There are so many characters in GMA Network and Regal Entertainment’s collab series, Lovers/Liars. So many, it will make you actually wonder, how are they going to make each of them as effective and present, as possible.
That’s the problem with long-form TV series; they introduce so many characters, but when ratings picks up because of a certain character, the rest gets relegated to the periphery and the show is now only about that beloved character.
Fortunately, that’s not the case with Lovers/Liars, a hodgepodge of bold and controversial characters and stories, you have been waiting to be showcased on late primetime television. Everyone gets their moment to shine. The secret here, really, is the authenticity of the characters, and how effectively they are delivered by the actors portraying them.
Central in this ensemble drama is Claudine Barretto;s character, Via, which reminds us her first ever lead teleserye role. A long-awaited comeback, Lovers/Liars is yet to prove itself as a worthy vehicle for the award-winning actress.Links between the characters have been laid out effectively during the first two weeks, but for a character deemed biggest in the story, Via is yet to get out of her murky connection with the rest. This early, however, Barretto is undeniably delivering what she is expected to deliver; there is brilliance in her delivery, and conviction that tends to outshine whomever she is sharing the scene with.
As abovementioned, Lovers/Liars is a collection of bold stories and characters, you may be witnessing for the first time, at least on GMA Network. Lianne Valentin has been a delight to Kapuso viewers since Apoy sa Langit, and she is not different here, as the kept woman, Hannah. There is comic wonder in her portrayal, which she completely showcases whenever it is Christian Vasquez (who plays Victor) she is sharing the screen with. Intrigues surround Kimson Tan’s character, Kelvin, who goes extra lengths to keep his ‘rich kid’ facade, and by ‘rich kid’, I mean offering his ‘intimate’ service to everybody—queers, wealthy family men and women, who has the money.
Also an important subplot unfolding alongside the central story, is the blossoming romance between Yasser Marta’s character, Caloy, and Shaira Diaz’s Nika. In the future, Barretto’s Via is poised to bring commotion to their love story. Michelle Vito plays the very important character of Andrea, a single mom whose child’s father is the one played by Rob Gomez’s character, Joseph. She is also Hannah’s best friend. Already parted ways, Andrea and Joseph’s paths cross once again, when their kid, whom Joseph has not been aware about, gets sick and confined at a hospital under the care of Dr. Ronnie (Polo Ravales), who is discreetly in relationship with Joseph.
The sheer complexity of these connections is what makes the story even more compelling. There seems to be new secrets, danger even, awaiting to explode towards the closing credit; sometimes, even at the opening. A viciously scandalous but oddly satisfying late primetime guilty pressure, Lovers/Liars is definitely a TV moment you can’t afford to miss.
Lovers/Liars airs on GMA Network, Mondays to Thursdays, at 9:35 PM. Watch the official full trailer, below:
