Okay so I know I already made a thread about Darryl Yap's series before it was even released, but it wouldn't really be considered a full critique. But a friend who is an Altar Server and admin of a known Facebook page about the series sent me this critique which I'll explain:

1.) I think the first point just needs a brush-up. He told me that a Sacristan and Altar Server are two different individuals. Altar Servers are present as the boys who help around the altar during mass while the Sacristan works in a place called the sacristy at the back.

The reason this needs to be clarified is that it's a misconception among Filipinos that the two are somehow the same. However, while an Altar Server may opt into becoming a Sacristan after the Mass, a Sacristan is not always an Altar Server. I'll ask him for more info on this if

you have any more questions reading this thread. Anyway, it seems that there wasn't much research put into this BL just from this. I know it's not DY's obligation to know this, but it could've enriched the storytelling just by knowing this small tidbit of information. Moving on..

2.) If you're confused with the second point, my friend was basically saying that if the characters were aiming to respect the ministry, they wouldn't have done many of the things they did and no, he didn't mean they wouldn't be gay if they wanted to respect it. He meant that

they would've acted accordingly basically. They would've respected the vestments, the protocol (even I as a homosexual Catholic know some of them), and the duties given to them. But the show didn't demonstrate that, which leads me to some of the reasons why. Onto the third.

3.) The Ministry of Altar Servers is a voluntary service to the Church. I myself, someone who once served as a lector, was always reminded that my service is something I've chosen to partake. However, the reasons for one of the characters to enter is too shallow and forced, coz

basically, his school wanted him to be punished for an incident of cheating raw (?), but they couldn't expel him because he was an athlete and they needed him for Palarong Pambansa so they forced him to do community service... in the form of being a Sacristan...which is bullshit

because Community service is done for the benefit of civil society. Kaya when you're doing community service, it's either you clean the streets or work in a government office. The Church, though an important part of society, is not part of civil society. Being an altar server is

not community service. And even if it was, that's just lazy, lazy writing. Imagine how much thicker the plot would have been if both characters loved their ministry. The angst that came from that internal conflict of being gay but being in the Church would've provided more depth

to the plot! It would've enriched it even better. And that's already from a writer's perspective ha. To Sacristans, imagine how they feel, seeing that the thing they love doing was degraded into something which is a scapegoat for punishment. I don't think anyone wants to see that

4.) I'm going to condense his 4th and 5th point into one. The research given to Church Protocol for Sacristans and Altar servers is very, very lacking. Una sa lahat, the shirtless scene. I think it's basic fucking common sense to not go around Church offices shirtless...

because firstly, girl it's cold in their Church and secondly, if the reason for making him shirtless was because they were going to fit a vestment onto him, why in the world doesn't he even have a t-shirt on? My sacristan friends don't go around shirtless in the sacristy without

a vestment on. They have t-shirts. If it's mere fan service, at least give it a proper reason that's still relevant to the plot. Don't just make the gays and girls drool over a guy's abs. Make them dissect the plot (while drooling if they must).

Tsaka the way they handle the vestments raw is really wrong. You don't sleep on the floor in a vestment. First, girl dats cold. You're literally on tiles. Secondly, the vestment is blessed. Non-believer or not, show some respect for a religion's sacred vestments

5.) Talaga lang? May scene uli where femme gays objectify men's photos? Legit ba talaga? We're going to that narrative again? Ganiyan pa rin kababaw ang tingin sa amin ni Darryl Yap? Leche.

All in all, Darryl Yap's Sakristan didn't meet our expectations, and our expectations for it were extremely fucking low. That speaks volumes about the quality of work he puts out.

If you wanna watch it, I won't judge. Just know you deserve to consume better media than this.