This review may contain spoilers
Pit Babe 2: I wanted to love this, but the show refused to let me
From the absurd storyline to the painfully bad writing and that forced “let’s make everyone a couple” cliché, Pit Babe 2 was a slow-motion disaster. I honestly don’t even know how I made it to the end. It dragged forever, and when it finally did end, it felt like a mercy.
Storyline:
The first season already wasted its one unique advantage: "racing"! It’s a theme I’ve never seen in another BL, and as someone who loves both engines and BL, I was genuinely excited. Finally a story not set in an engineering faculty with the same recycled “university love” plot. But racing here? A background prop at best! Apparently, anyone could just walk onto the track, touch a helmet and suddenly they were a professional racer. No training, no experience... Charlie went from being a complete beginner in season 1 to landing in top positions and random new additions like Dean and North were suddenly in the top three despite never being shown practicing or properly learning. It seemed like North started after Alan named him. Until then he always made videos and lives with Sonic. And of course, every competition magically ended with Team X-Hunter sweeping the podium. Always the same people, always the same results. No real rivals, no tension, no sense of realism. Apart from one recurring antagonist, Willy, no one else, not a single racer outside their circle, ever made it close to the spotlight. It made the entire concept of “team racing” feel like a running joke. When you introduce competition, at least make it believable. Otherwise, it’s just cosplay with engines.
Then came the plot twist overdose. I hate when villains turn into immortal demigods who can’t stay dead no matter how many times you kill them. If Tony had actually stayed in his grave and the story focused on the races themselves, maybe it could’ve been watchable. Instead, we got a circus. The drug experiment plot? Peak of absurdity! For half the series there’s only one “successful subject - Willy” and suddenly, by the finale, everyone survives, conveniently, all the main characters. Alan and Kenta stroll through the experiment like it’s a spa day, no trauma, no recovery time, like Willy had to do. Alan, who was older than everyone and had serious health injury and still pulled through? Yeah, a good one. They even skipped the whole chip implantation scene but somehow Tony could control him right away.
And when Jeff nearly died from his ability development in a few days but Charlie could handle it perfectly fine days later until the end of the series? Don’t even get me started. The writers completely forgot how to write. The moment Way’s long-lost twin appeared, I nearly closed my laptop. A perfectly Thai-speaking (instead of English), accent-free twin who grew up in the US and lived there his whole life? Sure. Because that’s totally how language works.
Oh and Dean... The guy who literally tried to kill Babe in the first season is welcomed back into the team with jokes and smiles? What kind of alternate reality is this? No one in their right mind would say, “Yeah, come back, buddy!” to a man who once tried to murder them! They would have trauma for life instead.
And of course, the cherry on top... instead of actually wrapping up the storylines they already had, the writers decided to turn Pit Babe 2 into a mass-produced matchmaking event. Two main couples were more than enough to explore, yet somehow, we ended up with almost the whole cast romantically paired off like it was mandatory. Instead of focusing on real character growth or giving existing arcs a proper resolution, they just kept throwing in more ships nobody asked for. It felt like a fan service in action.
By the end, good triumphed over evil in the most painfully predictable way possible. But it didn’t feel like victory, it felt like the writers ran out of ideas, threw on a happy ending and called it a day.
Characters:
Kim:
I actually liked that Kim left the team, it was the only logical thing. He saw there was no room for growth as a racer. But then… why was he still there? I never understood why his character stayed in the story at all. After everything he went through in the first season... nearly dying, getting dragged into that entire nightmare, any normal person would’ve packed up and gone back to Korea. He was just a professional racer Tony hired, a regular guy with no idea about the chaos happening behind the scenes. A more realistic storyline would’ve been him returning home and trying to rebuild his life after the trauma. Instead, he somehow decided to stick around and risk his life again once it was revealed Tony was still alive. For what? The man barely had a reason to stay, let alone get involved again. As much as I liked him in season one, it would’ve made far more sense if his only scene had been him boarding a plane out of that hell. His presence in season two felt forced, like the writers didn’t know what else to do with him.
Kenta:
God, what wasted potential! I loved him from the very first season. He actually had one of the most grounded, psychologically real storylines. When someone raises you from childhood, even through abuse, that bond can become the only form of connection you know. It’s the same twisted logic that keeps victims tied to their abusers, tragic but real.
But season two gave him almost no room for self-growth. And while I did enjoy his chemistry with Kim, their pairing made absolutely no sense. It felt forced and completely unrealistic, especially considering his long-standing feelings for Pete. It was so out of character it almost felt like fan fiction written by someone who never watched season one.
