Kapamilya viewers were indeed brought to the edge of their seats as ABS-CBN Studios’ latest primetime offering, “Incognito,” immediately delivered exhilarating action-packed scenes and mind-blowing performances just on its pilot week, January 20 to January 24. Thus, many are already looking forward to seeing what is going to happen in the next episodes, especially to the main characters as they’ve taken on their first-ever mission.

But before we get to see the upcoming scenes, let us have some recollection of the highlights from the action drama’s initial five episodes in this feature!

Promising pilot week

Just in the first few minutes of the pilot episode, audiences were immediately treated to a ton of surprise appearances and riveting sequences. Ardent fans of Belle Mariano were incredibly delighted to see her as she played the role of Takako Rai, the daughter of the Yangdon Ambassador to the Philippines, Jigme Rai, portrayed by veteran actor Raymond Bagatsing.

The intense action started when a group of armed men suddenly stormed into the party and killed everyone at the party, except for Ambassador Jigme and Takako. Aside from Belle and Raymond, many were surprised to see Aljur Abrenica and Victor Basa as they made cameo appearances as the bodyguards of Takako and Jigme, who were among the casualties of the act of terrorism, as well as Antonio Aquitania and Eric Tai, whose characters are members of the terrorist group.

Veteran action star Jestoni Alarcon was also introduced as General Novilla, who reached out to Ian Veneracion’s character Colonel Gregorio “Greg” Paterno, the “contractor” or leader of an elite private military company, after Ambassador Jigme sought the help of the government as Takako got abducted. While kidnappers often ask for ransom money, terrorist leader Timor Escalera (Art Acuña) demanded the release of their imprisoned comrades— which the government is not keen to negotiate with.

After accepting the mission, Greg immediately contacted Jose “JB” Bonifacio, played by Richard Gutierrez, whose amazing fighting skills we got to witness as he singlehandedly toppled down a group of kidnappers who abducted a little girl and safely returned her to her family in exchange of two million peso-reward. While he was accustomed to working alone, Greg told him that he would be working with a team this time because of how complex their mission would be.

The next member of the team to be unraveled was Andres Malvar, played by Daniel Padilla. Departing from his teeny-bopper and heartthrob roles, the Supreme Idol surely impressed us with his flair in doing stunts, which he was able to exhibit as Andres got himself involved in a scuffle to save a young woman (Andi Abaya) from being harassed by a group of lads (among them is Alwyn Uytingco’s character) inside a train.

Baron Geisler’s character, Miguel Tecson, was the next one to be introduced as Greg and JB fetched him from a rehabilitation center, where he stayed to recover from his alcoholism. JB might have initially underestimated him, but Greg revealed that Miguel is actually a sniper and the best doctor in the army.

He may appear tough, but Andres actually has a soft side, which we got to witness when he visited his beloved grandma, Apo Esang (Malou de Guzman), just in time for her birthday at their hometown in Benguet. We also got a glimpse of how his life was in the past, as the viewers were taken back to the moment when his father, Pedro (Cris Villanueva), along with their tribesmen, were harmed during a riot that transpired between them and the police and the henchmen of the Manalastas family, who were trying to acquire their farmland.

In pursuit of defending the ‘katutubo,’ Andres, who was then a scout ranger, was charged with violation of military discipline, conduct unbecoming of an officer, and homicide, as well as dismissed from the armed forces. Unfortunately, Andres wasn’t able to keep his promise to Pedro before he passed away to not let go of the land, as the Manalastas apparently succeeded. But he and his grandma are hopeful that they will be able to take back the land that was stolen from them for the sake of his sibling, who they’ve been waiting to come home.

Andres then unexpectedly crossed paths with Emil (Polo Ravales), the scion of the Manalastas family, and his minions, which resulted in a heated scuffle. As Emil was about to shoot him, the trio of Greg, JB, and Miguel came to the rescue by running over the group with their car.

Greg offered Andres to be part of the team, which he initially refused since he doesn’t want to get involved. He apparently had a change of heart upon learning that he would be paid with three million once they accomplished the mission.

