'The Cleaning Lady' Season 3 Episode 2 ' For My Son' is special

REVIEW

Twenty-five minutes in, The Cleaning Lady's Season 3, episode 2 took a historic turn when the characters of the drama series began discussing aspects of Filipino culture.

With Fiona (Martha Millan) and her son Chris (Sean Lew) in Manila, it gave the drama series' writers an opportunity to remind audiences of the Filipino roots of the De La Rosa family.

The locale also introduced a new character, Paolo Bellea, played by JB Tadena, a Fililpino American actor from the unfortunately cancelled Kung Fu.

Belleza, a fun-loving and charming guy with a breezy sense of humor and sexy confidence. Paolo owns and operates a “Turo Turo” food stall in Manila where he is loved by his community and i (surprise, surprise) as it turns out,  is Chris's biological father. 

Martha Millan and Sean Lew are mother and son in 'The Cleaning Lady' sTV eries.

(Just an FYI: Turo turo, translates into "point, point," wherein he customer orders by pointing at the dish in the steamer or on the grill.)

Paolo eases Chris' anger aimed at his mother for taking him away from his father by leaving the Philippines to the US. He explains the Filipino value of "malasakit," in the cself-sacrifice for the benefit of others.In this context:Fiona, he explains, gave up her family and everything she loved in the Philippines so that Chris can have better opportunities in the US. Hence, the episode's title: "For My Son."

During the spisode, on the way to Paolo's turo-turo, Fiona and Chris wander through a street market where the writers again used the locale to introduced Ruby Ibarra, the Filipino American rapper whose music is often played in the background of the gritty atmosphere of Las Vegas' underworld.

SCREEN CAPTURE

Rapper and song-writer Ruby Ibarra is featured in an 'The Cleaning Lady.'

Pay close attntion to Ibarra's lyrics  because they fit perfectly into the secondary storyline of Chris discovering his past and Filipino heritage.

FYI: Watch The Cleaning Lady — Season 3 with a subscription on Hulu, or buy it on Vudu, Prime Video, Apple TV.

The Cleaning Lady follows a Cambodian doctor from the Philippines, Thony De La Rosa portrayed by Elodie Yung, who comes to the US for medical treatment for her son. She is forced to become an undocumented immigrant making a living as a cleaning lady. She gets involved with the of criminal underworld rabbit hole and finds herself unable to get out. 

The Cleaning Lady's Paolo Belleza is a rare character in US television. Tadena's Bellaza is a positive image of the Asian man who is not (so far) not involved in crime, or an overbearing husband or a sexless wimp providing comic relief. He is also not a computer techie, or a "best friend" relegated to the background or a martial artist (at least, so far). Hopefully, the writers will find a way to bring him back into the story.

The storyline also reintroduces Fiona's parents, lola and lolo, respectively played by Princess Punzalan and Alberto Isaac, and their complicated relationship with their wayward daughter, a mixture of love and disapproval.

The series must have a writer or cultural adviser on salary to make sure to include and not  mess up the cultural references throughout the stories because someone not knowing the nuances of Filipinoness would take the time to explain some of the decisions made by of the characters. 

Credit must go to the series producers, including Miranda Kwok who conceived the series by taking the original Argentine series and trgiving it an Asian twist (The Philippines, specifically) reminding audiences  at the diversity that makes up this country and a a glimpse at a community rarely depicted on US television beyond the usual stereotypes.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow me at Threads.net/eduardodiok, @DioknoEd on Twitter or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

Quick review: 'It may not be perfect, but you need to watch 'The Cleaning Lady'

From left, rapper Ruby Ibarra, actor Elodie Yung and creator Miranda Kwok at a sneak
screening of 'The Cleaning Lady.'

OPINION

I have to admit, I cheered when I heard Ruby Ibarra's music set the gritty undercurrent of the new Fox series, The Cleaning Lady: Struggle, American urban, underdog, defiant, and "I am not your model minority."

As the camera flew over the Las Vegas' Strip, fiently in the background, Tagalog lyrics were being sung in an aggressive rap, "Island woman rise, walang makakatagil."

"Hey, did you hear that? someone said.

"That's Ruby Ibarra," I proclaimed.

"That's a first!"

"So cool!," I said.

Producer and creator Miranda Kwok purposely chose Ibarra's work for the Filipino pride and cultural complexities she raps about as an immigrant and a woman, which mirror Kowk's own experience and the defines the world of The Cleaning Lady. The lyrics are from Ibarra's hit "Us," an anthem, of sorts, for Filipino immigrant women.

And despite having a French Cambodian actress, Elodie Yung as the central character Thony De La Rosa, the show had elements in it that were definitely and unapologetically Filipino, starting with the first episode's title, "TNT."

"TNT" means dynamite in most English language contexts, but in the Filipino community, TNT stands for "tago nang tago," literally translated to "always hiding," referring to the status of undocumented Filipinos in the U.S. and the status of Thony.

I wasn't alone in the burst of pride of seeing Filipinos as the main characters on an American network series. Filipinos all over the Twitterverse were cheering, crying tears of joy."

