Ako ang kanlungan ng iyong pagmamahal~
Kambal, Karibal (literally "Twin, Rival", International Title: Heart & Soul) is a Filipino drama television series with supernatural elements directed by Don Michael Perez and is broadcasted on GMA Network. The main leads include Bianca Umali, Kyline Alcantara, Pauline Mendoza and Miguel Tanfelix. It aired from November 27, 2017 to August 3, 2018 with a total of 178 episodes.
The story is centered on the twins Crisanta (Crisan) and Criselda (Crisel) who got their family ripped apart by their mother's psycho suitor Raymond de Villa (played by Marvin Agustin) who led their parents to believe that they died in infancy when in fact they were given to Raymond's cousin Teresa and her husband Noli, who raised the twins. The twins grow up to be fond of each other and become practically (and later literally) inseparable. Later Crisel dies of a rare disease but stays with her twin Crisan as a spirit. Then, Diego comes along (and later their mother Geraldine focusing her affections on Crisan) and Sibling Rivalry ensues. Their quest to be with their true parents, deal with Cheska and Raymond de Villa, try to make up with each other (which usually fails) and fight for Diego's affections make up most of the show's plots.
Kambal, Karibal contains trope examples of:
- Alliterative Title: Kambal, Karibal.
- Alpha Bitch: Cheska is a spoiled, rich girl who takes out her misery on being adopted and in lacking Diego's affections on any poor unsuspecting creature who happens to be in her way such as Crisan. Crisel later turns into this when she learns of Diego's affections for Crisan.
- Antagonist Title: The title translates to "Twin, Rival", referring to Crisel.
- Archnemesis Dad: Raymond is the biological father of Diego. Both have no love for each other.
- Back for the Finale: Noli, the twins' deceased adoptive father, returns in the series finale to take Crisel with him to heaven.
- Banishing Ritual: Done several times throughout the show to make Crisel's spirit leave Crisan's and Cheska's bodies. It succeeded twice but she was eventually able to get both bodies back.
- Becoming the Mask: Crisel tries to talk and act like either Crisan or Cheska while she's in eitheir body. She later inherits all of Maricar's property because she was able to fool Maricar into thinking that her daughter Cheska was back in her own body when the ritual actually failed and Crisel got the body back instead.
- Beneath the Mask:
- The audience is shown the identity of the real spirit while they're in another person's body.
- Any character with an opened third eye can see the identity of the real body inhabitant.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Raymond de Villa serves as the Big Bad in the mortal world, while the Big Bad Duumvirate of Crisel and Black Lady serve as the supernatural antagonists.
- Body Snatcher: Crisel, since she no longer has her own body. Favorite targets include Cheska and Crisan.
- Cat Fight: Usually instigated by Cheska towards Crisan (and indirectly to Crisel). Crisel (whether a spirit or in someone else's body) starts a lot of them with Crisan whenever she sees her.
- Character Development: Diego goes from being the useless love interest to actively playing a part in the twins' escapades.
- Crisan is now seen actively fighting back against her oppressors (mainly Crisel in Cheska's body) when in the past she allows herself to be beat up and just cries from the pain afterwards.
- Chekhov's Skill: Crisel has been training her Psychic Powers with Black Lady to use against Crisan. She uses it to stop Raymond from shooting her and her family at the final episode.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Crisel has been crushing on Diego since she was alive, but he unfortunately just sees her as a friend and has a crush on Crisan instead.
- Comical Overreacting: Cheska acts this way whenever she crosses paths with Crisan. Also Crisel whenever she sees Crisan get more affection from either Diego or their parents.
- The Corrupter: Black Lady always knows how to play on Crisel's insecurities to goad her into antagonizing her twin.
- Cute Ghost Girl: Crisel can be seen as this, especially when she was still a kid. Also Ghost Cheska.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Practically all of the main characters and a few side characters have it.
- Dark Is Evil: The appropriately named Black Lady is as evil as they come.
- Dead Person Conversation: Practically anyone with their third eye opened can speak to the spirit characters and hear their replies. Though the spirits can hear and reply to what the living are saying, they can't be heard by them.
- Demonic Possession: Black Lady takes over Diego's body with the intent of ruining his relationship with Crisan and to help Crisel get closer to him.
