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My Husband's Lover is a Filipino drama television series created and developed by Suzette Doctolero and produced by GMA Network. It premiered on June 10, 2013 replacing Love & Lies on the network's coveted Primetime block, and June 11, 2013 worldwide via GMA Pinoy TV. The series stars Carla Abellana, Tom Rodriguez and Dennis Trillo as the main characters. Carolyn Galve serves as the executive producer of show and Dominic Zapata directed the series.^[1]

It is credited as the very first gay-themed series in Philippine television^[2] due to the series' central subject of homosexual relationships and infidelity. The show has multiple continuing story lines that tackle sensitive yet relevant social issues like homosexual and bisexual relationships, homophobia and the society's discrimination against homosexuals, infidelity, pre-marital sex and the consequences of early or unplanned marriages. It also tackles the importance of family, friendship, integrity and love. The forty-five minute scripted drama chronicles the life of a woman, who belatedly discovers that her husband has been carrying on an affair, but not with another woman.

Synopsis [link]

Vincent got his girlfriend Lally pregnant while they were still in college. So they decided to get married even if the two of them were not ready for the responsibility and Vincent's mother Elaine was very much against it. Thus Lally's married life was never smooth-sailing because of Elaine. But for the love for her husband, Lally endures the hardships in dealing with her mother-in-law. However, when Lally got pregnant on their second child, Vincent suddenly became distant and cold towards her. Lally felt that Vincent was being unfair to her so she decided to leave together with their children. Vincent loves his kids so much, so he tried to win back his wife by proposing and this time getting married again with a blessing from the church.

Unknown to Lally, Vincent is keeping a secret from her; it is also a secret he has kept from everyone else ever since he was young. Vincent was a closeted homosexual man who never planned to come out because he was afraid that it'll destroy his family. However, everything changed when he crosses paths with Eric again - his greatest love. Unlike Vincent, Eric is openly gay. But, just like Vincent, he still is in love with him.

Eventually, the two men start an affair and Vincent tries to hide the affair from Lally by showering her with gifts and attention. However, Lally's intuition tells her that something is wrong even though everything in her married life seems fine. That's when she starts to investigate and she eventually learns of Vincent's darkest secret.

Cast and characters [link]

The series featured three main characters and nine prominent recurring characters throughout its run.

Main characters [link]

• Lally Agatep-Soriano – portrayed by Carla Abellana, the loving wife of Vincent and a mother of two. She is described as intelligent, romantic lady who will do everything for the man she loves. Lally has been married to Vincent for ten years. She tries to be a perfect wife to Vincent in all aspects. But their seemingly perfect marriage starts to fall apart when Eric del Mundo comes into the picture. It turns out that Eric was Vincent's first love, and the two have rekindled their flame.^[3][4]

• Vincent Soriano – portrayed by Tom Rodriguez, Lally's loving husband. He is a car enthusiast; he collects and sells luxury cars as his business. Rich, handsome and intelligent, Vincent is a "perfect catch" with one flaw – he is a closeted gay. He fought his homosexual feelings and married Lally to please his parents and society, but he later realizes that he cannot totally forget his love for his high school lover, Eric del Mundo.^[5][6]

• Eric del Mundo – portrayed by Dennis Trillo. He is Vincent's first romance. Smart and sophisticated; he is an architect, managing his own design business. He poses a tough image for everyone to see, but in reality, he is gay. Eric returns and is determined to win back the love of the man he lost in his youth. Instead, he finds that Vincent is already married to Lally, with whom he already has two kids.^[7]

Trillo plays Eric del Mundo.

Recurring characters [link]

• Elaine Soriano - portrayed by Kuh Ledesma. She is Vincent's loving mother and an austere mother-in-law to Lally. Known for her overbearing and perfectionist nature, Elaine is not easy to please and rarely satisfied with anything. She is also opinionated and frequently can’t help but express her strongly held belief, regardless of offending others.^[8][9][10]

• Armando Soriano - portrayed by Roi Vinzon. He is Vincent's delightful father. Armando is a retired Army-General and a certified womanizer during his prime. A homophobic; Armando easily gets irritated every time he encounters gay men and treats them with contempt and spite.

