Episode Title: Emancipation
Benjo and Emil were assigned to be thesis partners by their professor. Emil, being not financially capable to do online research reluctantly agreed to stay in Benjo's affluent penthouse unit. (Source: Philstagers Films Youtube Channel)
- Aired: November 14, 2020
Why Love Why Episode 1 Reactions
Episode 1: Emancipation was a fairly good pilot episode. While the rich and poor characters falling in love with each other trope is nothing new, I did find the situation of getting locked down together in a penthouse for a month interesting. This episode started rather hilariously with both characters having morning wood [nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT), lol], as if saying, albeit contrasting rich and poor backdrops, both characters were still somewhat the same. Screenplay was generally ok although there were some exaggerated lines. There were some political statements about misconceptions regarding the origins of COVID-19, perceptions about China, and criticisms of the graft and corruption committed by cronies of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Interestingly, Beverly Salviejo, who played Emil's mother, is a supporter of the late dictator's son in real life. Theatrical acting was still evident on some scenes. Philstagers Films, the production company, started off as a theater company and most of the actors are theater actors. Transitioning from stage acting to screen acting still needs a bit of work but all in all, acting was mostly ok. Carl and Johnrey had solid performances. Both are really sexy as well. Those shirtless scenes were nice, lol. I especially like Carl. He's quite charming. Production technicals were largely ok. The rich and poor settings were adequately presented. Camera work was technically good. The OST "Tama Ba Ito?" (Is It Right?) by Vince Tanada and Pipo Cifra featuring Johnrey was alright. Overall, this premiere episode was solid and I'm looking forward to next week's episode.
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