Manifesting a promising pilot week, Can’t Buy Me Love puts DonBelle in a prime position as a pairing through its various production play
There are a number of reasons why Can’t Buy Me Love should be in your must-watch list. Waiting for the kilig moments of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano’s characters, Bingo and Caroline, is a given. But as their slow burn love story has yet to brew in the series, the audience must keep watching the teleserye before it happens—and they have a good number of reasons to do so.
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As one of ABS-CBN’s most awaited productions of the year, it is not just DonBelle fans who have their eyes on the show. Teleserye fanatics, critics, and even casual viewers are keeping tabs on what it has to offer. And with its first five episodes airing for its pilot week, Can’t Buy Me Love definitely marks a new era of teleseryes.
A fresh start
When the show first premiered, fans and viewers were quick to point out the series’ opening billboard or OBB. Unlike the usual cast introduction and theme song run, the serye has an animated sequence with a musical score accompaniment. In the short clip, a package reached Bingo’s midst. By some move of circumstance, it will also be delivered to Caroline’s place. Just with this alone, we can already come up with some interesting theories for the story. Any thoughts on the clues that the OBB is sending?
An established connection
Normally, Filipino dramas run for several months with an episode airing each day from Monday to Friday. That means some episodes have to act as fillers to extend the storyline. At one point, watching the show could be a drag due to the withholding of revelations and connections between characters. How do they do this? Inserting repetitive flashbacks or adding some setbacks along the way. But with DonBelle’s first teleserye, we already have an important plot point revealed even at the first episode. Spoiler alert: The mothers of Caroline and Bingo have a connection. With this essential revelation right off the bat, the audience is given a reason to stay for how everything will unfold. Although we already have a subtle hint to things, watching the series is the only way to find out the truth.
The overall level up
From the plot to the camera shots, Can’t Buy Me Love was a sheer improvement in content production. Camera movements are smoother when it comes to moving from one shot to another. Instead of the evident, usual cuts to vary the medium and close up shots, the camera moves along with the character. Also, the panning of settings, just like Caroline’s yacht destination, also gave that K-Drama vibe. The best ones yet? First, the way the editing captured younger Caroline’s hesitation and fear as she went down the stairs. From the zoomed in statues to the eerie sound effects, it was a borderline horror scene with the effect it could leave the audience. Kudos to the team for executing a vital part of the series in that manner.
When it comes to the plot, the usual tropes familiar to every Filipino viewer are still present. Kidnap for ransom, family hierarchy fights, rags and riches opposites, the list goes on. But what adds novelty to these elements is the collaboration between creatives in front of and behind the camera. For one, who would have thought that the “evil stepsister” Irene Tiu, played by Maris Racal, could approach a serious family affair with some humor by injecting her nonverbals such as facial expressions and hand movements?
As ABS-CBN fulfills its primary role today as a prime content provider for platforms, their focus on offering quality content is evident in series such as Can’t Buy Me Love. With more episodes coming our way in the next few months, we hope that the series lives up to its promise of answering why love can’t be bought, but in the context of more than just Bingo and Caroline’s romance.
Photos: STAR CREATIVES (via Instagram)
