Benjie still has not changed. He’s still making Jason make up lame excuses for his tardiness (he’s late for work but he has time for a sandwich and a heart to heart talk with his mom. Because #priorities). Mommy Amanda prepares Benjie’s breakfast (the filipino drama staple food prop is present: a glass of orange juice) and we see that their mother-son relationship has not changed much (also, Amanda’s relationship with the Rosales patriarch). Since Amanda didn’t show up for the investors’ dinner whachamacallit, Benjie invites his mom to dinner out later.    

Arman and Ninay help Badong set up a romantic date for him and Sinag to help him confess his feelings. And of course, the restaurant Badong chose is the same one Amanda chooses. Because destiny is persistent and will not take no for an answer. We get another almost meeting, only this time Sinag overhears Benjie’s voice behind a swing door. It’s too soon for them to cross paths again (cuz it’s a Thursday. Significant happenings like this are reserved for Wednesdays and Fridays) so Sinag returns to Ninay and tells her what happened.  

Since she’s the best friend anyone could ever have, Ninay (she hasn’t changed) double checks the state of Sinag’s heart (because Sinag’s happiness is more important than a torpe boy’s confession). Sinag tells her she’s moved on (the mantra of the day) and goes on to say that if she ever meets him in the same vicinity, she’d smile and take initiative to introduce herself without a hint of bitterness.   

Random thoughts

* Urgh. Alden is so good at playing “broken” and emotionally tormented characters. It’s amazing because he is able to add subtle differences between broken Benjie, broken Andrew, broken James and I suppose his pre-Aldub characters as well. That shows that he is not just “acting,” he’s bringing a character to life.

* Seeing that he is not over Sinag, I feel like Benjie is just using Trisha in the same way that she is using him. I guess his low regard for women’s feelings has not changed much.

* Let me get this straight. You’ve been living in the same effin house for months, your injury compels her to be extra attentive to you, Benjie is out of the way, there are no other suitors, her whole family is rooting for you, AND YET NOTHING HAPPENED IN THE LAST TWO YEARS? The whole point of your leg injury was to soften Sinag and get her to notice you and NOTHING? I think we need to get another male third wheel because he is as useless as Marjorie.  

* Can somebody explain why not having a “love life” is equal to an incomplete life? You can be successful, financially stable, have great relationship with your family and co-workers and friends but you’d still be seen as deficient for not being in a romantic relationship. WHY??? And haven’t this family learned their mistake? They were pestering Sinag to have a lovelife that when Benjie came along, they immediately dropped their guard.

* The manure metaphor is employed again. Just like how Sinag’s first love ended in $h!t, so did Badong’s attempt to confess to Sinag. Maybe the writers want to provide a “sign” to know if that love is not “destined to be yours”: feelings will end up in a pile of $h!t.  

* And here is Nanay Sally with her “what if he’s the one” rhetoric again. *facepalm*

* ARGGGHHHH!!! Badong is blaming tadhana for his lack of balls for his failed attempts to confess to SInag. Destiny may be a fickle b****h but she does not deserve to be a scapegoat for your spinelessness.

* I would laugh if the townhouse they’re living in was built by a Rosales Development sub-company.

* Kain pa more Alden.

* Alden’s scenes with his DTBY mom still gets me teary eyed.

* Arman and Ninay’s “babe” sounds different compared to Benjie and Trish’s “babe.” I probably have this anti-b***$h!t filter.

* I get that Sinag has been in Metro Manila two years (and Maine is gorgeous AF in all her wardrobe) but I don’t get why Sinag would dress up like Marjorie (minus the crop tops of course, Gov woud throw a fit). Heels as everyday footwear? Really? Even the global street style stars prefer sneakers, low block heels and mules as footwear of choice. Heck even Victoria Beckham wears sneakers these days. Tiis-ganda is sooo 2015. The stylists in this show need to get the memo.

In conclusion   

After the last episode’s time skip, we get to know more about Sinag and Benjie through their interaction with the family. No matter how successful they’ve become, their love for family has not changed: Amanda is still the top priority in his life and the Obispos are still fixated about Sinag’s love life.

Despite the clamor for SinJie scenes, I think it’s premature for them to meet again before establishing clearly how they’ve been since the arson. We need to see more of Benjie’s relationship with Trish and the politics behind it before we can go back to SinJie. We need to see Sinag be aware of Badong’s affection before we go back to SinJie. Otherwise, the conflict would be so meh when they start to re-connect again.