Brothers – Series Review & Ending Explained

Okay story

Maybe Brothers would've worked better if it was even more of a family drama. No, I'm not asking for more stepbrother romance, but make the dad and mom integral to the storyline instead of being peripheral characters. The most successful storylines in this drama are all related to the family. Any time Chol interacts with his father or his stepmother, there're compelling emotions involved. So, let's bring in more siblings, cousins, grandparents, in-laws, ex-husbands & pesky relatives from out of town!

Although not perfect, at least the family storylines were more interesting than the generic school campus scenes. There's nothing special about the love triangles, secret admirers, or creepy teacher-student dynamic that we haven't seen before. The only remotely intriguing school storyline was how the teachers pressured Chol to go to med school. That subplot could've expanded more, like maybe Chol reconsiders becoming a doctor after his dad's hospitalization. It had the potential to be interesting, but needed that extra oomph.

Otherwise, I think Brothers would benefit from a greater focus on the family aspects. Once again, I'm not advocating for more stepbrother smooches, but let's explore the family dynamics deeper. For example, show us the relationship between Prab and his stepfather, which was hardly addressed. Or introduce conflict between the leads over how Chol had been treating his stepmom. I guarantee you these storylines would be more interesting than Chol and Prab getting jealous over their tedious love triangles with Khul, Nick, Tri, or Sam.

Decent acting

The two young actors (Phu and Folk) in Brothers impressed me with how natural their performances were. Not only do these leads share a good rapport, but they also exuded an inherent charisma that made their characters likable. As you know, I was very resistant towards the stepbrother romance, but the actors were charming enough that they almost made some of the scenes bearable to watch.

The rest of the cast seemed kinda wooden, to be honest. Everyone else felt like they were just going through the motions, not bringing much life to their performances. I know the script didn't give the supporting cast much to work with, so they also have limited room to act.

Ending Review

Happy ending

I liked the clever bit of continuity in the ending, using the dad's past relationship history to explain why he changed his mind. With that said, I found the last-minute drama silly and ridiculous. Why is the dad okay with his son dating his stepson only if Chol attends medical school? Is there some kind of unspoken rule where doctors are more qualified to have stepbrother romances than photographers?

The Brothers ending felt phoned-in and didn't make much sense to me, as if there were missing scenes that would explain some gaps in the narrative. Chol and Prab suddenly became a lovey-dovey couple without warning. Then, their parents just abruptly walked in on them kissing. Their relationship was dragged out tediously for the first twelve episodes, only for all this contrived drama to unfold in the finale.

Since I've been rooting against Chol & Prab, I'd probably hate whatever ending as long as the two stepsiblings are still romantically involved. Yes, I'm a hopeless masochist watching a ten-hour BL series called BROTHERS and then expecting them not to end up as a couple. Maybe one day in the distant future, there'll finally be a pair of stepbrothers in a BL drama that remains platonic towards each other. 😞

Chol and Prab

Well, you know what you're signing up for with a BL series called Brothers. Obviously, I didn't expect the relationship between Chol and Prab to stay platonic, but I was still dreading their romance as it escalated. Even in the beginning, their ~platonic~ scenes were already a little cringey. Imagine how much worse Brothers gets once the attraction forms.

Chol and Prab are annoying to watch. The way Prab treats his young brother is like taking care of a mentally undeveloped toddler. Brothers thinks moments like Prab drying his stepbrother's hair are somehow romantic, but they overdo it so often that I wonder if Chol is just lazy or spoiled. Every time Prab coddles Chol, it feels patronizing rather than protective. Your brother is on the verge of adulthood, yet you behave like he's incapable of autonomy.

I also hate the many love triangles between them. Generic love interests get introduced left and right, bringing the same repetitive drama. Half their relationship is just Chol or Prab getting jealous of each other. Not only is this romance boring, but it's icky when they call each other brothers and then immediately flirt hardcore. Either you're family or you're lovers, you can't be both!

Prab and Nick

Since I didn't want Chol and Prab to end up together, I was obviously rooting for Nick to come in between their unholy romance. 😈 Sadly, Nick never developed beyond the archetype of a persistent love rival. It's as if his only personality trait is to compete against Chol for Prab's affections. How are we meant to take this love triangle seriously when Nick's characterization is so flat?

