Hidden Agenda (2023)

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

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!

Leia Mais

Finally a 2023 Thai series that gives me butterflies :)

I have developed a complete love for this series and both men since the end of ep 2. This episode gave me so many sweet, warm fuzzies, and I am so grateful I came across this gem from Thailand! I had lost a lot of hope for Thai series this year, but this show is wonderful and I plan to shout that from the digital rooftops!!!! I just finished episode 4 and am so eager for episode 5. No, the storyline is not very original, but it is well done and I think the actors are doing a great job so far....does it help that I find both leads super gorgeous...yes, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this is the first Thai show this year that I haven't had to force myself to sit distractedly through an episode and that I am 1000% rewatching! It's honey-sweet and the pacing is phenomenal thus far. The music is lovely and fits the story better than average too. I want to say this will be one of my top ten from Thailand, but there are 6 episodes to go, and I don't want to jinx it. Right now, I am loving this show and all the butterflies it started giving in ep3 and that are still there through ep 4.

Leia Mais

I do not know what other's are talking about

This was a great show. Honestly, it was simple, pacing was good, story line was straightforward, everything was suggested early enough to address later. This isn't a complicated show and that may be why I've seen so many negative reviews. One person said that star in my mind was better but that show brought an abuse plot and brushed over it and their conflict continued on until the last two episodes. Dunk's acting isn't perfect but he definitely improved and he made me feel the same nerves that his character felt during many scenes in the show. He played the "trying his best" character really well even if it wasn't always perfect. I can't criticize the bobble head comment because I know people in real life that move like that, so it genuinely didn't bother me. Joong's acting was perfect, their chemistry was so natural and it's one of the best potrayals of a dating couple I've seen in a show. The puppy love, the progression, the nerves, the true love (which joong nailed, he was acting incredible from face to body). And it's not fair to compare them to other high quality shows because a lot of those had the romance as the side plot and a bigger plot occurring. This show's main plot IS the romance and the obstacles they face during its progression. Joke explains he developed a crush on Zo because he was the first person to ask what he wants and respect it which made sense when we see how neglected he felt by his parents. Zo is the textbook nerdy boy with his walls up because his mom was strict and his friend lead him on and ridiculed him in the process. The debate club wasn't even that in your face but that was explained because Zo wanted to make his mom proud. They argued when they needed when Zo or Joke were being a unreasonable. The stalker story was explained to be occurring from years before and which didn't need to take up more time than it did and resolved in the most rational way you can instead of brushed over. The parents' effects on the boys were implied from the beginning and then things occurred for them to get closer (Zo's dad in the hospital, and Zo telling Joke's dad that he realized life is too short for him to mince his words and he should tell his son how he really feels). And the biggest criticism I've seen is the hidden agenda. One, the author can name the title whatever it may be, it really is not that serious but MOST IMPORTANTLY, Zo was absolutely valid in his hurt. Zo and Joke put so much importance in honesty and communication and it was mentioned SO MANY times so finding out he came to Zo with hidden intentions definitely made sense in the grand scheme of things especially after his past friend lied to his face and shut him down when Zo confessed. Zo was always upfront with Joke even with the Nita situation. And if someone were to find out that your partner lied to you, especially after being confronted, it makes you wonder what else they may be lying about. It wasn't stretched out too long either, Joke tried to make amends his way and then apologized and Zo stated all he was looking for was an apology. Everything was fleshed out as well as it can be for a cute show like this, so it makes me wonder if other critics and I were even watching the same show. I understand if this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it felt that some of the critiques were not coming from a fair place. Not everything needs to be shown to be understood and they utilized their 12 episodes really well. There were some lagging moments in two episodes but not enough to turn me off. The side couple were there and cute and did not take too much time but enough to get their story across. There were honestly only about 1.5 NC scenes and the couple others were just kiss scenes and their chemistry was so natural and beautiful, I genuinely believed I was watching two people in love. If the show was as bad as people make it out to be then they deserve a chance to move up from here especially with how many veteran actors have been in worse shows and now are great in their craft. But my final thoughts, I truly thought every aspect of this show was amazing and the dynamics were natural. Watching it from the pov that this is a romance focused or almost slice of life type of drama, it hit the mark and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Leia Mais

Definite improvement over SIMM, easy fun watch

If you are expecting HIGH drama and complicated layered plot, this is not the show for you. What it has going for it is the undeniable appeal and chemistry of Joong and Dunk. Joong is his typical endearing, thoughtful, besotted self. He has more nuance and more moods to convey here than he did in SIMM, where mostly I think his character was a confusing asshole. Not sure why everyone is picking on Dunk, as he was notably improved here. His character starts out clueless and hostile and gradually falls for Joke in a way that feels natural and understandable, especially when a little of his relationship backstory comes in to play. Dunk does his best work reacting opposite Joong and this as true for their conflict scenes as it is for their love scenes.
The side couple feel like an afterthought, and the plot and the twists lose steam after episode 9, not gonna lie, but Joong and Dunk are what sold the show and it was still very enjoyable to watch their scenes and their little shout out to SIMM.
It was fun for what it was, it would have been better if it was a shorter series or had a tighter ending but it didn't ruin anything for me.

Leia Mais

Disappointed after all the wait!

I'm here for Joong Dunk, I really love their role in our Sky. I'm disappointed they end up in yet another typical school BL, like we've not had enough of this.

It's somehow really boring in 1st episode and somewhat frustrating as the focus seems to be on the girl (at least for now). I don't know, I just feel like its too complicated lol

I just want to watch Joong Dunk in a good role, good storyline and goood chemistry but I didn't get any of this in episode 1 , so Im dropping it.

I'd rather drop it and keep the good memory I've of this couple in Our Sky!

Leia Mais

JoongDunk chemistry never disappoints

Yes this was not perfect and the hidden agenda was not a big deal at all, I expected more. But I enjoyed this. It was a simple BL and I absolutely love JoongDunk, so I had to finish this. As always they look so good together with overflowing chemistry.

They improved a lot and the kissing scene were so much better than in star in my mind.

It was interesting the issues that were addressed with like the relationship with their families, the pressure…

I also like the second couple, wish we had seen more of them.

Don’t know why add this stupid problems in the last episode, Zo annoyed me here. Joke is such a good boyfriend, I didn’t like how Zo treated him sometimes. Also, it would have been interesting to explore more Joke story about his relationship with his family.

For me, it’s not as bad as people are saying it is, you don’t always need a big or complicated plot.

Leia Mais

The agenda wasn't really hidden at all.

The plot and the pilot trailer got me hyped up, but in the end, it wasn't such a good experience at all. Let me explain.

I have been expecting this since the pilot trailer, and I think that the original plot was more intense, hot, and fun. I was already a little down when the official trailer showed up. What upsets me is that the "Hidden Agenda" was so mid. Not really hidden at all and the plot was all up the table so early in the episodes. It wasn't enjoyable. At least their development as a couple was... good? I'm not sure. However, I understood the choice to focus on their development as a couple and not focus on their dynamic. But it was just... boring.

What I liked, was the secondary couple. Jeng (Aou) and Pok (Boom) were incredible, even with a tiny screen time their fights and problems were so much deeper if you compare them to Joke and Zo. Their acting was amazing too. Well, Joong (Joke) and Zo (Dunk) were good too actually. And they got better since their last series (Star In My Mind), so it's good to see them improving.

And just a little observation: The OST was soooo good. And the photography was really cute too.

Leia Mais