Miranda Kwok, the producer who brought The Cleaning Lady to Fox, tweeted:

The first episode got mixed - but, mostly good - reviews. "TNT" performed well, garnering the highest rating ever for a Fox premiere; ruling its time slot and beating out the more established NCIS on CBS.

Although filmed in New Mexico, the story takes place in Las Vegas, where Filipinos, drawn by the glitz, glamor and economic opportunities in healthcare, business and domestic work and an underground infrastructure,  constitute the largest Asian group in Nevada. If the series stays true to its locale, expect to see a lot more Asian Americans and AAPI-themes.

There was a lot  of information to pack in the show's first 45 minutes, but the stage has been set for some interesting possibilities that haven't been covered in other more conventional cop-crime series. The undocumented status of its principle characters; the Filipino cultural references thrown in that Filipinos "get" (mahal kita, ate) will hopefully gain more meaning for regular viewers;  and then there's Ibarra's  music and lyrics, mixing Tagalog and English, providing an undercurrent of anger and defiance.

The world of The Cleaning Lady is so different than the image most non-Filipinos have seen on network television where the Filipino American characters are depicted as members of the model minority, sidekicks, butts of a running joke but. The series show fully fleshed-out human beings with dreams and problems; just trying to create a better world for their families. 

The fact that the central character, Thony, as portrayed by Yung, is Cambodian and not Filipino -- a change from Kwok's original script necessitated by Yung's French Cambodian heritage -- did not bother me because Yung was so good in her role.

As the series goes deeper into the rabbit hole world of TNTs and moral choices between good and evil Thony must make, The Cleaning Lady will get even more complex and not so black-and-white in those predicaments as she struggles between  the moral debt (Filipinos' sense of utang na loob) she owes the crime boss who helped her and her own Filipino/Catholic-influenced moral code.

I know there will be some Filipino Americans who will scoff at the series and the picture it portrays of TNTs. I can hear titas, lolas and nanays tsk-tsking and saying, "We're all not like this."

Of course not, but not all Filipinos are also not all the professionals -- teachers, healthcare workers, lawyers, tech experts -- that you want your children to become. The Cleaning Lady helps round out a broader image of AAPIs outside the pigeon-holes that American society wants to place us in.

In episode four, we are going to be introduced to Filipino American actor Lou Diamond Phillips and his real-life daughter Gracie portraying a Filipino father and his daughter who will have an impact on the future health of Thony's son, who has an immune-deficient condition and needs a transplant.

I can't wait.

The Cleaning Lady airs on the Fox Network, Mondays, 9 p.m., 8 central. It is also streamed on Hulu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

‘The Cleaning Lady’ offers a look at the hidden side of Asian America

Elodie Yung leads a diverse cast in 'The Cleaning Lady.'

American audiences will get a glimpse of Asian America rarely seen on television with today's  (Jan. 3) debut of a new drama, The Cleaning Lady.

With Asian Americans playing key roles in the series' creation, writer, executive producers and actors, the drama will feature complex, 3-dimensional characters, who don't fit the model minority mold and beyond the supporting friend, nerd and martial artist stereotypes usually portrayed in U.S. media.

Miranda Kwok (The 100) adapted the story from an Argentine series. Instead of having the characters be East Asian, which most Americans associate with when they picture Asian people, Kwok chose to have her characters come from the Philippines, broadening the image of what an Asian looks like. 

“I was inspired to create a show with a Southeast Asian female lead, which is something we’ve never seen on prime time television,” stated Kwok during a discussion at the advance community screening of The Cleaning Lady.

“What excited me about the show is that I wanted to do a female ‘Breaking Bad’ type story, but have the point of view from an undocumented person,” says Kwok, who is also the creator and writer. 

Kwok also noted that she “wanted to explore the story of an undocumented immigrant and show how she can defy all the odds that were against her, find her strength and faces those challenges.”

Eloidie Yung will play the central character, Thony De La Rosa, a whip-smart Cambodian, who is a doctor from the Philippines. She comes to the U.S. for a medical treatment to save her son, Luca, (portrayed by Sebastien and Valentino LaSalle) but when the system fails and pushes her into become an undocumented American. She uses her cunning and intelligence to fight back, breaking the law for all the right reasons.

Yung replaced Shannyn Sossamon, a Filipino American actress who was originally cast as the lead character. Casting Yung, who is Cambodian French, created another problem. Rather than facing the sure-as-fire controversy if Yung continued to play a Filipino, the creators tailored the storyline to reflect Yung's own ethnicity. So the central character Reyna became Thony.

“My dad came from another country and had to make his own place in France, so I could very much relate to that. I was so glad I could be seen for the first time for really who I am as a whole person, with my origins, my background, and also just what I could bring as an actor,” Yung said during a Fox TCA panel, when the series trailer was released. “It was such a strong part, and draining, but beautiful to have.”

To underscore the Filipino factor, the music of FilAm rapper Ruby Ibarra will be used in the series. The Bay Area artist, known for her Filipino American themes in her original lyrics, wrote several new cuts especially for The Cleaning Lady.

There will be plenty of Filipino cultural references as the De La Rosa family maneuvers it's way through the hidden world of the undocumented. Thony's Filipino husband, Marco De La Rosa, will be played by Ivan Shaw, who was born in Taiwan.

