When "It’s Okay To Not Be Okay" premiered last July, it instantly captured hearts with its brave take on mental health and its beautifully written characters. Viewers were also intrigued as the local adaptation of the hit Korean drama brought together some of Philippine showbiz’s finest actors, many of whom were working together for the first time, including lead stars Joshua Garcia, Anne Curtis, and Carlo Aquino.
As each episode unfolded, we found ourselves healing alongside the characters too. The acting was so convincing that it was hard not to root for them, or to cry with them.
And now that the series is coming to a close this Friday, it feels only right to look back on the trio’s most “healing” moments as a family. These were the scenes that taught us love can rebuild even the most broken parts of us, and that sometimes, the family we choose can save us just as much as the one we’re born into.
The chaotic yet heartwarming bond among the three began when Mia (Anne Curtis) found a way to let Matmat (Carlo Aquino) stay at her mansion by hiring him as her newest illustrator just because she wanted to get closer to Matmat’s brother, Patrick (Joshua Garcia), whom she calls her “safety pin” as he always has a way of calming her down.
At first, Patrick got mad at Matmat for making big decisions without consulting him, and at Mia for luring his brother into her plans. But thanks to a piece of advice from Nanay Li (Rio Locsin), who's always been a huge part of how this unlikely family stayed unbreakable, Patrick eventually agreed to support his brother’s choices.
Of course, he had to lay down some non-negotiables. First, they would only stay at the mansion on weekdays since Matmat’s priority remained his work at OK Hospital, which was also part of his therapy sessions with Doc Anok (Bobot Mortiz). Second, Mia was not allowed to demand his time while he was at the facility. And most importantly, there would be days when Matmat would have tantrums, and she had to be patient with him, something Mia brushed off as easy, confident that fulfilling those conditions would be no problem since it was Patrick who asked.
Over time, the three began to find their dynamic. On the brothers’ first morning at the mansion, Mia was surprised to see the house looking completely different—the cobwebs were gone, the furniture was uncovered, and the once-gloomy atmosphere was filled with sunlight. Out on the balcony, freshly washed sheets were hung to dry. She followed the scent of something delicious to the kitchen where Patrick was cooking breakfast. It was their first meal together, and they had fried rice, longganisa, and salted egg with tomatoes, which became Mia's favorite especially when it's Patrick crushing the tomatoes with his bare hands. But this was also the moment Matmat began to feel a twinge of jealousy, seeing Mia steal Patrick's attention, which he was never used to sharing.
This jealousy led to the now-iconic and much-raved-about pillow fight scene where Matmat got angry upon seeing Mia holding Satsat, the doll Patrick had sewn specially for him to sleep with and to guard him from his nightmares. Mia explained that Patrick had already passed it on to her, but Matmat protested, insisting that the doll belonged to him and Patrick alone.
Matmat continued to demand the doll back until their tugging split Satsat into two. Because it was Mia who pulled too forcefully, Matmat lashed out at her, and soon they were trading blows in an all-out pillow fight. Patrick arrived home from work to the sound of shouting and chaos upstairs. When he opened the door, he found Mia and Matmat in the middle of their messy fight, so he had to break up the argument and get Satsat from them.
Whenever these three were together, we were either laughing or crying because of how good they were in every scene. One fan favorite was when Mia joined the brothers for a meal at Maravida’s Original, a small eatery that Patrick and Matmat used to visit with their mother, Tess (Meryll Soriano). Patrick loved the batchoy there so much that it became their little payday ritual with their mom.
Patrick tried to hide his face as he sipped the soup, not wanting the others to notice his tears until Matmat lightened the mood with a joke about having bad breath with batchoy loaded with garlic. Mia looked at Patrick, and for the first time, she saw him smile. Soon after, rain began to pour. The brothers shared Patrick’s red umbrella while Mia followed behind with her black one, each of them sheltering the other in their own way.
Because of his fear that Mia might steal Patrick from him, Matmat started to distance himself. But as with every conflict, there came a tear-jerking reunion. In this scene, Matmat treated Patrick to a delicious steak in a restaurant for lunch and gave him some allowance for his hospital shifts. Mia found this the perfect time to get Matmat's attention, so almost desperately she asked Matmat for an allowance too, saying she considers him her brother as well and that they're the only family she had. After a moment, Matmat told her to come home with them and to always come running whenever her “manong” was looking for her.
Raise your hand if you were also touched by their family portrait scene. Mia had arranged a photoshoot to celebrate their little family, however, Patrick refused to join at first, burdened by his discoveries about the connection between Mia’s mother and the death of his and Matmat’s mom. But when Patrick saw the outfit Mia had prepared for him, with Satsat hanging on it and a handwritten note attached, his heart began to soften. In her note, Mia wrote that she hadn’t had any nightmares since Satsat came into her care and that she was grateful to have Patrick and Matmat as her family.
Even in her grief, Mia wasn’t alone as the Gonzales brothers were right there with her when she lost her father, Samuel (Michael De Mesa). The truth eventually came to light and shook the trio's relationship. Mia found out her mom, Ingrid (Empress Schuck/Agot Isidro), was the one responsible for the death of Patrick and Matmat’s mother. Overcome with guilt, she couldn’t bear to face the brothers. Matmat, still unaware of what was happening, cared for Mia by bringing her Nanay Li’s homemade soup and some medicine, thinking she was only sick so she wouldn’t get out of her room, and told her to listen to her 'manong.' Mia broke down even more, sobbing like a little child that it was hard not to cry with her. Hoping to make her smile, Matmat showed her his new sketch of Patrick smiling, saying that’s exactly how his brother looked when he admitted he liked her which was the only time he’d ever seen Patrick happy.
Now we’re getting all sentimental because the sepanx is real! It’s been such a beautiful ride watching Mia, Patrick, and Matmat heal together, laughing, crying, and growing through every twist of their story. This trio reminded us that it’s really okay to not be okay sometimes because healing is a journey. And what a journey it’s been for the three of them.
Catch the few remaining episodes of "It's Okay to Not Be Okay" on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5, weeknights at 8:45 PM. Watch it in advance on iWant.