Gen Y 2 – Series Review & Ending Explained

Pha

Gen Y 2 finally reveals the explanation behind Pha’s mysterious disappearance. Drumroll, please… Pha has a terminal illness. After learning about his incurable disease, he broke up with Wayu and didn’t want to burden him with the news. He spent the past year seeking treatments, but nothing worked. Now, Pha has accepted that he is dying and wants to spend his remaining days with Wayu.

Pha’s terminal illness was one of my earliest theories. When I found out what happened to him, my response was like: “I KNEW IT!” A severe medical condition would explain Pha’s erractic actions in the first season. Of course, he could have handled his diagnosis more maturely, discussing it with Wayu instead of breaking up with him. Nonetheless, I understand why Pha freaked out and won’t fault him for behaving irrationally.

Was the explanation worth the wait? I don’t think so. Gen Y dragged out this mystery for so long to the extent that I don’t care about Pha. Even after being introduced this season, Pha is mainly defined by his illness and not anything else. As much as I sympathize with his situation, I don’t really know who he is. It’s difficult to feel engaged with the Gen Y 2’s central storyline when the series hasn’t fleshed out Pha’s character.

Wayu and Pha

The Wayu, Pha and Thanu love triangle is insufferable. For starters, the optics are uncomfortable. Gen Y 2 wants the viewers to root against the guy dying of a terminal illness. Seeing Wayu reject Pha on his deathbed kills any mood for romance. While Pha suffers in the hospital, Wayu is busy flirting merrily with Thanu. Oh Thanu, teach me how to hold a bow and arrow, giggle giggle! This juxtaposition makes the leads look awful.

The storyline has no nuance. Wayu’s moral obligation to his dying ex-boyfriend should’ve been a complex issue, handled with empathy. I wanted heartfelt exchanges to address what happened, share their feelings, and discuss the remaining time together. Instead, Pha’s disease gets reduced to a shallow plot device. Wayu visits his ex on a few occasions, breaks his heart, and then everyone tells him, “You should be with Thanu!” There’s hardly any tension, yet the drama drags on forever.

Wayu pretends to struggle with his dilemma, even though it’s clear who he desires. He spends all his time thinking about Thanu, talking to Thanu, and longing for Thanu. It’s okay if Wayu doesn’t love his ex anymore, but can we trim the unnecessary scenes where he waffles between his love interests? Spare us the disingenuous agony. Gen Y 2 also perpetuates a false narrative, claiming Thanu distanced himself from Wayu after discovering Pha’s illness. In reality, he flirted even more aggressively. Thanu’s response to his dying friend is: “I gotta compete and I’m gonna win!”

Pha’s death

If there was ever a time to pump the brakes on Wayu and Thanu’s relationship, it was the episode when Pha died. Even though they weren’t dating anymore, Pha was somebody close to Wayu’s heart. Now would be a good moment to ease the character into mourning. Let’s take a breather, giving Wayu space to heal. Instead, Wayu & Thanu immediately go on vacation after Pha’s death. Are you kidding me!?

I’m not saying Wayu needs to be overwhelmed with grief. However, a romantic getaway after your ex’s funeral is tacky and tasteless. No, they don’t go on this trip to help Wayu move on from sorrow. Wayu cares so little about Pha that his ex’s death doesn’t register on his mind. He’s already in party mode less than 24 hours after Pha’s casket got lowered to the ground. Hey Thanu, let’s take selfies and make out in the pool! Wayu seems heartless, unrecognizable from the sensitive soul who cried in the rain during the first season.

Wayu and Thanu

I didn’t hate Wayu and Thanu in the first season. The characters weren’t prominent enough to get on my nerves. That changed once Gen Y 2 increased their screentime significantly. Despite having no personality and sharing zero chemistry, Wayu & Thanu dominate every episode. Their scenes are unbearable, making me groan whenever these dullards appear on-screen. Not again. Give me a break from your monotony! 😣

Besides their overexposure, the couple has repetitive and insipid exchanges. Their banal chats offer no humour or substance. Their mundane interactions have no passion or excitement. Ugh, these two guys don’t know how to flirt. The worst scenes must be Thanu’s archery lessons, which are supposedly “romantic” because the leads stand near each other? Then again, I can’t tell the difference between their many relationship moments, which are all generic and vaguely similar.

It doesn’t help both characters are bland as hell. Wayu acts like a wet blanket, constantly sulking and moping. Thanu is a charisma vacuum, draining the energy and enthusiasm from every interaction. Pair them together and you’ll create a black hole devoid of entertainment. I’m sorry, but neither has enough appeal to lead a BL drama. Making Wayu and Thanu the focus of Gen Y 2 is the biggest downfall for this series.

