Watch me yes: How GMA’s Maria Clara at I

Watch me yes: How GMA’s 'Maria Clara at Ibarra' breaks typical Philippine TV

by Angela Sucaldito

Jan 12, 2023 • 3 min

With nearly 75 episodes and more, GMA's modern adaptation of Jose Rizal's novels: Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo has been a huge success.

The drama-fantasy series has regularly attracted excellent viewership numbers on TV and numerous online platforms since its premiere in primetime on October 3, 2022. Many people—young and old—have been fascinated by 'Maria Clara at Ibarra''s compelling account of the revolutionary novels which successfully cross the gap between reality and fiction as well as between past and the present.

The show has also rekindled interest in the rich cultural heritage of the nation, which the majority of people seem to have lost over time. The network was recognized for delving into topics considered unconventional, if not simply controversial for regular television, 'Maria Clara at Ibarra' is a novel idea for Philippine TV.

The story is set through the eyes of an opinionated yet spunky college student, Maria Clara "Klay" Infantes played by Barbie Forteza, who is transported inside the pages of Rizal novels. This offers the popular trope in the fantasy subgenre called Isekai where a character is abruptly sucked out of their own world and into a strange one like Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.

With this, they are able to show the differences of time period and ideas from the people from the 1800s and a Gen-Z that Klay represents. 'Maria Clara at Ibarra' places emphasis on the parallels between historical injustices and contemporary injustices. Due to this, Klay was able to feel sympathy for the characters' struggle for liberty and rights. They are also able to show eye-opening injustices through this that is always relevant for the current generation.

“Yung Noli at Fili ay mayaman talaga sila sa socio-political and historical context kaya naman kapag inadapt mo na ito sa may teleserye…hindi mo maiisantabi yung socio-political context na ito, yung purpose o kahulugan na gusto iparating ng dalawang nobela…Ang Maria Clara at Ibarra na isang teleserye ay isang panibagong bersyon ng dalawang nobela in a way na mas inilalapit natin ito sa puso, isipan at kaluluwa ng makabagong tao, ng makabagong henerasyon,” said Zig Dulay, the director of Maria Clara at Ibarra into the why they created the show, during an interview in the Howie Severino Podcast.

“So, kung ganon ang intention, magbibigay ka ng aliw at maglilibang ka ng mga tao pero kunin mo din yung point ng dalawang nobela na magpamulat ng mga taong—kung sa nobela ay magpamulat ng mga taong nakabasa sa kanya,”

“Dito hindi lamang ka magbigay aliw kundi mag pamulat ka sa mga taong nakakapanood…hindi lang din natatapos sa pagbibigay aliw, hindi lang din natatapos sa magpamulat… kundi hinihikayat din na tanungin ang ating sarili, ng mga manonood, na bawat pilipino na ano yung pagbabagong gusto nating mangyari, at ano ang gagawin natin sa pagbabagong ‘yon?”

Not only this is the reason of the sudden fame of the show but also is the great cast and acting prowess of the said cast such as Barbie Forteza (Klay), Julie Ann San Jose (Maria Clara), Dennis Trillo (Crisostomo Ibarra), Andrea Torres (Sisa), Tirso Cruz III (Padre Damaso), David Licauco (Fidel), and Juancho Trivino (Padre Salvi), as well as the supporting characters and extras.

It is important to note that the drama also brings balance to the heavy dramatic scene taken from the novel by incorporating and utilizing our Gen-Z character Klay and her contemporary tongue as well as her slowburn-enemies to lovers romance with the character Fidel, a lawyer and businessman who is friend of Ibarra’s. This ship has a huge following on twitter especially on Tiktok that garnered almost 400 thousand views alone.

As to why, many of the fans commented on how well written the romance between them and how huge their chemistry is. Not long ago, the couple trended as Fidel finally confessed his feelings over Klay in a very “Mr. Darcy” manner.

Maria Clara at Ibarra is now everywhere, from news, to memes people keep on talking about it.

Nevertheless, 'Maria Clara at Ibarra' brought Philippine TV into a new standard which shows that Filipinos can also compete in the international scene. With enough support and creativity from production and audiences, we can create shows that we can be proud of.

Watch Maria Clara at Ibarra on Weeknights at GMA Telebabad, after 24 Oras.