I decided to put these 2 episodes together because they focus on just one issue, family. They fixed one issue and decided to create another one, I don't mind but why can't they just put it all together, it just feels kind of choppy from episode to episode. As EP 10 begins, I can already feel the tension between Zo and his mom when they talk about Zo's academics and debate club. As a teacher herself, she already suggested training on debate topics to make sure Zo wins. "Zo isn't my student, but he's my son. I am a Thai language teacher. If he lost? How could I face my class? Can't you see?" -Mom. She began putting pressure on Zo which is not a good thing. On the other hand, Zo's father was very kind, talked to him and comforted him. The dad is a safe space for Zo and makes him feel better. Zo's mom uses her students to put more pressure on him to not lose or else she would be embarrassed and disappointed. Joke also sensed the problem of Zo not feeling well and something was bothering him. Zo is scared about her mom and not being able to do well. The childhood trauma that Zo faces as well as the debate topic Zo's mom suggested was heartbreaking. She kept bragging about her students but never said that to Zo, this causes him to have anxiety and "forces" them to be better. (I keep jumping all over the places to write my review, don't mind haha) While Zo didn't win the award to go study in Finland, he is disappointed, he's afraid that his mom wouldn't be proud of him. He won but he doesn't feel happy. It was just painful to see Zo not being proud of himself because of his mom. At least at the end, Zo's mom encouraged him and hugged him. He really needed the encouragement and recognition because of all the past events.Joke's family to me is more of the supportive side, the parents were so sweet and really proud of him. They brought him food to celebrate (even though he was not there). The video his dad sent was touching, grandma was awesome and his mom was too. Proud of his son and supports him no matter what. Happy tears!! There's definitely a contrast between the two families, and it was unfortunate to see that Zo had to go through that.JokeZo, while these 2 episodes focus more on family and the debate competition, there are still some memorable moments from them. The more I watch them, the more I feel like I'm seeing more of JoongDunk rather than JokeZo, they just look real in everything. Joke going to Zo's hometown to find his boyfriend because he can't wait and misses him. With all the cute little kisses, hugs and everything, wow. While staying at the house, Joke knew something wrong with Zo and his mom. Zo talking about all his backstory and childhood trauma with Joke guiding, supporting, and comforting him was so warm. "I've got your back from now on. I'll be by your side, holding your hand through all of this" -Joke. The EP 10 4/4 towards the end part was sweet, Joke encourages Zo and will always be there with him. Zo lying on Joke's lap just like how Kluen lying on Dao in Star in My Mind! Lastly, how can I not remember the spicy kisses at the end and they wake up on the bed naked at the beginning!!! Give me more details!! :) When Zo didn't win the "Best Speaker Award", Joke noticed the sadness on his face, even though Zo acts okay, we all can see it. When Zo finally opened up about his true feelings about the award, Joke already noticed all the concerns and worries Zo was having. The way he cheered up no matter what and was there with him was everything. "Right here, you have someone who's bursting with pride for you. I know it's not the same. But your efforts? They count. They're not worthless." "You can count on me to be here for you in times like these. Remember, I'm your sunshine." -Joke. Can we all agree that we should give the "Best Boyfriend Award" to Joke, thank you for being there with Zo every time something happens.The debate topic for the final round was so good that I gained knowledge from them. "Success is the fruit of hard work.""Although it might not be the only key, hard work is undeniably intrinsic to achieving our aspirations. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make, the better. Each experiment in our lives takes hard work." -Joke"Adopting the right approach is instrumental to success. And success doesn't have to always be monumental achievements." -Zo"The essence of hard work isn't necessarily about grandeur or relentless struggle, as suggested by the opposition. While I concur that various elements contribute to success, hard work remains a crucial ingredient. For example, the Negative is justifying their arguments to defeat my team in order to win a scholarship to study abroad. Skills in debate and knowledge acquisition are commendable, but can you say in all honesty that your effort here is not a product of hard work? In a world rife with challenges, a small victory is what we can achieve every day, and that will fortify our self-esteem." -NitaWhat can I say even, I am just shocked and speechless by Nita's statement. Yes, it was just perfect, she really deserved to win and got the "Best Speaker Award" to go to Finland to study abroad. Others did well too, but I think Nita really stood out to me this time.I have been talking about this nonstop, can I please get more AouBoom screen time and a new series. They just look comforting and have great chemistry. Jeng left the club for Pok and for their future even though it was his favourite sport. It was just full of love and the feelings coming from them were well done. Their 5-10 minutes of screen time already is better than everything. Jeng comforting Pok was so cute during the car scene, their acting was exactly what I wanted. The way Jeng took care of Pok when he was sick, such a careful boyfriend.Did we all escape the EP 11 curse, all of them are safe! They went through the misunderstanding part but the family issue happened. I was relieved that JokeZo was able to deal with this together. Ahh, it's already towards the end with EP 12 coming shortly. Can't wait for everything to wrap up but I'm going to miss my JokeZo and JengPok and Nita!!
I thought this was a really great episode. It was full of emotion. The mls dida great job!The way thedebate wasintegratedinto the storyline was done well.
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