Top Notch
Dare You to Death has been a gripping watch so far. The casting feels spot-on, and each actor brings depth and authenticity to their role, making the story even more engaging. The performances are convincing and keep the tension alive in every episode.What really stands out is the slow-burn mystery. The way clues are dropped subtly keeps you guessing and constantly questioning who the real culprit might be. The suspense is well-built, and it makes you eager to dive into the next episode.
I’m genuinely excited to see how the mystery unfolds and to finally discover who committed the murder. Definitely a series worth following till the end.
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it's a series not to be missed
you will shocked seeing the grading, acting, singing, action and all. the series is best in every aspect. 🤩😍🤩😍😍😍😍😍😍💟💟💟must watch atleast twice because it will be hard for you to admire all of it by watching it only once.
only one episode will bring you back to series and watch all of it.
The actors Joong and Dunk did a very good job. The way the enacted the characters and the chemistry between them loved it, it is out of the world for sure just watch and you will know what I am trying to convey
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This review may contain spoilers
I am so confused
If you like JoongDunk pairing...then watch something else :)I was excited about this series as I really like JoongDunk ship but not gonna lie, at the end, I was very confused. I am not expecting a highly complex story telling, but please at least make it make sense a little bit.
To be more specific, we have a murder of a university student, and automatically her 7 friends become suspects for her murder. One of the suspects is Jay whose older brother, Jade, is a police captain and he is involved in this murder case. Except from Jade, we also have Kamin, who is the inspector for this case and highly believe in justice. When these two meet for the first time, there is a sparkle and Jade is constantly flirting with Kamin, but the latter is a serious person, he can't do that.
However, from the first episodes, somehow, Jade persuades Kamin to move to his house. WHAT? You literally just met dude and you are coworkers, why in the world would you propose that? On top of this proposal, Kamin accepts moving in and staying in a house with Jade and Jay. WHAT?? You literally just met, please be aware of your surroundings! Apparently you are a law graduate and an inspector of the fucking police, have you not heard of STRANGE DANGER BEFORE KAMIN?
But to be honest, the most frustrating thing about this series, was how quickly the mood change. For example, we begin with the first murder, and then each suspect receives a "Truth or Dare" cards in which they have to select what to do in order not to be killed (please keep in mind that these 8 people were supposed to be friends. 2 SUSPECTS DIE AND THE REST OF THEM CONTINUE GOING AT THE UNIVERSITY! WHAT??? But in the between of the murders and university scenes, we have to see how the Captain and the Inspector flirt each other. Jade my dude, is younger brother is a suspect for a murder and he is waiting for his turn to receive the "Truth or Dare" card, and you have the luxury to go for shopping with Inspector? WHAT?
I might be too strict and mad with this series, but as a total I don't really think that it is a good series. If you want to watch JoongDunk, watch something else. Dare you to Death is an irrelevant show, which if they skipped the murderous stuff, would possible be worth it.
Last but not least, is it just me or Sing, the actor who portrays Dr. Ruth, looks like Ryota from Generation Exile Tribe? No?
Anyway... bye
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This review may contain spoilers
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT...
huhhhhh???? wtffff was thatt, honestly i hated the finale so much, only i know how beared with this last episode, firstly i was all the way puifai's team, i knew it's her behind this and i was supporting her because yes that is what should've happened to all of them... IT MAKES ME SO MAD THAT WHY THHHH JAY HAD A HAPPY ENDING AND WHY DIDN'T JAY AND CHAMP DIE TOO!!?? if puifai is dead so does champ and jay deserves to be, lol jay is jade's brother so he has all the plot armors, HE HIMSELF CONFESSED EVERYTHING TO PUIFAI THAT HE KNEW EVERYTHING, the writers need to look at what they are writing lol, you have written the villains (i wouldn't even say villain) so smart throughout the series and this stupid in the end and you end puifai just like thatt???? HELLO JADE YOUR BROTHER WAS AN ACCOMPLICE TO SO MANY BAD THINGS WHICH HAPPENED TO PUIFAI AND YOU AREN'T RAISING A QUESTION?? i really tried to find good in this drama and this mystery, I JUST COULDN'T, i had a little hope that they would write something nice in finale something satisfactory but no it didn't happen... 8.2 FOR TS IS DIABOLICAL... and jd fans do not come at me because im not blaming them that the show is bad but they could've chosen a better script INSTEAD of this...IF WRITERS WANTED TO ADD SO MUCH SENSITIVE TOPICS AND MAKE PUIFAI THE VICTIM OF THEM , THEY SHOULD'VE ENDED IT THE RIGHT WAY not just puifai being stapped by champ lollllll and out of everyone CHAMP!!!! yeah puifai is so stupid that she doesn't know how to hit an axe lolll, and the doctor is so stupid that he didn't know he can pull the gun at his hand... and they are so stupid to leave jay outside the house to let kamin come and then jay tells them everything.... I CANNOT WITH THIS. i hope it gets rated what it actually is.. IT HAD SO MUCH POTENTIAL, A TO-BE-NICE MYSTERY JUST WENT CUCKOO BANANAS....
