Hidden Agenda

A bit bland, but JoongDunk saved it

tl;dr: JoongDunk chemistry elevates this underwritten and troubled show – it was their dynamic which made me watch all 12 episodes.
Acting
Joong’s acting may not always be on point, but he was still superior to the rest of the cast. Dunk did his homework in this department too; his abilities are still limited, but he was nonetheless able to portray a new character, different from “Star in My Mind”. Both actors give their characters qualities some would attribute to the actors themselves: Joong’s Joke is effortlessly cool and nonchalant, but also caring and a tad clingy, while Dunk’s Zo poses as timid and withdrawn, while being perfectly able to stand his ground. Also, they get intimate quite often and seem very comfortable about it; no forced, non-consensual nor awkward kisses here!
Script
My overall reception of the show suffered due to weaknesses of the script.
My biggest complaint regarding the show is that it feels messy, but also bland, lukewarm, at times even boring. It’s not hot nor cold, it leaves you with a “meh” feeling. No idea how this was accomplished, as the script includes two plots to win someone over involving the main characters, a stalker pestering one of the main characters to get back at the other main character, strained relationships with a demanding parent, a past heartbreak, a side couple with their own problems and drama etc. etc. The content is clearly there – but it doesn’t translate to a captivating story.
As with many other BL’s this one doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be about. Is it a rom-com? A coming of age story? Family drama? Thriller (see the stalker episode)? You can include elements of all of those in a show, but you have to be smart about it – otherwise you’ll get a tonal mess. "Hidden Agenda” has this problem – it’s all over the place.
Hard to say what the titular “Hidden Agenda” really was/was supposed to be. Was it Zo’s attempt to win Nita over? Joke’s attempt to get Zo? BTW: depending on how you judge Joke’s motives and actions (and some reactors claimed that Joke didn’t do anything wrong – any normal person would act in a similar way) the hidden agenda may not exist; even if it does, it’s not important enough to have the show named after it. Spoiler warning: both the initial trailer and the official trailer are misleading, as the whole “Joke helps Zo to get Nita in order to get Zo” gets resolved in something like 3 episodes; the rest is about a variety of other issues, like family, ambition, friendship, competition, communication and so on.
The script introduces several important issues, like Zo’s relationship with his mother and Joke’s with his father, pretty late in the show. Since both issues seem to be late additions they do not appear to be important. It’s a shame we didn’t get more of both these storylines in earlier episodes. This would allow them to grow naturally, would explain more of Joke’s and – more importantly – Zo’s backstory and motivation, would show Zo and Joke as more than just students in love. Balancing every important aspect of the story, introducing them in the right moment, giving them more time to breathe – all of that would greatly improve the show.
Pacing
Pacing is generally okay and helps the show; only ep. 2 felt redundant (the “Joke gets into Zo’s club” storyline could have been a subplot in a different episode or be omitted entirely – have Joke be a club member when the show starts).
Cast
The support/secondary couple (Aou’s Jeng and Boom’s Pok) felt unnecessary. With only a handful of scenes (I think it was less than 1 per episode) we didn’t really get a storyline with them; it’s not clear to me what was their purpose in the show.
Same can be said about several other characters. Only Nita, Pat, Joke’s grandma and father as well as Zo’s parents do things that make the story progress. I loved to see Pod, Guy, Arm and AJ, but they were heavily underused and their characters didn’t have much to do.
Music
Both songs (“Hidden Agenda” and “Your Smile”) were decent, with nice MVs. Joong sings a bit in this show and he’s rather good at it. I enjoyed most of the background and ambient music used in the show, both the subtle emotional vibes and the cool electropop used to good effect throughout the series.
Favorite scene
I wanted to end my review with something good from the show. It has its moments – I enjoyed most scenes with Joke and Zo as a couple and plenty of other things (like Joke’s grandma – she’s a treasure), but the grand prize has to go to the finale of ep. 9. It actually moved me to tears. Joong’s delivery – quiet, but deeply emotional – was nearly perfect. Dunk remaining silent for the whole scene and non-verbally expressing Zo’s doubt, hesitation, sadness and how moved he was – great. To top it all the scene was shot in a very smart way, with Joke and Zo in the same room, but staying apart, with Zo packing his things and Joke trying to bridge a gap between them in one last attempt. That scene alone let us glimpse what this show might have been – and that JoongDunk can do magic. Would love to see them again in a BL as the main couple – this time with a good script.