Marco's sister Fiona is also undocumented and is Thony's best friend and roommate. “It is completely groundbreaking in terms of the show and it’s diversity," says Martha Millan, a Filipino Aussie actor. "Being a part of this is incredible! Phenomenal!’’

Sabastien LaSalle, who plays Thony's son, Fiona's children played by Shawn Lew and Faith Bryant are also Asian American actors.

Additionally the series will feature other actors of Asian descent as the plot moves forward, including Filipino American Lou Diamond Philipps and his real-life daughter Gracie, who will play father and daughter in the series story.

Shay Mitchell, (Pretty Little Liars) who like Kwok, is from Canada is also executive producing.

The series premieres as the U.S. is experiencing a surge of anti-Asian hate, a move to ensure Asian American history is taught in the nation's public schools, a rise in political activism and a debate over U.S. immigration policies.

Kwok wants The Cleaning Lady “to tell a more timely story as to what is going on today. I wanted to layer in a lot of issues through the story.”

The Cleaning Lady airs on Fox at 9 p.m., Mondays or streamed on Hulu.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Sorry folks, there won't be a Filipino lead in 'The Cleaning Lady' TV series

FILIPINO AMERICAN actors, from top left, clockwise: Nicole Scherzinger, Nia Peebles, Ali Ewoldt, Tss Paras,
Eva Noblezada, Jaygee, MacaPugay, Lea Salonga, Vanessa Mannillo Latchsky and Shay Mitchell.

OH NO! The one time a Filipino American was going to be a lead actor in a US television production isn't going to happen.

The initial excitement at the prospect of seeing a Filipino in a dramatic series has gone in a poof. The script change in Fox's The Cleaning Lady is evidence of the compromises that have to be made in order for a Hollywood product get greenlit.

For some reason, Shannyn Sossamon, the original Filipino American actorpicked as the lead didn't survive the table read and the decision was made to seek a replacement.

So producers picked Elodie Yung, who is Cambodian French. Instead of insulting Filipino Americans by trying to pass a Cambodian French actress as a Filipino, the creators decided to rewrite the script to fit the actress.

It is not exactly a case of whitewashing ala Scarlett Johansson in The Ghost in the Shell, but for Filipinos, its just as bad. 

In the original script, Sossamon was cast as Reyna Salonga. With Yung's casting, the ethnicity of the Reyna character has been changed. The main character  now she will be Cambodian doctor married to a Filipino. and somehow, (don't ask me how) keep the "drama's focus on Philippine culture," according to Deadline.

The altered synopsis now reads (with my emphasis):

ELODIE YUNG

"Reyna is a whip-smart Cambodian doctor who was working in a top medical center in Manila, Philippines, where she met her Pilipino husband Marco Salonga. After their son was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening immunodeficiency disorder, Reyna comes to the US for a medical treatment to save their ailing son. But when the system fails and pushes her into hiding, Reyna refuses to be beaten down and marginalized. Instead, she becomes an on-call cleaning lady for the mob, while keeping secrets from her undocumented Filipina sister-in-law Fiona Salonga (Ginger Gonzaga) and dodging the FBI. Willing to do anything to save her son, Reyna walks the tightrope of morality, breaking the law for all the right reasons — and eventually forges her own path in the criminal underworld as she starts playing the game by her own rules."

Gonzaga, thus, becomes the only Filipino actor in the main cast.

Yung is probably best known for her role as martial artist extraordinaire Elektra Natchios on Marvel’s Netflix series Daredevil and The Defenders.
How Yung was selected over other equally talented Filipino American actresses is something we'll probably never know. Creator and writer Miranda Kwok and Executive Producer Shay Mitchell, who is Filipino Canadian, haven't said anything about the casting news in their social media accounts.

Who could have played Reyna? First off, we eliminated Filipino Americans Hailee Steinfeld and Vanessa Hudgens because they're too young to play someone who went to college and four years of med school followed by a residency. Although the role plays against type, we're sure these two extremely talented actresses could have handled the acting responsibilities of the role. Their name recognition alone would probably break the series' budget. But still, too young.

The obvious choice would have been Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell herself. Maybe as an executive producers she'd agree to a lower salary scale to help her foray into producing.

Would Nicole Schersinger break away from her role as one of the judges in the popular The Masked Singer to delve into a dramatic role? Again, even though she's Filipino American, maybe there are budget restrictions.

Then there are four actresses that are in the right age-range and their salaries would probably be reasonable enough for a prospective series. These include Vanessa Minnillo Latchky, Sharon Leal, Lea Salonga and Nia Peebles.

Then there are the experienced actors who have been waiting for their "breakthrough role" on the Hollywood's fringes. This tier of actors include Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon), Tess Paras, Ali Ewoldt (Phantom of the Opera), Jaygee Macapugay (Here Lies Love), Asia Jackson and a host of others doing student films, stagework and taking acting classes.

Unfortunately, The Cleaning Lady, like the resto of the projects in Hollywood are at a standstill as Tinseltown is also practicing self-isolation to avoid spreading the coronavirus.