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a complete letdown
this was maybe my saddest watch in a while, not because the show was sad but it being so badly done it made me so sad.I love joongdunk and was really excited. I love a murder mystery, a thriller and the og trailer really felt like this really cool balance of the push and pull of a relationship forming while working together in such a serious set of circumstances. The sad bit was that the final show was not that at all!
to start off with the good, I think the casting and most of the acting was really amazing! the acting is one of the things that kept me watching, otherwise I fear I may have dropped it. Another good think is Joong & Dunk chemistry, they do a good job at showing their tension pre-relationship and this pinning.
Now with the bad because there is quite a lot. I’m not one to think a show needs really spicy nc or kiss scenes or really either at all if the chemistry is good BUT their relationship literally hinges off of this sexual tension they have from the moment they meet and yet the show won’t even allude to the fact the they do anything more that give each other a peck on the lips and maybe kiss sometimes. Continuing with their relationship, it becomes such a weird intrusion in the show not because of them as a couple but because it becomes the main focus of most of the eps AND every time becomes a tonal shift. What I mean by tonal shift is that any time they have a sweet couple moment it seems like it’s a completely different show. ALSO why is the murder mystery bit treated as this side story??? The whole show feels sooooo dragged out but also wayyyy too short. They dragged out the romance and shortened the actual mystery. Now to the mystery, despite the reveal falling a bit flat to me my biggest gripe is with how it ended because wdym of all people Puth, Jay and Champ survived? OF ALL PEOPLE??/!!?!?! and don’t even get me started on the fact that half of the final ep was a cutie beach trip where right before the case is just done…
overall I’m just so heartbroken that to me this doesn’t really have rewatch value when my expectations for it being great were so high!
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Worth watching
Till now the first episode has been good . The characters , cast , story seems to be paced very well and the story seems to be different than the rest of the cliche stuff . The acting of the main leads especially joong archen , he has delivered the best as always , you forget for a moment that he's acting . The emotions are portrayed in a very real way and even dunk has improved a lot. I would suggest everybody to give it a try , you won't regret . I can see some of the reviews are so damn bad , I mean how can you judge a whole damn series just on the basis of 1 or 2 episodes atleast give it a chance to prove itself , this is just projected hate on it .And from when Bad characters in a series make a series bad ? This is just pure hypocrisy, if you're so sensitive you should just step out of this stuff respectfully.
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Disappointing Thriller Ruined by Flat Character
I had high hopes for Dare You to Death as a fresh Thai BL thriller—enemies-to-lovers cops solving a deadly truth-or-dare mystery sounded promising. But honestly, it's a mess, and Dunk's portrayal of Inspector Khamin is a big part of why it falls flat.Khamin is supposed to be this sharp, stoic, newly transferred inspector who's all business and no nonsense. In theory, great contrast to the flirty Captain Jade. But in practice? He's just... boring. Stiff delivery, zero emotional range, and those "intense" stares feel more like awkward pauses than building tension. Dunk plays him like a robot with a permanent frown—impulsive one minute, coldly logical the next, but none of it feels genuine. It's like he's wearing a mask the whole time, and not in a mysterious way, just in an unconvincing one.
The series tries to sell him as competent and badass (that gun scene in ep 1?), but it comes off forced. He's not intimidating or intriguing; he's just there, reacting blandly while everyone else carries the energy. The romance buildup suffers too—his "rivalry" with Jade lacks spark because Khamin gives nothing back. No chemistry, no depth, just wooden lines.
Overall, the plot drags with gimmicky flirting overshadowing the thriller elements, but Khamin is the most underwhelming part. Dunk has improved in lighter roles before, but this serious one exposes his limitations hard. Skip this if you're looking for compelling characters. 1/10—wasted potential.
