Senior High, the ABS-CBN drama laced with murder, infidelity, emotional and physical battery, occasional drug use, tee cliques, sexual awakening, experimentation, friendships, heartbreaks, romances and psychological breakdowns, is a realistic depiction of today’s Generation Z.
Or is it? The question of how true a reflection it is of the demographic it purports to portray remains debatable. However, what it offers are teens and authority figures that are flawed, troubled, relatable in many ways and given emotions and life by some of the best young and seasoned actors in the country.
The most surprising development in Senior High, without a doubt, is the budding pink romance between Timothy Castro and Pocholo Robles, now with the official portmanteau TimPoch, played by Zaijan Jaranilla and Miggy Jimenez.
Jimenez’s Poch is part of the rich teen clique of the Northford campaign, seen by many as a major minion of Archie (Elijah Canlas) and Gino (JK Labajo). The resident queen of mean is Zyra/Z (Daniela Stranner).
Zaijan Jaranilla’s Tim is part of the “ordinary people” clique, the intelligent ones who can afford the expensive school,
Tim and Poch are both players in the school basketball team, the ace shooter and the basag-ulo member, respectively.
Slow burn
What starts out as two young men who hate each other turns into a slow-burn evolution of feelings and the shedding of personal masks, on their way to becoming the thrilling TimPoch pair.
Jimenez’s Poch borders on the cocky, confident in all his body-baring, teasing antics. Bless Jimenez for that pair of puppy-dog eyes and handsome face. Jaranilla’s Tim, meanwhile, is the ideal teen, a loyal boyfriend to Roxy (Xyriel Manabat), a good friend to both Luna and Sky (Andrea Brillantes) and a loving son who makes his parents Elmo (Gerard Madrid) and Edith (Angeli Bayani) proud.
The sequence of them being in a room, drinking their way silly, with Poch’s big reveal and how it ends with a special kiss, made all the more palpable the talent and commitment of Jaranilla and Jimenez to portray their characters with great truth and sensitivity.
The secret meetings of the two are always well-written and acted – all of them kilig to the bones, priceless moments. Kudos to the young masters Jaranilla and Jimenez for the authenticity they bring to their parts, the look of love in their eyes, the vulnerability in their playing.
Tim’s coming out to his dad is the dream coming-out of scenario of any gay child. Presented with restraint and sensitivity to the feelings of the teen gay man, the positive affirmation of unconditional love from Tim’s father Elmo moved a lot of hearts.
Excellent actors
When Jaranilla as Tim finally musters the courage to tell Roxy about the special kiss that made him realize who he is, the amazing acting and line delivery by Manabat made for a break-up moment on TV that showed how these two former child stars have grown up into excellent young actors.
What happens now to TimPoch? We all have to wait for the answers. The series’ writers and directors have handled the romance of the two with accuracy and sincerity so far, so we have reason to hope that this breakout storyline will be able to bring its gripping, heartfelt arc to a satisfying close.
The main reason why we all love that TimPoch lovin’ feeling: As this paper’s entertainment editor Gibbs Cadiz wrote in a Facebook post: “Always a marvel when a side story — or at least its actors — becomes so good as to elbow the main narrative aside. Miggy Jimenez and Zaijan Jaranilla as Poch and Tim are simply killing it in Senior High. Husay!”