As far as I can tell, the story of PRU was that Jake was an irresponsible flake whose father justifiably kicked him out of the Jaeger program, and drifted in and out of jail until his responsible sister Mako bailed him out. Galvanized by Mako being blown up before his eyes, he becomes the warrior humanity needs. And yes, all this is played entirely straight without any hint that Jake might have a deeper inner life or that there might be nuances in the Pentecost family life that are not so neat and tidy.

Also, Jake supports a random white girl (who I couldn't care less about but the story tells me is the protagonist) through her sorrow at losing her family, without dealing with any of his trauma from losing his family members. It's really bad.