Jack and Joker (2024)

Hearts and Heists

Let's start with the characters and my very most favorite one is JOKER-the master of disguise with a heart of pure gold. He is this super charming guy who could talk his way out of everything but beneath the bravado, he struggles-he drowns in a sea of expectations from parents who only set love for him when he attains such standards. It's honestly so sad. The only thing he feels good at is the robbing of wealthy oppressors, and instead of just stealing for his own needs, he targets those rich people, giving away to other's in need-sort of like a modern-day Robin Hood, lmao. It's so thrilling to watch him pull off those elaborate heists, you can't help but root for him, he is trying to find a way to get out from pressure by his family and also make a difference to the world. I think it's that moral gray area that makes him so interesting.

Meanwhile Jack starts off as this shy, sweet kid who has big dreams - like wanting to become a pro taekwondo fighter or starting his own school but then life hits him hard and everything he worked for gets taken away in an instant. It’s super tough to watch because you can feel his pain. Suddenly, he is forced to toughen up as he becomes a debt collector and now people are scared of him but it’s not who he really is. Tbh seeing him struggle to balance that tough exterior with the softness inside will probably give you some tear stains.

Of course the best part of this show has to be Jack and Joker together tho. Their relationship goes through so many stages and I love it. They start off as strangers then become friends who turn into enemies then go back to friends and eventually end up as lovers. It’s wild how many twists and turns their feelings take. I have always wanted to see this type of dynamic in a BL show.

Also their relationship isn’t rushed at all. It feels super natural like you are watching something real unfold right in front of you. I got to see them work through their issues, and every step of the way I was just glued to the screen, cheering them on. It’s honestly so beautiful to watch their bond grow. Plus, the chemistry between YinWar is insane! These two have always been amazing in all their projects together but in this show, they really take it to another level. You can just tell that they completely understand and trust each other and its obvious in every scene.

An other thing that I loved is the honest look at how poverty and desperation can push people into making reckless choices that might hurt the people they care about the most. One character (Tattoo) makes some really bad decisions but his actions show a bigger truth about just trying to survive in a world that seems to keep knocking you down. He is stuck in a cycle of poverty and when you are in a tough spot like that, its hard to tell what’s right and wrong. And speaking of Tattoo, I really loved his development throughout the show.

And the visuals are seriously impressive which is rare for BL shows. The cinematography shows the contrast between the lavish lives of the wealthy and the harsh realities faced by those in poverty - from the glitz of high-end parties to the gritty streets . I love the attention to that detail.

To sum it up, this show has it all: action, drama, romance, and a provoking plot. The characters are super lovable -well except for Arun's dad who I'm definitely side-eyeing right now LMAO. But on a serious note, this series stands out from most BLs because it brings something fresh and new to the table. YinWar absolutely crushes it and the entire cast are pretty good as well. The quality is amazing and the story is engaging. GO AND WATCH IT.

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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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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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Honestly, ignore the rating!

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.

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kind of a comedy caper

Overall: the tone swings between comedy vs some serious moments, which is jarring. 12 episodes about 1 hour each. Airing on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/jack-joker-u-steal-my-heart-episode-1-l2dlqwi91c?lang=en_us (I am watching the uncut version which originally was the only MDL listing)

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

Watch Suggestions starting at ep 5 (to take out nonsense plot and focus on the leads, 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

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

Room For Improvement
- the romance has taken a backseat to the nonsense plot
- characters are stupid
- 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 don't laugh at most of the jokes
- the food poisoning/farting
- there are a ton of nonsense things like when you think about it, it doesn'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

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Not worth to hyped

The first thing I want to mention is that the drama does not touch on serious issues as it is presented, on the contrary, they escape this situation by taking lighly as jokes. The most important of the problems they mentioned is that children cannot go to school due to poverty. In my opinion, this is just a cover used to deepen Jack's character, but it fails to do so. These people live in places called slums in Thailand, where extremely poor people live. If these children do not study, the two important problems they fall into, such as drugs and prostitution, are never mentioned. I say this to those who defend that it does not focus on the BL plot because it deals with serious issues. For example, Jocke spends five years in prison, but we do not see any real psychological or physical reflections of this, as if he came from a Los Angeles vacation.
However, some will say that the BL part is slowburn. But I do not think that the two characters spend enough time in the series to form a bond and understand each other for a series to be slowburn in this respect. If we look at the length of over an hour and take into account the eight episodes we have, the sum of the scenes they are together does not make up one episode of the series. I don't think the basis or development of their love or hatred for each other is reflected enough. The fact that we "understand, know" does not mean that they reflect this in the story well. The fact that the English love confession scene is turned into a joke is an example of this, or the fact that they still use the word "friend" while hugging in bed in the last episode. I am really tired of these. To be honest, even if the scenes of the two of them together are few, the script does not have the potential to fill the remaining parts, it is boring and stupid most of the time, so I watch it by skipping many parts. It is an unnecessarily overhyped series. The few lovely moments they will put in the last three episodes will not change my opinion that the series as a whole is boring and has a poorly written script.

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perfeição

Estou completamente obcecado por jack & joker, bl perfeição, roteiro e personagens bem desenvolvidos, química absurda dos Yinwar, momentos engraçados, cenas boas de ação e drama também, não tenho o que falar mal, merece cada nota boa e toda atenção que estão dando, pra mim já é o BL do ano.

Tanto o Jack quanto o Joker são complexos e não há pressa em desenvolver os sentimentos, ambos tem seus conflitos pra resolver e mesmo assim estão ali um pro outro, por mais que o mundo queira separar eles, da pra ver o olhar deles o quanto eles não querem ficar separados, o quanto se amam e o quanto já são uma familia.

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After watching the first episode, I was like WOW. High production, great acting from War and Yin, interesting heist plot, I have never seen before in a BL, super exciting main characters, charming side characters, great fight scenes. I was hooked. Watching the second episode, I understood the writing was silly and weak. So watching this series feels like being in a bad relationship, but despite all the red flags, you're in love and keep telling yourself it's not that bad.
It is that bad.
The writing is bad.
The overall plot ideas aren't that terrible, but the execution is more than lacking. I was willing to overlook a lot, but when I finally understood (and it was confirmed much earlier than I was willing to see it), that even the characters were badly written, I had enough.
I don't care about Jack and Joker, despite War looking beautiful when crying. I don't care. This is one of the most boring romances I have ever seen in my life. If people love it - great! I'm out of this relationship. No more excuses for this snooze fest.
To be precise (since people will hate my review anyway): Joker is not the mischievous thief they were advertising him. He is a con man with some luck and stupid sidekicks. Jack has no balls. He is not a dangerous loan shark, but a boy who can't make the right decisions. He is a coward and still salty about his bad luck in life. I also highly disagree with the social criticism they are trying to show us. The basic idea is: poor people remain poor, because the rich exploits them. While this isn't all wrong, the "poor" people in this series make wrong decisions, are lazy and stupid like Tattoo and Hoy. So I don't see how this is really helping them to bring their point across. It's a black and white world, when I expected a gray one. It's oversimplified and childish, but well, that sums up the whole writing, from the silly plot developments, to the silly and boring characters to the silly moral and social criticism. This is a series for young impressionable minds, not for those who love complex writing and characters.

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