- Died Happily Ever After: Crisel dies and goes to heaven with their adoptive father Noli.
- The Dragon: Teresa serves as her cousin Raymond's main ally in his Evil Plans.
- Easily Forgiven:
- Crisan and their parents easily forgives Crisel's antics because she's family, duh.
- Cheska's crazy antics towards Crisan were easily forgiven by her adoptive mother Geraldine during the earlier part of the series.
- Easily-Overheard Conversation: This is how the antagonists and the protagonists learn about each other's plans.
- Empty Shell: Cheska's body for the most part. Crisan's body becomes this when she falls to her death from a high cliff.
- Episode on a Plane: The penultimate episode features practically all of the main characters (excluding Diego) on a plane ride to Singapore. It doesn't end well.
- Ethereal White Dress: Crisel is wearing the same white gown she was wearing when she died.
- Even Evil Has Standards: At one point, even Teresa becomes horrified at Raymond's actions. This leads to a Pet the Dog moment where she freed Crisan and "Cheska" (Crisel) from his captivity.
- Evil Is Hammy: Borh Raymond and Black Lady are clearly enjoying themselves in their respective dialogues.
- Evil Matriarch: Teresa, Raymond's cousin who raised the twins with her then-husband Noli.
- Evil Mentor: Black Lady further corrupts both the already flawed Crisel and Cheska at different points in the show.
- Evil Twin: Crisel becomes this to Crisan as she wants Diego and their parents' affections for herself.
- Family Title: The show title refers to twins Crisan and Crisel and their very complicated relationship.
- Flat Character: Notably, the twins' father Alan.
- Ghostly Chill: What the living characters feel when the spirit characters are in the same room with them.
- Go into the Light: Happens to most of the characters when they die.
- Spirit Cheska and her real mother are reunited and ascend to heaven.
- The twins' adoptive father Noli come down from heaven to take Crisel's soul with him.
- Grand Theft Me: Crisel constantly steals Crisan's and Cheska's bodies by force.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Black Lady at first causes problems for Crisan by manipulating Crisel. She only takes action directly towards the end of the series.
- Heel–Face Turn: Emmanuel de Villa helped cover up Raymond's evil plan to get Geraldine at first but later tells Geraldine the whole truth. Raymond gets him killed for that.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Crisel has constantly jumped ship from the good and bad side throughout the show.
- Heroic Bastard: Male lead Diego is the illegitimate son of one of the Big Bad Ensemble, Raymond de Villa.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Crisan and her best friend Nori.
- Invisible Jerkass: In the past when the twins got along very well, Crisel would play pranks on the people who hurt Crisan, like Cheska.
- I See Dead People:
- Crisan has the ability to see her ghost twin since she was young until her third eye gets closed by Black Lady.
- Geraldine has this ability for a while so she could help her daughters but doesn't deal with it well at first and soon gets rid of it.
- Maricar's friend has this ability as she is a fortune teller.
- It's All About Me: Crisel's greatest flaw. As much as she loves her family and friends, her love for herself and her interests is what keeps her from being an entirely good person.
- It's Personal with the Dragon: Crisan has more emotional connection to the respective Dragons of the Big Bad Ensemble of Raymond and Black Lady. Crisel is her twin sister, while Teresa is their adoptive mother.
- Last Stand: The final episode.
- Light Is Not Good: Crisel wears white, and serves as The Heavy for most of the series.
- Limited Wardrobe: Whatever clothes the person is wearing when they die will be their permanent outfit as ghosts.
- Love Makes You Evil: Crisel, Raymond, and Teresa in particular, as their antagonistic ways are fueled by their frustrations over not being loved back by their loved ones the way they wanted to.
- Manipulative Bastard:
- Raymond de Villa. He had an elaborate plan to get his love Geraldine by framing her husband Alan as a cheater and telling her that her twins died in infancy just to get her to marry him. It works, until Geraldine's father (who knows the whole truth) tells her everything.
- Black Lady has manipulated both Crisel and Cheska for both her own selfish reasons and For the Evulz.
- Missing Mom: Cheska's real mom, Maricar who appeared later in the series looking for her daughter and then trying to get her back. Turns out she left her abusive husband and tried to work abroad as a domestic helper to provide for her infant daughter Grace (Cheska) but had to endure years under abusive employers until an Arab Oil Sheikh saves her from them and marries her. When she comes home to see her daughter Grace, turns out that she was given away to someone else.
