STATION: KAPAMILYA CHANNEL
ACTORS: Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, Yam Concepcion, Christopher de Leon,Eula Valdez, Sunshine Cruz, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ruffa Gutierrez, Karl Gabriel
FORMAT: Teleserye/Soap Opera
TIMESLOT: 2:30PM Weekdays
WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT
Love Thy Woman’s ensemble cast engage in oversized dramatic confrontations, as they play interesting characters in a familiar but well-written plot about family and betrayal.
Things are getting more intense in the ABS-CBN afternoon series, ‘Love Thy Woman’. The show which premiered at a time when the covid-19 pandemic was just starting to gain a foothold in the country, keeps enthralling audiences who followed the show from free television to cable and online, where ABS-CBN found its new home, following Congress’ denial of its new franchise application. The explosive events in the soap right now, are leading to its very much awaited finale, which will happen on the 11th of September.
Being one of few ongoing series that went to produce fresh episodes even amid strictly enforced-protocols, which prompted content producers to adjust not just filming procedures, but also scripts, the fact that the show is ending on a high note is a feat worth celebrating. The show has been consistently topping iWant’s most viewed episodes chart, which just means that the popularity of the show, didn’t falter even after the network’s free TV shutdown.
‘Love Thy Woman’ serves as a reunion project for Kim Chiu and Xian Lim, collectively known as ‘KimXi’, after 2016’s ‘The Story of Us’. The plot of the show, which is about Filipino-Chinese families, seems tailor-fit for the two, as both of them are of Chinese descent.
In the show, Kim plays Jia, daughter of business tycoon, Adam Wong (Christopher de Leon) with another woman, Kai (Sunshine Cruz). Persistent marital woes with his legal wife, Lucy (Eula Valdez) and his ailing company were key factors that pushed him to find the comfort of another woman. Lucy forgives Adam, and holds on to their marriage for their child’s sake. She accepts the inevitable presence of his husband’s other family in their lives, but maintains apparent dislike for Kai and her child, Jia. Adam’s real-estate business also emerges very successful. Their only child, Dana (Yam Concepcion) is in line to inherit her father’s company.
While the tension between Lucy and Kai remained even after the former welcomed the latter’s family under Adam’s care, their children, Dana and Jia, grow close with each other, and both become successful in their respective fields. The entry of David (Xian Lim) to their lives, serves as a tipping point for things to get murky between Dana and Jia, and for the people around them. A tragic accident that makes Dana fall into coma.
Her husband David, who was also injured in the accident, has an illicit love affair with Jia. After her own betrayal dawned on Jia and her father disowned her, she decides to move with her family abroad and tries to build her own company.
In the Philippines, Dana wakes up from coma, and is now proving her worth as the rightful successor of Dragon Empire Builders, her father’s company. Part of her plan is to expand operations, which, unbeknownst to her, will lead her to meet Jia again. Jia also finds out that the son she previously thought had died is actually alive. Secrets unfold from this point and make the rivalry grow even more intense between the two Wong families.
The showrunners have had to deal with two major roadblocks in shooting the new episodes: the lockdown caused by COVID-19 pandemic and the need to shift to full digital after congress denied ABS-CBN a new franchise.
When production units were finally granted permits to resume shooting, the show faced several restrictive protocols that made the management imposed safety set regulations. Actors are now made to isolate in one place before going in front of the camera again. There are also adjustments in the script with the pace of the story timed to meet the planned September 11 final episode.
One of the key drivers of the plot is the ‘curse’ believed to have befallen the Wongs, which remains today a potent catalyst to the story. As Jia now rises to claim her rightful place in his father’s company and to find out who his killers are, the tension between the half-sisters only grows as the much-anticipated finale looms on the horizon.
But perhaps, the more important question now, is who among in this game of family, love, and betrayal, will remain standing at the very end. Who will be the last woman standing?
LOVE THY WOMAN airs on KAPAMILYA CHANNEL and KAPAMILYA ONLINE LIVE.
