I’d not watched a Pinoy teleserye in years until I learned about Dirty Linen. (I talked briefly about it here.)
I have to admit, though, that the story has slowed down a bit for me and so I’m not as eager to watch it as regularly. I do catch up to episodes I missed and I still want to decipher the story.
Aside from trying to figure out what the main story or twist is, I also still enjoy work out how the characters relate to one another and, well, ~critiquing the cast’s acting.
Dirty Linen plot
The story revolves around the über-rich Fiero family and a group of people trying to avenge their family members’ deaths, which, as you may know, were caused by the Fieros in one way or another. The main mystery for now is who killed Olivia, the nanny (and Alexa’s mother), and why, and whose baby she was carrying.
Dirty Linen cast
Janine Gutierrez as Alexa Salvacion or Mila dela Cruz
Janine Gutierrez plays Alexa, daughter of the nanny who was killed at the start of the story. She, together with the family of other victims, band together to exact revenge on the Fiero family.
Along with Olan a.k.a. Abe, she infiltrates the family and moves from the inside by posing as a nanny — just like her Olivia mother was.
With how things are playing out, it seems like her character is the one who holds the power to defeat the enemy. But now there’s also the possible love interest angle with Aidan, which may cause trouble for her and her group’s plan.
Joel Torre as Olan Sinag or Abe Matias
Joel Torre plays Olan, father of the avenger group. He was married to one of the nannies who saw Olivia’s dead body and later dies of a car accident.
He, along with Alexa, works from within the Fiero household. As driver for Carlos Fiero, he’s seen just how evil the family can get and he uses the intel he gets to try to figure out how to take them down.
Christian Bables as Max Dionisio
Max, played by Christian Bables, is also part of the avenger squad. He started out as some kind of tech whiz who’s able to intercept many of the Fiero family’s clandestine dealings. He still does it from time to time but he’s mostly working on the side, waiting for the next step.
Jennica Garcia as Lala Millado
Lala, played by Jennica Garcia, is also part of the team looking to take revenge against the powerful Fiero family. She does so mainly with the help of her womanly wiles. She has a tendency to be overly jealous, perhaps there will be a revelation about a cause for insecurity relating to Alexa.
She’s mostly working well with the team but I do feel like she has a tendency to go the other side if given a reason or if she let her insecurity take over.
Zanjoe Marudo as Aidan Fiero
Zanjoe Marudo plays Aidan Fiero (albeit not too good, in my opinion). The character is the son of Carlos and Leona Fiero. He’s the eldest male in his generation, which may mean that he’ll inherit everything in the future.
He has a secret though. He constantly gets nightmares about her former nanny, seeing her bloodied. Lots of people online think he accidentally shot Olivia, hence why he’s always guilty when he sees her in his dreams.
John Arcilla as Carlos Fiero
John Arcilla plays Carlos Fiero (quite convincingly, if I may add). He’s a jerk, for lack of a better word. He’s also evil, of course, but he’s also charming to an extent — well, manipulative, to be exact. He’s awful, which means John acts so well.
At the beginning of the story, the viewers are made to believe that he impregnated Olivia. But many twists and hints in later episodes seem to suggest that it may not be the case — or perhaps it is. We’re yet to find out.
Janice de Belen as Leona Fiero
Janice de Belen has been acting all her life and it shows in how she portrays the role of Leona. She plays Carlos’s wife who has put up with all of the evil he and his family makes her go through. She has a tough demeanor but how she cares for her son makes you see that she’s a bit of a softie inside.
Of course, that doesn’t absolve her from being an accomplice to many of the family’s crimes and, well, many of her own too.
Many people seem to think she and her best friend and the Fiero family’s attorney, Olga, have a romantic relationship. But I’m sensing it’s a bit more one-way, with Olga being the one who’s secretly in love with Leona.
Angel Aquino as Feliz Fiero-Pavia
Angel Aquino plays the seemingly soft and weak Feliz. For some reason, her mother, Cielo, hates her guts. It could be because she got married to an employee in the family’s cockpit but many people suggest that it could be because she’s not a true Fiero. Not that it was any of her fault!
Epy Quizon as Ador Pavia
Speaking of Feliz marrying somebody her mom doesn’t approve of, Ador is a bit player in the family’s evil conquests. He tried to carve his own path, sort of, but it did more bad than good.
He’s turned into some kind of sidekick for his brother-in-law Carlos now but something about his character tells me that he wants something more.
Tessie Tomas as Cielo Fiero
The matriarch of the family, Cielo Fiero, played by Tessie Tomas, is often likened to a real-life evil matriarch. I’m gonna let you figure out who it is. But let’s just say she and the character are both subtly evil. They don’t really do the evil deeds themselves, but they’re still incredibly evil.
Francine Diaz as Chiara Fiero
Francine Diaz plays Chiara, Aidan’s sister — or is she? There’s been lots of talk about her being the baby that Olivia was carrying. Many think she was taken into the family because of Carlos’s admission to being his father. But there’s still a chance that he’s not the father. We’ll just see how things play out.
Want to see them in action? You can watch Dirty Linen via iWantTFC and ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube channel.