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay, this is not good. This is really, really not good—so let me rephrase.I love JoongDunk. I truly do. I think Chimon gives the story certain elegance that wouldn’t be there otherwise. The female cast did a really good job, and the actor portraying Jung’s case-solving brother, Jay, was also very solid. Overall, I love JoongDunk’s chemistry, and I genuinely believe they are among the strongest Thai BL pairings out there. Joong’s acting, especially, is something many of us hold in very high regard.
That’s exactly why this series is such a disappointment.
The concept and the story had real potential, but somewhere along the way, that potential was completely wasted. The romance was technically healthy, but it was boring. I couldn’t emotionally or empathetically commit to it at all. The case-solving aspect was even worse—painfully dull, with no tension or payoff.
What did work was the color grading, which fit the tone well, and the overall production quality, which was solid. The simple structure of the story could have worked—but instead, it became the biggest weakness. There was basically no drama. I expected chases, internal conflicts, mysteries, stakes—something. Instead, everything felt flat and lifeless.
This series wasn’t a mess. It was just deeply unengaging. And I don’t think that’s only my issue—I think it failed both as a romance and as a crime-solving drama.
I also can’t ignore the acting and character dynamics. I’ve honestly never seen such weak work from Dunk before. During intimate scenes, I kept thinking, Where is he even looking? Why does this feel so disconnected? It constantly pulled me out of the moment.
I strongly believe that pushing Dunk into the superior position over Joong was a mistake. I’m not against role reversals—I actually love them—but only when the writing and direction can support them. Here, both characters were written far too bluntly, with no nuance or emotional layering. There was no room for a convincing role-switch dynamic to develop naturally.
Right now, Dunk shines much more in inferior roles. He simply isn’t strong enough yet to convincingly portray this type of detective character. That’s why I’m genuinely relieved that in their next series, Joong will once again be in the superior position. With proper writing and direction, that dynamic works far better for both of them.
As for the plot—there are countless “death” scenes where absolutely nothing is happening. Even when the show pretends something is going on, there’s no urgency, no danger, no emotional weight. The entire series could have been significantly shortened and heavily edited without losing anything meaningful.
And please—don’t even get me started on how nonsensical the police work is. There are dying children, and after the second death, no one thinks to assign protection? No detectives, no officers guarding potential victims? What kind of job are they even doing? The shooting scene is just as ridiculous: they storm into a building, start shooting random people without warning, and then proceed like that’s normal procedure, chase after the "biggest drug evil", one shoot him once - not concerned if he is still a danger, for the second to kill him on spot disregarding him as a potential future information source or as a person to be judged fairly, not killed off (taking justice into his own hands instead, not even attempting to immobilize him instead of killing him right away without any regret). And that is not even saying that wathever substance might the character have before was lost on "how they get rid of him"? It’s sloppy, illogical, and completely breaks immersion.
Without JoongDunk, this series would have been as boring as the EngfaCharlott Case. And while that one was over-dramatized, at least it was somewhat engaging. This series isn’t over-dramatized at all—but it also has no dramatization whatsoever.
The only thing I’m genuinely happy about is that another series is already in preparation—an office romance that’s completely different in tone. I really hope it reignites the passion between these two actors, because their behind-the-scenes chemistry is incredible. Unfortunately, this series gave absolutely no space for that chemistry to shine, which feels like a waste of time, space and talent.
And I also need to mention how poorly the romantic beats were placed. The kiss placement, the fun moments, and even the jokes were inserted in the strangest, most inappropriate or least interesting places. None of it felt organic. None of it felt earned. It wasn’t romantic, it wasn’t exciting, and it certainly wasn’t passionate—it felt like those moments existed only because they had to exist, not because the story or characters naturally led there. Everything felt mechanical and emotionally empty.
At this point, I’m honestly struggling. I don’t even know if I’ll make it through the last two episodes. And that, sadly, brings me back to my initial point: this series is not a mess, but it is completely disengaging. For a story that had so much potential—and for actors who are capable of so much more—this feels like a profound waste.
So yes—on every important level that matters to me, this series is a big no. And by “no,” I mean a complete failure. That said, everyone should form their own opinion. I’m sure some viewers will enjoy this kind of low-stakes, no-drama storytelling.
But for me? This was a huge letdown.
