I am among the thousands who went crazy over the Pinoy online series "Linlang" starring Kim Chiu, Paulo Avelino, Maricel Soriano, and JM de Guzman. Unfolded in 14 episodes over Prime Video, the "thriller" series highlights the vengeful moves of Victor Lualhati (Paulo Avelino) against his half-brother Alex Lualhati (JM de Guzman) after the former discovered the illicit affair of his wife and Alex.
I remember how I started watching the series online after getting curious about the trending post of Kim Chiu saying that to be slapped by the Diamond Star Maricel Soriano was a "dream come true" for her. After watching Episode 5, out of curiosity, I immediately searched for Episode 1 and finished more than 7 episodes in a matter of two days. I then officially became a Linlang addict eager to watch the new episodes every Thursday.
Philippine TV series production has also evolved and coped with the global trends upon the takeover of Netflix and other digital streaming apps. Linlang was fast-paced and unpredictable, and it was a production worth watching.
As a married person, one of the good things aside from being entertained by watching Linlang is that I get to realize the life lessons about married life. Here are some of them:
1. Marry when ready and stable.
In the early episodes, Liana (Kim Chiu) and Victor married while they were of young age. As a consequence, Victor needed to work as a seaman and his family. It was during this time that Liana felt the void and found comfort in Alex. Ideally, marrying when both partners are both mentally and financially ready is a helpful step in ensuring a healthy marriage in the long run.
2. Limit your vulnerability with other people, especially of the opposite sex.
Liana fell in love with Alex because he was always around helping her when she had problems. Because of this, she justified their illicit relationship thinking that her husband fell short of protecting and helping her when she needed him the most, the part that Alex took advantage of. In the end, Liana only knew that Alex was not faithful to her as well and even though Alex fought for her immensely, it was not enough to keep their relationship happy and secure.
3. Always communicate with your partner.
Communication is one of the vital aspects of a happy and secure married relationship, as we all know that there will humps and bumps along the way. Being able to let your partner know what you are expecting and what you are thinking will be key in having an honest and understanding perspective of each other. Talk about your plans, frustrations, and even anything under the sun, because after all, it will all boil down to companionship once we grow older.
4. Prioritize the feelings of your children.
Our children are God's blessings to our union as husband and wife, and they are the fruit of our love and commitment to one another. In as much as possible, putting their feelings and welfare as the top priority is something that married couples can take hold of in their desire to keep their relationship going despite all differences. In Linlang, we can see how their daughter desired to have a complete family and how she is happy whenever they are together.
In conclusion, Linlang has finally wrapped up its last episode, and it gave us a thriller series to watch out for for about two months. While there are speculations of another season as the ending was somehow a cliff hanger, we all can learn from the lessons and never cause or fall in "panlilinlang."
