Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart! (2024)

Slow Burn, Big Feels

This series pretty much has it all tbh, there is action, drama and romance with a provocative plot. The characters are well-developed too, the story is interesting and the visuals are really pretty to look at. Plus, it doesn’t shy away from real-world issues so if you are tired of cookie romances and want something fresh then please add it to your list because any series that can make you root for a heist-loving rebel with a heart of gold is worth your time.

The Master of Disguise: Joker

He is my favorite character ♡ he has a very suave and charming demeanor but under all that there is a man crushing under the expectations of his parents who only show love if he meets their impossible standards, so to cope he channels his energy into becoming a modern-day Robin Hood and I think that his moral ambiguity makes him a fascinating ML. My man is waging a one-man war against oppressive wealth inequality while trying to find his own freedom from familial pressure.

The Heartbroken Fighter: Jack

His story is a polar opposite yet equally heartbreaking. He begins as an idealistic, shy young man with dreams of becoming a taekwondo champion and opening his own school. But life throws him a cruel curveball because he ends up being forced to become a debt collector to survive, he transforms into someone unrecognizable, hard and intimidating on the outside but still tender and kind within. I think watching Jack grapple with his duality was one of the things I loved the most ngl. He’s a man trying to reconcile who he was with who he has become.

Jack & Joker together :

The relationship between these two is the heart of the show. They start from strangers to friends, then to enemies and finally lovers, they go through so many stages to end up where they do and it's slow but I personally think it's refreshing to see a BL series that takes its time building a relationship between the leads, plus their chemistry is off the charts thanks to YinWar. You can tell these two actors trust and understand each other deeply because whether they are working through misunderstandings, confronting their pasts or supporting each other in the present, they always nail the emotions head on.

Cinematography :

In my opinion, the series is stunning to the eyes which is a rare feat in BL dramas lmaoo but here, the cinematography catches the glittering and superficial opulence of the wealthy with the gritty realities of poverty really good.

Social Commentary :

I have to mention this because the heavy themes in this show are really worth paying attention to, like wealth disparity, family expectations and identity without feeling preachy, these were all subjects that really caught my attention. They went deep in how society shapes us and the lengths we go to in order to break free from the chains.

The Main Cast:

I just fucking love them. Their chemistry is just so damn good y'all, their emotional beats hit hard and they bring so much to their characters like it's so obvious how much they worked for this show, they have poured their hearts into these roles so PLEASE GO WATCH it. You won’t regret it.


➭SPOILERS AHEAD - DETAILED INSIGHT

↓

First, let me start by saying that Tattoo’s character development was really good. I’ll admit it tho at first, I couldn’t stand him. His decisions seemed selfish, reckless and frustrating. But then I started to understand where he was coming from. He was someone desperate for a better life, for a chance to escape the endless cycle of poverty and the choices he made were just about survival. It’s heartbreaking when you realize that desperation can push even the kindest souls to do things they wouldn’t normally consider but by the end, I found myself really liking his character.. Ahem..with Aran. I SHIP THEM SO BAD OKAY?


An other thing I have to mention is that I absolutely cannot stand the father. Every single scene with him had me seething lmao. The way he treats Jack is beyond infuriating, it’s hella toxic, I mean the constant belittling, the endless disapproval, and the way he dismisses every effort Jack makes ( ͡° ʖ̯ ͡°) I deadass think he was actively trying to destroy his own son. How can you call yourself a parent when all you do is tear your child down, leaving them feeling like nothing they do will ever be enough?

What makes it worse is that he doesn’t even try to understand Jack or his choices. Instead, he clings to this outdated, rigid sense of control expecting blind obedience while offering zero support. It’s no fucking wonder Jack feels like he has to bury so much of himself just to survive under that man’s shadow. Tbh watching their interactions made me sick because you can see how much damage the father’s words and actions have done to Jack’s confidence and that little redemption shit they tried to give him wasn't enough for him, sorry but I can not and WILL NOT forgive that man, he is literally emotionally abusive and Jack deserved better.