• Sandra Agatep - portrayed by Glydel Mercado. She is Lally and Evelyn's doting mother. Though she is not a perfect mom, Sandra is admirable for single-handedly raising her two daughters. She spends her life as a destitute mother whose only dream is to give her children a better future and is willing to sacrifice everything – even her morals – for them.

• Sol "Sinag" del Mundo – portrayed by Chanda Romero. She is Eric's loving and supportive mother. Sinag, as she is commonly referred to (a Tagalog word which means "ray" in English) is an artist and a well-known novelist. Sinag knows about her son's sexual orientation and she supports him wholeheartedly. She is characterized as being liberated and has a pleasant outlook on life.

• Evelyn Agatep – portrayed by Karel Marquez. She is Lally's older sister, who is her exact opposite in terms of outlook on life. her frustrations, rebellious and self-centered nature drives her to make drastic decisions that eventually leads her to life of mistakes, regrets and penance. At present, she lives a humble life with her children and a womanizer husband.^[11]

• Vicky Araneta – portrayed by Bettina Carlos, Lally's best friend and confidante. She is a thirty-year-old single mother, working as a fashion editor and stylist at a magazine. Vicky is characterized as being so jaded with love that she chooses to have a string of flings with younger men than to be in a committed relationship.^[12]

• David – portrayed by Victor Basa. He is Vincent's college best friend and ex-lover. David is a chef and is proud of being gay but not the flamboyant type. he is described as an intelligent, romantic guy who will do everything for his greatest love. David serves as conscience to Vincent, advised him to come out of the closet and choose the one who will make him happy.^[13][14]

• Danny – portrayed by Kevin Santos. He is Eric's best friend and confidante. An "all-out" gay, known for his biting and sarcastic wit, and bad luck in relationships – which become a point of humor within the series. His failed love life is possibly due to his aggressiveness and jealousy in relationships.

• Paul – portrayed by Pancho Magno. He is Lally's college classmate who has carried a torch for her all these years, despite knowing that Lally is already married to Vincent.

• Diego and Hannah Soriano – portrayed by Antone Limgenco and Elijah Alejo, respectively, Vincent and Lally's children.

Production [link]

Conception and development [link]

Series' creator Suzette Doctolero began developing the series in early 2013. It all started with her desire to create a non-traditional, out of the box yet has social relevance, truthful, emotional and with "real" characters stories. The idea for the series was conceived when Doctolero began thinking about the question: "What would you do if you find out that you husband is cheating on you... with another man?" Although the idea is not-an-easy-story-to-tell because of its controversial theme which touches on the sensitive issue of homosexual and bisexual relationships, Doctolero explained that "the show is not all about the queerness of the characters but more of a love story and a family drama. When Doctolero presented the idea to GMA Network, the management said "yes" easily because they found the concept interesting and "it was based on the relatability of the masses to the topic."^[16]

Carolyn Galve served as the executive producer of the series throughout its run. Dominic Zapata was assigned to direct the show. Zapata said "It's very refreshing for me to direct this material. The subject is really sensitive and I want to be accurate in portraying how gay people are and the dynamics of gay relationships so we did a lot of research. I don't want to make a mistake or make a misrepresentation."^[17] Regarding the theme, Zapata stressed "I'm sure a lot of people are gonna say a thing or two about the show. All I really have to say is, this show is a love story. And love is a beautiful thing and it shines through no matter age, no matter race, no matter color, and no matter gender preference. Love is love and no matter what package it comes in, it's still beautiful."^[18]

Abellana plays Lally Agatep-Soriano.

Filming for the series began May 21, 2013. Many of the scenes were filmed on location in Quezon City. The show is designed for sixteen-week run.

