Last episode, Rajah Mangubat, spurred by Dian Lamitan's treachery, slew Datu Bugna; Mangubat's wife Rahu Lingayan [so it's Lingayan, not Linangan], however, totally PWNS Lamitan because she thinks there's something fishy about the matter. Amaya vows to seek justice for her father's death.
We are still up for more angst this week, especially in this episode-- if you thought the previous one was too painful, this one is more of the same. On the good side quality-wise, I really felt for Amaya. The bloodshed and fight scenes were apparently kept to a minimum to meet censorship standards (which is why I felt something lacking about the last episode)-- but Amaya gets punched quite a number of times. In the stomach no less. But then again, that's another classic plot device in Pinoy dramas -- grind the heroine into the dust first until she's the lowest of the low, then give the viewers the satisfaction of seeing her rise again and do the same to the people who did it to her.
Mangubat orders his warriors to take Amaya away from her father's body. The warriors ask if they should take the surviving warriors from Bugna's tribe captive, but once again the rajah shows his ruthlessness-- why should he spare the lives of people who might think to rebel against him in the future? He tells his men to bring none of the defeated warriors with them... and to leave no one alive but Awi, for whom he has other plans. His men kill the rest of Bugna's men and drag the captive women, children and slaves away.
On board the caracoa, in the midst of all the other captives from Bugna's tribe, Amaya still weeps silently as she clutches the bandana from her father's head, which she had also taken, and the lock of hair. Awi asks her why she weeps-- is it for her father, or for the fate awaiting her? Amaya replies that she is not crying about whatever lies ahead; she is so angry about what Mangubat had done to her father that she wants to take a kampilan and make all of them pay for what they had done. Ahak implores her former mistress not to be hasty-- they can't possibly fight Mangubat's warriors. Amaya edges nearer to her uncle, lays her head on his shoulder as she used to do with her father, and continues to weep.
Marikit is also weeping. She was not placed with the other captives, however, but on the rajah's caracoa, and Mangubat asks her why she is crying-- is she afraid of him? She should realize that she is seated in his caracoa, by his side, where only high-ranked people may sit. Thus, she should not be afraid for he won't hurt her.
Bagani arrives, too late, at Bugna's village and sees the carnage. He finds Bugna's body and wonders about the identity of the heartless person who destroyed the tribe. He also thinks of looking for Amaya, but his attendants remind him that whoever destroyed the village would also have taken everyone, including the binukots, away with them.
Mangubat arrives at his village in triumph and is again met by his wife. He orders that the captives be taken to the quarters that had been prepared for them. One of his men asks whether they will be segregated by sex in accordance with custom, but Mangubat says no. Since they are from a traitor's tribe, they will be treated as animals and placed together in one pen. He smirks, but his wife is not smiling.
Bagani buries Datu Bugna's corpse and speaks blessings over his grave, wishing him peace. He decides to go home, since he could find neither his binukot nor Amaya.
In the rajah's house, Marikit falls into her mother's arms. Lamitan asks her escorts to thank the rajah for bringing her daughter to her. Marikit tells her mother of her father's death-- Lamitan looks shocked and staggers away. Mantal follows her and asks why she is shocked-- did she not want this, when she went to speak to the rajah? My thoughts exactly, Mantal. Lamitan looks at her tearfully and asks, what, Bugna's death? Mantal speaks as to an uncomprehending child: that he will be gone.
Songil puts all the captives in a hut and warns them that setting foot outside or trying to escape will be punished by death-- he will set guards outside. One of the captives asks why they were raided -- wasn't their datu a loyal subject of the rajah? Songil tells her that their datu was a traitor. Amaya objects, telling him to take the words back, for her father was never a traitor. Awi asks Songil to let it go, but Amaya won't back down, so Songil punches Amaya in the stomach to shut her up, bringing her to her knees. He gets in her face, saying that Lamitan herself testified against her own husband before the rajah, proving that Bugna was a traitor.
Amaya cannot believe that her own father's wife would do something to hurt him, but Songil insists that he is speaking the truth. She finally screams at him that what he is saying about her father being a traitor isn't true--that it was Lamitan who lied to the rajah. Songil, however, has had enough-- he warns her not to insult his rajah again, or she will be joining her father in Sulad. He punches her once more in the stomach for good measure, and leaves.
Marikit has picked up on her mother's and aunt's reactions. She pleads with her mother to tell her that she had nothing to do with her father's death. Lamitan only parrots her earlier words: that Bugna had wronged her and thus deserved punishment.
Marikit: But he was still my father!
Lamitan: He was never a father to you!
