In the riveting world of “What Lies Beneath,” the name Erica Melendez (Kaila Estrada) is regarded as terrifying by ruthless criminals whose deceptive acts won’t stand a chance against her intellect and commitment to justice. For the ones she compassionately fought for, she is an undying beacon of hope who would readily confront powerful systems and political giants even when she was on her own.
Beyond her extraordinary bravery and cold-hearted demeanor, Erica’s heart of kindness is what defines her the most, as despite countless instances of neglect that broke her, she still chose to be present for those whom she could help. Explore the memories of Erica’s life that will definitely let you rejoice in her well-deserved recognition and happy ending.
Erica slowly opened her heart to MABEL
Young Erica (Krystal Mejes) lived in an environment where her presence was almost constantly invisible for her mother, Annette (Sharmaine Suarez), who was believed to have been left behind by Erica’s father. As time went on, Erica started devaluing herself, which then led her to be judged by her schoolmates, particularly the young Beth (Allyson McBride).
The first friend she ever made was Louisa (Mutya Orquia), who was likewise seen as an outcast by most people in Amurao. Only after Alice’s (Eliza Borromeo) tragic accident and Kyle’s (Kobie Brown) incident of sexual assault did Erica and Louisa become unforgettably closer to Beth, Alice, and Mel (Reich Alim).
Erica began to fight her battles alone
While her meaningful friendship with Alice, Beth, Mel, and Louisa was her source of happiness, refuge, and inspiration, it unfortunately spiraled towards a heartbreaking end the moment they had seen Erica with Lucas (Andrez del Rosario). Following Louisa and Beth’s harsh criticism of Erica’s hidden relationship with Lucas, Louisa’s secret about leaving Amurao after graduation also made a dent in their connection.
This disastrous situation between MABEL and the Santiago Brothers, whom they had a physical altercation with, became one of the catalysts for Edong’s unjust imprisonment. Despite Officer Celestino (Bart Guingona) pressuring the girls to follow the false narrative of Edong being Louisa’s murderer, Erica was the only one who stood by her belief of Edong’s innocence and was painfully abandoned by her friends in the process.
With no one to support her in any way and Lucas ending their relationship for her failure to defend his brother Edong, Erica left Amurao, bearing the guilt for fourteen years. In Manila, she took on menial jobs and was mistreated, but she soldiered on, with just fifty pesos in hand to keep her alive.
Erica became the true defender of the people
Throughout the fourteen years, Erica wholeheartedly decided Edong’s case was her motivation to become the best lawyer she could be for the oppressed. She then gained a loyal ally, Marco (Race Matias), whom she had successfully exonerated from a wrongfully charged accusation.
As she persevered in resolving Louisa’s case and attempted to clear Edong’s reputation, she did not once fret that her name would get dragged to ruins. Shortly after Edong’s vengeful call, Erica visited him in Bagumbayan Prison and tried to explain her side of the story; however, he refused to consider her perspective and hinted at severe retribution against her and the rest of MABEL.
Erica struggled to gain the support for Louisa and Edong’s cases
Following Edong’s cryptic call, Erica began to reconnect with the adults Lucas (JM de Guzman), Mel (Sue Ramirez), Alice (Janella Salvador), and Beth (Charlie Dizon) but was only met with furious responses whenever she would bring up the lie they had told fourteen years ago, which got Edong imprisoned. Even when Erica warned about Celestino’s death and Esther’s (Malou Crisologo) disappearance being Edong’s signs of vengeance, they just plainly brushed off her concerns.
Many losses and revelations later, Erica and Marco were able to team up with Lucas and her MABEL friends to uncover the truth of Louisa’s murder and discover more about Edong’s malicious schemes.
Erica led the entrapment operation against Edong
Erica’s hunch about Edong being able to leave Bagumbayan Prison whenever he pleased and the corrupt system inside was proven true as they witnessed Edong’s infiltration of Alice’s home through CCTV footage as well as the recorded threat of Edong after brutally disposing of Celestino.
Even without guards, Erica rushes to Bagumbayan and confronts the police force. She then provoked Edong further in an interview, saying to come after her instead of adding more casualties to his list.
In her organized entrapment operation, Edong retaliated with a false bomb threat that coincided with Mel’s disappearance, which then rendered Erica emotional at the thought of the severed hand found inside the mysterious box as belonging to hers.
