Edong (Jake Cuenca) and Lucas (JM de Guzman) are undoubtedly the heart of the series, facing one misfortune after another from a young age. Viewers can’t help but stay hooked, wondering what choices they’ll make next—will it be an unstoppable path of revenge or a journey toward redemption?
If you were one of the brothers, would you have the will to endure every injustice—committed not just by the law or those who bear you ill will, but even by your own blood? One thing is certain: you’d get through it with the one person who knows you best—just as the Santiago Brothers rely on each other.
#1: Lucas vows to free Edong
In the pilot episode of the series, young Edong (Renshi de Guzman) is already known as a notorious drug pusher in Amurao. His life takes a darker turn when he is accused of Louisa’s (Mutya Orquia) murder and blamed for Celestino’s (Bart Guingona) son’s addiction. As his angered response, Celestino targets Edong with ruthless beatings and injustice.
In one of the many interrogations Edong faces, his denial of Louisa’s murder pushes Celestino to the edge. Enraged, he intensifies his beatings of the teenage Edong, swinging a bat until blood drips from his face and he collapses.
When visiting time arrives, young Lucas (Andrez del Rosario) sees Edong struggling to even stand, crouched in pain. Lucas sits beside him, separated only by the cell bars, and promises to get Edong out.
#2: Edong blames himself for his little brother’s lone battle outside
The fifth episode of the series takes us inside Bagumbayan Prison, where Edong is now an inmate. Night after night, fellow prisoners show him no mercy—beating him relentlessly, burning him with cigarettes, and even urinating on him, marking him as their territory.
Lucas’s visit is different this time, as he and Edong are allowed to communicate through a timed video call. Holding back his frustration, Lucas witnesses the harsh reality of Edong’s treatment in prison, struggling even to sit through the scene. Despite it all, Edong stays positive for his little brother, determined not to burden him with worry.
Lucas reveals that they were exiled from their family because of Edong’s case and reputation. Eventually, Lucas is left to fend for himself after they lose their home.
Seeing his brother alone, Edong takes the blame upon himself and desperately reaches out when the call is suddenly cut—showing that he relies on Lucas and no one else.
#3: Edong and Lucas are the protectors of their battered mother
Before all the twists of revenge, Edong and Lucas were just young boys who loved their mother deeply and endured the beatings of their abusive father.
In the tenth episode of the show, one of the many restless nights of abuse is depicted, with Edong defending their mother, Dolores (Jennica Garcia), who has blood dripping from her mouth after Crisanto’s (Gerald Madrid) heavy punch.
Dolores cries as she watches her husband overpower her eldest son, with Lucas only able to hold her. When Edong gains the upper hand, he ensures his threat is enough to make Crisanto leave them for good.
Lucas worries that their father might return, but Edong reassures him that he is now the man of the house—and will never let that happen again.
#4: Edong and Lucas take good care of their mother
For a brief moment, smiles return in the tenth episode, giving viewers a glimpse of the Santiago family’s peaceful life without Crisanto.
The two brothers begin to rebuild themselves and heal the scars their father left, especially on their mother. Edong comes home from work with the night’s supper, while Lucas diligently pursues his diploma, working toward a brighter future.
#5: Edong gets overprotective of Lucas
The family’s brief moments of happiness are cruelly fleeting. One night, despite Edong’s promise, Crisanto returns while only Dolores and Lucas are at home. Tragedy strikes as Lucas’s brave attempt to protect their mother fails—Crisanto beats him unconscious and then kills Dolores in the same brutal manner.
Edong comes home to a wreck of a home and finds their loving mother passed away. In the days that followed, Edong grows frantic, overanalyzing every movement around their house for another return of Crisanto—this time for him.
Lucas tries to assure Edong that Crisanto has long been in hiding far from Amurao, but Edong insists he go inside the house, making another vow to protect Lucas as long as he is alive.
#6: Lucas gets fed up with Edong’s self-destructive coping
Accompanied by the young Erica (Krystal Mejes), Lucas visits their mother’s tomb and finds Edong fast asleep, seemingly under the influence.
This time, however, Lucas grows tired of trying to understand the unstable Edong, pointing out that he also lost a mother but never resorted to self-destructive habits. In response, Edong punches Lucas and is shocked by what he’s done.
Soon after, Edong stumbles upon Lucas’s confrontation with Erica’s friends, as Beth (Allyson McBride) and Louisa (Mutya Orquia) degrade Lucas and provoke Edong by mentioning their mother’s death at the hands of the abusive Crisanto, pushing him to lash out with uncontrolled punches.
As Edong and Lucas walk away from the scene, Edong’s care for his brother remains evident despite what happened, insisting that he would protect Lucas even from thrown insults.
#7: Lucas rarely misses to visit Edong
Even as they grew into adults and with Lucas finally achieving success in the business world, they would always have a scheduled day and time to catch up with each other. The fourteenth episode shows the brothers sharing a warm hug, with Lucas worrying about Edong’s recent sickness and Edong wondering about Lucas’s bruised knuckles.
#8: Edong is committed to his promise
Also in the fourteenth episode, Lucas asks Edong if he really contacted Erica (Kaila Estrada). The moment Edong admits it, Lucas worries that their plans could be jeopardized if Edong were caught in the act.
Remaining determined, Edong assures Lucas that their plans and his promise to Lucas will still come to fruition. After years of enduring abuse in prison, he has fully learned the system and how to navigate it, proving that he is stronger than ever.
#9: Lucas covertly gives Edong a SIM card
The brothers’ ambiguous plans become clearer to viewers when Lucas visits and brings Edong a SIM card he can use to communicate from inside. This simple act shows Lucas’s desire for his brother’s freedom, even helping him beyond the prison walls, and also highlights Edong’s unyielding trust in his little brother through the years.
#10: Edong finally unveils a traumatic secret
The twenty-first episode brings viewers to a painful realization and deepens empathy as one of the many reasons for Edong’s insatiable thirst for revenge is revealed to Lucas—how Edong endured repeated sexual abuse in prison, in addition to the constant beatings and degrading insults he suffered.
Filled with guilt, Lucas tearfully emphasizes that Edong should have told him, so he could have helped. But Edong insists that Lucas doesn’t understand how it left a wound he would carry deeply—a wound that also marked his growth from a weakling to a dominant force inside Bagumbayan Prison, now ready to confront those who wronged him, something he couldn’t do before because he had no power.
#11: Edong remains determined to see Lucas once everything is over
The twenty-second episode ends on a cliffhanger. After Edong reveals a hidden story from his time in Bagumbayan Prison, he severs contact with Lucas—leaving an implied promise to meet once everything is finally over.
When Lucas returns home, he looks sadly around Edong’s would-be room, imagining what it would be like if he were freed after his sentence commutation, and lingers on their family photo.
Don’t miss an episode of “What Lies Beneath,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, TV5, and iWant.