They might have started off “on the wrong foot, at the wrong time, and for the wrong reasons,” yet the characters of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano in “How To Spot A Red Flag” –Matt and Cha –were still able to find love “at the right time and for the right reasons” that led them to one another in the finale of the romantic-drama series.
As we bid farewell to another pair of characters of DonBelle whom we all loved, let’s revisit everything that transpired in the finale week that led to them being each other’s endgame.
Even though there was no guarantee that Cha would pick them to become her boyfriend, best friends Matt and JR (Jameson Blake) were still persistent in courting her and winning her heart, even though that already quite tainted their friendship. While JR showed Cha the star that he bought and named after her as a token of his gratitude and love for her, Matt gave her a bouquet of flowers that same night and then cooked pork sinigang for her the following day for lunch.
Both made the effort of picking her up from their house, but Cha opted to take the tricycle going to Legacy Cafe, which was owned by JR’s father and managed by Matt, where she worked as a barista. Since they tend to always fight for her attention, as well as to help ease Cha’s confusion, the two dashing lads agreed to create a “ligaw schedule” and a contract. They presented it to Cha, which she subsequently approved.
Things then took a nasty turn when Jackie Bartolome (Alyanna Angeles) was finally arrested by the authorities for scamming and money laundering charges after she defrauded many business owners in La Union, including Cha and her family and the company owned by JR’s family, into her cryptocurrency scamming schemes.
Upon learning about it the following day, JR immediately went to the police station to talk to the officer in charge of the case. Matt, on the other hand, went to Cha’s residence to fetch her and also relay to her the important news that she’d been waiting for. He initially discouraged her from going to the police station in fear that something terrible might happen to her, yet he eventually heeded her request to take her there.
Matt accompanied her to the police station, only to be shooed away by the police as they turned down her wish to talk to Jackie. Not wanting to put her in further trouble or see her anxious again, Matt told Cha that he would handle it and promised to update her about the new developments in the case.
Unfortunately, Jackie and her allies were able to clean their tracks, which made it hard for the authorities and the victims to glean pertinent and strong evidence against the scammers. Matt immediately relayed the bad news of Jackie having the possibility to get out from her charges scot-free to JR via phone call, which triggered the obsessive-compulsive disorder of Cha that resulted in her anxiety attack.
Due to Cha’s condition, Matt and JR agreed to have a truce while she was still recuperating. The following day, Matt came to their house first thing in the morning to personally check on her. Aside from bringing her a basket of fruits, he also cooked breakfast for her, which noticeably made her kilig.
As she expressed how embarrassed she was for what had happened the night before, especially when she tagged herself “maganda” and the two boys as her “poging saklay.” Matt appeased her to not think much about it and told her while holding her hand, “Having panic attacks does not mean you’re weak. It means that you feel deeply about what’s going on around you and the people involved. It’s not a weakness. It’s actually a strength.”
It was later on revealed that JR was an accomplice of Jackie, who threatened him that she would testify about his involvement in the crypto scam if she wouldn’t help her out. She told him that she would make sure for him to go down with them once she got sued.
Unfortunately for him, their entire conversation over the phone was overheard by Matt. He confronted him and asked him to spill the truth, but JR refused to do so, which resulted in a heated scuffle between them. As Matt expressed that he no longer wanted to cover up for him nor let him continue manipulating him, JR once again reminded him that he saved his life, but to no avail since the former had already decided to expose him.
Just when we assumed that JR would obey Jackie’s advice to make Matt the “scapegoat,” he instead followed the advice of Matt to confess to Cha the whole truth. He went to their house, hesitant at first to talk to her until it was she who came out and asked what he was doing there and why he did look so tense during that time.
JR spilled his involvement in the group that scammed Cha and other people, telling her that he only pretended to be a victim so that he could be aware of what the police had against them. He’s actually friends with Jackie, who, like him, had hang-ups with her family, so they thought of doing so in order to prove themselves to their families.
His confession definitely enraged Cha since she considered him as a friend, yet he ended up lying to her. Hearing their highly emotional conversation and Cha yelling at him, her worried parents, Ime (Benjie Paras) and Vivian (Mylene Dizon), rushed outside to see what was happening and sent JR away.
The next day, a worried Matt went to Cha to check on her and to look for JR. He told Cha that JR is just a “good guy who got lost” and needed some validation and understanding but reminded her not to feel guilty about getting mad at him because it’s absolutely valid, and he deserved it after all. He also apologized on his best friend’s behalf, as he believed that it wouldn’t happen if he was only there during the time he needed him the most.
Matt spotted JR in a quite secluded part of the beach, sitting by the shore all by himself. Despite what he did, Matt still chose to be a friend and a brother to him, as instead of chastising him or turning his back on him, Matt saved him from completely falling apart.
JR’s father, Leandro (Christian Vasquez), suddenly showed up where they were to console his son and promise him that he would not let him face this debacle alone. When they met at the police station, JR made amends with Cha and Matt, who reminded him that there are still people who care about him. As he seemed to have already accepted his defeat to their competition, JR already entrusted Cha to Matt.
