her, but with the country as well.

*simping* I love him, your honor. 😍

Because of this development, Albino evolved from just being a side character, who was not even given the chance to use his own name, to being Fidel Delos Reyes y Maglipol, Ibarra’s best friend, Klay’s greatest love, and a symbol of the revolution. Because of Klay, the not-so-important side character Albino became the very significant main character Fidel. He became more than just a letter, more than just a word in a book. Because in the end, he was so much more. He was meant to be so much more. He symbolizes the unsung heroes of the revolution. Those who contributed a lot but remain unnamed to this day. THE WRITERS WERE WAVING THE HINT IN OUR FACES AND WE DID NOT KNOW ANY BETTER! He was "unnamed"! That was the clue! He was one of the unnamed heroes na madaming nagawa sa bayan pero they were never acknowledged.

Wag ka na iyak, bebe quoh 😢

Kaya nakakainis yung nagsabi na nalihis daw kwento ng MCI kase nagfocus na sa loveteam. Sinasabi pa na wala naman si Fidel sa book bat naging important bigla. I was like ???? what the hell are you saying? FiLay moments were literal crumbs! Crumbs! Fans were licking crumbs kase sobrang onti ng mga scenes nila together. We were thirsty for such moments! Akala siguro nila puro loveteam na lang kase di naman sila nanuod talaga. And maingay kase FiLay fans sa socmed. Puro fanedits lang naman napanood ng mga taong yun. They did not watch until the end kase ni hindi nila alam kung anong essence ng character ni Fidel! Kung gaano ka-deep yung significance and yung symbolism ng character nya. And galing ng move ng GMA na bandang ending na nireveal kung sino Fidel. It kept us on our toes, anticipating kung anong mangyayare, or kung sino yung may tamang theory. Yung pagbuild ng character niya was slow, which was a good thing. He was unlikeable nung simula. He deserved that slap from Klay! Dasurv mo yun Fidel, dapat nga isa pa eh! Even as he was falling for Klay, he was still prejudiced. Madami pa din backhanded comments from him (that “langit ako at ikaw ay lupa” will always be gold lmao). Pero yun yung kagandahan dun. Unti unti nating nakita yung pagbabago sakanya. And ang natural pa ng execution. Hindi yung porke nainlove eh bigla na lang nag 180 degree turn yung ugali. He was not like that. Kasi in real life, hindi naman talaga bigla nagbabago ang isang tao. The process was slow pero nung namulat na si Fidel, he became a key member of the revolution. ("Ang namulat, hindi na pipikit" *ehem* sorry not sorry *ehem*). Also, Fidel's character saved Klay's character from almost becoming Ibarra's "kabit". We don't tolerate third party in this community. Yung pain ni Maria Clara nung akala niya na kerida ni Ibarra si Klay. If you have been cheated on or kahit hindi but your partner made you doubt your relationship, magegets niyo si Maria Clara. She had to stop herself from seeing Ibarra kase that was what was proper that time while Klay was kasakasama niya sa bahay and kahit saan man. She was the fiancée and napaka unfair nun sakanya. Buti na lang, the magkatukayo were given the chance to become best friends to the point na sobrang minahal ni Klay si Clarita and that was ultimately the very reason why she decided to go back to the book, to save her.

Anyway, eto muna for now. Babu!

SAME DAY EDIT!

TANGINA! TANGINAAAAA! ANG GANDA NG ENDING SHEEEET

Mr Torres is a book keeper/traveler. And was that Ate Helana I saw? Another minor character in the book, with Mr Torres, in the real world, most probably with memories. AND FIDEL!!!! BEBE QUOH 😭 May pocket watch din siya! Does that mean book keeper din siya? Or maybe one of Mr Torres's alitaptaps or isa sa mga tao niya? Pero bakit sila Ibarra and Maria Clara walang memories? OMG Barry x Clarisse! MAY BABY PA!

Okay theory time! So my take here is siguro the minor characters in a story are the ones who are capable of book travel. Pero once nasa book na sila, in-character na. So nakakalimutan nila na taga real world pala sila. Kapag tapos na ang story saka lang nila maaalala na taga real world pala sila, and then either back to the real world sila or pupunta sila sa ibang story, kung saan may emergency at need ng intervention ng isang book keeper. And yung role ni Fidel, kung ano lang yung role ni Albino sa original novel, hanggang dun lang siguro siya supposedly and mawawala na siya dapat after niya mafulfill yung role niya. However, due to his interactions with Klay, napatagal siya sa book and mas lumaki yung papel niya sa kwento. For the main characters naman, I think they were never in the book to begin with. Kase diba sa books, there was never a mention of their physical descriptions. Nasa imagination natin yun. So siguro the main characters take on the image of real life people, preferrably yung malalapit lang pala satin. And whatever their role is, whether they survive or not, whether they have a happy ending or not, kelangan nila mafulfill yun or else the story won’t end. Kaya walang memories si Barry nor si Clarisse.

Another theory is maybe napili ni Mr Torres si Fidel na maging book keeper. Kase the last time they saw each other, nakikita na ni Fidel si Mr Torres eh dati hindi. And siguro may some kind of test. Siguro he has to prove himself pa as a book keeper bago siya makabalik kay Klay. I call dibs na galing siya sa Mga Ibong Mandaragit, a novel by Amado V. Hernandez. The novel acts as a sequel to Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo after all. Or baka siya yung dahilan ng emergency sa Mga Ibong Mandaragit lol.

So Fidel is not a counterpart. He is still himself. He is the same Fidel that Klay met and fell in love with with. The same Fidel we all fell in love with. Our Pambansang Ginoo. Hanggang dulo ang ganda ng plot twist! Literal goosbumps! Figuras Cabalisticas now makes sense. Pero di ko na i-eexplain dito kasi the subject is too complicated and mahirap ipaliwanag without my usual word vomit. And magiging mahaba na tong post masyado haha.

AND GRABEEE! MGA KA-SAKLAY! WE WON! FiLay ENDGAME! NAHANAP NA NI FIDEL SI KLAY! WALA NANG BABU! 😭 And alam niyo yung maganda sa ending? There were no words exchanged. They were just looking at each other and smiling. Kase di na kailangan pa ng mga salita. Antagal nilang hinintay ang isa't isa. 13 + 7 years kay Fidel jusko talk about faithfulness! Dude the longing! The yearning! Pano niyo kinaya grabe. They finally found each other and this time, there will be no more goodbyes. They have a long life ahead of them.

What a journey! Kudos to GMA! To all the actors and staff! You all did very well! Salute to Dr. Jose Rizal. Isang pagpupugay sayo. 🙇🏻‍♀️ Tanda ko nag cutting class pa kami sa Rizal class namin back in college as we didn't see the relevance of the subject sa Civil Engineering, just like how Klay didn't see its relevance to Nursing. Sorry po 😞. Pero kung i-isekai niyo ko, dun din sa may Fidel plith thank you pows huhu.

I will not stop raving about this series. Ending na pero pinag iisip pa din tayo. Andami pa ding ireresearch. Dami pang theories. And that's the reason kaya ako magrerewatch at magbibinge watch neto from the start! WALANG MAGPAPAHINGA SA FANDOM NA TO!

YAKAPIN ANG KULAY! MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS! MABUHAY ANG MGA ANAK NG BAYAN!