WatchedTrese on Netflix a few weeks ago and as a filipino i was so happy to see animated content that is set in places where I’m all familliar with! I can literally point at a scene and go “hey! I live there!” Props to the team of Trese for a job well done! Hoping this opens doors to more locally made content!
02: Ang Kambal na Anak ni Datu Talagbusao, Diyos ng Digmaan
“It’s been three years, Inday,” Gabay told you one day, morphing into a white butterfly on your shoulder. It was 5:28AM in Hanoi, and the sun was only beginning to rise; the morning light just beginning to peek through the curtains of your current residence, which you stayed in alone since it was only fit for one person. Thus, you often had your peace in the early hours of the day. The only sounds that could be heard were the chirping of the birds outside, instrumental Bossa Nova music playing from your phone, and your kettle whistling on the stove.
02: Ang Kambal na Anak ni Datu Talagbusao, Diyos ng Digmaan
“It’s been three years, Inday,” Gabay told you one day, morphing into a white butterfly on your shoulder. It was 5:28AM in Hanoi, and the sun was only beginning to rise; the morning light just beginning to peek through the curtains of your current residence, which you stayed in alone since it was only fit for one person. Thus, you often had your peace in the early hours of the day. The only sounds that could be heard were the chirping of the birds outside, instrumental Bossa Nova music playing from your phone, and your kettle whistling on the stove.
Analysis: The Trese family does not treat Crispin and Basilio as adopted sons but familiars
I see a lot of Kambal and Alex fluff in the fandom since the cartoons did bring out the fun in the twins. Not to mention, the cartoons also have the “power of family” going on quite different than how the comics approached some of its story arcs. What is more fun than imagining Alex as this annoyed older sister taking care of her little brothers?
But this sibling relationship is mostly fanon or product of the cartoon, not really the case in the comics in Volume 1-3 where much of the cartoons were based on.
Alexandra herself doesn’t see them as brothers, or at least not yet at the end of Volume 3. Why is she called “Bossing” and not “Ate” - which translates to “older sister?”
In Volume 3 - Mass Murders, the twins’ origin was revealed. Alex’s and initial reactions were understandable since Crispin and Basilio brutally killed Anton’s allies, a pack of sigbins - including Puti and Bantay. Alex here was just 15 years old and already pragmatic, fearing the return of Talagbusao. Even Hank wanted to kill the twins.
Note that while it’s compassionate for Anton to adopt the boys, he didn’t treat them as human children at all. His words were precisely “put to better use.” These were not words meant for adopted sons.
After three years of living with the Trese family, the twins don’t call Anton anything resembling a family relationship - not Tatay (Father), Tito (honorific for older males), or even Uncle but “sir.”
At this point, the twins directly call Alexandra by her name, not “Ate” or not “Bossing.”
When Alex came out of the tree three years later, she treated the twins harshly for allegedly failing their duty as bodyguards. Now that Anton was dead, the twins’ now follow Alex the way they served her father.
I cannot truly criticize the Treses with their treatment of Crispin and Basilio, as they aren’t human and subjected to different standards. The Treses have killed and punished non-humans without any form of mercy but the twins were given a home.
We do see Alex soften and smile around them but I don’t think she sees them the same way as her blood siblings, as she is still called “bossing” and not “ate.”
All in all, I’m not really aiming to kill the fluffy family headcanons the fandom have now, nor am I trying to paint Alex in a bad light. My goal was to present how the relationship started and progressed, and where it could possibly go. We can see the potential for growth for these characters. After all, Alex herself barely had any moments of vulnerability and softness once she took her role, even when she meets her brothers they just do more work.
The Trese family is all serious business and could use some kind of fun in their lives. Basilio and Crispin might just be what they need.
The Kambal Crispin and Basilio are just around 10 years old
Another update from my old posts about the twins’ ages, and will be my last. Now I got copies again I’ve successfully deduced their age in the comics.
1. Ramona began rampaging 2 years after she was brutalized by the soldiers. This means the twins are around 1 years old assuming she still bore them for 9 months.
2. The remaining witness to her first rampage was in a mental hospital for two years. Either he already lost his mind at the beginning of Ramona’s rampage or later. Either way, this gives us a generous +2 years. The twins when the corporal was interviewed were 3 years old maximum, or less.
3. We meet the twins shortly after we meet the corporal. They’re tiny - like toddler sized. Not only are they tiny, but the comics also confirmed Alex’s age as 15 years old when she visited the bar where Ramona committed more murders. This means Alex is 12 years older than the twins.
4. The twins are shown to have aged by the time Alex turned 18 years old. Not quite old but definitely bigger. They’re only 6 years old here.
5. Alex was in the Balete tree for three years, and when she came out, the twins are already grown to their current size. This makes Alex 21 years old when she completed her trials and the twins here are 9 years old and physically matured.
So again we don’t know how long it passed since she finished her trials and the current events of the story, but like I discussed before, she’s considered the new Trese. A lot of the supernatural beings don’t even know about her yet. Give it 1-2 years, making the twins between 9-11 years old.
Edit: Alex celebrated her birthday at the end of Volume 3. Which means she’s at least 22 years old.
I had the opportunity to talk to someone who owns the comics to refresh my memories.
Anyway, the comic implies Basilio and Crispin grew up abnormally fast. The reason behind this is that they’re born to be harvested by Talagbusao and bind him to earth for a longer time.
Look at them in the comics. They’re even smaller, like 7 years old or less. If Alex was around 14-16 years old when she met them here, then the twins have grown up to be fully matured men in just around 5-7 years.
Maybe this was changed in the cartoons since they’re drawn to look much older, hence in my other link, I estimated them to be around 20 years old.
The Ages of Trese Characters - Crispin and Basilio are probably just around 20 years old
This has bugged me about the Kambal/Twins for years since I read the comics. I’m not sure what qualifies as a spoiler at this point but will still put everything under the cut.
While the comics (I don’t have the copies anymore) and the series aren’t explicit with numbers. We have the references:
1. Alex met the Twins when she was a teenager, years before her Trial. Crispin and Basilio both looked 10-12 years old at most. Trese’s age here could range 14-16 years old. We are looking at an age gap between 2-6 years.
2. Alex’s trial happened when she’s of age, so most probably 18 years old. The Twins were there by the Balete tree, visually bigger but not fully matured men. If Alex is 18 years old here, then the boys here could be between 14-16 years old (growth spurts are relative).
3. The current timeline is set not long after Alex completed her trials inside the Great Balete Tree - 5 years in the cartoons and 3 years in the comics iirc. This means Alex is 21-23 years old when she began her work.
How long has she been doing it? She’s considered the new Trese and the clan leaders and Capt. Guerrero kept on comparing her to her father. It’s reasonable that she’s only been working for a few months or 1-2 years at most, making her between 21-25 years old.
Assuming we go by averages, this puts the Twins’ age at 20-22 years old given the cartoon timeline and the assumption Trese has been working for 2 years and their minimum age gap.
But there is a chance they’re quite younger. When I’m reading the comics, I got the impression they aged quite faster than normal because they’re Warchildren/Demi-gods. They were also drawn smaller than the cartoons, and Trese only spent 3 years in the tree. If we go by maximum age gap of 6 years and supernatural aging, then they could even be as young as 15 years old currently. It’s also possible they weren’t truly 10-12 years old when we met them as well if this was the case, and possibly even younger.
Another possible counter-argument to my analysis is that Trese might have been working for a longer time, say more than five years. Every supernatural being might be treating her as a newbie because they’re thousands of years old. With this assumption of Trese being in her late 20s, the Twins might be as well be around 25 years old.