She tells her daughter to stop weeping for him, for they will build a new life there in the rajah's village, along with her sister--- and then only remembers to ask about Binayaan. Marikit says that Binayaan was not with them as the warriors had not found her when they raided the bukot.
Dal'lang and Binayaan, meanwhile, have run away as far from the village as they could. Binayaan asks wonderingly if she is indeed her mother [Amaya, who she is pretending to be], for everyone had thought that she was dead. Dal'lang says bitterly that Bugna had only made it known that she was dead in order to take Amaya away from her, but now she is back and they will never be separated again. Um, only that girl with you isn't really your daughter? Dal'lang hugs Binayaan, who still looks nervous and unsure how to respond.
Mangubat apologizes to Lamitan for not bringing her other daughter. She tells him that Amaya had hidden Binayaan, and he says he will send his men back to look for her. Lamitan then asks him for one more favor: that he give her the right of ownership over Amaya.
In the hut, Amaya speaks as if her father could hear her, asking him if this is all a bad dream and she will wake up in their village and see him. Lamitan comes in with an escort of guards and Mantal orders the people in the hut to make obeisance before their dian. Amaya stops them, saying that she is not worthy of respect as it was she who had betrayed their datu.
Lamitan: You are now my property.
Amaya: There is no one who has a right over me but my father, and he is dead-- you had him killed.
Lamitan admits that she indeed had her husband killed, and asks if Amaya still thinks that she is a bai. She orders the guards to take Amaya out of the hut.
And then we cut to Hilway speaking with Angaway, telling him that she had known that the raid would be successful. Apparently he is her grandson, not her son? Angaway speaks of Amaya's beauty, saying that no man could fail to be attracted by her. Hilway tells him that he is of age and may do what he wishes. [Omo, are we going to see a rivalry here between the two cousins? Miss Suzette, please don't let Angaway be a one-dimensional obsessive suitor.]
Lamitan has Amaya brought out into the middle of the village -- hell truly hath no fury!-- and calls to all the inhabitants to come out and watch-- watch what happens to the daughter of a treasonous datu [heller! aren't your own daughters also Bugna's daughters, and you, his wife? so what puts you in a different situation? but then, logic has never been Lamitan's strong suit-- she's useless without her puppeteer Mantal].
Lamitan: Watch how a binukot is stripped of her rights-- watch how a bai becomes a slave like her mother.
She then orders that Amaya be stripped, like the slaves. Amaya initially puts up a fight, but gets another punch in the stomach. Her people look on from the windows and door of the hut, weeping.
Bagani arrives home and is met by Banuk, who asks why his bride isn't with him as expected-- did she turn him down? Bagani says no, he wasn't rejected. He asks where their father is as he has something to tell him.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the village, Mantal and Lamitan take turns punching, slapping, and otherwise hurting Amaya. The two tear Amaya's clothes off her, making her humiliation complete, until she sits on the ground hugging herself and weeping, all the fight having left her.
Comment:
Bravo, Marian! Her portrayal of Amaya in this episode came across as so helpless, yet so brave. We now begin to see what will fuel her desire to take up arms and seek revenge.
It is slowly becoming clear that Lamitan indeed can't think for herself and does what Mantal tells her to do. She knew that Bugna's fate was death, but it didn't really sink in that her husband was gone until Marikit told her. I am hoping that all of this will at least make a change in Marikit-- seeing her father cut down before her, and then knowing that her mother had instigated it.
Looks like Angaway is interested in Amaya-- and may want to contend with his cousin. Hrm.
What will happen to Dal'lang and Binayaan? When will they meet Amaya again?
I didn't expect that Bagani would be the one to bury Datu Bugna-- although it makes sense now since he was headed there. Does this foreshadow that Bagani is destined to rectify his father's wrongs? I'm half-dreading, half-anticipating the moment that he and Amaya meet again, and he realizes that the two women he had been seeking are one and the same, and she realizes that he is the son of her worst enemy.
Is Lamitan going to set herself up to rule in her dead husband's stead? She is after all sucking up to the rajah, and the way she entered the hut-- or is this Mantal's way of ensuring that SHE rule the tribe albeit indirectly, through Lamitan? After all, Mantal is the older sister and if it had galled Lamitan to be made second-fiddle to her husband, it would surely have stuck in Mantal's craw that she was set aside even if she was the elder.