Willy:
One of the few genuinely interesting characters and he was saving the show for me! I didn’t like what they did with his storyline, though. There was so much untapped potential in exploring his background, his past and the reasons behind his behavior. He was layered, complex and carried the kind of charisma that made you want to know more.
Milk actually nailed the role!!! Every scene he was in felt alive and that’s saying a lot given how dull everything else was around him. But him celebrating on Charlie's and Babe's wedding was totally OFC!
Charlie:
I couldn’t connect with him in season 1 and unfortunately that didn’t change in season 2. Pooh just can’t act. He got slightly better in season 2, but when you put him next to Pavel, who completely owned his role, the difference was almost painful to watch. Charlie’s expressions never matched the emotion of a scene. He always looked flat, detached, like he was reading lines off a teleprompter. And the character itself? Stuck in a loop. No development, no growth, just the same secretive, self-sacrificing pattern over and over again. He constantly kept things to himself, carried every burden alone and made reckless decisions that hurt everyone around him, especially Babe. Their relationship lacked trust, lacked support, lacked everything that makes a partnership believable from his side. Watching them was like replaying the same toxic cycle from season one just with different lighting.
Babe:
He was the only reason I made it through the first season and the reason I even bothered starting the second. Pavel brought him to life so naturally that every emotional scene hit exactly as it should. He has this rare ability to pull the viewer right into the story, to make you feel what his character feels. But in season 2, Babe was pushed more into the background. He carried the season 1, yet was treated like a supporting role in the sequel. A massive waste of talent and character potential.
Tony:
Tony wasn’t a deep or fascinating villain, but at least he was believable. And honestly, that’s more interesting than forcing him to have some tragic backstory. People like him exist in real life: selfish, power-hungry, driven purely by greed and control. He didn’t need a grand reason for his cruelty, his motivation was simple and disturbingly human. He stayed consistent throughout the series, showing zero empathy for anyone, not even Babe in the end. He didn’t love him; he wanted to control him. That sociopathic, narcissistic energy was played perfectly and I’ll give him that. He wasn’t the kind of villain that blows you away but he was portrayed realistically.
Everyone else? Forgettable filler. Background noise in a story that didn’t know what it wanted to be. But thanks to this series I discovered Pavel, Milk and Garfield and that is at least one positive thing I found on this disaster.
Storyline:
The first season already wasted its one unique advantage: "racing"! It’s a theme I’ve never seen in another BL, and as someone who loves both engines and BL, I was genuinely excited. Finally a story not set in an engineering faculty with the same recycled “university love” plot. But racing here? A background prop at best! Apparently, anyone could just walk onto the track, touch a helmet and suddenly they were a professional racer. No training, no experience... Charlie went from being a complete beginner in season 1 to landing in top positions and random new additions like Dean and North were suddenly in the top three despite never being shown practicing or properly learning. It seemed like North started after Alan named him. Until then he always made videos and lives with Sonic. And of course, every competition magically ended with Team X-Hunter sweeping the podium. Always the same people, always the same results. No real rivals, no tension, no sense of realism. Apart from one recurring antagonist, Willy, no one else, not a single racer outside their circle, ever made it close to the spotlight. It made the entire concept of “team racing” feel like a running joke. When you introduce competition, at least make it believable. Otherwise, it’s just cosplay with engines.
Then came the plot twist overdose. I hate when villains turn into immortal demigods who can’t stay dead no matter how many times you kill them. If Tony had actually stayed in his grave and the story focused on the races themselves, maybe it could’ve been watchable. Instead, we got a circus. The drug experiment plot? Peak of absurdity! For half the series there’s only one “successful subject - Willy” and suddenly, by the finale, everyone survives, conveniently, all the main characters. Alan and Kenta stroll through the experiment like it’s a spa day, no trauma, no recovery time, like Willy had to do. Alan, who was older than everyone and had serious health injury and still pulled through? Yeah, a good one. They even skipped the whole chip implantation scene but somehow Tony could control him right away.
And when Jeff nearly died from his ability development in a few days but Charlie could handle it perfectly fine days later until the end of the series? Don’t even get me started. The writers completely forgot how to write. The moment Way’s long-lost twin appeared, I nearly closed my laptop. A perfectly Thai-speaking (instead of English), accent-free twin who grew up in the US and lived there his whole life? Sure. Because that’s totally how language works.