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standard Thai romcom

Overall: I would call this an old school Thai BL and wish they had changed a few things to make it feel more fresh. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel. If I were to re-watch I would start at episode 4, skip 5, 6, and 7, watch 8/2 2 min and the end of ep 8 thru 11, and episode 12 part 4.

Content Warnings: stalking, vomiting, punches, manhandling, manipulation

What I Liked
- the intro animation was unique though it didn't grab my attention
- Joke's dream
- cute/sweet moments
- that they both talked about the importance of boundaries and communication (but then both didn't take this advice at various points)
- an established couple with a realistic problem, wish they had more screentime
- Zo's friends
- the grandma
- kissing/intimacy

Room For Improvement
- Joke's approach/"plan" made no sense to me
- poorly written plot such as the stalking plotline, the Joke backstory in the final episode, the 3rd couple?/friends? introduced almost at the end with no real resolution
- why did Joke like Zo there wasn't even a love at first sight
- very tropey (2 accidental falls in one episode for example)
- pacing was off at times, series could have been fewer episodes
- a "makeover" where they took away his adorable glasses (and in total contradiction, Joke said to stay true to himself)
- talking about owing Joke
- non realistic debate stuff, and then the debate stuff in general
- choppy at times (episode 5 was suddenly the next day)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

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It was cute...I guess.

Hidden Agenda was cute and I enjoyed it, until the last three episodes. Zo took Whiny to a whole other level. So they won the competition but Zo lost the scholarship to Nita. This is where the wining starts. He pouts through Nita's B-day party and pushes Joke away. And then his father gets sick and goes to the hospital and this is where Zo informs Joke that he didn't have time for him because he had to focus on "more important things", like that's not a crappy thing to say to the boy who adores you. So Zo's mother has to tell him...Yeah, your boyfriend is kind of important. I rolled my eyes so hard they almost fell out of my head. And then the final episode, Joke is having dinner with his family and his father is being an ass...and of course, Zo shows up to give the dad a long speech, which makes Joke's dad "see the light" and then my eyes finally fell out of my head from rolling them so much. I love Joong and Dunk and they have great chemistry, but this show was not it.

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Hidden gem?

So Hidden Agenda is one of those stories where we are waiting to figure out what the agenda is. It quickly becomes apparent that Joke is not what he appears and has some secrets. But Zo wants Nita and accepts his help. Let the misunderstandings etc ensue. There's some family angst and we have a side couple, over involved friends and a stalker so lots going on.

Honestly, this should have been 8 to 10 episodes as some of the themes in the last few episodes feel rushed and not really deep enough. Joong is carrying this and their chemistry is still strong. Dung has improved somewhat although he still does that bobbly head thing too much. And someone give Joong some decent jeans!

If you're into Joong as a singer then you will enjoy some of the earlier episodes.

I've rewatched some of the scenes which highlight their chemistry but overall, this is a cute Sunday evening watch. Glad to see some improvement from JoongDunk but, we need a stronger script to really test this ship.

OK last episode was weak but still worth it for JoongDunk fans

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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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A cute series with inconsistencies more than needed

I would say Hidden agenda is a good series for a BL. No much complications involved, cute and adorable scenes ,tried to touch many plot variations but what confused me the most is a lot of characters just come and go with no much screen time or premise. Just randomly introduce a person and then just end it abruptly in one episode.
For a BL, it is pretty good. You'll get to see a lot of things here , trying to impress your crush, secretly liking someone, being bold and coming out , toxic stalker , family relationships , romantic moments and ofcourse Debate . But, few topics abruptly introduced and quickly ended .
Because nothing was focused more in the plot we actually missed to figure out where exactly did the title come from "Hidden Agenda". What we expect from the title and the trailer was least shown. Would have been a great story had they highlighted this a little more .
Last 2 episodes were a complete disappointment, the dialogues and scenes which were supposed to be thought provoking dint leave much of an impact which gave this series a weak ending.

Watch it , if you enjoy college series and JoongDunk chemistry on screen.

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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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Coming of Age Story of Assessing your Worth

I loved this coming of age story. I loved how neither family were bothered or questioned the closeness of Zo and Joke's relationship, which shows a nice change for an Asian family.

