This review may contain spoilers
A Revenge Story That Almost Forgot to Deliver the Revenge
I went into Payback with genuinely high expectations. A darker Thai BL centred around revenge, corruption and the entertainment industry sounded right up my alley. It's adapted from the popular Korean webtoon Payback by Fujoking and Samk, and everything about the premise suggested this would be more than just another romance. It promised a gritty revenge thriller with emotional stakes, morally grey characters and plenty of twists. On paper, it had all the ingredients to become one of my favourite Thai BLs of the year.
I wasn't familiar with Min Thanakorn or Toptap Jarukit before this, but I was already sold after seeing Fuaiz Thanawat in the trailer. His supporting role in 4 Minutes proved he could act, so I had confidence he'd deliver here too. He absolutely did. Fuaiz brings a lot of complexity to Sunny, making him difficult to read throughout the series. Min is excellent as Sun, carrying the emotional weight of the story with quiet restraint, while Toptap does a solid job as Jay despite the script not always giving his character the strongest material. I also have to mention Boss Chaikamon and Shogun, whose scenes together were surprisingly effective. Their chemistry was strong enough that I honestly wanted to see more of them.
The opening episodes hooked me immediately. Sun's motivation is heartbreaking and easy to understand. After losing his younger brother Sky and eventually his mother because of the betrayal of his former lover Bank, now living as the successful actor Sunny, he dedicates himself to revenge. Watching him infiltrate the entertainment industry to destroy the people responsible was exactly the kind of story I signed up for. The added layer of corruption inside Dream Entertainment made the series even more intriguing because it suggested the revenge would be much bigger than simply settling old scores with an ex.
Unfortunately, that's where my excitement slowly started to fade.
For a series built around revenge, Payback spends surprisingly little time actually executing that revenge. Instead, most of the story follows Sun trying to establish himself as an actor. By around Episode 7, it genuinely felt like the series was still setting up the plot rather than moving it forward. The pacing becomes incredibly uneven, and the first six episodes easily could have been condensed into two or three. It constantly feels like the story is delaying the inevitable instead of building towards it.
I kept watching because I wanted to see Sun and Jay systematically dismantle everyone responsible for destroying their lives. I expected each episode to reveal another calculated move in Sun's revenge plan. Instead, almost everything is saved for the finale, where years of build-up are resolved far too quickly. Most of the major confrontations happen inside one lengthy boardroom sequence, and after ten episodes of waiting, the payoff simply isn't satisfying.
I haven't read the original manhwa, so I don't know whether this slower pacing is faithful to the source material or a result of the adaptation. Either way, the television series never finds a good balance between building suspense and delivering meaningful progress.
The romance is another mixed bag. Min and Toptap work well together as actors, but I never fully bought into Sun and Jay falling in love. The emotional progression simply isn't there. I kept asking myself when those feelings actually developed. Was it because of genuine emotional connection? Physical attraction? Or did Jay simply become attached after their one-night stand? The script never convincingly answers those questions, making the relationship feel underdeveloped despite the chemistry between the actors.
Jay also raises another issue. While he's clearly written as a morally grey character, some of his actions cross the line into behaviour that feels manipulative and coercive. Considering Sun is emotionally broken and consumed by guilt, several of Jay's advances become uncomfortable to watch rather than romantic. The series never properly addresses those moments or allows Jay to reflect on them, making the relationship harder to root for than it should have been.
The revenge storyline, however, does succeed in establishing why Sun and Director Arthur become allies. Their motivations are clearly defined, and the series does a great job explaining why their goals align. In fact, I found their shared pursuit of justice far more compelling than the romance itself. At times, it almost feels like the romantic subplot exists simply because the genre expects it, rather than because the story naturally builds towards it.
The finale left me with mixed feelings. While I appreciated finally seeing the villains face consequences, several resolutions felt rushed or overly convenient. The legal aspects surrounding the transfer of company shares are handled far too simply, major antagonists receive endings that feel almost random, and one character's punishment relies more on shock value than meaningful storytelling. Instead of feeling clever or cathartic, the conclusion feels like the writers suddenly realised they had to wrap everything up within one episode.
Ironically, this is one of the few Thai BLs where I genuinely believe twelve episodes would've been better than ten. Usually, series overstay their welcome, but Payback has the opposite problem. It introduces enough plotlines to justify a longer runtime but doesn't give them enough space to breathe. Two additional episodes dedicated to the revenge plot and relationship development would've dramatically improved the overall experience.
Where Payback never disappoints is the acting. Every major cast member commits fully to their roles. Min perfectly captures Sun's emotional emptiness and determination, Fuaiz remains one of the biggest highlights of the entire series, and Toptap does the best he can with a character that often feels inconsistently written. The production quality is equally impressive. The cinematography looks polished, the soundtrack fits the darker tone beautifully, and the overall presentation feels far more expensive than many Thai BL productions.
I also appreciated that the series never became boring. Even when I found myself frustrated by the pacing, I still wanted to know how everything would end. That's a credit to both the performances and the premise. The story is engaging enough to keep you watching, even if it doesn't always reward your patience.
Overall, Payback is a series full of unrealised potential. It has an excellent premise, a talented cast, impressive production values and enough emotional depth to become something special. Unfortunately, slow pacing, uneven storytelling, an underdeveloped romance and a rushed finale stop it from reaching the heights it constantly promises.
