Another character that is truly noteworthy in “What Lies Beneath” is none other than Alice Quintana-Miller (Janella Salvador), who has displayed tremendous development from being weighed down by her mysterious trauma to bravely standing up for the truth. Beyond the enigma that surrounds her identity, remember Alice as she evolved into the game-changer that answered the long-buried case of Louisa’s (Mutya Orquia) murder.
Alice’s mysterious trauma began at five years old
Trauma tragically occurred to young Alice at just five years old, the morning when she went to the marketplace alongside her mother. The same memory came back when she got older, with the last part of it completely wiped out, leading her to keep searching for the answers she needs back at Amurao.
Throughout Alice’s efforts in remembering, her body tried to prevent her from doing so, and her desperation for the truth manifested in her sleepwalking episodes, which was witnessed by Beth (Charlie Dizon), Mel (Sue Ramirez), and Scott (Mark Neumann).
Alice became the heart of MABEL
Before their seemingly unbreakable friendship as MABEL began, young Alice (Eliza Borromeo) was only close to young Beth (Allyson McBride) at the time. The circumstances that shaped their friendship involved the moment when she was saved by Beth, Louisa, Erica (Krystal Mejes), and Mel (Reich Alim) in the car crash that killed her father (Geoff Eigenmann), as well as the incident of Kyle (Kobie Brown) ruining Louisa’s reputation at Amurao High.
Eventually, the girls grew closer as Alice coped with the death of her father. They would frequently hang out at Edward’s (Joel Molina) house, who treated them all as their daughters. One fated day, Alice excitedly created their group name, which they would treasure forever.
Alice endured the secrets and pressure
Challenges are not a foreign concept in close friendships, including theirs, which took shape when the MABEL girls discovered Erica and Lucas’ (Andrez del Rosario) relationship. As Louisa and Beth furiously opposed Erica’s decision to be with Lucas, it was Alice who stepped in and reminded them to understand Erica’s reasons first.
Even so, she didn’t hesitate to confront both Erica and Louisa for keeping secrets that made her feel untrustworthy. Later on, more tragedies occurred, particularly with Louisa’s death and Celestino (Bart Guingona) intimidating the girls to unjustly point Edong (Renshi de Guzman) as her murderer.
Alice then followed Beth’s and Mel’s decision to go along with Celestino’s schemes, fearing for their futures. This ended up with Erica criticizing her friends, but she was sadly silenced by them, including Alice. When Erica left Amurao to make a fresh start, Alice tried to chase her but failed and lost touch with her.
Alice first dealt with the return of her trauma alone
Fourteen years after Louisa’s death and Edong’s imprisonment, Alice emerged successful as an accountant in the United States. She was also happily married to Scott (Mark Neumann) and has a sweet son named Seth (Rhys Stevens).
The pitfalls in her life suddenly reappeared in the middle of a fight with Scott, whom she thought was unfaithful to her. When she knocked over a glass, fragments of her trauma resurfaced, precisely where she went missing at five years old.
Since then, Alice has mistaken Scott for abusing her, causing all of her trauma. In the process of her learning the truth, she distanced herself from Scott, refusing to believe his innocence, until they came to a custody dispute, and she secretly went back to the Philippines with Seth.
When the answers were still far from being realized, Alice would be seen as mysterious, appearing always secretive, frantic, and overprotective with Seth.
Alice rebuilt her marriage with Scott
Even though she was mostly frightened, Alice continued to have courage in her heart, especially when she alone would endure the pain of reliving her trauma whenever she had appointments with a psychologist.
Soon after, Beth and Mel believed Alice’s hunches of Scott abusing her and have exerted sincere efforts in protecting her from him. Suddenly, Alice started doubting her judgment, and after witnessing Liezel's (Mary Joy Apostol) and Angelo’s (Marlo Mortel) marriage going through the agony of secrets, she finally reconciled with Scott, deciding to resolve her trauma with him by her side.
Alice shielded her family from the vengeful Edong
Following Alice’s involvement with the unjust incarceration of Edong (Jake Cuenca), he mercilessly commenced his vengeful plans against her and the rest of MABEL. Alice was actually the first person he ambushed at her temporary house in Amurao.
Next, he managed to send a gory threat to the girls, which soon became a reality when he abducted Seth. As Alice, alongside Scott, rushed to find their son, more of her lost memories popped up in her mind, and as things settled down, with Seth saved, she decided that they needed to return to the U.S. for their safety.
Alice acted in pursuit of justice
Another admirable trait of Alice, in addition to choosing to be brave despite frequently being overcome with dread, was her willingness to take responsibility for her mistakes and stand up to injustice. This was likewise observed when she initiated a long-overdue conversation with Erica about their friendship’s breakdown. From that point on, she kept in contact with Erica and designated her house as the venue for their investigations.
Tired from hiding from their lies fourteen years ago, Alice then confronted Beth’s pride and fought back against Anton (Jameson Blake), who was the abusive husband of Mel.
Alice uncovered Edward as her captor
With the MABEL girls finally cooperating with each other to clear Edong’s name and capture him, Alice simultaneously found out about the diabolical identity of her Uncle Edward, who was revealed as her abductor.
She entered the locked room of Edward, prompted by Christina’s repetitive words that pointed to the area. Clearly uneasy, Alice rummaged through the belongings of Edward’s young victims and reunited with her green hair clip from when she was five.
The full extent of her trauma showed that Edward was attracted to a young Alice, his defender, who he ultimately chose to be his first victim. He then lured her deep into the marketplace with her favorite candy and brought her to his old home but was unable to do what he desired upon the alarm of Alice’s disappearance in the vicinity of Amurao.
Eventually, Alice’s father discovered Edward’s true nature but died on the day he was supposed to bring it up with Alice.
Alice finally heals with her family
In the aftermath of Edong and Edward’s deaths, Alice, along with Erica, Beth, and Mel, happily celebrates Louisa’s death anniversary as well as Erica’s birthday. Before returning to the U.S., she intends on spending a month in Amurao to have a real vacation without lingering threats on their lives.
Speaking about the house that they once thought of renovating to be their retirement home, it was now sold, finding its way to a different owner, and ultimately making all the girls free.
Watch the remaining episodes of “What Lies Beneath,” Mondays to Fridays, 8:45 PM, on ABS-CBN sa ALLTV2. Viewers can also watch it on Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and iWant.