‘Royal Blood’ hailed for ensemble cast, gripping story

CEBU, Philippines — GMA Network’s high-rating series “Royal Blood” brings endless plot twists and mind-boggling nights to viewers. As the murder mystery continues, Napoy (Dingdong Dantes) is determined to track down the killer of his father, Gustavo (Tirso Cruz III). But it is definitely not an easy search, as the Royales family will do everything to put Napoy in a bad light. Now more than ever, Napoy must prove his innocence.

“Isa sa mga pinakamagandang napanood ko mula sa lahat ng palabas ng GMA. Sobrang thrilling bawat episode! Ang gagaling ng mga artista kudos sa inyong lahat! Dingdong Dantes is really one of the finest actors. Sobrang natural at wala kang mararamdaman na umaarte lang siya. He is indeed the one and only Primetime King,” according to some comments on GMA Network’s YouTube channel.

Netizens are also guessing who the real culprit is. One of their suspects is Margaret (Rhian Ramos), the conservative and religious daughter who actually hides a lot of temptations.

“Sobrang husay ni Rhian Ramos. Kailangan, mabigyan siya ng Best Actress award dito. Kakaiba ang character niya ngayon unlike sa ‘Artikulo 247’ na puro iyak. Dito sa ‘Royal Blood’, napatunayan ni Rhian na marami siyang kayang ipakita na hindi pa niya nagagawa sa previous roles. Mula sa pagiging love team sa ‘Stairway to Heaven’, ngayon magkapatid at mortal na magkaaway na sina Rhian at Dingdong,” some fans added.

Diana (Megan Young) is probably the most guilty in the eyes of many viewers. Based on their speculations, “Diana holds back her feelings. May plano siyang paghihiganti sa mga Royales. Si Diana parang pinapaikot si Kristoff ginagawa niyang sunud-sunuran. May interest din pala sa kayamanan ng pamilya Royales. Pero sobrang bet ko ‘yung pagtataray ni Diana. Super ganda ni Megan at napakahusay sa acting.”

Viewers are also pitting Diana and Tasha (Rabiya Mateo) against each other. According to them, “Miss World x Miss Universe Philippines! Grabe tapatan ng dalawang beauty queens dito sa Royal Blood! I love Rabiya’s character here, neutralizer ng mga maldita. Basta nasa katwiran, ipaglalaban. Rabiya as a neophyte actor is taking her role seriously. She delivers every scene with flying colors!”

Gustavo’s other children, Kristoff (Mikael Daez) and Beatrice (Lianne Valentin), are also not safe from ridicule. “He is really a mama’s boy and a selfish and insecure brother. ‘Yung unhealthy dependence ni Kristoff sa mama niya, nauulit ngayon sa pagka-dependent niya sa wife niya. Ito namang si Beatrice, may anger management and bitterness sa buhay. Palagay ko Beatrice is not a biological offspring of Gustavo. That’s the biggest twist of ‘Royal Blood’,” said some netizens.

Viewers also highlight how Andrew (Dion Ignacio) could have killed Gustavo for the sake of his business and marriage. Fans commented, “Obvious naman na si Andrew ang killer kasi gusto ni Margaret na maging heiress. Feel ko Andrew is cheating on Margaret with Beatrice at possible nalaman ‘yun ni Gustavo kaya niya pinapatay. Grabe my favorite actor! Dion, ikaw na ang next Dingdong Dantes!”

The audience has different opinions and guesses about the real murderer. But the one thing they all agree on is that “Royal Blood” has taken mystery dramas to another level.

Another one of the overwhelmingly positive feedback on the show are, “Hindi mo talaga mahuhulaan kung sino sa kanila ang may kasalanan. Ang galing, parang movie. Pang-Hollywood ang dating. Gabi-gabi ko itong inaabangan and I will support this drama until the finale. Suspense every episode. Walang tapon. Maganda ‘yung cinematography, dialogues, very convincing ‘yung acting, ang gagaling ng lahat ng actors. Very good GMA for once again producing a quality show like this!”

Directed by Dominic Zapata, “Royal Blood” airs weeknights at 8:50 p.m. on GMA; at 11:30 p.m. from Monday to Thursday, and at 11 p.m. every Friday on GTV. — (FREEMAN)