News This review may contain spoilers
Payback is a drama worth savouring
I started this drama in June and stayed with it until its finale in August.It has been a long time since a series left such a lasting impression on me — and I would argue that it deserves recommendation not merely within the BL genre, but across all categories of television drama.
Narratively, the story is anchored in Sun's experience. The theme of revenge is established from the very outset, after which the drama adopts a non-linear structure, returning to recount the circumstances that give rise to that revenge. Sun, portrayed by Minlee, remains a fundamentally kind person throughout: forced into the role of a debt collector, having lost every member of his family, he neither turns against society nor gives up on himself, but shoulders the burden of his own accord. He is the first character I have seen who actually repays a loan-shark debt in full.
Sun and Jay's first encounter appears far from auspicious, yet within the hardship of that moment it allows emotions long suppressed by both men to find release after a considerable time. Some viewers may wonder why Jay is so fixated on the rabbit — I believe this is precisely the reason.
Every actor in the drama delivers a compelling performance, allowing us to feel each character's inner world with real clarity. Some do wrong because they have no other choice; others are corrupt at the root. Some love is utterly pure, while other love is so burdened by misgiving that it can never be spoken aloud.
In short, this is a drama well worth watching, and I recommend it unreservedly.
Narratively, the story is anchored in Sun's experience. The theme of revenge is established from the very outset, after which the drama adopts a non-linear structure, returning to recount the circumstances that give rise to that revenge. Sun, portrayed by Minlee, remains a fundamentally kind person throughout: forced into the role of a debt collector, having lost every member of his family, he neither turns against society nor gives up on himself, but shoulders the burden of his own accord. He is the first character I have seen who actually repays a loan-shark debt in full.
Sun and Jay's first encounter appears far from auspicious, yet within the hardship of that moment it allows emotions long suppressed by both men to find release after a considerable time. Some viewers may wonder why Jay is so fixated on the rabbit — I believe this is precisely the reason.
Every actor in the drama delivers a compelling performance, allowing us to feel each character's inner world with real clarity. Some do wrong because they have no other choice; others are corrupt at the root. Some love is utterly pure, while other love is so burdened by misgiving that it can never be spoken aloud.
In short, this is a drama well worth watching, and I recommend it unreservedly.
Was this review helpful to you?
