Episode 5 – The One with the Baddies

Episode 5 – The One with the Baddies

Aired in the UAE on 20^th February

Up in Sundo castle, sundo-leader shows Arlan the man he was intended to collect.  But since he didn’t do his job, the man didn’t die and instead victimized someone else.  [OK wait, so sundo fetch both good and bad? Don’t baddies get collected by scary black smoke from below ground? Loophole!]

Arlan is punished to become mortal.  He pleads for another chance, “Patawad din a mauuulit.”

Back in the mortal world, Junic lies unconscious and Monica is still on the other line asking, “Anong nangyayari, Junic?” but no reply is coming from the other end.    The baddies, three men in black shirts, jeans and black masks tie an ATM to a pick-up and lets the vehicle pull the machine dislodging it from its station.  Someone shouts, “Benjie dali!” Hurrying Benjie up who we’ll soon see is Arlan’s look-alike save for their hair.

Junic regains consciousness and sees the robbers in the pick-up.  He gets his gun and aims at them but he doesn’t see one more baddie behind him, pointing another gun.  The baddie shoots and Junic falls.  Monica, hearing the shot screams Junic’s name.

Police come and the baddies make a run for it.  In the confusion, the guy named Benjie is left behind.

Back in sundo castle, sundo-leader tells Arlan he is punished to be a mortal.  He will feel everything a mortal feels and experience: “gutom, sakit, pait at higit sa lahat, kamatayan.” Hunger, illness, scorn and most of all death. [Yeah but will feel good things too like love, joy, humour and many more!]

As Junic lies dying, he calls for his one love, Monica.

Sundo-leader also adds that as he will be living a mortal life, his final destiny, whether heaven or hell will depend on how he lived his life.  He can go to hell.  At this Arlan shakes his head.  “Hindi. Ayoko.”  He doesn’t want to go to hell. [Of course, who else does?]

The man called Benjie is pursued by the police.  He runs towards the bridge and tries to jump but gets a barrage of bullets from the police firing at him.  He falls to the murky waters and as the impact of the water hits, he is unmasked revealing the face of Arlan.  He seems dead.

Sharina is doing her favorite pastime, talking ang staring at Arlan’s portrait. 

Benjie pulls himself out of the river and touches his torso.  He is surprised about his near escape, “Ligtas ako!” He feels for where the gun wounds should have been but finds none.  Another surprise is the fact that he just out of the water and yet his clothes are dry.  He stops and realizes that he is dead.  He sees his body floating in the river.   Having lived a life riddled with crimes, the scary black smoke appears from the ground to collect him.  He asks what’s going on and who are the voices calling for him.

The smoke reply with a really eerie multi-voice, “Kami ang sundo mo.”  We are your sundo.

Benjie asks, “Anong sundo.”

They voice explains, “Ang magdadala sa iyo sa impyerno.”

Benjie struggles…screams as the smoke pulls him beneath the ground.

Arlan falls from heaven screaming and thrashing as he struggles.  He falls into the floating mortal remains of Benjie.  Benjie, now really Arlan swims to the surface. [Amber says parang Pilyang Kerubin lang ang drama ni Arlan.  Hay naku, my daughter is a true blue Kapuso!]

Sharina asks the same question of the portrait. “Sino ka ba talaga?”  She wonders why the man shows himself one time then disappears the next, “Papakita ka tapos mawawala. “  She asks why he is bothering her thoughts, “Bakit mo ginugulo ang isip ko?”

Benjie pulls himself off the waters and sees his bloodied hands and many gunshot wounds.  He recalls sundo-leaders words about feeling pain and everything that a mortal feels.  He is no longer immortal.

The errant truck with its loot now safely tucked at the back arrives at a home with a young man anxiously waiting for their return.  His name is Rico [Alden Richards plays Rico].  He asks for his elder brother, his kuya.  But Gimo [played by Paolo Contis] tells him Benjie decided to stay behind.  Rico gets angry, “Kala ko ba walang iwanan?” But Gimo corrects him, it was Benjie’s decision to stay.  “Nagpaiwan.  Nagpapaka-bayani” acting like the hero as ever. 

Rico leaves set on looking for his brother. “Hahanapin ko kuya ko.”

Monica is worried about the gunshot and tells her sister this.  Sharina asks Monica what happened and Monica explains she was talking to Junic and heard a gunshot, “Kausap ko siya sa telepono.  Tapos may putukan.  Tapos din a sumasagot.”  Both sisters decided to go and find out what happened to Junic.

There’s a huge crowd at the ATM/Bank where police have cordoned off the place.  Monica and Sharina find their way to the front and talk to the policeman.  Monica tells the police that her boyfriend is a security guard there. “Nobyo kop o ang gwardya dito”  The police blurts out, “Yung nabaril?” whether Monica was referring to the guard who got shot. 

Monica gets more alarmed and ask which hospital the guard was taken.

In the ambulance, Junic is bleeding badly, his white guard’s uniform now mostly red.  He struggles to stay alive as some medic tell him to hang on as they are almost at the hospital. [Mukhang bading ang sundo ni Junic!]

