“What Lies Beneath” will undoubtedly unleash more jaw-dropping revelations in the next episodes, intensely unravelling the awaited truth behind Louisa’s (Mutya Orquia) unforeseen murder fourteen years ago.
To excite viewers about what’s next in their perfectly haunting teleserye, Sue Ramirez—portraying the admired celebrity stylist and domestic abuse survivor Mel Barrera-Montenegro—joins her beloved MABEL girls on the February 5 episode of Kapamilya Chat.
On appreciating their enthusiastic fans, Sue chimes in, expressing deep gratitude for their support and the creativity of their theories, showing how closely they follow every detail of the episodes. She also shares a similar experience previously recalled by Kaila Estrada, describing how some fans would curiously approach her to ask who Louisa’s real killer might be.
“Ang sagot ko lang, basta hindi ako,” she quips.
When asked about her most challenging or unforgettable scene in the series, Sue says that more than the eventful and tension-filled forest confrontation, portraying the depth of her character’s emotions—especially delivering her lines with precision, realism, and nuance—stood out.
Some examples of her scenes include the press conference episode, where her character, Mel, finally revealed to the press the truth about her marriage to the abusive Anton Montenegro (Jameson Blake). It wasn’t merely about the statement but also about what followed, as immediately afterward she had another argument with her father, Cedric Barrera (Franco Laurel), demonstrating that she had to maintain her passionate immersion in the role for a long time.
“Before nagseself-doubt ako… but we proved na kaya pala namin. Grabe ‘yung belief of the production [team], I believe in myself even more than before,” she adds.
In terms of her character’s social impact, Sue finds it comforting that Mel’s story resonates with those fighting back against any form of abuse. She highlights how life is full of patriarchal beliefs that belittles the identities and voices of women, and she hopes they may have the chance and courage to speak up for themselves.
Sue also emphasizes how crucial it is to support those who are struggling, just as, in Mel’s case, her friends spoke out for her. “It’s also good to speak for someone who is going through that,” she stresses.
During the discussion of the series’ unstoppable antagonist, Edong Santiago (Jake Cuenca), the Kapamilya actress agrees with her castmates that Edong’s villainy stems from him being a traumatized victim of injustice.
Since the beginning, Sue has underscored that it was already known that Edong was innocent of Louisa’s murder, even joking that Beth (Charlie Dizon’s character) was the cause of the chaos. While the main stars understand the circumstances that negatively shaped Edong, they still cannot justify his violent spree and the innocent lives lost as collateral damage in his revenge against the MABEL girls.
“Hindi vina-validate, pero you need that understanding why people are doing what they’re doing,” Sue conveys.
When it comes to Reich Alim, who plays the younger version of Mel, Sue expresses amazement and pride, particularly noting that the younger MABEL actresses’ chemistry with Mutya Orquia, who embodies Louisa, needs to be strong enough to carry through to their older versions.
“Para every time we got a scene with Mutya, kailangan maramdaman ng viewers na this was [our] friend,” she points out.
Back to the biggest mystery in the series—Louisa’s murder—Sue jests that she can’t really speak on the matter, as she might accidentally spill the secrets. She also humorously comments on Mel’s father, whose actions take up so much of her attention that she doesn’t have time to actually get involved in the accusations.
Capping off their guesting, Sue leaves a heartfelt message for her character, thanking her for staying strong throughout the abuse, even putting on a brave face before others, and ultimately celebrating her courage to finally speak out.
“Mel is a public figure… People in the limelight have more voice somehow… Sana mas marami kang ma-inspire na magsalita pa,” she wishes.
Feel Mel’s unwavering spirit in “What Lies Beneath” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, ALLTV2, and iWant.