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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat.  The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...

The Other Two: Season 2 (TV Series)

I had really enjoyed the season one of this statical sitcom and was eagerly looking for season 2. The comedy, laughs and gigs remain intact. The four sis still on these 2 siblings and a little more on the mother as well this time.

Chase has gone from being famous singer to just ok. Meanwhile their mother Pat has become a famous talk show host and really popular. Older sister Brooke feels she has perfect skills to b a talent manager and is scouring TikTok looking for the next ChaseDreams to advance her managing career, while older brother Cary has a suddenly semi-lucrative career as the token gay host on sites like BuzzFeed, Thrillist and BagelBitesTV. Neither Brooke nor Cary is exactly happy, but Drew has a boyfriend, which he thinks counts as happiness in the short term. Like its predecessor, each episode focuses on different aspects of these 2 individuals. And their growth, setbacks and positive movements in life. Brooke eventually becomes co-manager for her mother along with Scooter and also manages Chase. While Carey continues to find happiness with his boyfriend, other men and still trying to find acting gigs and become a successful actor.

To be honest, season 2 was a slight letdown from the previous season in terms of gigs and laughter but at the same time, this season feels slightly matured. The way the characters have all been developed, they have all been shown to have some growth in them. Focusing on Carey, his sudden relationship with his boyfriend and how does it affect him was done quite interestingly. He is commitment phobic and when he sees other long term gay couples, that scares him even more. Brooke was definitely more in focus in this season an dit was quite nice to see her evolution in her career followed by her as a person and individual. A dash of heart and introspection can mark the difference between being a decent acquired taste and being very good and this season does a good job of it. The savage humor is tempered by the underlying sweetness of its characters. The family is at their best when they remember that they have each other, including Brooke's ex-boyfriend Lance who also has a considerable screen time in this season as well. It continues to show us that  celebrities and the high profile life is still mostly a social construct and its us, the people who put them on the pedestal. The show is still very worthy of your time. (7.5/10)

Comments

Untouchable Ace said…
Oh you've finished it before me this time. It is more mature, I'm glad you liked it.

Time to rewatch Maurice now?
Golu said…
I did enjoy the first one so much, so yeah I watched the season 2 as soon as season finale was aired.

Maybe I will pick up Maurice sometime soon.

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