Lastly I will say that I am absolutely floored by our main leads ღ The way Jack and Joker started as complete strangers, slowly growing into something that could have been so much more. Sometimes, I catch myself wondering, what if Joker had never gone to that bank? What if Jack had never felt betrayed? Would things have been different? Well I'll never know ಥ_ಥ but seeing Jack so hardened by everything he had been through was painful however after the time skip, when his eyes met Joker’s, I didn’t see hate in his gaze ngl, not for one second. I don’t think Jack ever really hated Joker. Deep down, I think he hated himself. He carried so much guilt, so much anger and Joker became an easy target for it. But as he let go of that anger as he forgave Joker, he started to find himself again and the way their friendship rekindled so slowly, so naturally was what made it all the more powerful. There was no rush, no shortcuts, just a slow rebuilding of trust. Watching them fall for each other, piece by piece, moment by moment, felt really satisfying after all the emotions I have been put through with this show. At the end I think it was more about healing than just love. They became each other’s safe haven.

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what we needed.

i think this is such a solid start. following yinwar from their beginning and the ups and downs since the FIRST love mechanics, they deserved this. it’s a serious plot with some funny moments, and the script is IMMACULATE compared to other thai bls rn.
this drama deserves to get recognition like other darker theme bls rn, i’m so excited for the rest of the series to air.
the difference between this show and love mechanics is exactly what yinwar needed to show their talents. everyone knows they have the chemistry, but their acting has gone unnoticed when i believe they are one of the best acting pairs in the thai lakorn world rn.

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I’m seated.

sometimes you just forget what good quality is when it comes to Thai BL shows. I’m not trying to knock other shows, and of course there are some great quality Thai BLs out there. But sometimes everything just falls into place in a way you weren’t expecting.

so, I’m not one to write reviews before a series is over; however, Jack & Joker knocked my socks off. not just with storyline, but quality as well. in the first episode we are getting back stories of the MCs… or shall I say their villain origin stories and honestly I. AM. HERE. FOR. It. I might be the problem, but I love a good red flag, anti hero story and even though we are only just starting this journey I believe that’s what we are going to get.

I’m seated. this to me is KinnPorsche level quality, and I am foaming at the mouth wanting more.

oh Joker, the anti hero we didn’t know we wanted has becoming something we need.

I can already see this being my top Thai BL of the year which is wild since I didn’t think anything would dethrone my stand in, yet here we are.

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tried something different

Overall: though it was cool how they tried something different, the tonal shifts and writing didn't work for me. 12 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired uncut on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/jack-joker-u-steal-my-heart-episode-1-l2dlqwi91c?lang=en_us (I watched the uncut version which originally was the only MDL listing, if there is a cut version released at a later date that I can watch, I'll try to update this with the differences)

Content Warnings: past suicide, suicide, attempted suicide, theft, violence/beaten up, blood, bullying, attempted kidnapping, coercion, manipulation, punch, kidnapping, blood

Watch Suggestions starting at ep 5 (uncut timings) (to take out nonsense plot, brutality and focus on the leads' relationship, I might go back thru earlier episodes for suggested timings later)
- episode 5 watch 5:30-9:30 and 16-50:50 if you want to see a caper, otherwise watch 9:30-12:40 and 50:50-56:55 for 2 hurt care scenes
- episode 6 watch the beginning to 9:10, 16-21:40, 24:45-29:30 and 38-1hr2m30s
- skip episode 7
- episode 8 watch 1hr10m45s to the end
- episode 9 watch 1hr4min to the end
- episode 10 watch beginning to 5 and then 12-12:45
- skip episode 11
- episode 12 watch 53:30-54:20 and 1hr 24 to the end

What I Liked
- best grandma ever
- unique premise
- sweet/flirty/caring moments
- fight/action sequences
- grey protagonists
- how Jack called out his coach and then the coach apologized and got his karma
- non cliche female character

Room For Improvement
- tonal shifts between inept comedy caper and brutality/action
- the romance took a backseat to the nonsense plot
- characters were stupid and inept
- because 2 characters relished in violence at the beginning of episode 5, it made me uninterested in any romantic pairings with them involved
- ep 1 started with a flash forward
- I didn't laugh at most of the jokes including the food poisoning/farting
- there were a ton of nonsense things, one example being it didn't make any sense why a character was so angry at another character when the result would have been exactly the same
- failed redemption arcs
- the character acting like someone with less money and then having fake dirt on him was in bad taste and the knock off Squid Game video game thing was completely uninteresting
- a character's instance on something in the NC scene in ep 10 felt dated
- characters just stood around while a character was hauled off by very shifty looking dudes
- lack of trust between romantic partners
- lack of consequences for several characters

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Okay, this one honestly lived up to the hype...