It was in the second episode where Anthony Jennings and Kaila Estrada made their first appearances. Anthony showed us that he’s not just good in comedy but also in action through his portrayal of Tomas “Tom” Guerrero, the haughty debt collector of his uncle or “ninong” (Bembol Roco), who adopted him from the Boys’ Town. While he appears to be kind, approachable, and playful, Tom can be ruthless and intimidating to those who refuse to pay him.

Meanwhile, Max Alvero (Kaila Estrada) is a hacker who targets online scammers and hides behind the codename “Metamorphosis.” She may appear very feminine and reserved, but she’s actually a femme fatale who’s not only awesome with computers but in self-defense, too, as she was able to topple down the goons who attempted to harm her all by herself. Viewers were indeed astonished as she displayed her combat skills that we’d never seen yet in her previous teleserye stints.

We also got to know the story JB when he visited his dad, former Army Chief General Tony Bonifacio (Eddie Gutierrez), with whom he obviously has no rapportafter he was dismissed from the Navy for his involvement in the coup d’etat against the corrupt president.

Tom and Andres had heartwarming farewells to their loved ones without divulging to them what they were about to do or where they would go. Miguel, on the other hand, wasn’t able to do anything but gaze at his ex-wife and their son from afar upon seeing that there is already a new man in their lives. Max, meanwhile, snuck into a house to take an expensive-looking ring out of the safe and wore it on her ring finger.

The following day, all six of them gathered at the hideout of Greg, wherein he briefed them about the job they were about to do. They wasted no time as they immediately boarded a yacht going to Delgado, where the Escalera group brought Takako, with Greg reminding them that they would work “incognito.”

Since it was their first time to be complete, there was a brief introduction of the team members that happened in the beginning of the third episode. Greg introduced JB as an ex-Navy who is an expert in counter-terrorism, special reconnaissance, combat diving, and urban warfare; Miguel as a former member of the Army who was an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialist, a sniper, and a doctor; Andres as a former Scout Ranger who excels in close quarters combat (CQC) and anti-guerilla warfare; and Max, who he described as “the best hacker money can buy.” Max took her turn introducing Greg as a top brass navy intelligence ex-o, while JB introduced Tomas as his student in the Special Forces Reserve.

It was revealed that Greg chose them mainly because he believes that the expertise of each other, as well as their motivation in serving the country, can guarantee the success of their mission. Besides, this could be a great way for them to redeem themselves and prove that they are not defined by their past.

Greg then discussed his plan for them to conduct “palit-ulo,” or to also kidnap the one and only son of Timor, Donato Escalera (Elijah Canlas), who is poised to be the future leader of his group, as a way of compelling Timor to release Takako. However, it was not only Timor and Donato who they had to face, but also the other members of the notorious Escalera clan. who are in charge of overseeing the operations of their other family business. First are the niblings of Timor, namely, Eugene (Ryan Eigenenman), Francis (Dino Imperial), and Sylvia Escalera-Jayin (Jane de Leon); then his ex-wife and Donato’s mom, Isabel (Agot Isidro).

As they received a three-day ultimatum from the kidnapper of Takako, Greg and his associates wasted no time in carrying out their extremely risky plan of infiltrating Isla Rosa. Andres disguised as a fisherman, Miguel as an internet technician, and Tomas as a vlogger, while JB, Greg, and Max as random tourists.

Since they were new in the eyes of the locals, it was inevitable for them to not attract attention. But they still managed to not blow off their disguises, despite Tomas engaging in an altercation with a foreign guest at the resort run by Sylvia and being able to score a job there as a waiter, which she offered him during their conversation. JB, meanwhile, almost had a scuffle with the arrogant Eugene when they literally bumped into each other.

In the fourth episode, we saw the struggle of Miguel in fighting the temptation of taking in alcohol when he was at Isabel’s house to try installing a spying device. He was able to strike up a conversation with Isabel until she realized that their internet provider is actually “Glomart” and not “Moonlink,” which made her suddenly suspicious. So, she quickly took her gun out from the drawer and was about to brandish it at him, but he was suddenly gone.

