“Hi, Lovebirds” “Work In Progress” “Feel At Home” and “A Welcome Surprise”, half of the eight episodes of Gameboys Season 2 (showing on ktx.ph and Vivamax Plus, every Sunday, at 8:00 p.m.), have been enjoyed by the CaiReel supporters.
The characters of Elijah Canlas and Kokoy De Santos in the Ivan Andrew Payawal and Ash Malanum-written phenomenal boys love drama now is now on its second ready to charm, and yes, seduce boys love drama aficionados all over the rainbow-colored world.
In the initial episode of the sophomore season, loyal and new audiences became witnesses to the sugar and spice and all that is nice cohabiting situation of Cairo and Gavreel. The saying “you don’t truly know someone until you live with them” proves to be true in the case of this season opening salvo.
Their relationship escalating to the next level gets a major interruption with the sudden arrival of Terrence Carreon, Kyle Velino’s character who happens to be the ex-boyfriend taking the spotlight in episode 2. The green-eyed monster, complete with razor-sharp claws and fangs, takes over Cairo, and trouble not only brews but boils because of Cairo’s growing jealousy over Terrence.
The supposed surprise in the fourth episode because of an unexpected visitor adds another layer of bewilderment and complication to the house of the “honeymooners”.
“It is just like we are coming back home,” Elijah Canlas says of the second season of the Philippines’ alpha BL. “The first season was during the height of the pandemic, the second season, even if we are already doing other projects, seeing them again, being with them, it is automatically like a family reunion, being with friends that you love”
“There are many things in this season that I totally relate to as Gavreel. The roller coaster of emotions that he experiences because of people and situations that happen in their house, hit me hard. Tagos sa puso,” De Santos interjects.
From the first four episodes, some of the universal truths that all are in agreement with are the emotional and physical connection between Canlas and De Santos bringing the kilig and pulling the heartstrings.
Much appreciation to the matinee idol presence of Velino. The fag hag and femme fairy tandem of Adriana So and Kych Minemoto as Pearl and Achilles respectively are a riotous wonder duo. The mere mention of Achilles means that Miggy Jimenez as Wesley Torres screams a bizarre love triangle that has Terrence in the equation.
What Elijah enjoys the most about the second season is: “The fact that magkasama pa tayong lahat. Super na-touch ako. You know nowadays, we all have our respective projects and physically, it is becoming more difficult to be together. We have become not only good friends, but we are now family. The camaraderie is genuine. The love and respect and trust, truly for real.”
De Santos adds: “I hope there will be no ending for the Gameboys family. Hindi ending ang gusto ko. Mas gusto ko yung happy kami. Buo kami. But there are givens that are inevitable, especially when it comes to our careers.”
Aside from their regular television shows, De Santos forthcoming films are Amoral and Death by Desire. Gawad Urian Best Actor Canlas stars in Live Scream. So and Minemoto together with Alex Diaz are the leads in Pa-Thirsty. Jimenez also has his own project with Paolo Pangilinan, a project billed as Two In One.
Both Canlas and De Santos are in agreement that they are doing all these for their individual and collective futures.
“Yes this is for the future,” says Elijah. “Pero mapapalayo ka sa aming lahat (pertaining to Kokoy), ma-mi-miss kita.” To this, De Santos replies, “Ma-mi-miss rin kita.”
Enough! Cairo and Gavreel, my tears are about to swell! Change is indeed the constant thing in all our lives and whatever happens to the career of this batch of actors that can be best described as Philippine show business’s new hope, we have Gameboys, its creators, and the whole village behind it.
During the height of the pandemic and now that we all seem to be getting back the happy chaotic lives that we are all accustomed to, Gavreel, Cairo, Pearl, Terrence, Achilles, and Wesley, are not just characters to us, they are real people who made us feel about the game called love that knows no gender.