Rico arrives at the crime scene and sees the mob.  He overhears some people talking about a man who was being chased by the police and jumped off the bridge to the river.   He knows it’s his brother and goes off to find him somewhere near the said bridge.

Junic is finally in the hospital and some medic and a doctor is by his bed.  Sharina and Monica reach the hospital on a tricycle.  The doctor says, “Wala na to” referring that Junic is gone.  Junic is dead.  Monica and Sharina reach the counter and asks for the security guard.  The nurses hesitate but point them to a curtained bed.  Monica cries, goes to Junic. “Mahal?  Junic?  Nandito na ko.”  Telling her love that she is there.

She’s in denial, saying that she going to call a doctor.  The doctor tells her that Junic died in the ambulance and was already dead on arrival at the hospital.  Monica cannot accept this and picks a fight with the doctor.   She is in too much pain.

She talks to Junic again as she hugs him, “Junic kayak o lahat pero huwag lang ito.”  She tells Sharina that Junic is going to be OK, she’ll call the doctor and demands for one asking why no one seems to be doing anything. “Anong nangyayari?  Tumawag kayo ng doctor!  Ate, sabihin mo buhay ang asawa ko!” [Teka dib a engaged to be married pa lang kayo Monica?  Bakit bigla mo naging asawa si Junic eh di pa naman kayo kasal?]

Sharina tries to comfort her totally distressed and anguished sister.

Rico calls out for his kuya by the bridge.  He sees him, bloody and badly wounded.  He also sees a group of policemen continuing their search.  He tries to move Benjie but is too heavy so he pushes him off the ledge onto the lower part of the bridge where he covers the body and himself with some cloth.  Just then, one of the baddies arrive and gets a larger cover motioning for Rico to keep quiet.  The police pass by them but did not see them.    After the police had gone, both men carry Benjie back to their safehouse.

At the morgue, Monica continues to talk to Junic, asking him why he left her.  “Bakit mo ko iniwan?  Di ba sabi mo di mo ko iiwan?  Mag-isa na lang ako ngayon.  Junic naman eh.”  She cries some more.  Sharina comes to her and embraces her.  [Naku OA ka Monica, paano ka mag-isa eh anjan naman ang even mabait mong ate Sharina, haller?!] 

Junic’s spirit sees the sisters and how unhappy Monica is.  Sundo reminds Junic it’s time to go, “Halika na, oras na.”  But Junic isn’t ready to leave just yet. “Hindi ko pa siya kayang iwanan.” 

Monica hugs Junics remains telling him how much she loves him.  “Mahal na mahal kita.”  To her sister she says, “Ate iniwan na ako ni Junic, ate” that Junic has left her.    Sharina tries to console her grieving sister with a hug.

Benjie is not on the sofa as Rico watches over his brother anxious for the doctor to come.  The doctor comes and immediately asks for his pay.  He knows he’s dealing with malefactors and scoundrels and wants to get paid before he does anything.  One of the baddies assures him he will get paid, just attend to the injured man first.  Rico thanks the baddie for getting the doctor.  It’s the same guy who helped him carry Benjie from the bridge.  Baddie explains he owes Benjie a lot, for the many times Benjie saved him from close shaves. “Pababayaan ko ba kuya mo?  Eh ilang beses na akong niligtas ng gagong yan!”  The doctor asks for hot water and towels, quickly as the baddies go and follow his orders.

It’s Junic’s wake [Held at Monica and Sharina’s home?  Bakit wala ba silang sariling bahay?!]  Bes motions to Monica who sees Junic’s parents arriving.  She goes to them and escorts them to Junic’s coffin.  His mother cries, “Anak, Junic.” She wails harder when Monica tries to console her, “Nay tama na po.”

She turns to Monica asking her about their wedding, “Paano na ang kasal nyo ng anak ko?  Mahal na mahal ko siya, alam mo na mahal na mahal ko siya.” The grief of a mother for losing her child is inconsolable as Monica finds out.  She lets her ex-future mother-in-law grieve as she assures her that she is still there for her, “Andito pa naman ho ako.”  Junic’s spirit is behind Monica, unseen by mortal eyes but visible to us viewing audience.

The baddies divvy up their loot as Gino hands Benjie take to her younger brother.  Rico gives thanks and reminds Gimo that he wants to join them in their next operations.  They gang disperse leaving only Rico and the other baddie.  Benjie is up and healing.  The other baddie tells him he’s like a cat with many lives.  “O gising na ang bida!  Parang may sa pusa ka talaga Benjie, ikaw na!” 

Rico asks Benjie is he wants to go home, “Kuya, gusto mo na bang umuwi?”

But Benjie doesn’t recognize them and asks Rico, “Sino ka?  Ano ang tawag mo sa akin?”

Of course he is Arlan, so he doesn’t really know anything!

ABANGAN:  Benjie tasked by Gimo to go find source of the statues which is now owned by Sharina.  So are they to meet face to mortal face this time?  Hope so!