Papa and Daddy – Drama Review & Episode Guide

Good story

With a pair of gay parents as the lead characters, Papa & Daddy has a very unique perspective that not many other BL dramas share. In fact, I don't think there are that many stories about gay parents in the world, period. Correct me if I'm wrong, because I would love to be wrong on this. It makes the setup of Papa & Daddy very distinctive, like a trailblazer in the genre.

Most of the stories told in Papa & Daddy are quite small and ordinary, like planning a birthday party or picking up your child from pre-school. Yet, there's a new, refreshing take on these mundane plots because you're experiencing them through a gay couple. It's almost like a paradox in a way, because gay parenting is identical to straight parenting in many ways. Yet, it's also quite different because this isn't the cultural norm yet.

Many of the challenges or complex situations that Damian and Jerry face are exclusive only to them, and not any heterosexual couple. This is where Papa & Daddy shines the most in its storytelling, as it showcases the similarities and the differences in the parenting lifestyles.

Healthy romance

Even though the gay parenting is a selling point for Papa & Daddy, this series is actually more about the domestic life of a married couple. As characters, Jerry and Damian are not solely defined by being parents. They are also loving husbands who have been together for six years, sustaining a long-term relationship through patience and understanding.

The fact that Damian and Jerry are a married couple is another unique perspective not shared by many BL dramas. Many other series focus on the couple falling in love, but ends the story once they get together. In Papa & Daddy, the story starts with the couple still passionately in love with each other, and it continues showing the day-to-day life of the couple after the happily ever after ending.

Damian and Jerry are a really intimate couple with a healthy and honest relationship (or they were, at least until the big twist in the end… 😞). These two aren't just together because they have to raise a child together. They still have a strong physical attraction, they share a tight emotional bond, and they genuinely enjoy each other's company. Whether they are married or not, or whether they have a kid or not, these two are almost role models for what a good couple looks like.

Decent acting

The acting in Papa & Daddy is decent. Both leads are serviceable, delivering strong enough performances to pass the test. Maybe Jerry's actor (Mike Lin) is a little less experienced, which shows in the way he acts sometimes during the more demanding scenes. However, he's mostly okay and looks quite comfortable when playing his natural self.

The chemistry between the two leads is quite strong. Their kissing is full-on, not just gentle soft smooches that you see in other BL dramas, but they go at each other raw and hot. You don't achieve this level of physical intimacy without feeling very comfortable with your role. These actors are immersed in their displays of affection, which wins them brownie points.

Good ending

Up until the final few seconds, I really loved the final episode of Papa & Daddy. I thought it was the best episode of the series, featuring a simple ordinary plot (planning Kai's birthday party) that leads to some interesting character development. The scenes were fun and effective, the tone was warm and welcoming, and the narrative just flowed smoothly from start to finish. It was a very comfortable episode to watch.

And then the last scene happened, where Damian dropped a massive bombshell that he has a kid from his previous marriage. To be fair, the episode had been dropping not-so-subtle hints that Damian was hiding a big secret. However, the twist is still too dramatic, undermining everything that we know about Damian's character and his relationship with Jerry.

We thought Damian was this loving, honest husband, but then he had lied to Jerry for six years about having another kid with his ex-wife. Surely that conversation could've come up at some point in their relationship, unless Damian was deliberately deceptive. I suddenly feel like this guy is a massive fraud.

Personally, I don't think this cliffhanger ending was necessary, although I do see the potential drama that will arise from a second son. It definitely gets me intrigued about Season 2 (if there is one…), but it also makes me feel anxious not knowing how they'll finesse through such a big plot twist. This is not the type of plot development you can just reverse easily. The drama weighs heavily like a guillotine over an otherwise spectacular final episode.