Tondeng, as A Love To Last shippers call Anton (Ian Veneracion) and Andeng (Bea Alonzo), are finally getting married in the drama’s June 16 episode. Meanwhile, in a completely awkward yet fairly believable scene between ex-spouses on Thursday’s episode, Iza Calzado shines again as Grace.
“What makes you think that this [marriage] will work out when ours didn’t?” Grace asks Anton, hoping to pick some trace of doubt from her ex-husband. However, the more she pries, the more she realizes that Anton has moved on. He reminds her that their marriage was over long before the annulment paperwork was completed, long before she left.
As for Tondeng’s friends Tom (Bernard Palanca) and Tracy (Matet de Leon), romance is definitely in the air. These two are just beginning, while Tondeng has gone several levels up into the relationship commitment ladder. Tracy fears that officially dating Tom might not be the right move now. In contrast, Andeng says she is marrying Anton without fear.
“Wala akong takot sa katawan ko,” Andeng tells Anton on the eve of their wedding day. Thursday’s episode ends with Andeng waking up to cheers from her family. It seems ABS-CBN will not disappoint the show’s fans. The promo assures viewers that the big event will unfold tonight with Andeng as June bride.
Since its premiere on Jan. 9, A Love To Last has taken viewers on a romantic roller coaster ride, which peaked in March episodes featuring Tondeng scenes filmed in Baguio City. Xian Lim became part of the story around that time, when Andeng was still trying to fight her feelings for Anton.
Once in Baguio, though, Andeng erupted into a dramatic confession. (Read the recap here.) And the rest has led Tondeng to a point where they are both certain they want to get married.
There have been exciting weeks, and there have been painfully slow weeks between Andeng’s confession and the morning of their wedding. At its best, though, this Kapamilya series delivers top quality acting from both Bea Alonzo and Iza Calzado.
Iza’s portrayal of Anton’s ex-wife Grace has been on an overwhelming journey, too. Grace is such a polarizing character, dividing viewers into sympathizers and exhausted haters. The sympathizers are not necessarily rooting for her to the point of going against the Tondeng wedding. In forum sites, fans are saying Iza makes it easy for the audience to empathize with her ex-wife feels. The exhausted haters, however, want her character to remember that she was the one who left.
At some point, it becomes hard to imagine that this woman who left a toddler to pursue her dreams is the same woman crying over her ex-husband’s imminent marriage. However, in fiction and in real life, a sudden rush of emotions can be a complex matter. Grace’s moments are acceptable to a certain point.
Fortunately, it seems the writers are trying not to push it too far. It appears they are only showing an ex-wife’s journey when she realizes she did not merely leave her family; she also gave other people a chance to be with them.
A Love To Last was created by Henry King Quitain and Jay Fernando. Directors Jerry Lopez Sineneng, Richard I. Arellano, Frasco Mortiz and Rory B. Quintos are expected to continue delivering compelling ALTL scenes. More remarkable quotes are also expected from writers BJ Lingan, Rona Co and Carlota Balane.