Saying goodbye to My Extraordinary is like that broken but favorite toy you’re holding on to but not ready to let go yet. You’re holding on to precious memories with a hope of more to come. As episode seven left us with questions, we’re just in between wondering what’s going to happen and hoping there’s a twist or something coming because the pain is both satisfying and excruciating. I’m actually tormenting myself thinking of the possible endings of the series.
The events in episode 7 are consequences to a pile of bad choices, selfish statements and abrupt decisions, and we can all learn from these consequences. But what does this mean for the two leads? We’ll find out on episode 8.
But before diving in to the finale of My Extraordinary, we talked to the series’ writer – actor, musical composer and director Vincent de Jesus about creating a not-your-typical boys’ love series.
• How was it like to write/produce My Extraordinary?
MEO came at a time when it felt like the world suddenly stopped. The pandemic creatively paralyzed me since March. And the shutdown of ABS CBN by congress was devastating — not just for me but for the thousands of employees left jobless in the middle of the pandemic. It took me a while to get into the groove of coming up with a narrative. Surprisingly, I finished the complete script in three weeks.
• This is a not-your-typical BL series, was that the plan from the start? To create something different?
It was clear to us that we will produce MEO in the style of the Pinoy Teleserye — a mixture of youthful kilig to heavy drama, highlighting several LGBTQIA issues and how it’s handled in the home and in school. It was also the original plan to feature a new song per episode to synthesize the emotions of the main characters. The melodic themes of the songs eventually became their character motiffs and musical score.
• What can you say about your cast getting praises online?
We are fortunate to have two senior actors, Yayo and Jojit, who’ve done amazing work throughout the careers and both have an impressive body of work. It gives us so much joy to see our younger set of actors doing a fantastic job, most of them first-time to act in front of the camera. We had dozens of script readings online, we analyzed the script, their characters, their objectives, their intentions. They all came to the set prepared with the lines memorized. I am in awe with these kids’ talents and professionalism.
- What do you feel now the show is about to end?
I have done countless shows in my career but I will hold MEO especially close to my heart. The four lock-in days we shot the whole series to the weekly zoom viewing of every episode is an experience I will never forget. I’d like to thank our creative and production team for their relentless energy during post-production. To our director, Jolo Atienza, who spent sleepless nights with me figuring out how to make every episode even better — KITA KITS SA SUSUNOD NA PROJECT. And to Asterisk Digital Entertainment and our EP Kristian Kabigting, it was a pleasure being part of MEO. Thank you for this wonderful gift of art and friendship.
‘My Extraordinary’ will release its final episode on November 22, 2020 on AsterisK Digital Entertainment’s YouTube channel simultaneously on GagaooLala.
MY EXTRAORDINARY is the 1st Filipino Boys’ Love (BL) series on national television. It is a tender story about innocence, friendship, the beauty of awakening desire, acceptance and how time heals all wounds.
#MyExtraordinary follows the colorful story of two college students, Shake (Darwin Yu) and Ken, (Enzo Santiago) and how they try to express themselves despite the society’s many expectations.
The series also stars Karissa Toliongco, Z Mejia, Keijee Mesina, Kayden Soriano, John Cortez, Philip Dulla, Sam Cafranca, & Catcat Sanchez, with Jojit Lorenzo and Yayo Aguila. Directed by Jolo Atienza, written by Vincent de Jesus from the story concept of Kristian G. Kabigting, Jolo Atienza, and Vincent A. DeJesus.