Thanu and Phai

Gen Y 2 drudges up the Thanu & Phai subplot again, even though the characters already resolved their relationship amicably last season. Wayu spends an entire episode feeling insecure because of Thanu and Phai’s ~destiny bond~. The drama was infuriating because nothing happened between the two characters. While they experienced psychic visions of their future romance, they never actually kissed or became intimate with each other.

Nonetheless, Wayu still throws a hissy fit over their alleged connection. He perceives Phai as a boyfriend stealer even though the latter has done NOTHING inappropriate. Poor Phai has to swear up and down, draw a line in the sand, and almost take a blood oath to clear his innocent name. “I don’t like Thanu, I have never liked Thanu, and I will never like Thanu!” The allegations against Phai are completely baseless and ridiculous. Why is Gen Y creating conflict over an imaginary romance that never even manifested?

As awful as the Thanu and Wayu scenes are, I low-key think the Thanu and Phai storyline would be just as unwatchable. Based on what we saw last season, these two characters wouldn’t deliver engaging content other than their inane babbles about destiny. Imagine an alternate universe where Thanu gives dreary archery lessons to Phai instead of Wayu. Take everything you don’t like about the Thanu and Wayu pair, but add a layer of clairvoyant nonsense to the dialogue. We dodged a bullet when Gen Y scrapped this bizarre relationship subplot.

Sandee

Oh my god, Sandee lost his marbles this season. His manipulative actions are beyond comprehension. I don’t understand why he meddles in the Thanu, Wayu & Phai love triangle when their relationship drama has nothing to do with him. I think the ~official reason~ is because he feels sorry for Phai after getting dumped by Thanu. However, we know the ~real reason~ is because the writers wanted messy conflict, so they turned Sandee into a one-dimensional villain.

Sandee clearly crosses the line with his petty, underhanded antics. No sane person would go to these lengths to interfere with the relationships of people he doesn’t even know. With that said, Sandee’s delusion reaches such an extreme that he becomes hilariously evil to watch. Since Sandee antagonized all the characters I hated, I low-key rooted for him to succeed in his schemes. Yes, break up Wayu and Thanu! Yes, end Pok and Tong’s romance! DESTROY THEM ALL!!!

Sadly, the fun stopped after Sandee’s friends confronted him. His character got nerfed, ostracized, and fell into irrelevance. Then, I thought we would see Sandee’s redemption journey or a potential romance with Phai. However, those storylines fizzled out and went nowhere. Gen Y 2 desperately lacked compelling plots, and Sandee stood out as one of the only characters providing entertainment. Although Sandee was a terribly-written villain, at least he seemed messy and fun, more than I can say about the rest of the snoozefest cast.

Padbok

Gen Y 2 resolves an ongoing mystery from Season 1, sorting out the conflict between Thanu and Padbok. Basically, Padbok felt betrayed by his former friend, who didn’t bail him out of jail. However, the truth is Thanu got arrested after confessing to the crime on his friend’s behalf. The so-called betrayal is secretly self-sacrifice. Afterwards, Thanu got suspended from school over the arrest. He didn’t tell Padbok this secret, not wanting his friend to feel guilty about the consequences.

Yes, the storyline is as stupid as it sounds. Honestly, Thanu should have just told the truth instead of prolonging an unnecessary feud. The senseless drama resolves in the last episode once Padbok discovers what happened. His first reaction is to PUNCH Thanu, a reaction as inexplicable as the rest of the events in this storyline. They become friends again afterwards, ceasing a silly conflict that seems like much ado about nothing. It took one simple conversation to clear up the misunderstanding. Yet, Gen Y 2 dragged out the tension for a dozen of episodes over nothing. 😑

To be fair, the subplot might have suffered because Padbok’s actor didn’t seem available for filming this season. He isn’t in the opening credits and only appears in a handful of scenes. I suspect the actor’s lack of availability impacted how the narrative progressed.

Mark and Kit

You can tell Gen Y 2 ran out of storylines for Mark and Kit since the end of last season. The series has done an excellent job portraying their courtship. I still believe they are the best part of the franchise. However, Gen Y has struggled to come up with new material after Mark and Kit start dating. The couple fades into the background, overtaken by the supporting cast. It’s a shame because their characters have the charm, charisma, and chemistry to carry this drama, unlike Wayu and Thanu.

When Gen Y 2 finally introduces a new subplot for Mark and Kit, it’s a dud. Firstly, separating your star couple is a terrible idea. You diminish their vibrant dynamic, limiting the interactions that make them fun to watch. Secondly, the logic doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t you want to spend your precious remaining time together if you anticipate a long-distance relationship soon? Instead, both characters suffer from this self-inflicted agony when nobody forces them to be apart. Stop whining and moping. You did this to yourself.

