He's Into Her Season 1 Episode 1

He’s Into Her Season 1 Episode 1

The Montage:

We see a preview of all the things that will happen in Max’s life from the challenges posed by being an outsider in her dad’s family to being the new girl in school trying to shake up the established norms the students have been used to- a preview of the future episodes.

Consistent Champion of the Underdog

In this episode, Max stands up to bullies twice. In Mindoro, she wards off three bullies to defend a younger girl. A certain sense of déjà vu happens when Ysay, not even someone she knows is being confronted by Deib who is irked by the former who makes a collage of Deib and his former girlfriend. The first thing on her mind is always to speak up and to stop injustice without thinking about how it is going to be detrimental to her own well-being. No amount of warning can stop her from confronting the perceived offender. She even hits him, and his friends note that Max has entered a territory no one has ever dared cross before, that is standing up to Deib.

Hint of a Scorned Lover
When friends are saying goodbye to Max, they make a promise to keep in touch, and our young heroine warns them not to ghost her. The others hint at RJ doing this to Max. The hint goes on as Lola Bhaves tries to hand a framed pic of Max as a young child with RJ. Max refuses to include it in her luggage.

Big Expectations and Dreams
Lola Bhaves’ parting words to Max is to make sure to not waste the opportunity of studying in Manila. This is something that most people from the province dream of because it is a chance for a brighter future. Max’s grandmother even adds that this is her mother’s dream for her. Tito Boyet also says that they have made a promise to Max’s mom to make sure that she finishes her education. Since being away from her family is the only way to make it possible, they all have to cope.

A Few Moments of Silence for this Editing Genius
As Max is in transit to the airport, a new character enters the mix as they seem to be talking to each other over the phone. Max is in a tricycle while the new guy is in an SUV. At first, one will think they are discussing a rendevouz as the SUV and the tricycle almost collide. It never gets old. The anticipation and the build-up to the point when Max meets this good-looking traveler is executed well.

The Shady Tito Boyet
Tito Boyet is introduced, and two things are apparent. He is cash- strapped and even needs to ask that the food he is buying be paid at a later date just so he can give a send-off gift to Max. When Max asks him where he is, he lies and says that he is already in the airport when in fact, he has just ridden the trike. Tito Boyet’s depiction is a foreshadowing of something that can go awry because of him. One thing is apparent still, Tito Boyet loves Max and is concerned about her well-being. He even has some nuggets of wisdom to share to her.

The Meet Cute or Not

The accident that leads Max and Deib’s words to collide is the opposite of the usual meet cute when both characters become smitten. For a while, Max probably gets distracted by the tall handsome guy walking towards her as everything seems to happen in slow mo, but the arrogance and his insistence on fixing everything by flashing wads of cash and telling Max that there is no serious injury plus the SUV does not hit the trike might have turn her off.

The New Man in Her Life

From Tito Boyet, Max is introduced to another man who is a big part of her life- her father. Max does not know how to address her father, even practicing how to greet him. Apparently, she does not know a thing about the history behind her parents’ love story and how the necklace that reminds her of her mother comes from her dad. The awkwardness continues as she does not know how to say goodbye to her dad who drops her off to school on her first day.

Out of Place

At the get go, she is having a hard time fitting in as she can’t speak Chinese nor French and use chopstick. Her sister Elle makes it clear that she is unwanted and even threatens her. In school, Elle makes it clear that they should not interact with each other. Elle wants them to act like strangers.

New friends

Naih tries to school her on how to survive in Benison International School, telling her to at least try to fit in with the clothes. She also tells her to stay in her place because Benison has a strict caste system. Those with the same interests stick together, and Naih introduces her to her new crew, and no orientation is complete without talking about the Alpha 3, the coolest of cool for Benison. If at the start, the introduction was by groups, the Alpha 3 merits an introduction of each members, but Max does not get to see the head of the Alpha three as she falls on her bum.

The Bear Bumps

The mascot figures in this episode twice making some things possible. The realization that Max is in the same school as that stranger who causes her to have an accident is stalled by the mascot bumping Max and causing her to tumble to the ground as Deib Lohr Enrile passes. The second time the Benison Bear affects Max’s life is when it collides with another student who in turn bumps into Deib causing him to be off-balanced leading to that accidental kiss.

Not Your Typical Bully nor Jock

For one, Deib Lohr Enrile is introduced as the King of Benison-the guy who is good at everything, the perfect specimen of an accomplished high schooler. We know that throngs of girls, typical for the varsity members of a team, much more the team captain, fawn over her. Despite being both the bully and the captain, he is a smart guy and seems to be good at anything as the school perceives him to be. He also seems to be under tremendous pressure as he is visibly affected by the write-ups about his team and their chances at the Inter High. There visibly is more layer to Deib and the chip on his shoulder.

Deib vs. Max

The idealist vs. the pragmatist, Deib vs. Max is a contrast in beliefs. The team captain believes in True Love while Max is jaded. It looks like these two will always be on a collision course-if not physically, but also in a battle of wits and beliefs. There does not seem to be any friendship in sight as Max says it is, hate at first sight.

Recap:

Overall, this first episode is a good one as it gives us a glimpse of who Max is and a bit of Deib without revealing all too much, giving him that mysterious aura. The chain of events has been set off to a good beginning. The tension is well-established. How the tides will change is definitely what to look forward to in the succeeding Sunday nights. If you are a Bubbly, you have seen this all, but you can’t deny how "He’s Into Her" is a good one- the template for any of the succeeding teen-based series. "He’s Into Her" has a sweet spot as it gives us not only Deib and Max, but DonBelle.