Hidden Agenda (2023)

It doesn't matter if some people hate me. And let me be alone here - but I enjoyed it. A series to have a good evening. I was really looking forward to the end of this series so I could watch it later. And I was not disappointed. I really liked it.
JoongDunk acting has improved. And this is noticeable in many episodes. For example, in the episode where Zo and Joke have their first time/first night. I really liked this scene. Zo's embarrassment, hesitation, awkwardness - how well Dunk portrayed it. You watch it and you rejoice that the writers added conversations and such a scene. In most of the series I've watched, the main characters are so experienced and active in their first time/first night. So this Zo and Joke scene appealed to me.
I also liked the scenes with aggressive Zo. It's probably funny, but it is. I think Dunk manages to portray aggression excellently.
The plot itself is filled with tenderness. It really seemed that way to me. Yes, the plot is not genius, but it's not as bad as many people write here. But I liked the idea of the writers about the plot. And I won't even mention the chemistry between the main characters. It's just unbelievable. The looks, the tenderness, the kisses. Haha

Again, I don't understand some people who obsess over these debates. What's the big deal with it? I don't understand comments like "I forgot that Zo is part of the debate club", "the plot is not consistent, I forgot about the debates". I am not in any way condemning these people. I know that everyone has different tastes. But some of them remain incomprehensible to me. The series' plot doesn't revolve around debates. Imagine if they talked about debates every 5 minutes for 12 episodes. People wouldn't have liked it, they would have said that apart from debates, there is no plot. It's the same thing.
I liked how they tried to show the problems between parents and children here, about unhappy first love. Especially in the 9th episode, they managed to show that relationships are not always perfect, any misunderstandings or attempts to hide the truth can have consequences. Zo and Joke showed us that. And yes, I understand that the reason for their fight may seem trivial/stupid to some. But as I already said, it's about relationships, where any small misunderstanding can have consequences. Furthermore, I can understand why Zo reacted that way. He had an unsuccessful experience with his first love. Moreover, I like such scenes in series, they are a kind of resemblance to real life, and about situations that can happen in real life.
Overall, I liked it. Yes, the plot may be banal, but I liked it. And honestly, I can't understand why everyone doesn't like Dunk's acting? Maybe it's because I liked the series, and I liked the main actors, and I just don't notice it. But after watching the series "Sky and Stars," I still don't understand what's wrong with Dunk's acting. I personally really like it. Especially his smile.

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Writer failed

Actually poorly written plot.. firstly episodes are little bit ok but after few episodes drama is droped too much. Actually from episode to episode line up also floping for me.. actually what is that plot dude.. letz say itz ok to not having great story becoz some dramas are light dramas with rom com. But those have great bulid up romances .. this plot is faild to build up romance too... i am sad for this cpl... this drama can not compare with star in my mind not even little bit...in that drama even dunk can not act well story line and joong did not let us realized that.. that is why that drama is really great..
As for acting dunk not inprove his acting skills not even little bit i feel like his acting skill is droped more.. and for joong he didnt had a chance to show his skills with this plot.. so he also kind of boring in this drama..

But even this drma faild thire chemestry is still same i love that.. when they are together still butterflies in my stomach start flying 😁

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Fun and light hearted

I have to say I enjoyed it, I can see what others are saying but to each their own. I found it fluffy, cute, and innocent. I enjoyed the cast. I wish the 2nd couple had a little more time to show how they got together, and I wish they had given a little more about the hidden drama between the 2 seniors. feel like that would have been interesting. I enjoy the leads very much as they have amazing chemistry together. I found it gave you a little of everything love, lies, family drama, emotional drama, hiding relations, and stalking. Zo was a bit annoying at times with overdoing the drama, but it was ok. I found the series was enjoyable. It would have been fun to see where they all ended up like 2 years later type of moment. This series has a lot going for it and was a joy to watch.

