If you think you already know everything about Dreamscape Entertainment’s revenge drama Linlang just because you already watched its 14-episode version on Amazon Prime Video that has been available for streaming since 5 October 2023, well, think again. You are actually missing a lot since its teleserye version started airing last 22 January on ABS-CBN’s platforms Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live and iWantTFC, as well as on the free-to-air television networks TV5 and A2Z.
“The creative [department] wrote the whole series as a weekly show,” said FM Reyes at the recent media conference for Linlang that was also attended by his co-director Jojo Saguin, creative manager Danica Domingo and lead stars Paulo Avelino, Kim Chiu and Maricel Soriano.
“So ang (the) storytelling no’n kung magti-30 minutes ka kada araw (every day, from Monday to Friday), that’s roughly two-and-a-half hours sa script na ganyan (like this),” Reyes added, gesturing with his fingers how thick the script had been. “Then we presented that to Amazon. They asked us for an hour per episode for 14 episodes. So can you just imagine roughly 50 percent of the original story na wala kang napapanood (that you cannot watch at all)?”
The roughly 50 percent of the original script had to be cut out to fit in the requirements set by Prime Video to make the series plot-driven and fast-paced. It is now back in the teleserye version to give the audiences a better understand the story, its characters and all the relevant themes it tackles.
As Saguin pointed out during media huddle, they could now include the back story of pivotal scenes so the reaction would be, “Ah, gano’n pala ’yun, kaya napunta sa eksena doon (that’s how it turned out, why it led to such scenes.)” She then explained. “Iba rin kasi ang editingstyle. Maiiba rin sa ibang mga eksena (A different editing style is used here that also changes the way the scenes come out).”
In the story, Avelino and Chiu play husband and wife Victor and Julianna. Victor, a boxer-turned-seaman, unexpectedly goes home after a long stint as an overseas Filipino worker. He finds something different, even suspicious, in Julianna but he brushes those doubts aside for the sake of their young daughter Abby. Soon, he discovers his wife is having an affair with his paternal half-brother Alex (JM de Guzman). Unlike Victor, Alex is well-educated and enjoys the adoration of his mother Amelia (Maricel Soriano) and wife Sylvia (Kaila Estrada).
Avelino agreed that in the teleserye version, audiences will understand not only Victor but the people around his character. Chiu, for instance, offered, “Mas maiintindihan kung bakit napamahal si Juliana kay Alex at kung bakit ginawa ni Juliana ang mga bagay-bagay na hindi n’ya akalain na magagawa n’ya. (You will understand why Juliana fell for Alex and why Juliana did all those things that even she didn’t know she could do).”
Soriano also spoke about her character: “So minsan nakakainis din ako dito. Kasi ano ba namang klaseng nanay ’yan? E wala tayong magagawa. Tayong mga nanay, ’yung sobrang pagmamahal natin sa anak natin, unconditional love na ’yan (I can sometimes come off as irritating in the story, like what kind of a mother is that? We can’t do anything about that. We as mothers, we have so much love for our children. It’s already an unconditional kind of love).”
“Parang do or die. Lahat gagawin ng isang ina para sa kanyang anak. Itsurang mali na, pero pipiliting itama. To a fault ka na nga, e (It’s like a do-or-die situation. A mother will do everything for her child, however wrong it is. She will still insist it’s right. It’s loving to a fault already).”
Following the teleserye’s theme of marital infidelity and eventual disintegration, the key people behind Linlang replied constructively to the question on dealing with and overcoming heartaches. Chiu, who broke up last year with her longtime boyfriend Xian Lim, said she’s willing to fall in love again. “But not now. Maybe in the next months, years.”
The popular actress and TV host elucidated, “Marami namang kayang magbigay ng love. Willing naman akong tumanggap. Kasali sa buhay ’yun. Embrace natin ’yun. (Many people can give love, and I’m willing to receive it. That’s part of life. Let’s embrace it.)”
The revenge drama produced by Dreamscape Entertainment can now be seen every day on ABS-CBN’s platforms Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live and iWantTFC, as well as on the free-to-air television networks TV5 and A2Z.