The series' program manager, Helen Rose Sese clarified that the show won't delve on the sensual aspects of relationships—straight or not. "The show's intention is not to promote gay and lesbian relationship, but more of a reflection that this is happening now. The creative team will also be under scrutiny to try and avoid noise on the part of religious groups. We also make sure we don’t go beyond anything that will offend them, as well as the gay community." Sese also stressed that the network has informed the local censors' body on the potentially controversial series. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has shown understanding of their material while warning them to observe certain limitations in presenting delicate scenes for general viewership.^[19] The show has been approved without cuts by the MTRCB, albeit with an SPG or Strong Parental Guidance rating.^[20]

Casting [link]

The series featured three main characters and nine prominent recurring characters throughout its run. Dennis Trillo and Carla Abellana were the first two actors to be cast for the lead roles. Abellana was cast as Lally Agatep-Soriano, a woman who struggles to be the perfect wife for the husband she loves who, in fact is a closeted gay. Although she described the series as "a risky project",^[21] Abellana didn't have qualms accepting the role. She loves that the series encompasses a wider audience which include straight, gay, lesbian, married or single audience.^[22] Trillo, on the other hand, was chosen to play Eric del Mundo, a gay architect and the lover of Lally’s husband, Vincent Soriano. Trillo was originally cast as Vincent Soriano but he decided to play Eric del Mundo instead.^[23] Trillo is not new to gay roles. He already played gay characters in the past – most particularly in 2004 period film Aishite Imasu 1941: Mahal Kita where he won several acting awards.^[24][25]

Tom Rodriguez was chosen to portray Vincent Soriano, a closeted gay, from many actors who auditioned for the said role.^[26] Rodriguez had to go through tests before being cast. During his audition, Rodriguez acted one scene—a break-up scene—with Trillo. Zapata described Rodriguez as "the perfect Vincent" among the many actors who auditioned for the role, said that "[While] the others treated homosexuality as a disease, Tom interpreted it with so much understanding, and that's what we're looking for." Rodriguez described his role as very complex and demanding as the whole conflict of the show lies in his character. Rodriguez said, to prepare for the project, he watched gay-themed films like Brokeback Mountain and Love of Siam and talked to people with similar stories.^[27] He also did research and found out that "homosexual love is not really different from a heterosexual one. But of course things are more difficult for them because of all the social biases that exist."^[28]

Singer, Kuh Ledesma was signed on to portray Elaine Soriano, after reading the week 1 script. The role Armando Soriano was originally offered to Phillip Salvador but he turned it down, so the role went to Roi Vinzon. Bettina Carlos was signed on to play the "the young cougar" Vicky Araneta, and said that "My role is seemingly simple but it's a challenge to make the cougar come out and give life to a young cougar."^[29] Victor Basa originally auditioned for the role of Vincent Soriano, but ended up portraying David, Vincent's all-out gayfriend and ex-lover.^[30] Basa finds his role quite difficult in the sense that he doesn't want his character to look "stereotype" or just-like-any-gay-role-that-they-have-seen-before.^[31][32]

Reception [link]

The series is considered as a "ratings success" from its pilot telecast. Based on the overnight household ratings data recorded in Urban Luzon for June 10 - 12 by Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, the show scored an average household rating of 20.5% versus its counterpart program on ABS-CBN with 16.6%. Meanwhile, in Mega Manila, My Husband's Lover posted an even bigger margin with 22.2% against Apoy Sa Dagat's 15.9%.^[33] For its whole pilot week, it won against its said competitor in Mega Manila.^[34]

Aside from the ratings, the series also garnered a generally positive response from professional and mainstream critics, viewers and netizens, with some praising the network's brave move in producing an "out-of-the-box" television series.^[35] The series even conquered the trending topics on social networking site Twitter (both Philippines and worldwide).^[36] As of July 5, 2013, every episodes of the show have been trending in Twitter. Yahoo! Philippines also ranked the show at No. 5 for the top trending searches in its site for the week, June 10 - 16.^[37]

The show was also featured on June 17, 2013 issue of UK-based LGBT global news website Gay Star News. An article titled "Gay TV drama Creates Buzz in the Philippines" written by Anna Leach, it noted that the first episode of My Husband's Lover was praised for its "mature, nuanced and honest depiction of gay characters."^[38][39]