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Weak start, strong half-time, weak ending

No spoilers:
Overall, this show convinced me because of Zo's character and how the script only revealed his backstory bit by bit, making me want to re-watch the show at least once. Where the show almost lost me was at the very slow beginning and the convoluted end. In retrospective, only episodes 3-9 grabbed my attention, either because the relationship was still developing or struggling. Another thing I liked was the second couple, as they felt enriching to the story and also had an interesting plot. However, one of the main parts (?) of the story – the debating club – I think could've been used more effectively and didn't feel as important as it was supposed to be. For me, the topics they debated were too fictional to take them seriously.

Acting-wise, I do feel like Joong and Dunk improved from Star in My Mind. Especially, Dunk portrayed Zo's nervousness perfectly with his physical responses to Joke's advances. I'm certain that some scenes/situations helped bring across these emotions because it was also their first time shooting scenes like this. However, I see the need for both of them to act separately from each other, so that they can learn from other situations, plots, and more experienced actors. Of course, I want to see them again together in a series, but then it must be outside the uni-context and maybe in another genre – be it action, thriller, more mature or full on rom-com where you sit on the other side of the screen laughing so hard you have to cry.

Let's talk directing-style: I think in the special episode that aired before Hidden Agenda was released it was mentioned that this was the first or one of the first bigger projects for the director and I think you can feel that. Sometimes I felt lost as to how much time has passed (especially episode 7). I was missing transitional-shots or something that gave a clue as to where and when we are in the scene. Also, I'm not a huge fan of this very milky background we got most of the time (again, episode 7) – at some point it felt over-used. It could've had a better/bigger impact I think if it would've been used more sparingly. Additionally, the music often felt quite random. Maybe a bigger selection would've made the job easier and could've improved to convey certain feelings in some scenes.

Spoilers included:
That Zo is a pan- or bisexual character came to me as a pleasant surprise because I read his behaviour when he realized his feelings for Joke as i'm-getting-to-know-my-sexuality kinda thing. As it turns out, however, this was only him dealing with the trauma experienced back when he was a kid, and he had feelings for a boy for the first time. So, now the first 7 episodes change their meaning – at least for me. And I love that we don't have this i'm-getting-to-terms-with-my-sexuality-trope, but rather deal with how-can-I-overcome-this-trauma.
What I also admire about Zo is that he stays true to his principles. He communicates very clear and doesn't make any distinction between classmate, friends, or boyfriend. A few examples: As soon as he figured out his feelings for Joke, he acts on them (the kiss in episode 4). Next he goes to Nita because he realized the difference in his romantic feelings towards Joke and his feelings of admiration towards Nita. When Joke is again pushy with the food, and he gets into a fight with one of Zo's friends, Zo ends the fight and takes Joke with him to tell him off in a mature way. And of course when Joke's hidden agenda gets revealed, and he doesn't apologize correctly, Zo doesn't get weak and waits for Joke to come to his senses and (hopefully) learn from his mistake. Now of course Zo is not perfect as I don't like the silent-treatment he's giving Joke, but again, no person is perfect, and I love it that we see more characters like that.
Joke being the green-flag and supportive boyfriend was a great watch. Even though he really frustrated me in episode 9 when it took him the entire episode to realize what he did wrong – but I'm here for it. What I admire about Joke was his consistent reassurance he gave Zo about his feelings for him. He tried to not pressure Zo which I think is important to show more in BL as there are too many storylines out there where pressure is romanticized. I think we saw the peak of it in episode 8 where we got the super hyped NC scene.
While Zo and Joke were the example for good communication, I feel like the second couple, Jeng and Pok, showed us what happens when you don't communicate your thoughts and feelings honestly. However, their conflict also got resolved in a mature way where Jeng realized how his behaviour hurt his boyfriend, and Pok learned that he needed to communicate his feelings better for Jeng to be able to act on them.
Now the last two episodes felt really out of place, I think that's because Hidden Agenda was originally supposed to run only for 10 instead of 12 episodes? Anyhow, the end felt convoluted and rushed because they squeezed in Joke's family drama and another quarrel between Zo and Joke. It's possible, that if it had been 12 episodes from the beginning they could've built up the Joke situation way better. Now, his family-situation was used to explain Zo's misunderstanding with his mom – a classic “don't tell but show”-situation where the time ran out to show rather than tell what just happened. Because without Zo's explanation, I don't think I would've got his isolation in episode 12. In the end I would've been more happy with just 10 episodes because after episode 9 I didn't feel as excited anymore to wait for each episode.

