Teleserye enthusiasts gathered anew for the much-anticipated premiere of Kapamilya drama The Broken Marriage Vow. Along with everyone who signed up for the ‘gigil’ fest during the show’s pilot week, the powerhouse cast was also present, reacting to the scenes and real-time comments via special segment called “The Gigil Gap Show” livestreamed during commercial gaps.

REVIEW: Netizens heap praises for The Broken Marriage Vow on promising pilot week

Lead stars Jodi Sta Maria, Zanjoe Marudo, Sue Ramirez, and Zaijian Jaranilla were satisfied with viewers’ comments on the show’s intricate details. Case in point: the tasteful choice of camera angles, which Zanjoe described as “parang mata ng kapitbahay” that zeroed in on the life of the Ilustre family and their dynamics at home.

Fans also raved about the characters’ fashionable OOTDs that highlight proudly Pinoy-made clothing and accessories. Jodi said it was Director Connie Macatuno’s idea to collaborate with local designers to showcase traditional aesthetics.

As early as the pilot episode, the ‘gigil’ already took center stage due to red flags sprouting everywhere and David (Zanjoe) showing signs of a cheating husband. As the night’s focal point of ‘gigil,’ Zanjoe only had this to say: “Pasensiya na po kayo. Ako ay nagmamahal lamang.”

And as if he learned from the notorious cheater that is David Ilustre, Zaijian spelled out rule number one: “Huwag aamin.”

What then is rule number 2? Run to mom in case of guilt? The second episode of The Broken Marriage Vow gave a glimpse of David’s relationship with his mom Marina (Susan Africa), brother Migs (Brent Manalo), and the rest of his big family. Now, netizens wonder if Susan’s character will represent a mom that’s so supportive to the point of being “kunsintidor.”

The veteran actress didn’t want to say much about her character to keep fans guessing. Meanwhile, she gushed over working with Zanjoe and Brent, saying everyone on the set is easy to love and the chemistry is real on- and off-cam. She added the show also reflects Filipino traditions, as netizens noticed in the scene wherein kids honored David and Jill (Jodi Sta. Maria) through “pagmamano.” The culture, after all, is what sets The Broken Marriage Vow apart from the other adaptations.

So, how does Filipino “culture” represent a cheating husband? Bianca Manalo and Ketchup Eusebio, playing Carol and Charlie, shared how they built their characters close to Pinoy mentality.

Two factors came up during their ‘collab’ – the cheating guy being ‘bolero’ and his partner acting as the trophy wife. That’s basically what viewers witnessed on Carol and Charlie’s first few banters.

Also joining them that night is Empress Schuck, now dubbed by netizens as ‘Kalat Queen’ because of that scene where her character, Grace, was caught making out with a guy in David’s office. Empress laughed at some tweets about her and promised there will be more to come.

These characters are called the “kasabwat,” the people who would cover up David’s betrayal. Also in this episode of “The Gigil Gap Show” is Angeli Bayani as Jill’s bestfriend Dr. Sandy. Asked what to expect from her character, Angeli mentioned Sandy is the only person Jill would trust.

By the fourth episode, Sue’s Lexy Lucero was raising the ‘gigil’ to a more intense level. The Kapamilya actress would like to say her character is a sweet, loving girl inside. Lexy’s relationship with the family would speak so.

On the episode that witnessed the entrance of the Lucero family, viewers can’t help but react to Rachel Alejandro aka Nathalia’s fabulous wardrobe. The actress smiled, saying she didn’t notice hitting Sue with her elaborate puff sleeves during a scene.

Joining them in the gap show are Art Acuña, Malou Crisologo, and Migs Almendras, all of whom belong to Team Lexy. Not that they’re enabling Lexy’s wrongdoings but they want viewers to look deeper in the episodes and realize the lessons about love and relationships, and how to rise gracefully above one’s brokenness.

Graceful is an understatement to describe how Jill managed to keep her composure while confirming David’s felony in the fifth episode. Netizens reacted to the complexity of Jill’s emotions – the “galit, dabog, composure, inis” which Jodi perfectly sketched.

Jodi, headlining the Friday gap show, said it was a challenge to portray Jill’s emotions. “Kahit sobra-sobra ‘yung galit, how do you do it na nasa university ka, nasa hospital ka, respetadong doctor at professor ka? How do you handle these things? I felt everything as an actor but I have to do it in such a way na internal lang nangyayari. For me, it’s a really a challenge. Nahihirapan ako nung time na ginagawa namin ‘yung serye. Ang sakit niya sa ulo. How do you show an emotion na iba ‘yung nangyayari sa labas at iba internally but then kailangan makita ng audience ‘yung nararamdaman mo,” shared Jodi.

One of the episode’s highlights is the intense scene of doctors and university professors Jill, Sandy, Jose (Ronnie Lazaro), and Barry (Sandino Martin) in the conference room. Ronnie would like to credit Direk Connie and the production team and his co-actors. Sandino also mentioned there were adlibs, so he had to be on his toes.

Jane Oineza stole netizens’ hearts that night as Dianne, the student and passionate mistress-hunter willing to go lengths to help Jill uncover David’s affair. Netizens started calling her “Number One Marites ng Pilipinas” because of her spying scenes. Jane found the reactions amusing, saying “Grabe! Nakakatuwa naman. Gagalingan ko pa ang pagiging espiya.”

Some tweets also pointed out the very Pinoy flavors infused in the series. Jodi was happy to hear such comments, “Thank you na nano-notice nila ‘yun kasi ‘yun naman talaga in-intend naming lahat for The Broken Marriage Vow na magkaroon tayo ng sariling identity. Hindi ito ‘yung kokopyahin natin ‘yung ginawa ng British o Korean version. Gagawin natin itong sariling atin. So maraming salamat,”

The Broken Marriage Vow is just warming up the ‘gigil.’ Be sure not to miss the next episodes, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.