In his review, Walden Sadiri M. Belen of Manila Bulletin praised the story, the ensembles performances and the director, said that "the story, unconventional and provocative as it is, was treated beautifully and convincingly. The subject matter — a married man and a father at that having an affair with another man — could be controversial considering the relatively conservative nature of Filipinos, but so far the series have been decent in presentation and treatment which is fast-paced too. And most noticeable was the remarkable portrayal of the main cast in their respective roles [...]. They are credible in their performances, and especially noted was Tom Rodriguez's portrayal of a closet gay who is, ironically, the son of an army general. But all the other members of the cast also delivered A-1 performances: Kuh Ledesma, Victor Basa, Glydel Mercado and Karel Marquez."^[40] Radio and TV personality and Manila Bulletin columnist Mr. Fu praised the show and its cast, said that "the show was beautiful, moving, interesting and promising. It has very interesting characters played by credible actors [...]. Carla Abellana, for one, is able to make audiences feel her love for her mother and husband in the story. She has this very fresh television presence that you would love to watch her every now and then. Dennis [Trillo] has already proven his acting talent and he does not fail on this show. A best example of a cute "gay who is not so gay", he knows when to use his eyes, his mouth, his whole body to portray the "gayness". Tom, on the other hand, can portray that "paminta" (closeted gay) character with confidence, and charm that makes him appealing on screen. Their on-cam chemistry also makes them effective in their roles. The way they trade lines is believable and their body language seems very natural. Their "revolving glass door" scene where they accidentally meet after years of not communicating was so romantic and intense."^[41]

Journal's resident entertainment columnist Butch Roldan also reserved high praise for the show, said that "the series explains in a broad spectrum that love cannot be defined by sexual preference alone, that love has its own understanding of what is right and wrong and is ready to suffer even under very harsh circumstances."^[42] Journal's entertainment columnist, Mario Bautista gave it a mixed review, said that "The series should have started in the thick of things, since the title and the trailers have already shown where the story is going. Dennis [Trillo] should have been there from the start and then they just go back to how the story all started."^[43]

Television and film director Jose Javier Reyes congratulated the network "for taking a risk & giving a fresh take on the tired templates of the telenovelas for something new."^[44]

LGBT advocate and the author of "Of God and Men: A Life in the Closet", Atty. Raymond Alikpala reviewed "GMA Network deserves congratulations for daring to go down this road less travelled. Eschewing the stereotypical storylines and cardboard cliché characters, the writers of My Husband's Lover are depicting homosexual persons as no different from heterosexuals, which is radical in these parts. Homosexual characters have long been television staples, but they have been limited to supporting roles and comic relief. The series' non-stereotypical depiction of gay men can accomplish what Ladlad failed to do, which is to bring LGBT awareness into the mainstream of Filipino consciousness. Positive media depictions of LGBT persons are crucial in encouraging greater acceptance and recognition of our fundamental equality."^[45]

Allan Diones of Abante Tonite said that "Dennis Trillo and Tom Rodriguez has good screen chemistry [and] they are both excellent actors and can feel the emotions of their characters."^[46]

Philippine Entertainment Portal's Mark Angelo Ching praised Suzette Doctolero and Dominic Zapata for "how the show looks polished. It feels like a lot of brainpower went into the preparation of the show. Some elements are borderline meticulous, like choosing to add a variety of gay characters to battle the gay stereotype head-on." He even added that "unlike other shows that only depicts homosexual men as lustful beasts, or as sidekicks in crass, laughable situations, My Husband’s Lover shows its gay characters in normal, everyday situations: going to the gym, working in an office, or relaxing at home. The characters have successful lives not as beauticians or stand-up comedians, but as architects and businessmen." Closing the review, he further added that the show "is progressive—a unique creation in today’s media landscape where gay men are mostly relegated as sidekicks who provide comic relief. Let’s hope that MHL continues to present homosexuals far from their cliché images on television."^[47]

The show is under the scrutiny of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines - Episcopal Commission on Youth (CBCP-ECY) according to its executive secretary, Father Conegundo Garganta. He added that television producers and writers should study themes being shown to the viewers, especially to the younger ones, and should be based on moral standards. In response to the CBCP statement, the Malacañang and MTRCB urged viewers to report any complaints about the show if they saw any unacceptable content against its SPG rating.^[48] The GMA Network responded that they would continue to comply with MTRCB policies.^[49]

Awards and recognitions [link]

See also [link]

• List of programs broadcast by GMA Network
• List of telenovelas of GMA Network
• SRO Cinemaserye: Rowena Joy

External links [link]

• GMA Network official website
• GMA Network Official Facebook Page

References [link]