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Definitely one of the better 2023 BLs

I’ve watched quite a lot of BLs over the past 2 years but this the very first one I feel to add my review on line. I always read the reviews and for this series they were a bit unfair and a total of 7.3 is definitely to low, as the performance is quite above average but maybe not the best of the year.

JoonDunk have good chemistry and this shows throughout the episodes. Still today most of the BLs are too shy with a kiss but not here, those scenes were properly done I liked the sunflower popping up as it reminds of “star in my mind”. The characters are evolving and although the hidden agenda concept is watered down after 3 or 4 episodes other elements are build in like the stalking of Nina and onwards of the main leads. Also both face parents where they have great expectation from their children and the pressure it puts on them. The comments on Dunk’s acting are too strong, don’t forget he plays the role of a guy with low self-esteem who’s looking for himself.

It was also good to see other BL stars popping up from various other BL series.

And so in conclusion, give the show a chance. Everyone is entitled to their opinion of course.

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Star in Your Mind pt. 2

The first teaser for the series was exciting. I really liked how the vibe and the characters seemed different from those in Star in Your Mind. I was excited about it and was really looking forward to seeing Joong and Dunk in something a bit more angsty. And then the second trailer dropped. And then the series. And all my hopes went down the drain.

The plot ended up being kind of messy and confusing with quite a few plot holes and inconsistencies. There was no reasoning behind a lot of the things, including some very crucial aspects – like why Joke likes Zo. They just went from arguing to Joke looking at Zo with hearts in his eyes. I was expecting the whole Joke – Nita – Zo triangle to take longer to both develop and solve, especially as it was shown as the biggest part of the plot in the trailer. And yet it was done and over so soon. The whole idea of the hidden agenda was also not explored enough. It was hinted at and glossed over so quickly, it’s like it has never happened. Generally speaking, problems were not given enough time to properly develop and to have some sort of reasoning behind them.

And as much as I hate to do this, the whole series felt like Star in Your Mind part two or an alternative universe version of it. Not only did the characters played by Joong and Dunk appear to be pretty much the same in both series, but there was also the whole thing with Joong’s characters having a (ex)girlfriend and pinning after Dunk’s character. I found the series to be quite boring most of the time. It was just Joong and Dunk being cute. It was sweet the first time we saw it, the second time around was just boring.

Don’t get me started on the debates. It’s like they have done no research on how a debate actually goes. I tried to see if this is the Thai structure, but I couldn’t find anything online. But I can tell you that it is definitely not the NOVA structure of a debate. I have seen my fair share of debates in real life (even participated in one or two), and the Hidden Agenda version of a debate is very far from the reality of it.

Joke & Zo: they were cute together; I’ll give them that. Joke appears to be more closed off and quite awkward at times. His relationship with family seems to be quite strained as well, but it’s not really explained why. It just is. Zo also has a strained relationship with his mom, but that is something that is addressed in the series. And it makes sense. Zo seems to be kind of naïve at times, but there is more to him than that. The way their relationship happens, and progresses is very strange. It goes from nothing to everything very quickly. Almost too quickly. I have already mentioned how Joke’s feelings for Zo are never really explained. At least Zo’s feelings make sense. And while the two of them talk about some important things – yay for communication and setting boundaries – they also tend to either forget or ignore what they talked about. Joong and Dunk have great chemistry, there was definitely a lot of improvement when it comes to their kissing scenes. But there is something about Dunk’s acting that just doesn’t sit right with me. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it just feels off at times

Jeng & Pok: I like the fact that they were an already established couple dealing with realistic problems. Pok is such a cutie! He might seem adorable and naïve only, but he can be very mature and can stand up for himself when it’s needed. Jeng is struggling with who he is and who he shows to others, he fears rejection and judgment from his friends. And that is something that leads to a lot of tension between the two. Aou and Boom both did great and had an amazing chemistry. I wish we could have seen more of them.

