Source: Eat Bulaga Facebook Page
Fresh off #AlDubMaybeThisTime The world is smitten with the AlDub KalyeSerye. And it is quickly sweeping the nation off its feet.Technically there isn’t anything new about the love team of the hour – Alden Richards and YayaDUB. Hence, ALDUB. The world would be wondering upon checking the Twitter trending topics and ask themselves “What is #AlDubMaybeThisTime?”
If there is one social network where Filipinos have managed to dominate in droves, it’s Twitter. The AlDub KalyeSerye turned out to be a hit. The hardcore fanbase constantly tweets about it whenever it’s on Eat Bulaga. Internet connections go on overload mode between 1:30pm and 2:30pm. Close to the final stretch of Eat Bulaga itself. It’s the proverbial last full show in every episode. You can tell how the longest running noontime show in the world managed to remain relevant after 36 years. And the main key is in knowing what the market wanted.
Surely, the “elites” have complained how programs like Eat Bulaga get the blame for the “dumbing down” of society. There may be an incumbent senator among the “dabarkads” in Sen. Tito Sotto. But that does not mean it is right to pin the blame on Eat Bulaga just because it’s the easiest and biggest to target. Beneath the parody-esque approach in presenting the AlDub KalyeSerye, there is truth. But more on that later since there are several factors worth considering. What made the AlDub KalyeSerye the monster hit that it became.
The Pre-Arranged Marriage
Everyone knows that YayaDUB is just Lola Nidora’s nanny. But it did not stop Lola Nidora from using the poor nanny for her personal gain. She had YayaDUB arranged in marriage with Frankie Arenoli for two reasons. One is to get the 51 million five hundred pesos (Lola Nidora’s words) from Frankie after the wedding as presented in the AlDub KalyeSerye.
The money is intended for some blackmailer that threatened to expose Lola Nidora’s diary. Later he threatened Lola Nidora that the diary will be burned. Back to the wedding, it’s the proverbial wedding that nobody wanted. It’s the kind of wedding that the audience wanted to get cancelled. Or see a monkey wrench thrown in. Most of the time in soaps, a monkey wrench is thrown in for the sake of twisting the story. It just so happened that the wedding was cancelled because YayaDUB collapsed. Days later, the wedding still hasn’t pushed through. And Frankie is pressuring Lola Nidora. He will not get his inheritance until he gets married. This brings us to our next point here at the AlDub KalyeSerye.
The Money-Hungry Groom
The third wheel is either an obsessed, narcissistic prick or some Don Juan just after the bride’s money. In short, a potential villain. Here in the AlDub KalyeSerye, there is no doubt that Frankie Arenoli is the other villain after Lola Nidora. Surely he liked YayaDUB too to be his wife. But it was more about the money and less about YayaDUB being attractive. Or pretty. Last Saturday, August 8, 2015, he is the one who is agitated to get the wedding over and done with. If not for circumstances unforeseen.
In most soaps, the stereotypical third wheel in the love story is rich. He wears expensive-looking clothes. That’s the aspect parodied here in the AlDub KalyeSerye. Subtlety is not Frankie Arenoli’s game. He would arrive in the scene to the tune of Janno Gibbs’ “Pinakamagandang Lalaki” (Handsomest Man). And enter the scene in clothes bearing brand names. Like literally bearing brand names. And it sounds like commentary in most soaps how the bad guy often had to wear branded clothing to come across as filthy rich. Stereotypical and an obvious commentary about how villains should look like.
The Evil Matron
The branding, expensive clothing and regal bearing also applies in the AlDub KalyeSerye. The first actresses that often come to mind with the characterization of Lola Nidora are Ms. Cherie Gil and THE Celia Rodriguez. Full make-up, glamorous clothing, hats or hair ornaments and that deep throaty voice. That voice only goes up whenever she is angry. Or upset. Then she switches to that throaty delivery for that extra drama.
In the case of Lola Nidora though, she is trying to sound like the evil matron with a deep throaty voice. But the deep throaty voice makes her sound sometimes like Gus Abelgas of SOCO. Whether Wally Bayola deliberately did it or not. He comes across as an effective evil matron. Of course, as of late, Lola Nidora just arrives on the scene using motorbikes. A sign that she’s going broke here in the AlDub KalyeSerye. The kind of motivation that would keep Alden and YayaDUB separated.
The Diary
The only other program that comes to mind that uses diaries to spice up the story is Deadly Women. Then again, Deadly Women is a docu-drama TV series on Investigation Discovery channel. And they don’t always do it. In Filipino soaps, because they are mostly works of fiction, twists and turns occur with the appearance of a diary. Some pop culture nerds would credit that diary trend in local soaps to Mara Clara. Then again, it’s one of the main motivations behind Lola Nidora planning an arranged marriage between YayaDUB and Frankie. In the AlDub KalyeSerye, she’s willing to throw YayaDUB under the bus for the money and to save her skin.
Lola Nidora is willing to do anything to get the diary back. But she did not want it burned either. There may be a conflict there. And it doesn’t sound like there is a plan to introduce a new character – the man that blackmails Lola Nidora constantly. Sounds like a loophole? It’s more like another form of subliminal commentary about how most soaps are written. Whatever reasons writers may have for not plugging all loopholes in a story, they can explain their way out of it. And in the AlDub KalyeSerye, it’s forgivable. Most of the lines here are adlibs anyway. You can tell at how Lola Nidora would fib her lines occasionally. Also, the moment any fellow host would say “Asawa ni?” (Spouse of), she immediately has a reply. Despite the “mali-mali” tendencies, Wally Bayola stays in character.
As of this writing, the world is experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Not because the AlDub KalyeSerye is over. It is because another meet-up got canceled. When would the next one be? Tune in to Eat Bulaga daily. Monday to Saturday at noontime. Like their official Facebook page as well to be constantly updated.
Can’t get enough of the AlDub KalyeSerye? This article won’t be the last to tackle it. It may not be the first as you would see here, here and here. For real-time updates, follow us on our social media accounts. Like our official Facebook page, The Philippines Web. And follow us on Twitter @pinasamazing.