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Quite nice so far (UNFINISHED)
Haven’t finished the series yet so bear with me. One thing that I wanted to note is that I’m finding Dunk’s acting much stiffer than his previous works. I don’t know if he hasn’t adjusted well to his character, anyway I find him pretty “robotic”, his delivery is a bit plain and not really convincing, and personally it throws me out the immersion. Maybe it might change later on but I don’t know, it’s bugging me a bit right now.Other than that, I like the other characters,the story is convincing and a bit challenging (finally!) and I’m invested. Will be back after finishing it :)
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This review may contain spoilers
Mostly romance with a pinch of mystery
I don't usually write reviews for shows I haven't finished watching, but when I started writing a comment I realised it was getting waaay to long so a review it is instead. While only the first 7 episodes have come out, this won't really influence my review so it should be fine to post it now. Mostly no concrete spoilers but I'm still discussing plot so proceed with caution.First things first, it's... entertaining? I want to say that it's at least fun to watch and by now it's pretty clear that the plot is just there as a stage and a pretext for putting the main characters in ridiculous situations to further their relationship, so I feel it's not fair to judge the show by what it's cleary not putting all that much focus on. It's still an easy watch, probably even more so for people who came for the actors or for the romance, so this isn't meant as a critique of the show as a whole.
But having come for the mystery (this is on me, I didn't realise it was a BL cause I didn't watch the trailer and I skipped the intro - and even romance dramas sometimes feature well thought out plot beside the romance so I thought I'd stick around and give it a try), I just have to vent a bit about how little they're trying with the police investigation!
• These kids are disappearing and getting picked off one by one while they're apparently being under police surveillance? Where was the officer responsible for the guy in the garage when he died? That was right out in the open, even the brother stumbled in at the end...
• Why are they so fixated on the killer being one of the kids to the point where they won't even consider other leads, like other friends or family (cough, sus doc) that could have been told about what's happening with the avengers?
• They have handwritten letters, why has no one even come up with the idea of comparing the kids' handwriting with those?!
There's plenty handwavy police action going on here and I try to take into consideration that that's simply cause the case isn't actually that important other than the fact that it's happening, but these few things really took me out of the story while watching. I'm not even talking about their superhuman healing powers and terrible wound care, I feel those are par of the course for this genre ;)
On to the positive, the acting is actually pretty solid, from some more so that others, but overall there isn't anyone who makes this hard to watch for me. The actor who plays jade does a really good job at portraying emotions believably and his acting feels overall quite natural, and the actress who plays chereen does a really good job with crying scenes. The inspector appears a little wooden at times but it gets better with each episode and it's easy to overlook once you get used to it. I like that the other police officers get actively involved (when the show remembers that there's police work to do) and all of them perform well in the limited roles that they have, so there's nothing to criticise here either.
But who really surprised me was the korean drug boss who gave what I might even call a standout performance (reminding me at times of lee dong shik from beyond evil or han jae ho from the merciless, neither of which are villains per say but who sure know how to act the part). I didn't check to see if the actor is korean but he sure gave a solid korean style villain performance in the rather short scene he had. Maybe I just wasn't expecting a side character to keep up with the main roles or even outplay them (given that this kind of drama doesn't really call for that sort of thing) but he did kind of steal the scene there ;)
All the rambling aside, if an entertaining romance with a police backdrop is all you're looking for, chances are you're going to enjoy this show. If you're looking for a well thought out mystery with police work that doesn't test your frustration tolerance, look elsewhere.
We're yet to see how the actual mystery part unfolds so I can't say much on that front, but they did put a lot of creativity and care in styling their murders (though definitely on the gory side and a little over the top at times) and they did genuinely manage to build up some suspence about what really happened between the college friends group. A little convoluted, sure, and allowed to play out with minimal police involvement (cause the cops are busy with other things, lol), but if the investigation isn't your focus you might actually enjoy the murder mystery part of this.
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Dunk didn't deliver
The story was amazing! Loved the plot twist at the end, i didn't see that coming.The explosions and burning house in the last episode were very badly done(fake!), GMMTV can do a lot better than that.
Visuals were great and the music good.
Almost all the actors did a great job.
I loved Sammy in a serious role, same with Marc and Ohm. These roles suit Marc and Ohm a lot better than comedy ones.
Don't like the acting of June, she is a very weak actress.
I love Joong and Dunk together, they have great cemistry and dynamics. And It looked like Dunk improved his kissing.
Unfortunatly Dunk's acting lacked in this drama, he didn't own the character and his acting felt very stiff. He isn't one of the best actors GMMTV has, but normaly his acting is good enough.