Regardless of Edong’s deceit and eventual speculations of his death during a pursuit by NLEA, Erica still cried for him, grieving at the idea that she didn’t give him the justice he needed.
Erica’s good heart shown in multiple cases
Both Louisa’s and Edong’s cases were Erica’s priorities, but she remained strongly dedicated to her role as a lawyer—willingly taking on various cases from people in dire need of her guidance and legal defense. She then became the legal representative for Lucas and the parents of the lost Beauconeras. At times when she wasn’t the lead, Erica would still participate, including being the private prosecutor for Mel’s domestic abuse case and referring Bianca Seropon, the Amurao High student who disappeared, to an equally skillful colleague.
In between all these, Erica would also attend intense meetings and personally save lives, especially during the homeowner’s association gathering, Bagumbayan court hearing, Beth’s confrontation of Liezel (Mary Joy Apostol) and Angelo (Marlo Mortel), investigating Edong’s casualties, and questioning the returned Kyle (Ivan Carapiet).
Erica spoke her truth after fourteen years
After fourteen years of enduring the guilt and being silenced, Erica revealed the pain the rest of MABEL had inflicted on her, firstly with Alice, whom she told that she felt abandoned by when she was just fighting for the truth and Edong’s innocent life. Alice ultimately became the first confidant of Erica among the girls.
Erica then sought to make peace with Mel and Beth. For Mel, their confrontation consisted of their conflicting feelings for Lucas in the middle of the legal battle against the abusive Anton (Jameson Blake). Like Mel, Beth reconciled with Erica after realizing that Erica’s words and morality were right all along about the unfair life that Edong lived because of the mistake that they refused to correct. Even when the tensions weren’t resolved yet, Erica maintained her decision to assist Mel in breaking free from Anton and acquitting Ryan (Yves Flores) from being framed of Anton’s murder.
For Althea (Andi Abaya), Erica’s younger half-sister, who was unaware and initially in denial of the suffering that Erica experienced with their mother, Erica tearfully disclosed the trauma she harbored. Days after, the long-buried pain re-emerged for Erica, as she would often encounter Annette without an apology to express but rather with a request to stray far from Althea’s path.
Erica faced the pain of Edong’s punishment
Edong has a particular way with his punishments, preferably exacting poetic justice or, rather, the “an eye for an eye” method. For Erica, it wasn’t a physically violent one but more of a psychological one as he aimed for her to realize that she wasn’t saving anyone at all with her acts of goodwill.
In specific instances, he had severely hurt Althea to a critical condition, making Erica blame herself severely once more. Adding to this agony was when she had discovered her identity as the daughter of her mother’s rapist, which explained the emotional neglect she went through.
Erica tried to help Edong at the last time
Edward (Joel Molina) is finally revealed as the ruthless murderer of Louisa, whom he had killed for the reason that she was among the first ones who unraveled his crimes against innocent children. The instant Edong shoots him dead, he wickedly focuses on ending the lives of Erica and the rest of MABEL, the people responsible for mercilessly placing him inside the Bagumbayan, where he was treated inhumanely for years.
After Erica’s efforts of using Crisanto (Gerald Madrid), the Santiago brothers’ abusive father, as bait proved effective but took a difficult turn with Edong escaping, he seethed more at the sight of Erica pleading to spare Alice’s, Beth’s, and Mel’s lives as well as mentioning his only family, Lucas and Dolores (Jennica Garcia).
Despite Erica’s promise that she can now clean his reputation, Edong’s decisions about their lives are resolute, and Lucas was left with no choice but to fight his brother to death.
Erica’s presence is more loved and celebrated
Following the emotional death of Edong, Erica is seen at the Balangay College of Law and Society, where she was giving a speech to the next aspiring lawyers, encouraging them to pursue justice even if it gets difficult along the way.
She also reconciles with Beth, the friend she disputed with the most. On the prospect of love, Erica still focuses on herself, with Marco waiting for her to open her heart to him. She does acknowledge the feelings she has left for Lucas but ultimately decides to let their connection go, and maybe in another life, they would be given a chance to be together.
The most heartwarming of it all is how her birthdays will now be celebrated with much love from the people she holds dear, most especially by Althea and Annette.
Catch the remaining episodes of “What Lies Beneath,” Mondays to Fridays, 8:45 PM, on ABS-CBN via ALLTV2. Viewers can also watch it on Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and iWant.