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This review may contain spoilers
Revenge, Grief, Corruption, and Chemistry That Earns Its Place
Payback was my first Thai drama of any genre, and it was a very strong introduction.
What impressed me most is that this is not a romance carrying a weak plot. The story would still work without the romance. At its core, Payback is about grief, revenge, corruption, exploitation, guilt, and the way power can distort an entertainment industry from the inside.
Sun enters Dream Entertainment specifically to get revenge on Bank/Sunny, the ex-boyfriend who stole the money Sun had saved for his mother’s cancer treatment and disappeared after Sun’s brother was killed. What Sunny does not realize at first is that Sun also overheard him admitting that he had encouraged the man who killed Sun’s brother. That makes Sun’s revenge much deeper than simple betrayal or theft.
I really liked Sun as a character. He is physically strong, blunt, observant, emotionally closed off, and almost completely uninterested in celebrity status or hierarchy. He doesn’t even recognize the most important people in the industry. Minlee Thanakorn also completely transformed for the role. I had already seen him off-screen being sweet, playful, and extremely huggable, so I genuinely did not recognize him immediately as this tough former debt collector.
Jay is equally interesting. At first he seems like the polished, powerful, slightly frightening man who controls every room he enters. Then we discover that “Director Arthur” is actually the son of Dream Entertainment’s founder, whose company was taken from her through manipulation and corruption before her death. Jay has quietly returned to dismantle the people who destroyed her company and helped destroy her.
That is why one of my favorite moments comes at the end. For most of the drama, the title Payback seems obviously connected to Sun’s revenge. But when Jay walks into the board meeting, reveals that he legally controls 61% of Dream Entertainment, destroys the corrupt takeover plan, and is asked what exactly he thinks he is doing, his answer is:
“It’s payback.”
That line reframes the whole title. This was never only Sun’s revenge. It was Jay’s too.
The relationship between Sun and Jay worked for me because it developed slowly inside the larger story. Sun is attracted to Jay much earlier than he wants to admit, but he spends a long time pushing him away because he has convinced himself that happiness is something he no longer deserves. Jay recognizes that before Sun does and repeatedly confronts him with the fact that he is still alive and allowed to want a life.
One of the most emotional moments for me was when Sun nearly dies and dreams of his dead brother and mother. His brother tells him to stop living for them and simply live his own life. That scene absolutely destroyed me.
The supporting characters were also unusually strong. Kajorn became one of my favorites because he genuinely cares about the actors he manages and repeatedly tries to protect them from an industry where young performers are treated like commodities. Sky’s camera trauma was painful but handled with real care, and I loved Pakin’s role in helping him begin reclaiming something that had once terrified him. Sia Jo was one of the best surprises of the show: intimidating appearance, huge heart, and some desperately needed comic relief.
The entertainment-industry corruption plot got extremely dark. SP, Kongkiat, and the people around them are not just shady businessmen. They exploit young actors, use sexual access as currency, manipulate casting and scripts, destroy careers, and eventually reveal themselves to be capable of far worse. The series is very clear about what happens when money and influence are allowed to operate without accountability.
The uncut intimate scenes were far more explicit than I had seen in a drama before. The chemistry was excellent, and the intimacy had emotional meaning. I generally watch C-dramas, and most of the BLs I’ve watched have been Chinese or Chinese-adjacent, so this being my first Thai drama made that difference especially noticeable.
Still, Minlee and Toptap are excellent together. Their off-screen chemistry is playful and adorable, while Sun and Jay feel completely different onscreen. I especially loved the little callback to their first meeting when Jay tells Sun that he is Sun’s now, and Sun is confused until Jay reminds him:
“You bought me for two baht, remember?”
That ridiculous half-smoked cigarette transaction somehow became one of the sweetest running jokes in the entire drama.
Overall, Payback gave me exactly what I want from a BL: a strong story that does not depend on the romance to survive, layered characters, meaningful supporting roles, real thematic substance, and chemistry that feels earned rather than inserted.
