My Thoughts on Mara Clara's Ending

I must admit that i watched the new version of Mara Clara simply out of sheer curiosity. However, I ended up liking it that I actually saw the entire seven month run. And now, I was able to watch the final episode last night.

Scouring the net, it was really unsurprising to find out that it was one of the top topics in the local web community. And as expected, Mara Clara's ending received rather mixed reception. While some are drumming it up as one of the best, there are also those who literally tore it down and declared it one of the worst.

So how do I find the final episode? The truth is, it really isn't all that grand in the technical sense. Instead, they opted to play it out much simpler, with Mara (Kathryn Bernardo), Clara (Julia Montes), and the other characters finally confronting Gary (Jhong Hilario). Indeed, like some have said, there are bits of cliche here (it seems that Filipino soaps have an unending supply of abandoned buildings ;) ).

However, rather than going through each and every individual scene and ranting "How the hell did that happen?" (come on folks, there are real incidents of people surviving falls much higher than Amante did), I chose to focus more on how they close the characters.

Gary's death is somewhat expected. In fact, a large part of the audience is clamoring for it. However, it is his manner of death that is rather interesting, as he gets killed by Susan (Mylene Dizon) after accidentally shooting Clara.

As for the two leads, Clara suffers a mental breakdown after all that happened, with Mara regularly visiting and taking care of her while recovering. Seems a bit boring to some, but this one is actually the best part of the whole episode, as it highlighted how their bond has become much stronger, with both of them wearing a hair clip to signify that.

It is interesting to note that some people are complaining "Where is the moral lesson?" However, the "lesson" is actually right there in the form of the two leads and how they grow, with Mara becomes stronger in her resolve and Clara finally being free of all her hatred. Oddly enough, it is these simpler parts that are actually missed by many of those too focused on the drama scenes or on continuously counting the characters' wrong decisions ("Ay, ang tatanga nila!").

The series ended neither in a happy nor a sad note, but in a hopeful one, with the final scene showing Mara and Clara holding each other and watching the sun set. i would say that it isn't really one of the best that i have seen, but it would be one of the most memorable in that it made an interesting close to the two girls' story.