Note: This blog post has SPOILERS for Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo! If you're watching MCI without having read the novels, or prefer to watch it without remembering important spoilers, I suggest clicking away.
I've tweeted about MCI several times on Twitter regarding my theories, but Twitter's character limit often restricts me from fully typing my entire idea. Thus, I'll relay my thoughts in this blog post after Episode 11 and 12's latest revelations.
Fidel's Character
Before Episode 9 Marites' release, I initially theorized that Fidel might be a transported character into Noli. The reasons for this area that he isn't a character from the novels, he seems to be quite close with Ibarra, and at the time of when we meet him, he is introduced as a "mysterious" playboy. I even wondered that what if he and Klay meet up in the ending after, presumably, she returns to the real world. This ultimately became a crackhead theory since Fidel is revealed to be misogynistic and a very traditional mestizo when it comes to personal beliefs (Suzette Doctolero, the creative consultant for the show, has also said that he is there just to be a "filler" character for Ibarra's peers since there wasn't a mentioned name of a friend from the novel), so there wasn't a chance that he is a transported character because he'd have a modern way of thinking otherwise. Thus, I wondered what they have in store for his character because I can't foresee what he will do in the story at the moment.
However, it'll be interesting to see his and Klay's relationship develop if they ever become an "endgame" couple. I always assumed that Klay and Ibarra might become THE couple of the show (more on that later) because Dennis Trillo and Barbie Forteza seem to be always shown together in press conferences.* I'm not sure if it was their plan since the beginning, but GMA Drama and the creators of the show (even Suzette Doctolero herself) seem to be aware of Fidel's appeal and the fans' reactions to his rocky interaction with Klay during their first meeting. Apparently, that "Babu!" and the slap REALLY sparked a fire between Barbie and David's characters despite Fidel being a "red flag" character. Someone also pointed out that GMA Drama changed the thumbnail for Episode 6 to Klay and Fidel, which is an unexpected move on GMA's part:
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| Episode 6's new thumbnail (left) with the old one (right). Not sure if this is correct as I only looked the episode on Google hoping to find the old thumbnail before Google updated it. |
*(Edit: I only realized this now after publishing that this is because of Julie Ann San Jose's conflicting schedule with press cons and her tours. Although there might be more other reasons, I wouldn't know.)
The burning questions now are these: who is Fidel? What will Fidel do in the story? How will he impact the story?
I have no theories attached to those questions yet, but the most important question is this: will Klay and Fidel end up together?
Like I mentioned, I previously assumed that Ibarra was the potential love interest and not Fidel. I've seen quite a few who thought so too, even spawning the "KlayBarra" ship. However, I also wonder if the creators didn't know that the FiLay ship would get so popular. Many foreign dramas suffer from second-male-lead-was-liked-more-by-audience syndrome because the showrunners never expected the positive reaction to the character. Fidel may suffer from this syndrome if the FiLay ship was never planned to begin with, but it'd be interesting if a writer for the show reveals in later episodes that they tweaked some details in the MCI story just to have him involved more (a.k.a. fanservice).
Or they already planned it from the start. If it was, disregard my previous paragraphs.
Now I'm not into cheesy romance let alone the typical Philippine romance, but I am an enemies-to-lovers fangirl and I DIE whenever I feel that there is any sort of chemistry between two characters fighting on screen. I love when one of the characters is a miserable annoyance in one moment and then a lovable awkward cutie the next. It's the chemistry, you know? It's impeccable. It's life changing. The enemies-to-lovers trope is quite a double-edged sword, so it's rarely ever done in films, let alone TV shows. If MCI's writers will do it right, I can expect Fidel to have a massive character development - hopefully not a forced one, god! - and he becomes a reformed character by the end of the season. (And hey, maybe take notes from Bridgerton Season 2?)
(Also, MCI writers, if you're reading this - if Fidel and Klay do get together in the end, please don't make it cheesy! Don't make Fidel become a sudden shining knight in armor and protects Klay like Kevin Costner's character in The Bodyguard. It'll defeat the purpose of Klay's character being an independent woman! And PLEASE take your time to build up their relationship. With the current pacing of the show at the moment, it's enough for the audience to yearn for their onscreen time - WHICH IS GOOD! I don't care if we get a kiss only by El Fili. GIVE ME THAT SWEET SLOW BURN ENEMIES-TO-LOVERS!!)
Ahem.
Anyway, whatever happens to Fidel, I'm looking forward to it. I hope his character will be done justice because the portrayal absolutely made me fall in love with David Licauco, whom I'd also discovered for the first time after watching the show.
(By the way, stay tuned for a possible blog post where I post my thoughts on Fidel's character. *wink*)
Klay Can't Change History
In Episode 11, Klay is presented with the dilemma of changing the course of Noli's story. So far, there haven't been any major consequences for the ones she has changed before (specifically the dinner scene), except Professor Torres scolding her and Sisa threatening her with a bolo (this is also partly due to Crispin and Basilio lying about Salvi's abuse to them, accusing Klay instead). This stubbornness led to Torres warning her that she cannot change the plot even if she tries, but Klay is determined anyway.
The thing that I love about this is how Klay is so confident in her abilities that she's unaware of the other plotlines that is yet to happen in the story. After all, she is in Noli to witness, not change the track of the plot. There's also the underlying plot point that she hasn't read beyond the third chapter and only knows the spoiler of Sisa, Crispin, and Basilio's fates. And she was only lucky that this part in Noli is a pop culture icon that even those who haven't read the novels know about it. This means that Klay won't be able to stop Ibarra from becoming Simoun and protect Maria Clara from Salvi - which we are already witnessing as of the latest episodes (there are a few more spoilers that she cannot avoid, but I'll have to digress from mentioning them because the characters haven't been introduced in the show yet). There's also the numbing realization that Klay doesn't know how one of the siblings die, so she may not be around them when Crispin gets shot. Whether or not the writers did this on purpose, it's a creative genius anyway. A prime example of a dramatic irony in fiction.
I don't have the mind of the writers of the show, but I can see two possibilities happening with this plotline of Klay changing history: one, she does change history, but only a part of it, or two, she thinks she has changed history, but everything still happens the same way, thus learning the value of historical revisionism.
Personally, I prefer the latter much better, because it is a timely issue that is happening with the Philippines. However, I wouldn't mind the former as it strengthens the show's use of dramatic irony. It would be interesting to see Klay happy, seemingly saving Crispin and Basilio from an untimely death, but then realize that Sisa has still gone mad because of Salvi fulfilling his threat that he'd harm the boys' mother should they ask help from another party. It's a great direction, and I hope the writers exceed my expectations with this.
With my personal preference, as mentioned, I'd say it would be much better if Klay doesn't successfully change anything to the plot. It would put value to Torres' lesson AND teach everyone that you cannot change history whether for good or bad. If the writers ever choose to go this direction, I believe Klay's character development would be melancholic - which is something I really like seeing in fiction.
That will be my thoughts for now, but I'll make another post if I get a new idea later on.
Babu!