In Bruiser, Porter reconnects with Malcolm and Monica, hoping that they will allow him to meet Darious. Approving this request is difficult for Malcolm, owing to the past they both share.
Porter and Malcolm are childhood friends, and for some time, they worked for Mr. Jon before he passed away. When Darious meets Porter for the first time, Porter recognizes who he is when Darious reveals that his father worked for Mr. Jon.
Darious felt open around Porter, and he got intrigued by his lifestyle, which led him to find Porter again. Porter wanted to be honest about everything. Therefore, he opted to contact Darious’ parents before meeting Darious again.
Porter calls Monica, and she tells Malcolm about Porter’s request to meet them. Though Malcolm believes that Porter deserves no forgiveness, Monica convinces him that forgiving Porter is good for everyone.
Why did Porter abandon Malcolm and Monica?
At Hector’s diner, where Malcolm and Porter used to hang out when they were young, Malcolm, Monica, and Porter reunite. Porter apologizes for the stuff he put them through when they were young.
After spending six years in the Air Force and some time in Vegas, Porter came here to figure everything out. Porter circled around their childhood, and Malcolm finally brought him to the main topic of discussion.
It is then revealed that Darious is Porter and Monica’s son. Porter wasn’t ready to take responsibility for Darious and that’s why he walked out on his friends twelve years ago.
Malcolm, who once considered Porter his brother, then took that responsibility. He married Monica, and they both raised Darious together.
During the conversation, Porter also tried to remind Malcolm and Monica of their good times; Monica had a nickname that is Nini, and they used to hang out in Malcolm’s old car, which Malcolm has gotten rid of now.
Somewhere, Malcolm wasn’t ready to have Porter around Darious, even if Darious is fine with him.
How were Malcolm and Porter as kids?
Darious found that solace in Porter, which he couldn’t find in Malcolm. This led him to run to Porter when he had a small argument with Malcolm.
Malcolm, Monica, and Porter decided to talk about this while hanging out at a fair with Darious. Porter instead made them wait and took Darious on ride after ride.
Darious questioned Porter about how they were as kids, especially Malcolm. Porter revealed that they were basically brothers. Malcolm was Porter’s little brother, who was childish and overreacted all the time.
Unlike Porter, Malcolm had a very bad temper back then, which once made him attack his own father, who used to push him all the time. This is a story Darious has heard from Malcolm before.
Malcolm is overprotective of Darious just because he doesn’t want Darious to go through what he did.
The secret Malcolm is hiding
Porter taking Darious alone and making them worry is something Malcolm and Monica didn’t like. Malcolm made it clear to Porter that he won’t be meeting Darious again.
There is a reason Malcolm doesn’t want Porter to be around Darious, and after watching how Darious is following Porter around, Malcolm thought it’s time to tell Darious the truth.
In front of his family, Malcolm admits that watching Darious have fun with Porter made him sick because he knows who Porter is and what he is capable of.
When Darious claims that Porter was helping him and giving him advice, Malcolm reveals how much Porter hated Darious when he was born. Porter didn’t even feel like holding his own son.
While a drunk Porter went missing, Malcolm held Darious. Monica wasn’t ready to leave Darious with Porter. She feared that he would kill him by accident.
Malcolm then tells Darious what Porter is capable of. When they were young, Porter almost beat a kid to death in the bathroom at a bar. Malcolm came too late to stop him. Porter beat this kid and gave him brain damage just because that kid disrespected him.
Later, Darious asks Porter if he really did that. Porter doesn’t shy away from admitting his mistakes, but he also tells Darious the whole truth.
It turns out that Malcolm helped Porter beat that kid too, and Malcolm was going so hard on that little boy, Porter had to pull him out.
Malcolm and Porter are both alike. It’s just that Porter is more open about his past than Malcolm is. Malcolm just doesn’t feel that it is right to tell Darious all of this, as he wants Darious to grow up better than them.
Also Read: Bruiser review: An insightful family drama