Nonetheless, some of Nick's scenes are kinda hilarious, because he's seemingly omniscient when it comes to interrupting Chol x Prab moments. Every time the two stepbrothers are about to spend time together at school, you can bet Nick will pop up right away to cockblock them. There was literally a scene of Chol and Prab holding hands as Nick grabbed his friend's arm and dragged him away. The love triangle conflict is so on the nose that I have to laugh.

Also, can we talk about the last Nick scene? It featured a chat between Prab and Nick, with the latter admitting defeat over his unrequited love. During the scene, Prab puts a hat on his friend's head. The hat has the word LOSER written in big capital letters. I'm gagging at the blatant disrespect towards Nick's character. I know he lost the love triangle, but you don't literally have to make him wear the loser hat. 🤡

Chol and Tri

At the end of Episode 10, Chol's friend Tri reveals that he is The Frog Prince. During the series, Chol has been communicating chummily with an anonymous friend over text messages. Chol believes the frog prince is secretly Prab, but Brothers pulls a switcheroo when Tri unveils his secret identity instead. As Tri confesses his hidden love, Chol stares back at him with a blank expression, trying hard to remember this character's name. Who exactly are you again? 😞

Other than the hilariously awkward revelation scene, this love triangle was entirely pointless. It adds another unnecessary complication to the Chol and Prab romance, as if they can't function without a third love interest pining after one of them. Anyway, Tri kindly backed away into oblivion once it became obvious that he couldn't overcome the stepbrother romance. How boring. 🥱

Oh, and there's also that WEIRD throuple romance with Tri and the twins, which…wtf? At first, I thought their flirting was done in a joking way, but then the scenes were kinda taken seriously and I was very confused. It's as if Brothers thought the stepsibling relationship wasn't incestuous enough, so they added in TWINS and THROUPLES for the lolz.

Maping and Mhok

Wow, I hated this romance so much. I don't know why Brothers felt the need to include a teacher-student affair, but whatever transpired between Maping and Mhok is the worst part of the series. Even though Mhok is only a teaching intern instead of a full-fledged teacher, this distinction doesn't make his actions any less predatory. The power dynamic is wrong, the age difference is wrong, and the overstepping of boundaries is wrong. Mhok is a gigantic creeper and should be banned from any school campuses.

To be fair, nothing amorous happened between them and Brothers did condemn their relationship in the end. However, we were still subjected to twelve episodes of their icky and tedious relationship scenes. On one hand, Brothers wants to take the moral high ground and pretend like they don't endorse the teacher-student affair. On the other hand, it gives us dozens of borderline romantic moments between the characters, secretly relishing the illicit nature of their exchanges.

I can't give you a detailed review of their relationship because I tuned out during any scene where Maping and Mhok interacted. Keeping both eyes closed was the only way to endure their problematic storyline. Besides Mhok, did anyone suspect that other teacher Pon was also subtly flirting with Maping? Imagine if Brothers doubled down on the teacher-student affair with two teachers seducing the same student. 😱 Fortunately, the series isn't totally depraved and doesn't entertain that route. Good news everyone, we only have one sexual predator instead of two!

Khul and Kaow

The Khul and Kaow relationship was pretty dull. It took me a while to even figure out Kaow was supposed to be the neighbour. I kept thinking, who's this random guy? Why does he make inexplicable appearances around Chol's house? They were better off making Kaow an older brother, a cousin, or another relative so he doesn't feel completely isolated from the main plot.

Most of the Khul and Kaow scenes feel banal. They would flirt mindlessly with each other while making no progress in their relationship. The stagnant romance dragged on until Episode 10, where Khul suddenly went berserk from pent-up sexual tension. On the one hand, his character was totally in the wrong for lashing out at Kaow. On the other hand, I perked up because it was the first time anything interesting happened with this couple. Finally, I thought, some drama!

However, the tension quickly got resolved as the two of them became an official couple. Afterwards, Khul and Kaow settled into their usual routine, which consisted of even more frivolous flirting scenes. Although I appreciate them as the only other pairing to kiss and show physical affection, they were sadly not that exciting to watch. Sorry. 😞

Chol and Khul

Chol's crush on Khul went nowhere interesting, other than adding even more jealousy conflicts into the overloaded plot. When Prab isn't seething over Chol and Khul as a couple, he moves on to sulking over Chol and Tri instead. Wow, what riveting drama. So original. 😑

Khul's character could've been utilized more effectively. Maybe make him more influential in Chol's university decision. Let's have the two characters talk about the practicality of studying photography vs. going to med school. Since Chol looks up to Khul as a mentor, his advice would weigh more than his self-centred teachers. Either Khul could make Chol change his mind about university or reaffirm that he's making the right decision.

