The new Kapuso drama thriller is everything a Pinoy revenged-themed soap opera can be, except it has a mystical twist!
Derrick Monasterio and new Kapuso Afternoon princess, Elle Villanueva, returns to Afternoon Prime. After their onscreen partnership (one that led to a real-life romance), debuted in 2022 via Return to Paradise, the couple is back to mesmerize GMA Network’s daytime viewers. Banking on the strong affinity of local audience to stories of this genre, the series soars through elements of thriller and mysticism, adding an absorbing new flavor, to a well-loved and enduring formula.
In Makiling, the story unfolds through Amira (Villanueva), an impoverished young woman living with her family, at the foot of the mysterious titular mountain. As life is hard, and with her family constantly facing challenges and difficulties, Amira dreams of uprooting her family from the dreadful situation they’ve been stuck in. Pack with only sheer determination and courage, she moves to the city, hoping to find the other side of the grass green. But fate is playful, and sometimes, it isn’t just on your side. It sure isn’t on Amira, who gets a full dosage of life’s cruelty the moment she arrives in the city. And if cruelty has a human form, it must be Crazy 5, whose members are the bulliest of all bullies one can meet. Led by siblings, Portia (Myrtle Sarrosa) and Seb (Kristoffer Martin), they are hellbent to make Amira’s life a living hell.
If you think nothing gets crazier than the name of the group, itself, wait for them to plan and execute an actual murder against Amira. You think that’s crazy enough? Maybe. But the kind of crazy that will soon befell Crazy 5 is something on a different level. Back from the dead, Amira rises up to exact her revenge, and this time, she has the backing of the mystical goddess, Makiling, herself.
Villanueva, as she was in Return to Paradise, is an alluring apparition in this series. But beyond her beauty and charm, she is a capable actress, too, which shows in how she takes on Amira. Her innocence is believable, but her angst and anger are far more palpable and searing. The conviction in her portrayal makes her one of GMA Network’s most promising actresses.
Still in the developing phase of its plot, Makiling is already compelling with the way it builds its narrative of vengeance, with Villanueva’s Amira front and center. It is a kind of show that holds a lot of promise, and given that there are still big rooms to expand and explore its themes that also include, traditional medicine and bullying, it seems Makiling is poised to capture more audience with its mystical twist on vengeance.
Makiling airs weekdays on GMA Network’s Afternoon Prime, right after Stolen Life, at 4:00 PM.