I’ve been awaiting this series since it was announce! I have no idea where that rating is coming from, but that first episode was perfection. It perfectly set up the dynamics between the characters as well as the plot. The acting was PHENOMENAL! War and Yin’s acting, chemistry, and passion are unmatched. The action sequences in the first website were well
planned and actually looked like real action sequences. Each character has an awesome back story that I can’t wait to see how they’re developed. War is going to be so fantastic in this role since he has the emotional range to play this complex character. Yin is truly going to shine in this role as well, he is the perfect choice for a
character that wanted to be good but due to circumstances out of his control he can’t be. I cannot wait to see what is it come in the next episodes.

Completed Series Review:
War and Yin at their finest with this one! Went into this so excited and it did not disappoint. I am a really big fan of War and Yin, and their performance in this show blew me away. They put everything they had into these performances and their talent and passion really showed. I was hooked from episode one and it kept my interest every week.

The whole cast was spectacular, even though we didn't get a full send on Prom and Mark, what we were given on them was so great and fingers crossed they'll do another show together and actually get together.

The ending of Episode 12 really took me by surprise, I wasn't expecting that the ring boss stole didn't have any power and the Four Horsemen were basically playing with him the whole time. I thought that was really cool and unexpected. I think one of my favorite moments of the show was during the hangman scene where Jack chooses to stay with Joke when he might get blown up. It is so cheesy, they apologize, but I just really like that when they both think they're about to die they're just kissing, like nothing else matters but them and being together one last time.

Absolutely adore this show and these actors!

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Discount Thanos & the Debtors

Now, hear me out, and this might just be me, but if I had a super ring that basically made me Thanos with hair and less purple, I would not make it so that anyone who have the ring can immediately, without reason, become the most powerful person and drive me out of my house and country. Thank the eff the finale made some sort of sense of it. Also, for most of the drama, I was convinced these people were allergic to happiness, cuz the eff is up with all that hurt, heartbreak and tears? That boyfriend era lasted like 0.3 seconds and a cheek kiss.

Listen, this was me the moment I saw Jack's face for the first time.
ME: Ew, it’s Vee from Love Mechanics. I hate that dude.
*Jack walks in, slow motion, in a black suit.*
ME: I mean, sure Vee sucked to high heavens, hurt Mark and broke his heart, but like, did Mark die? Personally, I've always like Vee. Haha, nice suit man, I love you dude.

Pfttt. Don’t judge me, I am weak. Petition to burn all Yin’s cloths and leave the suits so he only wears suits, like, forever and ever? Cuz, dude was wearing those suit. HE WORE. Suits were made for Yin.

Oh, and, these people kept going 'Boss this, Boss that, Boss, Boss, Boss.' So much, I thought that punchable excuse for a bad guy's name was Boss, only to find out it was... and I kid you not... Alice. His name this whole time was Alice. No wonder he seemed so lost and confused and got played. Also, was the whole ring thing being some sort of game the rich were playing the best the writers could come up with? Like, I buy it, but I also don't. As reveals go, it felt like an ex-machina to save themselves after they realised that plot device made no sense whatsoever. Oh, well.

Anyway, Joke made crying and being heartbroken felt like an Oscar performance, and he was aiming for gold. Damn, son, leave some of the heartbreak for the rest of us. That thief owes me for emotional damages, cuz he made sadness looked so beautiful, my arse spent episode 10 and 11 crying with him. War deserves like all the awards for just his crying alone.

Listen, this show was a rollercoaster, and I liked most of it. From the silliness, to the heaviness, to that unholy episode 10 and 11. Sure, I wanted to boo at episode 11 for bringing back the curse episode 11 nightmare, but I was too busy crying with Joke, I let it slide. And the ending of episode 10 was so traumatizing, I legit forgot about the heavy breathing sexy scene from the beginning of the episode. Poor JackJoke, their boyfriend era lasted for like one bed scene and a swing playdate.

