Someone, Someday Has All the Tropes

At first, “Someone, Someday” feels like a KDrama with Filipino actors in roles they’ve done before. Kathryn Bernardo is Billy, again a driven breadwinner (“The Hows of Us,” “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” and many of her other roles). Maja Salvador is Bea, again out for revenge (“Wildflower”). Even the theme song feels like a dated KDrama jingle.
 
James Reid is Jordan, the childhood best friend of Billy. They form a bond as both their mothers passed away at a young age and their fathers abandoned them—nearly growing up on the streets until a social worker takes Billy and her brother in, and Jordan comes to live with his grandfather.

Fast forward to their adulthood, after her own heartache, Billy establishes a startup. LoveList is a dating app with over-the-phone relationship counseling, and other features. Australia-educated Jordan becomes her main tech guy and her business booms.
 
What I found unique was the relative homogeneity of the casting.
90% of the cast was female.

Lovelist’s core management team are all female, all the Loveline operators are female, and during a scene with a fire drill, even their security guard was female.
 
Angels’ Haven, the foundation they support, also takes only females in, and all the social workers are female.

When Billy’s mother passes away after giving birth to her brother, they are estranged from their father and grow up with the lone adult figure they have– social worker Precious. Antagonist Bea was also abandoned by her father, and now lives with her toxic mother. While Jordan grows up with a good male role model- his grandfather, this was only because his abusive father also left their family.

The theme of abandonment by the supposed male role models is unfortunately a common theme in entertainment, because it reflects the world we live in – even in conservative Philippines.

When a man walks out, or is unreliable, women take the reins in their homes out of necessity. Do they become successful? Yes, of course!

But that doesn’t mean they are not in need of healing, rest, or peace of mind. It’s exhausting to have to be strong all the time.

We all go through disappointment with people, but specifically on the topic of women who have been disappointed by men, it reminds me of the story of the Samaritan woman in the Bible.

In John 4, Jesus speaks to a Samaritan woman who has had five husbands, and was getting water at midday as a habit, to hide from the judgy eyes of people. But Jesus saw her for who she was, just somebody trying to find satisfaction but from the wrong sources.

Until she met Jesus at the well, and found the source of Living Water.

Like her, we all want to be satisfied, and as long as we continue to look for it in our partners, or families, even our careers, we will not be. Because those are temporal and not eternal, limited and not infinite – all these earthly sources will dry out—but never God.

Do you feel tired today?
Jesus is just a prayer away, and He will never disappoint!
Someone, Someday, is now streaming on Netflix.