I LUV NY Premiere Episode

I LUV NY’s trailers and teasers gave me the impression that it was gonna be a light, fun and funny show. I expected the show to just that. And it failed MISERABLY. It seemed like the show had some sort of personality problem. It tried to be a light and a heavy drama at the same time. Which only made it a half-baked version of either. Sayang!

Another disappointment was Jennylyn Mercado as Natalie who was overly made up and overacted at times. Mark Herras as Baste was subdued and subtle. However, he didn’t seem to be really acting, but just being himself.

The real stars of the show were Carmi Martin and Tirso Cruz III as Natalie’s parents. They were good, very good. And managed to steal the show from Jennylyn. Even William Martinez as Baste’s drunkard dad and LJ Reyes as Baste’s tomboyish friend were good. On the other hand, Caridad Sanchez as Baste’s grandmother was loud and annoying. Gabby Eigenmann (as Natalie’s brother) was a weak performer, while the girl who plays as Natalie’s sister seemed to be merely saying her lines.

Another problem of the episode was that it was treated as merely an episode of the show, rather than as the show’s pilot episode. It should have been grander. The pacing was also very dragging and there were moments when the camera lingered on some shots which is sooo typical of Pinoy teleseryes. The story, as of now, is not so interesting. And the direction is a big disappointment too.

Nowhere to be found were Marvin Agustin and Jolina Magdangal which was not a good thing. The show is being promoted as their show too, and it was probably a big disappointment for their fans that they weren’t shown in the show’s first episode.

Yes, there’s still a chance for this show to get better and be redeemed. But since most of the show has been taped already… changing it’s fate now lies with the editing. It should be faster, funnier and more interesting.