In tonight’s episode, Narda has finally transformed into her superheroine alter-ego for the first time.
Almost a decade after the project was first conceived, ABS-CBN’s own version of ‘Mars Ravelo’s Darna’ — starring Jane De Leon in the titular role — began airing last Monday, August 15, 2022. And tonight, the iconic Filipina superhero has finally flown in the small screen anew.
How Friday’s ‘transformation’ episode unfolded
Friday’s episode began with Narda’s encounter with Jerald Napoles’ Strength Man inside the bank. There, despite not having the powerful stone in possession, Narda fought Strength Man with all her might to prevent the first villain in the story from further wreaking havoc. However, she lost consciousness and was shot by Strength Man using a human gun (well, there are alien guns in the story, hence the differentiation).
Luckily, policeman Bryan (Joshua Garcia) went to the bank as soon as he can after previously getting a call from Narda. He then shot Strength Man multiple times to save everyone, including Narda, from the villain.
Narda wakes up in a hospital room and when she recovered, she immediately returned to her training as an emergency medical technician (EMT). Upon her comeback, she is also recognized for her heroic act. Concurrently, she also landed the job.
Unfortunately, disaster hit the fictional town of Nueva Esperanza in the form of a powerful earthquake. As a result, a building on Arbis Street collapsed and the emergency team had to be dispatched. Narda, true to her nature, tried to save as many lives as she can. But as she tried to save a man (Ketchup Eusebio) from danger, she risked her own in the process and fell to the ground.
While lying on the ground, she heard the voice of Leonor (Iza Calzado), her mother, and that woke her up, only to see the Martean soul of Leonor. Leonor assured her daughter that she is capable of taking the responsibility of being Darna, the role Leonor previously took before she was shot by a fellow Martean in an encounter four years before the tonight’s scenes. Anyway, the powerful stone fell from the sky and all Narda had to do was to read the name engraved on the stone, stand, and shout “Darna!”
After her transformation, she returns to save a few more people who were trapped in the collapsed building. That is also where the episode ended.
The reaction online
As soon as the transformation unfolded on TV and online platforms, users on social media frenzied over the look of De Leon’s Darna.
On Twitter, the official hashtag ‘#LipadDarna’ trended #1 in the Philippines and #2 worldwide, even after the broadcast of the show. On Kapamilya Online Live, ABS-CBN free livestreaming platform on Facebook and YouTube, the transformation episode garnered more than 200,000 live concurrent viewers.
Many took notice about the changes in the costume for this version, as well as the details on the helmet — one took notice that the helmet Jane wore tonight and the other from an upcoming episode are different.
While some also praised the official series poster with Jane De Leon donning the iconic Darna costume.
Viewers are also excited to see Janella Salvador’s take on Darna’s arch nemesis Valentina. Apart from that, more Extras (as in extraordinary beings) will appear in the upcoming episodes, as seen in the teaser at the end of tonight’s edition.
‘Mars Ravelo’s Darna’ continues Monday on ABS-CBN platforms on free TV, cable, and online.