I knew shit was about to go down, cuz dafug you mean, ‘I love you’ right when you leaving for a mission against discount Thanos? This is how people die. The moment Joke said ‘I love you’ I went. Child, will you keep quiet? Don’t jinx it. Well, we all know how that ended.

Random sidenote: Did this people really think I’ll be crying while War was singing that I’m sorry song, when all I could picture in my head was him in that tank-top in the MV? LMAO, good luck with the tears I guess, ain't nobody crying here. But like how talented is War? What can't that man do?

PLOT:
I enjoyed the plot of this show. Some things I overlooked, like the Thanos ring thing, how those poor people kept making the most stupidest decisions, comedic timing and etc, but when all was said and done, it was interesting enough to hold my attention and bring me back every single week. I liked the intensity, the jokes, the emotions, and the overall cast. Story-wise this didn't really feel like something new, but the redemption arc with Joke added depth to it, how he was struggling to become a better person, personally I think he was always a better person, heart of gold. And also how the good guys, no matter how hard they tried, always made decisions that hurt others. Nothing was black and white here, which made the plot interesting and worth watching. There were some stale parts in the middle that not even the good actors could make interesting, but when everything was added up, the plot held its own well.

CHARACTERS
Joke stole the show for me. Every time he did another character I was so impressed by War's range as an actor. Him as a lady was so beautiful, my arse was this close to asking for beauty tips XD. Jack and Joke's journey was a wild ride, going from friends to enemies, then enemies to friends, friends to lovers. And in-between it all, we went through the high and lows with them. For a second there, I thought it was only going to be all lows, cuz damn, these people knew how to make us suffer. I enjoyed their journey, and as leads, Yin and War carried this show very well, bringing their characters to life. As always, their chemistry was chemistrying and that forehead touch might just be the best thing ever.

The secondary characters here also had their own thing going for them. Everyone seemed to have their own problems they were working through, which added to the overall plot, so that was good. I wanted more of Tattoo and Aran, cuz it seemed they were suppose to be a thing, then took an arrow to the knee somewhere along the way. I wanted to know more about Hoy as well, he seemed the only one who didn't have any sort of background.

Rose grew on me. I came to love how graceful she was in defeat. No, her heart was literally breaking from being rejected and I was out here laughing cuz she took it so well, although she wanted to cry. I was so happy she wasn't one of those delusional female characters who can't take no for an answer. Love her. In the finale, she seemed to have grown out of her rich girl naive phase and understood her circle of rich people were evil/jerks , so good for her. But like, rich power hungry people are just the worst!

As for the Boss, he was a typical bad guy with no redeeming qualities or even an interesting background. He came off as greedy, unlikable and just dreaming of becoming a bigger fish than he was. That whole Thanos ring thing seemed like a big deal, but then in the end Rose was like, give me back my ring, and he was like, well, I wasn't the one who stole it. And the whole time, I'm confused, cuz if it's that easy to ask for it back, why her family ran? And why Boss made it look like he basically owed Thailand cuz he put it on his finger? Yeah, that whole ring thing made no sense to me. And somehow, in the finale, knowing it was all a game, still does not sit right with me. Should have been a big plot twist but I can’t feel the payoff.

Joke's father was nothing but a sperm donor in the beginning. I didn't understand why he didn't see himself as being part of how Joke turned out. I mean he was constantly making him feel like he wasn't enough, while the little brother was like everything. And the only time he said anything good was about the Joker thief. I was happy for the father's growth, how he came to apologies as well, and they became family again. When their family was together in the end, I cheered a bit, Joke deserves that so much!

Look, I managed to forgive Tattoo, but for some reason, I can't get over Save's betrayal. Yes, he was also trying to get himself and his evil boyfriend out of debt, but he was directly and knowingly hurting everyone else, just to be free. And these were friends that he pretended to love. Yes, they all did stuff to be free, but I still can't forgive him. Man tried to poison and kill poor Grandma. Heck no.

Okay, I sort of forgave him after seeing the finale, but they up and made him the new Boss? The guy who knows how to hurt everyone where it hurts the most? The smart guy who was giving Boss all the evil ideas? Nah, these people don't want peace. Then again those 4 horsemen might know what they are doing putting such a person in charge. I did like him and Hope though. In the finale, seeing Hope being stupidly proud and in-love was cute, although I've still only forgiven them halfway.