Max, meanwhile, was able to secure invitations for her and JB to be able to attend the party at the resort of the Escaleras by using her computer skills. While spying on Eugene, Andres was able to carry out a heroic deed by saving a poor boy from being assaulted by a minion of the Escaleras after he attempted to snatch his gun. Through his conversation with the young boy and his older brother, Andres found out that they’re victims of human trafficking after their mom sold them to the debauched affluent family.

Complications arose as Sylvia (a.k.a. “Heart”) was able to identify the informant of Greg from the horde of guests that attended the party they organized. She was immediately taken by their minions out and brought her to Eugene (a.k.a. “Clover”) and Francis (a.k.a. “Diamond”), who castigated her about Sylvia’s allegation. Despite being harmed and threatened by them, the informant remained loyal to her sworn duty and refused to tell them the truth. Just when she thought that Donato (a.k.a. “Spade”) believed in her and she was already saved from death, Francis suddenly slashed her neck.

The fifth episode commenced with Greg seeing the heavily bruised and lifeless body of his informant floating on the sea, which horrified the townsfolk. This, of course, alarmed Greg, so he advised his team that they have to act quickly since the Escaleras are already aware that they are being spied on. At the same time, JB discovered that someone wants to finish off Donato, which he was able to prevent by accidentally killing the man they tapped to execute it.

Racing against time after his informant’s death and JB’s clash with an assassin, Greg devised a plan for them to finally be able to abduct Donato. As their initial plan didn’t go as they envisioned it, specifically when Tomas was not assigned to the area of the bar where Donato and his cousins usually lounge, Max decided to do the legwork. She succeeded in putting a tracking device on Donato’s jacket as she was able to get close to him after seducing him.

Meanwhile, out of his frustration at Greg’s refusal to act on rescuing human trafficking victims on the island, including the two young boys he met the day before, Andres took matters into his own hands. He was able to stop the ferry that would transport the children to another place by causing an explosion with the use of dynamite.

As Miguel, JB, and Andres were able to hijack the boat Donato usually rides on to and from Isla Rosa, as well as gun down his bodyguards, they were baffled to not see their target there. Instead, they found a bomb, which Sylvia planted earlier and eventually detonated using her phone. Max, Tomas, and Greg, along with the people on the island, were appalled upon hearing the loud explosion in the middle of the sea. Miguel, JB, and Andres fell into the water but were able to immediately regain consciousness—as seen in the trailer of the next week’s episodes.

Feedback and reactions from Kapamilya netizens

Just on its first five episodes, “Incognito” has already caught the attention and admiration of fans and avid Kapamilya viewers for so many positive reasons.

First, arguably, is its stellar lineup of cast from the leads to the supporting ones and special guests. While we’d already seen Richard and Daniel’s flair in stunts through their previous teleserye stints, many were indeed stoked to watch Anthony and Kaila exhibit their combat skills for the first time. At the same time, we’re looking forward to witnessing Ian and Baron get into action, as well as the much-awaited entrance of Maris Racal.

Many were also pleased with the short yet notable cameo appearances of Aljur Abrenica, Victor Basa, Bembol Roco, Eddie Gutierrez, and Malou de Guzman, whom we had not seen on Kapamilya TV for such a long time. Meanwhile, Belle Mariano, Jane de Leon, and Elijah Canlas all earned praises for their compelling portrayals of their respective roles. Aside from the abovementioned actors, we also got to see Jorel Ramirez, Nicco Manalo, Noel Trinidad, Paolo Gumabao, among others.

Furthermore, the overall production was also top-tier, as it could be at par with international caliber. Production units Star Creatives and Studio Three-Sixty really exerted tremendous effort not just to have some of the heavyweights in the local entertainment scene onboard but also to bring us to real locations to get the complete vibe of the story and of every scene. Viewers also find the fast pacing of the narrative, cinematography, musical scoring, and execution of scenes, especially the action ones, very impressive.

Thus, viewers are hopeful that the people behind this promising series will be able to sustain its top-notch quality, considering that it has already gained a massive following, as attested by the six-digit concurrent viewers that it reached just in the pilot week.

Here are some of the rave reactions posted by our Kapamilya netizens on X (formerly Twitter) regarding “Incognito”:

Will Greg and his team succeed in their first-ever mission? Let’s all find out by not missing an episode of “Incognito,” weeknights on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, and TV5.