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Felt like I was watching Star in My Mind 2

but with much better communication between Joke and Zo. At least they're problems they were able to fix quicker by actually talking to each other unlike Kluen and Dao. Still the story is basically the same: two college students, one has a one side crush on the other at first, there's a girl heavily involved: rinse, recycle, repeat. I only liked it a little more than SIMM because the characters are way more mature emotionally, esp Joke. At least in this one I didn't want to tear my hair out with any arguments the characters may have had etc. Other than that, it's essentially the same story. Dunk's acting is still stiff, and I still have to feel any chemistry between JoongDunk that's not forced. I hate those forced, cliche, chemistry moments and there was ton here. As for rewatch value: I'll probably rewatch when I'm bored or don't have anything else to watch.

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not for the lovers of dramatics

probably my most controversial review, but the story has minimal drama, and that seems to be everyone’s issue with it. I personally enjoyed not having to deal with unnecessary love triangles, second leads, bullying, overly dramatic breakdowns, and miscommunication. in fact, there is so much communication between the leads that it doesn’t fall into the “2 episodes to fix this” trope and I wholeheartedly enjoyed that things were addressed head-on.

joke and zo display maturity and growth spectacularly. and even with the few instances where dunk’s acting fell a bit short, he pulled through with his role overall.

if anything, the constant complaints I’ve seen only show that gmmtv are not supporting them as they should. dunk has the potential, he simply isn’t having faith and resources put into him. time also seems to be a foreign concept to gmmtv, as this feels like they rushed everyone to finish. finally, a reminder that dunk is still relatively new. joong has been in this industry for a while now and reprised quite a few roles so it is unfair to compare them. give dunk time.

the only thing I did not like was the ending. joke deserved more than just that dinner scene. his father was absolutely vile and it felt like most of that was cut/rearranged to make it a quick reconciliation.

also, pok and jeng were incredible to see. everyone gets so lost in tearing this down that it seems everyone forgets them. seeing a more raw and realistic coming out gave this show more layers. aou and boom did an amazing job, their scenes brought so many emotions. genuinely would love to see them take on lead roles now.

I don’t know what exactly the complaints are on about, as I found this to be one of the best series I watched as it released. hoping we get more of everyone in this show, they all worked so well together.

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Surprisingly well written!

Surprisingly, this is a smartly written, well defined adult-themed BL that unfolds from an infatuation to quite literally life partners. I was impressed with how well this series evolved and told a full and complete story. Sure, it had a lot of bumps along the way, and tended to be too much of a Soap Opera in places, but it had heart and grit and frankly never lost its way. It is one of the most solid BLs from Thailand to come along in quite a while. In the end, however, the story did something rarely seen in BLs and almost never in Thai ones. It had a graceful ending eluding to the notion that they were and remain a couple still deeply in love and still happy to be so. They are life partners, if not soulmates in every sense of that term.
You can read my full review of this pretty good series at BLBliss.com.

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TRUST ME IT GETS BETTER!!!!

Honestly I stopped watching during the second episode and didn’t pick it up for a while. I was so excited about joongdunk because I love them so much but felt something lacking at first. I get its easy to drop but take this from someone who also was on the verge of dropping DONT! When I picked it back up episode three and on became smooth sailing. Eventually you will start to see scenes that just feel like joongdunk and not them “acting.”
Honestly dunk has improved his acting but it’s true he still feels a bit stiff but his chemistry with joong kinda camouflages his lack of acting. And GWORL you will be squealing, kicking your feet and giggling very soon! Episode 7 part 4 is all I’m GONNA SAY! Joong as always shines so bright with his acting and the way he portrays his character joke is well done!
Give it some time and don’t completely write it off!
Joongdunk have so much natural chemistry off set and you can see it in hidden agenda a lot in many scenes as it seeps into the show!
You can really see how much more comfortable they’ve gotten with each other. Like pondphuwin when they did their first project together phuwins kiss scene felt awkward much like dunk in his kiss scenes but baby did they change that real soon! Joong has always seemed natural when kissing his on screen partner and dunk felt awkward and not confident but girl did he show us all wrong in Hidden Agenda!
ALSO WATCH IT FOR AUOBOOM!!!! Their chemistry is insane and natural and they need their own series!

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