Now, the Grandma was the real MVP of this show. Woman was legendary. Lol, Joke out there getting his arse whooped and she was holding her own by throwing food. Loved her!

FINALE:
Felt like, after trying to make a very good show, the finale lost the concept. Cuz this hour and half episode felt like the writers and director were trying to fill as many cliches as they could into the ending. From the cartoonish fights, some out of place comedy, last minutes saves, no real plans, dramatic over the top scenes, and unnecessary waiting times for the good guys to converse while the bad guy just wait, everything about most of the finale had me going... yaaay mediocre, where's the awesomeness from the beginning of the drama? Yes, having them play the game was interesting, built some tension, but many things had me throwing questions at my screen.

Even so, I was happy for the happy ending, cuz for a moment there, I thought we'd get a sad one and it would ruin my Christmas. That being said, that finale was so convoluted and also somehow long. Legit, most of the fighting scenes had me rolling my eyes, cuz there was so many ways to win over that Cardboard or Carpenter or whatever his name was but they kept just making stupid decisions. Arrrggg. Literally even when he was down, Jack and Joke decided to just not go for the tablet/control thing. Like, literally that was the whole point of the fight. Stupid. And as villains go, I legit did not care one bit for that Cardboard paper character... took me a while to even remember he was that one guy.

I hate basic villains who get so talkative and petty when they get the upper hand. Boss suddenly turned into this childish person with that over the top trying to do evil things. And then suddenly bam, it was all a game, everyone is safe, and instead of making room for Tattoo and Aran we had to watch Alice slow dance with his ghost wife. Yeah, no thanks. Though, seeing that he's probably out there suffering is good punishment.

HAHAHA that ‘Zorry’ scene. I admit, that was one of the best things about the finale. I paused to finish laughing before continuing, and then when he tried to explain himself, I lost it even more!!

Jack and Joke's engagement? I am calling it a proposal, cuz what else could it have been? I loved how simply and easy it felt. Jack offered the ring, and Joke just happily took it without question. Their happy ending was well deserved/earned. Wish I saw more of them with their daughter. Well, now that the father is back? would they still adopt her? Would Tattoo and Aran give it a go? Either way, I'm going to miss this drama and the cast.

All-in-all, YinWar made the last quarter of bls this year fun. The tl was alive every week with theories which made Mondays not suck so much, and I enjoyed it. The drama is not without flaws, but it's one of my favourites dramas this year. I recommend it to everyone who loves a good bl, watch it, you'd like it. Looking forward to more work from YinWar in the future. For now, I'mma go watch Yin in suits, and War create stuff with clay and grin at my screen. Bye bye.

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too much plot

jack & joker is not even close to being a decent show so far cos—them meeting/their past, joke's jailtime, their reunion enemyship and cohabitation were all sped through and barely had buildup. not bringing jack's lack of character development so far cos it's through joke pov rn. there's too many side plotlines cluttering the main heist of which there are two now? which ig are sorta connected and can be excused but seriously though the ring plot is holding on by a thread not to mention the bs sewercide backstory w jack's parents and joke's helicopter dad. their relationship itself has nothing going on LIKE he hates him why? he got scammed and then he let him live in his house (??) and now they're partners? they're faught what once? thrice? so far and have like 3 scenes worth of interaction between, in the same frame and then side couple? useless. no one cares. naive guy, friends with protag vs guy who works for a crook, hates protag/coworker could be interesting if it wasn't at the cost of main relationship. im actually so pissed jack and joker's relationship seems to be going nowhere can you tell? i get that this is action heavy unlike love mechanics which honed into relationships and interactions but i feel this could've been much better if the writers/directors had tapped into yinwar's incredible microexpressive acting along with all the boom pow over the top scenes. the unnecessary zoom-ins, long lines that literally add nothing new, scene and tone switching, shitty loud ass background music.... all in all this is nawt giving elaborate action-heist comedy it's giving medicorely made slapstick gag.