The message of Asian parents loving their child despite how he/she sees their own accomplishments, versus what they think their parents' expectations are, is a very powerful message for those of us who come from Asian families. We "know" this, but are rarely "told" this. Some Asian families are more stoic that others, and I thought the scenes between Zo and his mother, and Joke and his father, were very important for some Asian and maybe even non-Asian children (regardless of age) to see. Asian families do not have to express their love in a western style, but it's still nice to hear it once in a while. Even our elders need to hear it once in a while.

Jeng and Pok started this series on the low, but Jeng had to make a decision once Pok decided that having a secret relationship would no longer work for him. After deciding that his relationship with Pok was more important, Jenk became very public with his relationship, and was willing to change football teams due to homophobia.

So while the messages were delivered in a comedy romance, it does not negate the importance of these stories. I think this is an example of a story for and by Thai/Asian families, and since we are taught to "read the air," it makes sense to me.

I know this is a dumb criticism , but why Nita is wearing heavy sweaters in Thailand, but when leaving for Helsinki, she is wearing a crop top and short skirt? Even during the summer, Finland will seem cold to a Thai person. I'll never understand why in these series, the actors are dressed for a cooler climate, when their country's climate is so hot and humid.

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A not so hidden Hidden Agenda

FINAL REVIEW:
TL; DR: I deeply regret watching this series, despite my love for JoongDunk and everything they do. Unfortunately, Hidden Agenda didn't showcase their full potential. While it may not be the absolute worst BL drama of 2023, it comes dangerously close to claiming that title. I made an effort to defend the series by highlighting a few well-done aspects (although there weren't many), but eventually became tired of its repetitive nature. Off-screen, JoongDunk has a natural and adorable chemistry that translates somewhat onto the screen. However, it becomes apparent that there isn't much variation or difference in their on-screen dynamic. Additionally, I can't help but notice several flaws in their acting abilities that could have been executed better. The storyline follows a basic trope similar to Star in My Mind and even incorporates some identical elements from there. Overall, both the script and acting left me feeling disappointed by the end of it all. Despite accepting these flaws and trying my best to overlook them, improvements are definitely needed. When comparing Hidden Agenda with GMMTV's concurrent airing BL series like Dangerous Romance and Only Friends, it falls short in terms of overall production quality. I am eagerly anticipating the release of JoongDunk's new series, but I hope they don't stick to their usual school-setting theme. I would love to see them explore more mature roles and storylines. Despite my review, I still encourage everyone to give it a chance and form their own opinions about it. Personally, I don't think it's terrible, but rather a perfect drama for those evenings when you're enjoying dinner or need some entertainment while working.

Full:
The series begins with Zo, a university student who has a crush on a girl named Nita. After mustering up the courage, Zo decides to pursue Nita and finds himself face-to-face with Joke, her ex-boyfriend. Despite their initial awkward encounter, Joke ends up helping Zo in his pursuit of Nita. However, as they spend more time together, Zo starts to question his own feelings. As time passes by, both Zo and Joke find themselves developing unexpected emotions for each other and eventually fall in love. Now as a couple, they navigate through various challenges that come their way. From dealing with family problems to misunderstandings within their relationship and even having to confront a stalker, they manage to overcome all difficulties thanks to their strong bond and unwavering love for one another.

When I first stumbled upon this series through an Instagram reel, I was immediately drawn in by its promising storyline. The initial episodes were enjoyable and left me wanting more. However, there were certain aspects that I felt could have been expanded upon or elaborated further. I do wish they expanded the enemies to lovers story, like the “Hidden Agenda” part of the story because the rest was not hidden. I found the pacing for the story at the beginning a bit too slow and towards the middle and near the end, it began either dragging a lot or too rushed. Episode 12 in particular was a disappointment for me, as everything felt rushed and I found myself losing track of what was happening. One major issue I had with the storytelling was why they chose to reveal Joke's backstory in episode 12. It would have made more sense to explore this earlier on and allow for better character development throughout. In terms of plot potential, there were glimpses of fresh takes, but overall it relied too heavily on familiar tropes that we've seen before. I really wanted to see more depth in the characters' relationship and witness their struggles firsthand. It would have been interesting if they delved deeper into their chemistry and showed us how they overcame obstacles together. However, any potential hidden agenda seemed to be revealed early on in just a few episodes, leaving much of what followed feeling like pure fluff. There is definitely room for improvement in the script of JoongDunk. Currently, it lacks depth and fails to offer significant variations or major developments. It's truly disappointing that such a talented cast like JoongDunk is given such a terrible script. How could something be so bad? The writing itself feels incredibly sloppy and unprofessional, making it challenging to decipher whether the show aims to tell a cohesive story or merely string together random scenes. It's disheartening because the concept behind JoongDunk is genuinely intriguing and has great potential. However, this potential remains untapped due to the lack of attention and care given to the execution of the script. With some improvements in terms of storytelling, character development, and overall coherence, this show could truly shine and captivate its audience. It deserves better than what it currently offers - a missed opportunity for greatness.