Speaking of older siblings, what role is Awi going to play in Amaya's life (if Mangubat doesn't decide to kill him off as well)? Is he going to take Bugna's place and be a surrogate father-- after all, he was also closest to Bugna? And wait-- he knows the secret of Amaya's birth as well. My guess is that perhaps in future Awi will take over Amaya's training and tell her who she is, and that Mangubat will later have him killed for some imagined wrong, and this would spark Amaya's revenge. *crosses fingers*
We are still up for more angst this week, especially in this episode-- if you thought the previous one was too painful, this one is more of the same. On the good side quality-wise, I really felt for Amaya. The bloodshed and fight scenes were apparently kept to a minimum to meet censorship standards (which is why I felt something lacking about the last episode)-- but Amaya gets punched quite a number of times. In the stomach no less. But then again, that's another classic plot device in Pinoy dramas -- grind the heroine into the dust first until she's the lowest of the low, then give the viewers the satisfaction of seeing her rise again and do the same to the people who did it to her.
Mangubat orders his warriors to take Amaya away from her father's body. The warriors ask if they should take the surviving warriors from Bugna's tribe captive, but once again the rajah shows his ruthlessness-- why should he spare the lives of people who might think to rebel against him in the future? He tells his men to bring none of the defeated warriors with them... and to leave no one alive but Awi, for whom he has other plans. His men kill the rest of Bugna's men and drag the captive women, children and slaves away.
On board the caracoa, in the midst of all the other captives from Bugna's tribe, Amaya still weeps silently as she clutches the bandana from her father's head, which she had also taken, and the lock of hair. Awi asks her why she weeps-- is it for her father, or for the fate awaiting her? Amaya replies that she is not crying about whatever lies ahead; she is so angry about what Mangubat had done to her father that she wants to take a kampilan and make all of them pay for what they had done. Ahak implores her former mistress not to be hasty-- they can't possibly fight Mangubat's warriors. Amaya edges nearer to her uncle, lays her head on his shoulder as she used to do with her father, and continues to weep.
Marikit is also weeping. She was not placed with the other captives, however, but on the rajah's caracoa, and Mangubat asks her why she is crying-- is she afraid of him? She should realize that she is seated in his caracoa, by his side, where only high-ranked people may sit. Thus, she should not be afraid for he won't hurt her.
Bagani arrives, too late, at Bugna's village and sees the carnage. He finds Bugna's body and wonders about the identity of the heartless person who destroyed the tribe. He also thinks of looking for Amaya, but his attendants remind him that whoever destroyed the village would also have taken everyone, including the binukots, away with them.
Mangubat arrives at his village in triumph and is again met by his wife. He orders that the captives be taken to the quarters that had been prepared for them. One of his men asks whether they will be segregated by sex in accordance with custom, but Mangubat says no. Since they are from a traitor's tribe, they will be treated as animals and placed together in one pen. He smirks, but his wife is not smiling.
Bagani buries Datu Bugna's corpse and speaks blessings over his grave, wishing him peace. He decides to go home, since he could find neither his binukot nor Amaya.
In the rajah's house, Marikit falls into her mother's arms. Lamitan asks her escorts to thank the rajah for bringing her daughter to her. Marikit tells her mother of her father's death-- Lamitan looks shocked and staggers away. Mantal follows her and asks why she is shocked-- did she not want this, when she went to speak to the rajah? My thoughts exactly, Mantal. Lamitan looks at her tearfully and asks, what, Bugna's death? Mantal speaks as to an uncomprehending child: that he will be gone.
Songil puts all the captives in a hut and warns them that setting foot outside or trying to escape will be punished by death-- he will set guards outside. One of the captives asks why they were raided -- wasn't their datu a loyal subject of the rajah? Songil tells her that their datu was a traitor. Amaya objects, telling him to take the words back, for her father was never a traitor. Awi asks Songil to let it go, but Amaya won't back down, so Songil punches Amaya in the stomach to shut her up, bringing her to her knees. He gets in her face, saying that Lamitan herself testified against her own husband before the rajah, proving that Bugna was a traitor.
Amaya cannot believe that her own father's wife would do something to hurt him, but Songil insists that he is speaking the truth. She finally screams at him that what he is saying about her father being a traitor isn't true--that it was Lamitan who lied to the rajah. Songil, however, has had enough-- he warns her not to insult his rajah again, or she will be joining her father in Sulad. He punches her once more in the stomach for good measure, and leaves.
Marikit has picked up on her mother's and aunt's reactions. She pleads with her mother to tell her that she had nothing to do with her father's death. Lamitan only parrots her earlier words: that Bugna had wronged her and thus deserved punishment.
Marikit: But he was still my father!
Lamitan: He was never a father to you!
She tells her daughter to stop weeping for him, for they will build a new life there in the rajah's village, along with her sister--- and then only remembers to ask about Binayaan. Marikit says that Binayaan was not with them as the warriors had not found her when they raided the bukot.
