jpny01

Maybe not "no" chemistry, but static and repetitive chemistry that's not enough to keep interesting. It can't just be based on how attractive one of the two is and how uncomfortable the other one is. It can start that way, but half the series is over now and nothing has happened.

Oh, that's right! Thanks for that, that makes a lot of sense!

I like that! I think this next episode will be important - maybe some of my issue will be solved by more movement in the plot and revealing more about what is driving everyone.

I think the phone scene was supposed to be funny, and showed us that not everyone was willing to put up with Andre's shit just because of who he is. The reason Andre has been a dick has been covered and he's realized how awful he's been and apologized, if that means anything. It's also gotten way less preachy. No pressure, just sayin'. :)

Thank you. I'm old.

I think maybe it's that Kao's acting is intended to convey that he's hiding something, so there's something restrained and artificial about Sib's behavior, but that it's starting to drag on too long and so it comes off as static and we're not getting enough character development and relationship progression. It's there, but very, very slow.

Coupled with the contrast of more happening with Aey's storyline in just this episode than Gene & Sib have gotten in the entire series so far, and it just leaves the main storyline feeling flat.

It looks like we might get some faster progress next ep, and I'm hoping all the themes which feel a little half-hearted come together in a meaningful way. I did like Sib's comment about how that scene was feeling rapey - that suggests that he's a good person, and yet I we don't know why he's so cold to Aey, and apparently not altogether nice to anyone but Gene, which suggests some deep or monomaniacal motive.

Hmm. Maybe I just need to analyze this more so that I generate more interest in the story for myself, lol. I think Kao and Up have been good in other things, so I think it's just the screenplay or directing, or maybe the story is biding it's time and is going to jump out at us shortly. I'm certainly not dropping it!

Why are you on a discussion board if you are unable to read opinions that differ from yours, and can you come up with something less immature than "well don't watch it then!" I was expressing an opinion and asking for feedback. You're just launching a personal attack, so who is a waste of time? It's amazing that you could have written that with no sense of irony.

I don't disagree - I may not have put it clearly. I meant in the context of BL, where as far as I know it's never actual incest, it's step-siblings who almost always don't even know they're step-siblings (Addicted/Heroin), or their parents marry suddenly (Brothers) and they're almost always the same age. The only morally problematic case I can think of is Trapped 4.

I can't think on an example where incest is romanticized in media - I've only ever seen it in transgressive erotica with strong warning tags.

There are way, way more prevalent and much worse and more damaging tropes in BL that nobody seems to have a problem with, but somehow the show Brothers is anathema.

That makes sense - I agree there's something strange about him, but I think it's that he's damaged and has been through a lot of suffering. That makes him interesting and compelling as a character to me, and I find that I care more about him than I do Gene, who I find rude and boring, but I realize that's all subjective.

I'm here to stay and support you!

To me the problem would be any type of relationship where there's a power imbalance where consent is called into question. Any parent that would do that to their child is twisted and horrible. Likewise, an older sibling with a younger one. I'm just questioning how anyone could think there's anything wrong with the series Brothers, where two boys of similar ages are step siblings because their parents suddenly got married one day. I just don't see any legitimate moral objection, but some people refused in disgust to watch it.

OK, but this episode wasn't cute, it was dark and disturbing. It was certainly more interesting due to the Aey storyling than past eps, though.

Why is everyone in BL fandom so obsessed with incest? Who cares? As long as people are in a consensual relationship, why judge? It's almost always people who didn't realize they are related by marriage or people who don't like each other who are thrown together because their parents married. Why is that a problem for anyone? How is that a toxic trope? To be honest, I don't see it as any better than homophobia - the majority of humanity sees homosexual relationships as inherently morally wrong, so are they right? If something is about love and harms nobody, then what is wrong, and who are we to judge? A situation had to be looked at in context and evaluated on an individual basis. If you have two brothers and one is 25 and the other is 15, then there's a problem because I think consent is very dubious due to the power dynamic. If two 18 years olds are suddenly brothers because their parents got married that weekend, what could possibly be wrong with that? Or if Gene and Sib are somehow related but didn't grow up even knowing each other, who cares?

Can you give me a reason to hate him? He has done absolutely zero wrong.

My theory is that everyone hates him because he's standing in the formulaic villain spot. Anything that's a potential threat to the main ship is automatically and by definition evil, even if they're a much more interesting and sympathetic character than the main pair and played by a way better actor.

He gets hate because everyone is used to the standard BL formula which paints him as the villain, even though he's never done anything even slightly bad. The worst you can say about him is that he is maintaining unrealistic hope that Sib will ever return his affections. For me, I would go so far as to say that he's the only sympathetic character in the series. Well, Tum & Tiffy are too, but they're so minor and off in their own story.

That muscle-outlining sweater did him lots of favors, but it would do me even more favors if he'd shed it, I must agree.

Well it doesn't look like Mork is homophobic... and I don't think he understood the context of the dinner - it didn't look like Earth had filled him in. I didn't get a strong feeling for him in this ep except that I would like him to be strongly feeling me, if you know what I mean.

I took that as a commentary on BL in general, but they always seem to skirt around being a satire but never go far enough.

What did Aey do that made you think he likes drama? He was in terrible pain this entire episode, and all her really wanted was to go somewhere quiet and safe an cry into a friend's lap. That seems like the opposite of what you said. Am I missing something?