(update) yinwar acting down on the latest j&j episode but what even is the point with this slap things on and see what sticks type of plot :/ not only is too much going on but it's getting repetitive preseries joke betrayal misunderstanding jack forgiving him and now the same shit all over like the theiving plot was fun in of itself and then there's the grandma sickness and jack fake marriage and now the lil girl is in the hospital too? i get that joke's father's a surgeon but sab ko thoosne ke chakar me kuch aur nahi ho raha bas ye character ka struggle phir us character ka struggle with 10+ characters the only screentime of the main couple is when their fighting or fucking which is fun and all but we don't know shit about any of these characters except when vocalised by the other characters which is a WASTE of yinwar's acting talent

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I like Grandma

Story
There are glaringly 3 main problems I've encountered watching this. The first one being ;

1. The story's writing. The plot centers around the protagonist jack being bamboozled (big word for scammed) by Joker and forced to work as an enforcer for a criminal as restitution. Joker coming out from prison to help jack pay off his debt as penance for destroying his life and ruining his future. The both of them growing as people and falling in love while taking down the big bad boss.

This is a very good plot that would have worked efficiently with better writing. I noticed that the deficiencies in the story lied with several branching arcs of different characters and storylines that were mostly forgotten and firmly rushed at the end of the series The pacing of the show was either too fast or too slow a lot of times with scenes being jumbled up with poor continuity as it moved from an episode to the next, with the same characters doing several sidequests and repeating the patterns of previous episodes.

2. Character development
Unfortunately there were a lot of the characters storylines, that might have improved the overall quality of the storywere in fact neglected . Everyone else that wasn't jack or joker barely had any backstories to explain some of their actions or to predict what they'd do next. The whys weren't explained enough so we didn't care about the hows. I never felt anyone was really or danger or going to die. Maybe if they had exposited a bit more, it might raised the stakes and heightened the tension. I never really felt

As for our two leads...Jack was the same naive fool that had been tricked 4 times in the span of 10 episodes while his love interest, a reckless bull headed idiot (that thought he was a genius) that escalated situations for the worse. Joker still often times resulted to being a thief to solve problems and Jack ran headfirst into problems because of this. And that's why the story fell in a loop as they always ended up in the same issues again and again.

3. Love story
McSexy Feat. McHottie
That's my nickname for yinwar. They make a very cohesive and attractive pairing. Both being very good-looking with striking constrasts. If not for anything they'll continue to be successful because people genuinely enjoy watching them on screen. Good chemistry and palpable sexual tension.
The reasons why i praised yinwar for their ship earlier, is because they're damn good ship. Better than most I've seen this year because, you actually can see them in your head sneaking off somewhere being in love or just being friends. They sell it. And they sold it. Even with the plotholes , we were rewarded with a cute scene or two per episode of them just being them. I wanted the satisfaction of just seeing them lock eyes and say the "i love yous" and kisses of deep passion. I always looked forward to their scenes.

The buildup to their characters falling in love was quite rushed. There was no real resolution of the past that would justify jack forgiving joker for fucking with him, and then later falling in love with him, after hating his guts for so long.

Then there's hope and save. Just throw those two away. Wasting precious screentime that should have gone into arranging this story.

Acting
It had some good solid moments. A lot of heartmelting scenes that reminded me of human resilience in the face of poverty. Corruption nd systemic oppression.

Zorzo is gorgeous as always. I enjoyed scenes with her. A lot of the side characters were criminally unutilized except as brief comedic relief or plot vehicles. Applause to the older actors (boss man made me despise him fr) for doing great jobs. Nice to see Mark Siwat in a new role as well.

Grandma was a treat.


Conclusion
I felt the most relief watching the boss and that psycho sidekick of his get defeated. So satisfying. But I'd say that the ending was a bit silly in how it escalated as them cosplaying the squid games.

I think all in all with its mistakes it still rounded out to be a fairly good show that made you root for the underdog. I see the excitement for yinwar and they carried it as best as they could.

P.s are we ignoring that people were stuffing crystals into teddies?

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Such a disappointment

Abysmal display of art. I don't know if its the script or the actors but this was such a disappointment. In the first couple of episodes i thought, "Oh this might be interesting. It could end up being like The Sign". I have never been more wrong. With an average run time of 70min per episodes for 12 episodes, this was NOT WORTH IT! The acting was average at best, i feel bad for War because he's the only decent actor I could see. Even the little girl who played Toi Teng portrayed her role better than most of the other actors.