- Monochrome Apparition: Crisel and the other spirits are depicted as a shade of light blue when among living mortals.
- Ms. Fanservice: Cheska loves dressing in revealing clothes.
- Near-Death Clairvoyance: What Crisel experiences after she dies. All the characters who die or are near-death experience this.
- Near-Death Experience: Suffered by the main characters whenever they get shot, get into accidents, and get actively pursued by the main villains.
- Nice Guy:
- Diego, which causes both Crisan and Crisel to fall for him. Also Crisan's best friend Makoy who later dies from protecting her from Raymond.
- Darren, the blind rich kid who saves and helps Crisan (who was still stuck in Cheska's body).
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Crisan forgives Cheska and Crisel too easily, allowing them to regroup and think of other ways to make her life a living hell.
- Not Good with Rejection: Raymond turns into a Crazy Jealous Guy when Geraldine leaves him and remarries Alan and did everything he could to destroy their marriage.
- Not Too Dead to Save the Day: Noli comes down from heaven to reconcile the twins and even saves Crisel from Black Lady.
- No Indoor Voice: Cheska and especially Crisel whenever they are confronted for their mistakes. Also can be said about their anguished monologues.
- Poltergeist: The spirits have the ability to move stuff around for either scaring people or pranking them.
- Possessing a Dead Body:
- Crisel possesses Cheska's comatosed body, making it seem to the doctors and Geraldine that she finally recovered.
- Crisel steals Crisan's body after pushing her off a cliff to die.
- Rags to Riches:
- Emmanuel knows that his son Raymond is not a moral man, so he instead made his illegitimate grandson Diego the heir to his fortune.
- Cheska's biological mother Maricar was a poor woman who eventually marries an Arab Oil Sheikh.
- Redemption Equals Death: Moments after permanently mending her relationship with Crisan, Crisel, while in Cheska's body, ended up Taking the Bullet for her family, leading to her death and Reincarnation.
- Reincarnation: Crisan gets a new younger sister who looks exactly like Crisel as a child and is implied to be actually reincarnated.
- Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: During the first part of the series, Geraldine and Alan believed that their twins have died in childbirth when in fact Raymond gave them away to his cousin.
- Self-Made Orphan: Raymond, via his Accidental Murder of his father.
- Sibling Rivalry: The entire theme of the show, if the title doesn't give it away.
- Spirit World: A mirror version of the world the characters are in but only spirits can move within. Crisan enters the spirit world in order to defeat Black Lady.
- Spot the Imposter:
- What Crisel tries to avoid when she's taken over Cheska's body.
- Geraldine discovers the fact that the real Cheska was only to be pretending to be Crisel when she hears her play a familiar song on the piano.
- Stalker with a Crush:
- Spirit Crisel follows Diego around everywhere and even watches him as he sleeps in the hospital.
- Both Raymond and Teresa will do anything to gain Geraldine and Alan back.
- Surgical Impersonation: Raymond gifts his cousin Samuel with free plastic surgery to look exactly like him just so the police would go after him instead.
- Tagalong Kid: Diego's younger adopted brother James.
- Taking You with Me:
- Raymond dies at the end and Black Lady drags him with her to hell.
- Black Lady gets destroyed when Diego and Crisan call out her real demon name.
- Too Dumb to Live: Usually Crisan is either too dumb or too kind to notice the signs of impending danger to either herself or her family even if it's happened a bunch of times already.
- Crisel never suspects Diego so she always goes along with whatever he asks even if it harms her. She's yet to learn from those mistakes.
- Practically all of the characters can be this whenever the plot asks for it.
- Traveling at the Speed of Plot: As expected of a TV melodrama.
- Turn of the Millennium: The twins and Cheska were born in 2000. It's unstated if the flashbacks to their childhood were from this decade or the early 2010s, though.
- Vengeful Ghost: Black Lady likes instigating discord within family and romantic relationships.
- Crisel when she decided to turn against Crisan.
- Also Cheska when she got kicked out of her own body.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit:
- Cheska does this whenever she's in a Cat Fight with Crisan and someone else happens to pass by to make it look like she's the one being harmed by Crisan.
- Crisel does this later on as she has Cheska's body all to herself.