If you're looking for an intense revenge thriller, adjust your expectations. The revenge is there, but it often takes a back seat to Sun's journey through the entertainment industry and his personal healing. As a drama, it's entertaining. As a BL, it's solid. But as a revenge story, it never quite lands the knockout blow I was waiting for.
I wasn't familiar with Min Thanakorn or Toptap Jarukit before this, but I was already sold after seeing Fuaiz Thanawat in the trailer. His supporting role in 4 Minutes proved he could act, so I had confidence he'd deliver here too. He absolutely did. Fuaiz brings a lot of complexity to Sunny, making him difficult to read throughout the series. Min is excellent as Sun, carrying the emotional weight of the story with quiet restraint, while Toptap does a solid job as Jay despite the script not always giving his character the strongest material. I also have to mention Boss Chaikamon and Shogun, whose scenes together were surprisingly effective. Their chemistry was strong enough that I honestly wanted to see more of them.
The opening episodes hooked me immediately. Sun's motivation is heartbreaking and easy to understand. After losing his younger brother Sky and eventually his mother because of the betrayal of his former lover Bank, now living as the successful actor Sunny, he dedicates himself to revenge. Watching him infiltrate the entertainment industry to destroy the people responsible was exactly the kind of story I signed up for. The added layer of corruption inside Dream Entertainment made the series even more intriguing because it suggested the revenge would be much bigger than simply settling old scores with an ex.
Unfortunately, that's where my excitement slowly started to fade.
For a series built around revenge, Payback spends surprisingly little time actually executing that revenge. Instead, most of the story follows Sun trying to establish himself as an actor. By around Episode 7, it genuinely felt like the series was still setting up the plot rather than moving it forward. The pacing becomes incredibly uneven, and the first six episodes easily could have been condensed into two or three. It constantly feels like the story is delaying the inevitable instead of building towards it.
I kept watching because I wanted to see Sun and Jay systematically dismantle everyone responsible for destroying their lives. I expected each episode to reveal another calculated move in Sun's revenge plan. Instead, almost everything is saved for the finale, where years of build-up are resolved far too quickly. Most of the major confrontations happen inside one lengthy boardroom sequence, and after ten episodes of waiting, the payoff simply isn't satisfying.
I haven't read the original manhwa, so I don't know whether this slower pacing is faithful to the source material or a result of the adaptation. Either way, the television series never finds a good balance between building suspense and delivering meaningful progress.
The romance is another mixed bag. Min and Toptap work well together as actors, but I never fully bought into Sun and Jay falling in love. The emotional progression simply isn't there. I kept asking myself when those feelings actually developed. Was it because of genuine emotional connection? Physical attraction? Or did Jay simply become attached after their one-night stand? The script never convincingly answers those questions, making the relationship feel underdeveloped despite the chemistry between the actors.
Jay also raises another issue. While he's clearly written as a morally grey character, some of his actions cross the line into behaviour that feels manipulative and coercive. Considering Sun is emotionally broken and consumed by guilt, several of Jay's advances become uncomfortable to watch rather than romantic. The series never properly addresses those moments or allows Jay to reflect on them, making the relationship harder to root for than it should have been.
The revenge storyline, however, does succeed in establishing why Sun and Director Arthur become allies. Their motivations are clearly defined, and the series does a great job explaining why their goals align. In fact, I found their shared pursuit of justice far more compelling than the romance itself. At times, it almost feels like the romantic subplot exists simply because the genre expects it, rather than because the story naturally builds towards it.
The finale left me with mixed feelings. While I appreciated finally seeing the villains face consequences, several resolutions felt rushed or overly convenient. The legal aspects surrounding the transfer of company shares are handled far too simply, major antagonists receive endings that feel almost random, and one character's punishment relies more on shock value than meaningful storytelling. Instead of feeling clever or cathartic, the conclusion feels like the writers suddenly realised they had to wrap everything up within one episode.
Ironically, this is one of the few Thai BLs where I genuinely believe twelve episodes would've been better than ten. Usually, series overstay their welcome, but Payback has the opposite problem. It introduces enough plotlines to justify a longer runtime but doesn't give them enough space to breathe. Two additional episodes dedicated to the revenge plot and relationship development would've dramatically improved the overall experience.
Where Payback never disappoints is the acting. Every major cast member commits fully to their roles. Min perfectly captures Sun's emotional emptiness and determination, Fuaiz remains one of the biggest highlights of the entire series, and Toptap does the best he can with a character that often feels inconsistently written. The production quality is equally impressive. The cinematography looks polished, the soundtrack fits the darker tone beautifully, and the overall presentation feels far more expensive than many Thai BL productions.
I also appreciated that the series never became boring. Even when I found myself frustrated by the pacing, I still wanted to know how everything would end. That's a credit to both the performances and the premise. The story is engaging enough to keep you watching, even if it doesn't always reward your patience.
Overall, Payback is a series full of unrealised potential. It has an excellent premise, a talented cast, impressive production values and enough emotional depth to become something special. Unfortunately, slow pacing, uneven storytelling, an underdeveloped romance and a rushed finale stop it from reaching the heights it constantly promises.
If you're looking for an intense revenge thriller, adjust your expectations. The revenge is there, but it often takes a back seat to Sun's journey through the entertainment industry and his personal healing. As a drama, it's entertaining. As a BL, it's solid. But as a revenge story, it never quite lands the knockout blow I was waiting for.
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