The M&M's Appeal: From 'Papa Chen' to 'Ser Chief'

While most actors his age are taking a backseat now, Richard Yap is just starting to get used to the limelight. We all thought the Papa Chen phase was already the peak of this commercial model’s showbiz stint but Ser Chief (yes, that’s exactly how Maya spells it!) came and captured our hearts in a major way. As we looked into his impact from My Binondo Girl (2011-2012) to his current Be Careful with my Heart, there was something fairly consistent with Richard Yap – something we’d like to call the M&M’s appeal. Similar to our well-loved chocolate candies, both the Papa Chen and Ser Chief characters exude that hard-on-the-outside-but-soft-on-the-inside vibe. Both characters try to put up a strong front and hide what they truly feel. The difficulty in showing their true feelings pushes them to express emotions in other ways. In Ser Chief’s case, he stirs up kilig through indirect and unspoken displays of affection. That way, he comes off as exclusive and seemingly hard to reach. And there, we believe, lie the mystery and appeal. This whole act makes him aspirational. Mix that with the Cinderella factor where a rich and handsome employer falls in love with the nanny and we now have the main ingredients for a successful love story.

Fans know the significance of this pic 😉
Image courtesy of Be Careful With My Heart’s Facebook fanpage

Image courtesy of Richard Yap’s Facebook fan page

Richard Yap is proof that the suplado-looking sweetheart role cuts across all markets and age brackets. Based on our quick research, Ser Chief is everyone’s heartthrob. His admirers range from household helpers to teachers to corporate professionals and even to lolas. Yes, we learned that even our dearest grandmas gush at Ser Chief softening up for Maya! As we have observed from the start of the show, the M&M’s appeal is so powerful it has contributed to bringing Richard and Jodi (Sta. Maria) to the adult KathNiel status these days. What with the continuous Twitter trending and Facebook flooding about the show, the Ser Chief-Maya “loveteam” has become more than just a craze, it is now an overwhelming phenomenon. The buzz extends beyond guestings and mall shows, even TV Patrol ended the nightly news yesterday with clips of Ser Chief trying to win Maya back. We guess that says a lot. And with the daily series extending until Junethis year, we have yet to see where else this effective appeal can take us. 🙂