Dal'lang and Binayaan, meanwhile, have run away as far from the village as they could. Binayaan asks wonderingly if she is indeed her mother [Amaya, who she is pretending to be], for everyone had thought that she was dead. Dal'lang says bitterly that Bugna had only made it known that she was dead in order to take Amaya away from her, but now she is back and they will never be separated again. Um, only that girl with you isn't really your daughter? Dal'lang hugs Binayaan, who still looks nervous and unsure how to respond.
Mangubat apologizes to Lamitan for not bringing her other daughter. She tells him that Amaya had hidden Binayaan, and he says he will send his men back to look for her. Lamitan then asks him for one more favor: that he give her the right of ownership over Amaya.
In the hut, Amaya speaks as if her father could hear her, asking him if this is all a bad dream and she will wake up in their village and see him. Lamitan comes in with an escort of guards and Mantal orders the people in the hut to make obeisance before their dian. Amaya stops them, saying that she is not worthy of respect as it was she who had betrayed their datu.
Lamitan: You are now my property.
Amaya: There is no one who has a right over me but my father, and he is dead-- you had him killed.
Lamitan admits that she indeed had her husband killed, and asks if Amaya still thinks that she is a bai. She orders the guards to take Amaya out of the hut.
And then we cut to Hilway speaking with Angaway, telling him that she had known that the raid would be successful. Apparently he is her grandson, not her son? Angaway speaks of Amaya's beauty, saying that no man could fail to be attracted by her. Hilway tells him that he is of age and may do what he wishes. [Omo, are we going to see a rivalry here between the two cousins? Miss Suzette, please don't let Angaway be a one-dimensional obsessive suitor.]
Lamitan has Amaya brought out into the middle of the village -- hell truly hath no fury!-- and calls to all the inhabitants to come out and watch-- watch what happens to the daughter of a treasonous datu [heller! aren't your own daughters also Bugna's daughters, and you, his wife? so what puts you in a different situation? but then, logic has never been Lamitan's strong suit-- she's useless without her puppeteer Mantal].
Lamitan: Watch how a binukot is stripped of her rights-- watch how a bai becomes a slave like her mother.
She then orders that Amaya be stripped, like the slaves. Amaya initially puts up a fight, but gets another punch in the stomach. Her people look on from the windows and door of the hut, weeping.
Bagani arrives home and is met by Banuk, who asks why his bride isn't with him as expected-- did she turn him down? Bagani says no, he wasn't rejected. He asks where their father is as he has something to tell him.
Meanwhile, in the middle of the village, Mantal and Lamitan take turns punching, slapping, and otherwise hurting Amaya. The two tear Amaya's clothes off her, making her humiliation complete, until she sits on the ground hugging herself and weeping, all the fight having left her.
Comment:
Bravo, Marian! Her portrayal of Amaya in this episode came across as so helpless, yet so brave. We now begin to see what will fuel her desire to take up arms and seek revenge.
It is slowly becoming clear that Lamitan indeed can't think for herself and does what Mantal tells her to do. She knew that Bugna's fate was death, but it didn't really sink in that her husband was gone until Marikit told her. I am hoping that all of this will at least make a change in Marikit-- seeing her father cut down before her, and then knowing that her mother had instigated it.
Looks like Angaway is interested in Amaya-- and may want to contend with his cousin. Hrm.
What will happen to Dal'lang and Binayaan? When will they meet Amaya again?
I didn't expect that Bagani would be the one to bury Datu Bugna-- although it makes sense now since he was headed there. Does this foreshadow that Bagani is destined to rectify his father's wrongs? I'm half-dreading, half-anticipating the moment that he and Amaya meet again, and he realizes that the two women he had been seeking are one and the same, and she realizes that he is the son of her worst enemy.
Is Lamitan going to set herself up to rule in her dead husband's stead? She is after all sucking up to the rajah, and the way she entered the hut-- or is this Mantal's way of ensuring that SHE rule the tribe albeit indirectly, through Lamitan? After all, Mantal is the older sister and if it had galled Lamitan to be made second-fiddle to her husband, it would surely have stuck in Mantal's craw that she was set aside even if she was the elder.
Speaking of older siblings, what role is Awi going to play in Amaya's life (if Mangubat doesn't decide to kill him off as well)? Is he going to take Bugna's place and be a surrogate father-- after all, he was also closest to Bugna? And wait-- he knows the secret of Amaya's birth as well. My guess is that perhaps in future Awi will take over Amaya's training and tell her who she is, and that Mangubat will later have him killed for some imagined wrong, and this would spark Amaya's revenge. *crosses fingers*
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