A very good drama, and a very intense first introduction to Thai television.
What impressed me most is that this is not a romance carrying a weak plot. The story would still work without the romance. At its core, Payback is about grief, revenge, corruption, exploitation, guilt, and the way power can distort an entertainment industry from the inside.
Sun enters Dream Entertainment specifically to get revenge on Bank/Sunny, the ex-boyfriend who stole the money Sun had saved for his mother’s cancer treatment and disappeared after Sun’s brother was killed. What Sunny does not realize at first is that Sun also overheard him admitting that he had encouraged the man who killed Sun’s brother. That makes Sun’s revenge much deeper than simple betrayal or theft.
I really liked Sun as a character. He is physically strong, blunt, observant, emotionally closed off, and almost completely uninterested in celebrity status or hierarchy. He doesn’t even recognize the most important people in the industry. Minlee Thanakorn also completely transformed for the role. I had already seen him off-screen being sweet, playful, and extremely huggable, so I genuinely did not recognize him immediately as this tough former debt collector.
Jay is equally interesting. At first he seems like the polished, powerful, slightly frightening man who controls every room he enters. Then we discover that “Director Arthur” is actually the son of Dream Entertainment’s founder, whose company was taken from her through manipulation and corruption before her death. Jay has quietly returned to dismantle the people who destroyed her company and helped destroy her.
That is why one of my favorite moments comes at the end. For most of the drama, the title Payback seems obviously connected to Sun’s revenge. But when Jay walks into the board meeting, reveals that he legally controls 61% of Dream Entertainment, destroys the corrupt takeover plan, and is asked what exactly he thinks he is doing, his answer is:
“It’s payback.”
That line reframes the whole title. This was never only Sun’s revenge. It was Jay’s too.
The relationship between Sun and Jay worked for me because it developed slowly inside the larger story. Sun is attracted to Jay much earlier than he wants to admit, but he spends a long time pushing him away because he has convinced himself that happiness is something he no longer deserves. Jay recognizes that before Sun does and repeatedly confronts him with the fact that he is still alive and allowed to want a life.
One of the most emotional moments for me was when Sun nearly dies and dreams of his dead brother and mother. His brother tells him to stop living for them and simply live his own life. That scene absolutely destroyed me.
The supporting characters were also unusually strong. Kajorn became one of my favorites because he genuinely cares about the actors he manages and repeatedly tries to protect them from an industry where young performers are treated like commodities. Sky’s camera trauma was painful but handled with real care, and I loved Pakin’s role in helping him begin reclaiming something that had once terrified him. Sia Jo was one of the best surprises of the show: intimidating appearance, huge heart, and some desperately needed comic relief.
The entertainment-industry corruption plot got extremely dark. SP, Kongkiat, and the people around them are not just shady businessmen. They exploit young actors, use sexual access as currency, manipulate casting and scripts, destroy careers, and eventually reveal themselves to be capable of far worse. The series is very clear about what happens when money and influence are allowed to operate without accountability.
The uncut intimate scenes were far more explicit than I had seen in a drama before. The chemistry was excellent, and the intimacy had emotional meaning. I generally watch C-dramas, and most of the BLs I’ve watched have been Chinese or Chinese-adjacent, so this being my first Thai drama made that difference especially noticeable.
Still, Minlee and Toptap are excellent together. Their off-screen chemistry is playful and adorable, while Sun and Jay feel completely different onscreen. I especially loved the little callback to their first meeting when Jay tells Sun that he is Sun’s now, and Sun is confused until Jay reminds him:
“You bought me for two baht, remember?”
That ridiculous half-smoked cigarette transaction somehow became one of the sweetest running jokes in the entire drama.
Overall, Payback gave me exactly what I want from a BL: a strong story that does not depend on the romance to survive, layered characters, meaningful supporting roles, real thematic substance, and chemistry that feels earned rather than inserted.
A very good drama, and a very intense first introduction to Thai television.
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