Papa, What Is Love? Season 2 (2023)

Papa what did you do!!

Context - the Screenwriter and Director of Papa What is Love passed away last year. This is a befitting sequel that would make Shandii Bacolod proud.

The issues first:
It's too short. We want more, we want more!
It won't be out on Youtube for a few months as they have to edit out the seggsy bits. You can pay to watch it on ticketme though especially if you want to see the uncut version.
UPDATE: This is now available on GagaOOlala from 3rd September
Some of the messages weren't subtitled so I had to guess at what had been said.

The good:
Great to see Papa out there on the apps and meeting new people but good to see the struggles of dating older and managing grief.
The series showed the importance of communication and being honest despite feelings of guilt etc. really well
Did I mention the seggsy bits? Look out for pancakes and syrup ;)
It was shot really well so kudos to the Director
None of these angle or mannequin kisses. There was a lot of pro verse scenes as well which is what we like to see instead of gendered / heteronormative roles
No sad ending

Some of the characters I wasn't sure of at first like Alex and Dominic but, those pesky issues get resolved

Overall a really decent watch with episodes averaging about 15 minutes each. Maybe next time we could have 20+ minutes

Read More

steamy second season with a lackluster plot

Overall: though I don't love part of the plot, the production value/acting is good (and it earns its R rating :). 6 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala, cut version on YouTube BL Pictures channel

Content Warnings: grief

What I Liked
- the beginning hooked me in right away
- NSFW scenes were realistic though I wish they hadn't been quite so choppy/broken up and we heard some of their sounds
- grief scene was very well acted
- production value

Room For Improvement
- wish they'd come up with different plots for second seasons of BL
- excellent long take in episode 4
- her actions didn't really make sense to me
- background noise/music was too loud in the pool scene
- did not feel they were ready for what happened at the end of ep 6, they need to work on their communication

Read More

A worthy sequel

Second seasons of popular series sometimes disappoint because high expectations aren't fulfilled, but ”Papa, What is Love Season 2” is a worthy sequel of a series that earned international recognition when it premiered.

Like season 1, this isn't a BL, but a gay series, so it comes without all the annoying tropes of the BL genre. Season 2 tells the story of the young couple Tupe (Rex Lantano) and Greg (Anthony Flores) and of Greg's father Rich's (Arnold Reyes) efforts to find a same sex partner.

In season 1, Tupe worked as a helper in Rich's house, became his lover, but ended up as the boyfriend of Rich's son Greg. Now Tupe and Greg have been living together for some time in Greg's house, and the everyday problems of any relationship begin. Greg is a successful businessman who spends a lot of time and energy on his job, so that Tupe, who stays at home all day, feels neglected. Tupe wants to start a business of his own, selling food online, but he doesn't find an opportunity to discuss his plan with Greg.

Another problem is that Greg feels guilty towards his ex-fiancée Alex (Karina Bautista), whom he left for Tupe shortly before their wedding. He meets her to reconcile, which Tupe finds out, who becomes jealous, while Greg feels hurt because Tupe doesn't trust him. This situation would be a drama in a BL series, because the ex-girlfriend would be evil, and misunderstandings among the main couple would take a lot of time to be resolved, but in this series, the ex isn't evil at all, and Tupe and Greg find a way to discuss things, leading to a happy ending with Greg proposing to Tupe.

Rich, who is visiting his son's house, helps the young men with more or less helpful advice. He is still in moarning for his late wife's death, and at the same time trying desperately to find a new – male – partner. After a hookup with a sexy young man (Nick John Tuppil) he decides to rather look for someone older for a long-term relationship. He finds the restaurant owner Dominic (ZK Nakaoka), and the two men fall head over heels in love, travel to Japan together and get married in Taiwan. So we witness happy endings for everyone – even Alex lives her dream of attending an arts school in the USA.

The series is worth watching because it displays typical everyday problems of young gay couples as well as older gay men, but also shows how to solve them. It has dramatic moments, e.g. when Greg finds Tupe allegedly lifeless in the pool, it has elements of comedy, e.g. when Rich elaborates in Tupe's presence on Greg's happy life with his fiancée, and it shows something that BL series often do not show, but which is definitely part of a young gay couple's life – sex.

Unfortunately, the censored Youtube version has some brutal cuts where the original, uncut series (to be watched on Gagaoolala.com and Ticket2me.net) gets steamy, but all in all the technical quality of this series is good.

I was sceptical that the brilliant director of the first season, the late Shandii Bacolod, who tragically died when season was airing, would be appropriately replaced, but Aika Rapay, who was the assistant director in season 1, does as great job as the director of season 2.

Again, Rex Lantano displays all the facets of his huge acting talent, and again Anthony Flores proves that he isn't just extremely handsome, but a good actor, too. It's hard to understand why he isn't casted as an actor more often. Arnold Reyes is good in scenes when Rich bemoans his late wife, or when he is insecure before his meeting with Dominic, but sometimes he is overacting a little. The support actors, ZK Nakaoka, Karina Bautista, and Nick John Tuppil are all good in their respective roles.

All in all, I'm glad that Rex Lantano has been able to produce the sequel of ”Papa, What is Love”, after Youtube had terminated his channel because of alleged nudity in season 1, the censored version of which is still available on BL Pictures' Youtube channel, while the uncut series can be watched on Gagaoolala.com. Season 2, like its prequel, is a gay series which is definitely worth watching.

You find all my reviews, including those on productions from countries not covered by MDL, like Vietnam, Myanmar, or Singapore, plus a book with BL related lists and a few BL stories here:
https://www.wattpad.com/user/DominicKebre

Read More

More reflective than Season One

While it is the continuing story form Season One, this story is a bit more reflective and perhaps slightly sobering. Greg is able to get closure on some of his issues while Papa Rich has too much of a storybook ending. Not suggesting that everyone does not deserve one, but it seemed a bit too neatly wrapped up. This series is very short in length which diminishes its impact on its character development. Meanwhile, Tupe provides the comfort and foundation that they all rely on and a real sense of security which is the real testament to the actor who plays the part, Rex Lantano.
If you want to read my full review of this entertaining series, go to www.BLBliss.com.

Read More