Oh and Dean... The guy who literally tried to kill Babe in the first season is welcomed back into the team with jokes and smiles? What kind of alternate reality is this? No one in their right mind would say, “Yeah, come back, buddy!” to a man who once tried to murder them! They would have trauma for life instead.
And of course, the cherry on top... instead of actually wrapping up the storylines they already had, the writers decided to turn Pit Babe 2 into a mass-produced matchmaking event. Two main couples were more than enough to explore, yet somehow, we ended up with almost the whole cast romantically paired off like it was mandatory. Instead of focusing on real character growth or giving existing arcs a proper resolution, they just kept throwing in more ships nobody asked for. It felt like a fan service in action.
By the end, good triumphed over evil in the most painfully predictable way possible. But it didn’t feel like victory, it felt like the writers ran out of ideas, threw on a happy ending and called it a day.
Characters:
Kim:
I actually liked that Kim left the team, it was the only logical thing. He saw there was no room for growth as a racer. But then… why was he still there? I never understood why his character stayed in the story at all. After everything he went through in the first season... nearly dying, getting dragged into that entire nightmare, any normal person would’ve packed up and gone back to Korea. He was just a professional racer Tony hired, a regular guy with no idea about the chaos happening behind the scenes. A more realistic storyline would’ve been him returning home and trying to rebuild his life after the trauma. Instead, he somehow decided to stick around and risk his life again once it was revealed Tony was still alive. For what? The man barely had a reason to stay, let alone get involved again. As much as I liked him in season one, it would’ve made far more sense if his only scene had been him boarding a plane out of that hell. His presence in season two felt forced, like the writers didn’t know what else to do with him.
Kenta:
God, what wasted potential! I loved him from the very first season. He actually had one of the most grounded, psychologically real storylines. When someone raises you from childhood, even through abuse, that bond can become the only form of connection you know. It’s the same twisted logic that keeps victims tied to their abusers, tragic but real.
But season two gave him almost no room for self-growth. And while I did enjoy his chemistry with Kim, their pairing made absolutely no sense. It felt forced and completely unrealistic, especially considering his long-standing feelings for Pete. It was so out of character it almost felt like fan fiction written by someone who never watched season one.
Willy:
One of the few genuinely interesting characters and he was saving the show for me! I didn’t like what they did with his storyline, though. There was so much untapped potential in exploring his background, his past and the reasons behind his behavior. He was layered, complex and carried the kind of charisma that made you want to know more.
Milk actually nailed the role!!! Every scene he was in felt alive and that’s saying a lot given how dull everything else was around him. But him celebrating on Charlie's and Babe's wedding was totally OFC!
Charlie:
I couldn’t connect with him in season 1 and unfortunately that didn’t change in season 2. Pooh just can’t act. He got slightly better in season 2, but when you put him next to Pavel, who completely owned his role, the difference was almost painful to watch. Charlie’s expressions never matched the emotion of a scene. He always looked flat, detached, like he was reading lines off a teleprompter. And the character itself? Stuck in a loop. No development, no growth, just the same secretive, self-sacrificing pattern over and over again. He constantly kept things to himself, carried every burden alone and made reckless decisions that hurt everyone around him, especially Babe. Their relationship lacked trust, lacked support, lacked everything that makes a partnership believable from his side. Watching them was like replaying the same toxic cycle from season one just with different lighting.
Babe:
He was the only reason I made it through the first season and the reason I even bothered starting the second. Pavel brought him to life so naturally that every emotional scene hit exactly as it should. He has this rare ability to pull the viewer right into the story, to make you feel what his character feels. But in season 2, Babe was pushed more into the background. He carried the season 1, yet was treated like a supporting role in the sequel. A massive waste of talent and character potential.
Tony:
Tony wasn’t a deep or fascinating villain, but at least he was believable. And honestly, that’s more interesting than forcing him to have some tragic backstory. People like him exist in real life: selfish, power-hungry, driven purely by greed and control. He didn’t need a grand reason for his cruelty, his motivation was simple and disturbingly human. He stayed consistent throughout the series, showing zero empathy for anyone, not even Babe in the end. He didn’t love him; he wanted to control him. That sociopathic, narcissistic energy was played perfectly and I’ll give him that. He wasn’t the kind of villain that blows you away but he was portrayed realistically.
Everyone else? Forgettable filler. Background noise in a story that didn’t know what it wanted to be. But thanks to this series I discovered Pavel, Milk and Garfield and that is at least one positive thing I found on this disaster.
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