Instead, Khul was like, "oh okay lol~" when he found out Chol didn't plan on going to med school. This guy doesn't pretend to care about why he has been tutoring math & science to someone who wants to become a photographer. It's so obvious that Khul was only interested in getting a paycheque and flirting with the next-door neighbour. Chol can become a doctor, photographer, or whatever, as long as you keep paying him after every tutoring lesson!

Q and Long

The Q and Long romance was almost completely irrelevant to the main plot. The peripheral pairing is introduced late in the series, making a minimal impact. Both are minor characters with no development or personalities, so it's hard to feel emotionally invested in these nobodies. If the two actors aren't cute, there would be nothing to make you care about this filler romance.

Weirdly, all their relationship scenes revolve around food deliveries, which is ridiculous but also hilarious lol. Imagine if you ordered a meal online and then initiated a spontaneous romance with your Uber Eats driver during those thirty seconds of interaction. That's how random the Q and Long romance feels.

Uncle Chan & Auntie Prang

Right away, Brothers started on a confusing note because it seemed like Chol's dad suddenly got married to Prab's mom without telling his kid. You'd think any sensible father would acquaint his son with his new stepfamily before they moved in together. Yet, Chol seemed utterly blindsided by the announcement, as if his dad sprung this surprise on him at the last possible moment. It's a shaky way to start the series, undermining the credibility of the premise from the get-go.

However, the twist in their relationship is that Uncle Chan & Auntie Prang had a secret extramarital affair because they both CHEATED on their spouses. 😮 Their scandalous romance might explain why Chol's dad felt reluctant to introduce his mistress to his son. Upon this shocking discovery, Chol's initial reaction was to blame his stepmom for being a filthy homewrecker. Umm okay, your dad also committed adultery, but sure direct all your anger towards her… 🙄

Later, the dad tried to justify his infidelity, stating that his parents forced him into an arranged marriage. After getting married, he realized that Auntie Prang was his ~one true love~ all along. I mean, you still cheated, but okay sure. 😒 Anyway, this illicit love affair becomes a trump card once the dad finds out about his son and stepson's romance. The questionable logic is that since the parents committed borderline adultery, their sons are allowed to commit borderline incest too…

Ending explained

Brothers has a happy ending where Chol and Prab are allowed to be a couple after winning over their father's approval. Previously, the dad got upset when he stumbled upon his sons making out in the kitchen. He gave them a weird ultimatum. Either Prab has to go to university overseas, or Chol must attend medical school instead of studying photography. The sacrifices prove that Chol and Prab take their relationship seriously, and only then will the dad accept them as a couple.

Although Prab is willing to study in Australia, Chol would rather give up his photographer dreams to stay with his boyfriend. He goes on a last-minute studying binge, which is stressful and exhausting. Upset about his suffering, Prab once again offers to go overseas so that Chol won't force himself to go to med school. Chol doesn't understand why Prab would want to leave him for another country. A heated disagreement flares up between them, leading to lots of tension within the family.

Finally, Auntie Prang reminds her husband about what happened in the past, because his parents had also tried forcing him into an arranged marriage. Seeing the parallels between their relationship woes, Uncle Chan softens his original stance. He changes his mind, permitting Chol and Prab to become a couple without any requirements. He only urges them to keep their relationship low-key. The final scene jumps forward a year later as Chol graduates from high school. He is joined by his family, friends & boyfriend, who celebrate the happy day together.

Brothers Season 2

The most unpleasant shock occurs during the final moments of the ending, where it announces there will be a Brothers Season 2. Apparently, a planned sequel is in the works, presumably with the same characters and following events in their university years.

I cannot fathom why Brothers needs a second season when none of the pairings have inspired me. What stories could they possibly want to tell in the sequel with these characters? Will Chol's father marry another mistress and introduce a new stepbrother for his son to fall in love with? Or will Maping hook up with a university professor in med school? Oh my god, I shudder to think what other inappropriate relationship tropes will be included in Brothers Season 2.

Personally, I'm against the idea of Brothers extending into a second season. The story has come to a natural conclusion and there's no need to continue the stepbrother romance. It should be a one-and-done project that falls into oblivion over time. Let's release the cast and staff so they can attach themselves to better BL projects please.