The directing, the camera work, the random flashbacks and stop start of action scenes were appalling. The way they'd drag out a scene unnecessarily, I had to forward past certain parts because seriously, how many fight scenes in every episode? And how is this a BL? This is an action drama that happens to have a tiny spark between the "leads" who happen to be men. Its like someone wrote an action series and then last minute they were like, "lets put two gay couples in it and call it a BL". Horribly disappointing. The fact that these roles could have been played by anyone says a lot about the acting in the show.

Don't get me started on the story. The weakest of "Four Horsemen" conveniently steals a ring that up until that episode had been completely irrelevant. And all of a sudden he rules the world? How are there no Horsemen rules and penalties for stealing from a fellow member? How does one ring suddenly make this guy "untouchable". And the granny with the "powers" who cant do anything but throw food at perps really fast? How does she end up having surgery for taking the wrong medication and no medical investigations are done? Then there's Carbon, Jack's nemesis from over 5 years ago conveniently shows up and teams up with Jack's terrible boss? How do they know each other? There are so many inconsistencies its frustrating to watch.

And then there's Joker's character who is this legendary thief but we never actually see him do anything legendary. As for that last minute heist where his friends followed him to the rooftop and conveniently had the gear needed to pull off the theft. Come on. 🙄🙄 The disappointments are endless. The writers messed this show up, the directing was poor and the casting could have been better. This had so much potential. It could have been a funny action series that fully explores and encompasses the relationship between Jack and Joker but we dont really see the development of a relationship between them. One moment Jack is possibly getting together with Rose and the next he's confessing his feelings to Joke? Like when did he know he liked him? Where is the love story? Where is the chemistry build up unattached to all chaos, the sexual tension and the softer moments between the two of them.? Their relationship felt like an afterthought and it was very unfortunate. I was hoping for a story of true love between two people fighting to defy the odds. Is that so hard to do?☹️

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It's somewhere between like and hate ...

Let's see -

Like:
Yin and War are still good together. Though it is War that emotes it better.
Depiction of true poverty. Really brought to life the effects of debt and poor choices. The sweaty faces (may not have been part of the script), cramped tumbled rooms and scrappy clothes made the setting believable.
Grandma bringing the comedy and sound counseling.
Rose accepting the refusal with a little class and not hanging on for scraps.
Bad happens to everyone. How it is dealt with is on you. Same event but different choices between Nang and Boss.
Aran's downward slide into poverty was covered.
Aran building Tattoo's ego when he needed it most.
Joke crying. Again, I repeat, Joke crying.
Hope reminding Jack that he had to do some dark shit for Boss, also.
When Joke saved Jack from Boss without telling him that he saved him.
Joke raising his hand to touch Jack's face but stops midway as Rose interrupts. Jack sneaking one last look at Joke as he goes through the doorway.

Hate:
Everything else.
Script felt like I was watching an ant farm. All over the
place with a ridiculous series of events and asinine characters. Four Horsemen? Chutes and Ladders? Collars that could detonante? A ring that turned Boss into gollum instantaneously?
Jack going back to Boss immediately.
Over the top acting.
Joke getting caught the majority of the show. A master thief he was not.
No explaination as to what was Joke's learning difficulty but he is a teacher for the impoverished children. How? Make it make sense.
Humor that was not humorous.
Joke looking clownish in some of his disguises.
Joke spent 5 years in jail and still got beat. What did he learn? How to pick the ugliest comical tattoos? The boy went in jail looking wealthy and came out like he was from the ghetto all his life.
Jack helped the entire neighborhood but grandma was still in poverty.
Boss' laugh.
The struggle of who would top? Not necessary to the script.
There was no real charm to their relationship and seemed lacklustre at the end.

There is more but I'll stop here. The entire production team can go back to school to learn how to create a series within budget with a coherent plot and engaging characters. Jack and Joker was a sweaty mess from beginning to end with too many characters and very little plot to tell a cohesive story. While actors can look for roles to show their versatility, Yin and War can do better. The beginning was good. The ending was not.

Rewatch: Only if grandma is hurling a plate of chive dumplings at me.

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