Happenstance (2020) Episode 4: Viraag

What just happened? Seriously, this Filipino (Pinoy) boys' love (BL) series is something else. It doesn't have enough romance but still, it's very good. It's a serious Pinoy BL series. What I especially liked about Episode 4: Viraag were the scenes that I didn't expect. This episode also made me think about those scenes and ask questions. Wade was keeping a secret from Jose Manuel about what really happened to Luis. So based on what Alfie found out, I'm curious, what really happened to Luis? Then after sneaking out of their house, Jose Manuel got arrested and got tortured! Did Luis set him up? Will he die? Thank goodness there's a preview for next week's episode! Screenplay was solid. Acting was fine. Production design, cinematography, sound engineering, musical scoring, and editing were excellent. The set designs, camera shots, lighting, sirens, screams, and the Ferdinand Marcos and Rodrigo Duterte voice overs contributed in providing a sense of authenticity to the representations of the two milieux of 1974 and 2020. The image of Jose Manuel's naked body, bloodied and shaking on top of huge blocks of ice, haunts me (and not in a good way!). I'm actually scared of how this series will end. Can this series sustain its exceptional work? I do hope so.

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