The subplot would feel less infuriating if Kit went and studied in the US. At least the angst would be justified, opening up meaningful storytelling opportunities. Instead, these guys go to the same campus and see each other constantly. It’s dumb watching them go along with this phony charade. Worst of all, the events drag out forever. The long-distance relationship experiment should be wrapped up in one to two episodes, yet it extends until the finale. Of course, Kit doesn’t even accept the scholarship, making the separation feel like a waste of time.

Mark vs Kit

Mark and Kit have sex for the first time in Episode 11, a long-awaited moment after they read the scholarship results. It was the only highlight in a dreary episode, like a small reward after enduring an hour of Wayu & Thanu scenes. Before consummating their love, Mark tells his boyfriend, “Finally, you long for me as much as I long for you.” 

I realize Mark only said this because of foreplay and I shouldn’t read too much into it. However, I like this line because it addresses a theme in their relationship: Mark loves Kit more than the other way around. Mark has always been more assertive in their relationship. By comparison, Kit seems reserved, although we see him improve during the series. Gen Y should have explored this dynamic. Earlier, I mentioned how the writers struggled with new material. Here you go, I’m giving you a juicy storyline.

Season 2 could be about the discrepancies between Kit and Mark’s fondness for each other. The focus is on Kit’s journey as he opens up, becoming more affectionate with his boyfriend. It culminates in a momentous climax when Kit feels comfortable enough to initiate sex. You can even tie the existing storylines into this bigger narrative. Kit’s busy schedule and scholarship decision provide tension in their relationship, making Mark feel insecure.

I’m suggesting this example to prove the untapped potential of the couple. Mark and Kit’s story doesn’t have to end after dating. If Gen Y 2 showed more imagination, there’s more to explore with this relationship. Instead, the series botched it and underdelivered tremendously. 😩

Pok and Tong

I hated Pok and Tong so much in Season 1, and these negative feelings carried over in Gen Y 2. I can’t warm to this couple, unable to overlook their thorny history of violence, rape, and manipulation. Admittedly, Pok and Tong are no longer my least favourite pairing in Gen Y. Wayu and Thanu are so offensively dull that they overtake the notorious title. Nonetheless, Pok and Tong are still unbearable, contributing to my distaste towards the series.

I find these two characters so trashy, and their constant relationship drama is revolting. In Episode 4, Pok learns the truth about his rigged school grades, then proceeds to assault Tong in the shower because he’s a neanderthal with no self-control. “You’re hurting me! What’s wrong with you!?” Tong protests, but that doesn’t stop his partner. Of course, this disturbing scene isn’t an isolated incident. Pok has shown a pattern of violence in Season 1. What happened in the shower is further proof of his uncontrollable rage issues.

Tong and Pok spend most of the season feuding, involved in some unpleasant drama around the swim team. Fortunately, this dysfunctional couple isn’t very prominent in the narrative. The only benefit to Wayu and Thanu dominating all the screentime is that they take away focus from Tong & Pok. The detestable characters show up to irritate me every once in a while, but their scenes don’t leave a lasting impression. I’m thankful for their reduced visibility. The less I see of Tong and Pok, the better.

Jack and Koh

Jack and Koh are one of the few bright spots in Gen Y 2. They have a goofy dynamic as bickering enemies who become reluctant lovers. To be honest, they were often the only enjoyable relationship in the series, especially when Mark & Kit went through their slump. At least there isn’t any angsty melodrama around Jack and Koh, unlike the other couples. I can always rely on them to provide a solid laugh or two. 

With that said, the characters and their relationship are very one-dimensional. All they do is banter back and forth, a recurring joke that gets repeated for nearly 24 episodes. As funny as their dynamic might be, they don’t evolve beyond a comedic punchline throughout the two seasons. I would have loved to see more substantial scenes with Jack and Koh. Yet, Gen Y 2 refuses to develop this couple, a detriment to their longevity. 

Ending explained

Gen Y 2 has a happy ending for all the couples. Wayu and Thanu are in a stable, committed relationship after declaring their love. Wayu visits Pha’s gravestone to return a gift from his ex-boyfriend, signifying he has moved on from their relationship completely. It’s what Pha wanted before his death, for Wayu to mend his broken heart and not linger sadly on the past. Gen Y 2 likes to repeat this mantra throughout the series: life goes on, love goes on.

Meanwhile, Mark and Kit stay together without pursuing the scholarship offer overseas. Tong and Pok also reconcile, putting aside their past few episodes of conflict. Even Jack and Koh become an item! The only pair that doesn’t get together is Phai and Sandee, but at least they are on amicable terms. Sandee also seems to be accepted by his friends again.

The final scene in Gen Y 2 is their graduation ceremony. The four couples all kiss each other on this festive occasion. Nothing substantial happens in the final episode. If you bailed out of the series due to boredom, rest assured you haven’t missed anything significant. The series ends just as boringly as it started. If you actually completed all twelve torturous episodes of Gen Y 2, please give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it for putting up with this agony!