Now moving on to characters, the main focus is of course JokeZo. I must say that they do have fantastic chemistry, which adds an extra layer of depth to their performances. However, while their on-screen presence was good, it didn't completely captivate me. Don't get me wrong, the quality of their conversation was commendable as it showcased a more mature and honest dynamic between them. They truly helped each other overcome their insecurities in a way that felt authentic. One thing that stood out about JokeZo's relationship was the abundance of cute moments shared between them. From small hugs and kisses to those steamy NC scenes, these adorable interactions were enjoyable to watch and brought a smile to my face. Despite this, I couldn't help but wish for more development in JokeZo's relationship throughout the series. Let's talk about Dunk's acting skills. While I love his character portrayal overall, there are times when his acting comes off as cringe-worthy or slightly irritating. It seems like he tries too hard at times instead of just being natural and true to himself on-screen. Perhaps taking some acting workshops would greatly benefit him in honing his craft and delivering even better performances. Even though it's not good enough compared to Khaotung or others, I still believe that there have been noticeable improvements in his acting since Star in My Mind. While he used to rely on bland facial expressions, I now sense a greater range of emotions and feelings coming from him. However, there is still room for growth and development. One aspect that stands out is the chemistry between him and Joong. Their relationship feels natural and comfortable, which adds depth to their performances. Nevertheless, there are areas that require further attention. His facial expressions and body language could use some refinement in order to fully convey the intended emotions. To enhance his acting skills even more, he should dedicate time to practice regularly. By doing so, he can fine-tune his techniques and become a more polished actor. With continued guidance and support from experienced professionals, I am confident that he has the potential to excel even further in his career.

I have to express my overwhelming love for JengPok (AouBoom) - they are truly a remarkable pair. Ever since their appearance in Vice Versa, I have already drawn to them, but it is in Hidden Agenda where their chemistry and character development truly flourished. The story of JengPok is nothing short of beautiful, and what makes it even more special is that they started off as boyfriends right from the beginning! It didn't take long for me to become deeply attached to them; so much so that I found myself shedding tears during their scenes, especially those towards the end. Their acting skills are simply astonishing - I couldn't help but rewatch their scenes over and over again. In fact, I found myself watching more of JengPok than any other couple because they are outstanding actors who know how to captivate an audience. They flawlessly executed their roles and portrayed them with such authenticity that it's hard not to be completely mesmerized by their performances. AouBoom deserves nothing less than being the lead in a BL series. GMMTV, if you're listening, please give them this opportunity! With all my heart, I wish them immense success in all their future endeavours.

Overall, this series has been a source of enjoyment for me in the past. It became my go-to comfort zone on Sundays, providing a sense of relaxation and escapism. Despite its complicated and unorganized storyline, as well as some barely acceptable performances, I found myself overlooking these flaws because of the overall entertainment value it offered. However, one aspect that always caught my attention was the cinematography. While many may appreciate bright visuals in a show or movie, I often felt that the brightness level in this series was excessive. It sometimes even caused discomfort to my eyes while watching it. I couldn't help but wonder if this intentional choice by the creators or just an unfortunate coincidence from the colorist's perspective. Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, this particular aspect added an extra layer to my viewing experience. It made me question and ponder over artistic choices within the show itself. Perhaps there is a deeper meaning behind the overly bright cinematography that adds to its narrative or thematic elements. In conclusion, despite its flaws and occasional eye-straining cinematography choices, this series managed to captivate me with its overall appeal and served as a reliable source of Sunday entertainment. I'll still miss everyone, Joke, Zo, Jeng, Pok, Nita, and how could I not forget, Grandma! You were one of the things that I continued to stay. That's it, my journey on Hidden Agenda ends here, farewell.

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