He also had a heart-to-heart talk with Leandro, wherein they exchanged apologies and “I love yous” with each other, as well as expressed their yearning to fix their relationship as father and son.
A few days later, JR swung by Cha’s house not only to visit her and her parents but to also impart to them that he was granted immunity by the authorities in exchange for testifying against Jackie and Renato. According to him, their assets would be frozen and liquidated, which would make it possible for the money of the scam victims to be returned, including the amount invested by Cha and her family.
The last episode commenced with Cha’s production number alongside her best friend Maxie (Esnyr Ranollo) and their other two colleagues during the anniversary of Legacy. Cha clinched the “Best Barista of the Year,” which entailed her having to judge which coffee prepared by the bosses—Marian (Angel Aquino), Leandro, JR, and Matt—was the best for her. In the end, it was JR’s coffee that she picked, which made Matt assume that she was also picking JR to become her boyfriend.
Cha disclosed to Matt afterwards that she was actually able to distinguish his concoction, and she liked it the most. However, it was still JR’s coffee she chose since she knew all too well that the latter needed the win more than Matt in order for him to be able to redeem himself.
Aside from that revelation, Cha also made Matt kilig by finally giving him her coveted “yes.” She did it by throwing the “knock-knock” joke, “Ano ang lagi kong pipiliin na drink?” to which the answer was “MattCha.”
As Cha picked up Matt’s wallet that he dropped on the sand, she saw the torn P20 bill inside, which was actually the other half of the P20 bill that she’d kept ever since having it many years ago. It was revealed through a flashback that they already crossed paths when they were still kids at a carnival, as the young Matt chased the magician who tried to trick the young Cha with his P20-bill magic. The night ended with them having a magical, abrupt kiss initiated by a smitten Cha.
Knowing how much Cha loved her coffee shop, “Ayat Blends,” so much, Matt and her parents connived to surprise Cha with a mobile coffee truck business by the seaside. The very much in love couple seemed to not be able to get enough of each other as they continued with their harutan and lambingan moments while at work—with their second kissing scene being blurred. Amid the credits, the kilig exchanges between Matt and Cha were shown, wherein they told each other “I love you” and tagged one another “pogi” and “ganda”.
Valuable takeaways
“How To Spot A Red Flag” might have only run for several episodes, yet it was able to prove that it is definitely more than just romance and comedy because it also has a heart. It didn’t just excite viewers with the brewing love story of Matt and Cha and the stiff rivalry between Matt and JR, but we were certainly moved as well by the poignant conversations among families and friends featured in this series, which provided us with valuable takeaways about life, love, relationships, and raising Gen Zs.
The relationships of Cha, Matt, and JR to their respective parents are reminders of how important it is for children and parents/guardians to establish open communication with one another, for it could help avoid problems and resolve issues easily. Both parties should learn how to listen, not to quickly judge or jump to conclusions, and to express their sentiments in a diplomatic way in order to prevent disagreements or misunderstandings. As a family, parents and children should be each other’s strong support system no matter what.
We also liked how supportive the parents are with the romantic lives of their children since it is arguably not something that is common among Filipino households. We liked it that instead of discouraging or hindering Cha from getting into relationships, Ime and Vivian—although there was still a tinge of strictness—simply guided their unica hija on how to make wise decisions and handle problems with regard to love.
One of Vivian’s love advice to Cha that stuck with us was when she told her that even though her generation is inclined to labeling people with colors, she doesn’t need to go by it but instead rely on what or who she feels and thinks is right. For Vivian, love should not be about the color of the flag because it is the flagpole, which stands straight and upright. No matter what storm passes, it won’t fall easily and will always be willing to wave the flag of the person it loves through thick and thin. After all, it’s just up to us to decide whose flag we are willing to raise.
Another one was when Vivian advised Cha that there’s definitely no right or wrong when it comes to emotions because that’s how we feel, and we cannot simply disregard them. Besides, it’s not healthy to bottle them all up, so we must allow ourselves to feel our emotions. What’s more important, according to her, is what we are going to do with how we feel and that our decisions would always come from the heart.
Meanwhile, with what happened to JR, his father, Leandro, imparted that what he learned from it is for us to never lose faith in our loved ones because as long as our faith in them is strong and our support absolute, everything will be okay in the end.
Apart from the nuggets of wisdom, “How To Spot A Red Flag” also showed us the comedic sides of DonBelle that we probably haven’t seen yet in their past projects together. Seasoned thespians Mylene Dizon, Benjie Paras, Angel Aquino, and Christian Vasquez also compelled us with their performances—which they always do regardless of the genre they take on—making us wish that all parents in the world would be as compassionate, understanding, and loving as them.
Jameson was able to prove once again how good he could be as a third-wheel or kontrabida to onscreen main couples. Esnyr indeed did his job so well of providing comic relief to the narrative as the gregarious bestie of Belle onscreen.
Furthermore, the series also captured the beauty of San Juan, La Union, which made us want to go there and explore it by ourselves, stat!
Overall, we would like to commend everyone who is part of “How To Spot A Red Flag” for a job very impressively done!