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Sadly, a huge waste
Story 5.5Acting and direction 6.5
Music and production 6.5
Rewatch Value 5
I heard about this series at the same time as ‘Me and Thee’ and so I thought: wow, two show coming with a GmmTv popular couple. Both trailers seem nice, interesting so I wanted to give both a good rating, higher than their previous series. Furthermore, the projects were going to be out during the same period. I was excited and ‘Me and Thee’ didn’t disappoint me. Sadly, ‘Dare you to Death’ did.
The plot is actually interesting: mystery and police are quite my cup of tea and guessing who’s the culprit is fun. It isn’t that unpredictable, but still enjoyable. There are a lot of characters that confuse the cards with their lies, so, at first, you don’t know where to direct your suspects.
The central theme of this story is, in my opinion, the human soul. This series show the dark side of people: the lowest level of the human beings, their feeling of revenge and violence and desire of power. If you ask me? Fascinating. Planning all of this chaos, meticulously and coldly like that is just so attractive.
Just a few things to appoint. For example, two moments in the last episode which could just be unreal. If someone gets shot in the stomach, she/he can’t be alive if the ambulance comes after one hour, right? Also, someone who is hit with an axe dies, right? Finally, are the main characters real detectives? You will doubt that at some point because the investigations are too slow.
Unfortunately, the romance part isn’t that charming. Firstly, the main relationship’s development is rushed. Definitely, from the middle until the end of the show. Also, the ‘side couple’ didn’t even kiss…so maybe they weren’t a couple this time? Then, I just didn’t like it (the main couple). I don’t know exactly why, but it’s a shame cause I’m usually so much into police couples and I believe Joong and Dunk look so aesthetically good together.
Let’s try to find out more about how the romance didn’t work, for me, here.
The actors’ performance is one part of the problem. Not only Dunk’s acting isn’t that good, but also the chemistry of the couple is almost absent. I don’t know what happened but something feels off. I saw them closer in ‘The Heart Killers’ both in and out of bed. It doesn’t make sense since the age (of the characters) is clearly the same and the environment is similar.
The second reason must be the dialogues. They’re are quite a no for me. The conversations are too silly, childish and embarrassing for adults, maybe good for high schoolers. I love the flirting at work but most of their takes alone are insufferable. Also, I don’t know what the director wanted to do but the ‘sex scene’ in the office seems difficult to shot due to the position, the output is forced and not spontaneous (if you ask me, to do things in that position you move differently).
Moreover, Dunk has the same expression the whole time and when he changes it, seems unnatural. I thought it was the character but it’s impossible to be like that 24/7. I know there is a dispute about his acting and I don’t want to be cruel, okay? I’m just saying that, in my opinion, he is still not good enough and I’m so sorry. Of course he can improve, everyone can. I’m sure he’s working hard, but I’m not seeing great changes.
On the other hand, I find Chimon, Pahn, June and Sing’s acting really great. In particular, I know Cimon’s talent and here his character is amazingly portraited from the beginning to the end. Pahn and June are good in dramatic scenes. In addition, I have to mention Joong’s work that is no less good (except for the couple’s topic from before).
Besides, what’s wrong with the action scenes? Watching other shows like ‘Good Boy’ or ‘History 3: Trapped’ or ‘Manner of Death’ you can realize this one isn’t really verisimilar somehow. Again, I don’t know what the director had in mind, but the result isn’t my taste at all.
Also, can someone explain why they decided to use the same song one hundred times? The Ost is really great, I have it in my playlist, but using the same song over and over again isn’t a good idea. Finally, a new song appears towards the end of the series, but still…
Except for the song, there aren’t much sound effects. Mostly gunshots, obviously. The production isn’t bad; the lightning is aligned with the atmosphere. The locations are good, nothing that caught my eye. The editing is overall nice, but there are one or two cuts that I don’t appreciate.
To sum up, the plot had potential but the romance part isn’t on the same level as the mystery. The acting and direction aren’t that great. The music isn’t well managed. The feeling I’m getting is the lack of cure and attention to details. This is an important matter. Before the series was out, there was an issue with its promotion. The feeling is clear: the company didn’t care much about this project. If the situation is really like that, it’s not only a real shame because the plot is nice, but it’s also unfair to the actors who work hard on their projects.
I don’t think I’m going to watch any episode again: I know who the culprit is and the romance parts aren’t worth it. I’m sorry. I really wanted to give this series a higher rating but I can’t. I’m unsure about recommending the show. Still, if you like mystery and splatter, you could watch it. Following this path, I believe I can suggest you watch ‘Secret Relationships’ a korean bl drama. This one is done a bit better and the themes are similar.
Thank you for reading,
Kisses <3
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