Welcome to my Saturday blog post, where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
This week, I recapped episodes 29-30 of Pursuit of Jade. Yup. More War. And Qi’s backstory. And poor Changyu going through it.
I finished recapping Payback with episodes 9-10. I really enjoyed this show, and if you want the full series review, keep reading!
For Funsies, I am sharing commentary on the latest BoatOat omegaverse nonsense Knot and gamer fun with MaxkyBas Be My Player Two on my Patreon!
What did I watch this week? Today I’m talking about some darker shows, starting with an initial review of:
Mr.Kill – มังงะสั่งตาย – 2026
Currently airing cop-cartoonist Thai bromance, I’ve watched 5 of 10 episodes.
A webtoon artist ends up working with a cop when someone starts using one of his old comics as a blueprint for a killing spree.
This is an enjoyable dark mystery thriller with some plot-convenient nonsense and unanswerable moral questions.
The best way to enjoy this is to let go of certain details
Our webtoonist, currently writing what I think are romances, once anonymously released a very dark, horror comic onto some secret corners of the web. When some very dark, Se7en-style, overly complicated murders happen, they are all directly based on this comic.
The Cop is naturally suspicious of the Artist, but can use his knowledge of the comic to stop the killer. If he isn’t the killer. But our Cop already has a soft spot for the Artist, having met him before he was a suspected serial killer and found him kind of bromance-y cute.
Meanwhile, the cop’s younger sister has a prestigious internship at a news company that allows her to interact with the top news guy.
All that is mostly fine. The weak bits are very familiar to anyone who’s watched certain kinds of “we-need-to-keep-the-plot-going” thriller-mystery stories:
- Crucial information is carelessly shared or left out in the open
- Characters trust each other when they really shouldn’t
- Characters wander into danger instead of telling the person standing next to them what they’re doing
- Characters do things in needlessly suspicious ways so they seem more suspicious
It’s that kind of stuff. There is a plot I can follow with evidence and clues, but it’s not a super TIGHT plot.
But there are interesting details and questions too
Probably the biggest reason I’m watching this is because of our Artist character, played convincingly by Dew Jirawat Sutivanichsak. He’s a tall guy who could be intimidating, but he hunches and talks softly. Life has really beaten him down, and he comes off a little pathetic.
But we also know he wrote this violent, angry comic at one point. So underneath that sad exterior, could there be the potential for homicidal violence?
The Cop, to me, is less interesting, though he has A Secret that’s going to complicate things eventually.
But the murders he’s trying to prevent are very complicated. Following the comic exactly, the men being tortured and murdered are very bad men in positions of power who have gotten away with hurting others.
So. Do we care that someone is killing them?
The Cop does, and he thinks others should. But the news and popular opinion is mixed. AND, our Cop is also growing closer to the person who wrote these grim scenarios in the first place. Then there’s that secret.
I’m here because I want to see how it all comes together
The bromance is fine. It’s not getting me the same way as the bromance in Wu or High School Frenemy, but I still like seeing our guys platonically flirting.
I’m more interested in the remaining twists and turns the show will take me on. Right now, I’m not sure how far the show will veer into darkness and what our leads will be put through. And I’m a monster who wants to see them get pushed around and suffer a lot.
Time to talk about:
Payback – PAYBACK The Series – 2026
Recently aired revenge-thriller-but-not-really Thai BL with 10 episodes.
A young man seeks revenge by… becoming an actor? And meets a mysterious man who takes an interest in him.
I really, really enjoyed this show.
I’m going to lay a lot of credit for that on the chemistry between our lead actors, Minlee Thanakorn Wichanukhor and Toptap Jarukit Kaewmoonrueang.
Yes, a lot of internet has been talking about those spicy scenes. They Are Spicy.
But I also really liked how much the story focused on our main character, Sun’s, emotional arc.
And that’s why I need to get my one criticism out of the way
The show is called Payback. Sun wants revenge. Everything is dark and grim. We barely meet Jay, the love interest, in the first two episodes.
With that setup, the violin music, and the entertainment industry setting, I thought we’d be getting something like Reset without time travel. We’d see Sun strategize against the one who hurt him, and set things up to take him down.
But Sun, as it turns out, sucks at revenge. And the show, as it turns out, is way more about Sun recovering from trauma and the friends he meets along the way. Having survived a rough childhood and horrible tragedy, Sun is emotionally walled off, which is tricky when pursuing acting.
Thankfully, he does meet friends along the way. His manager, who sorta tries to dad him. Another actor, who reminds him of his deceased brother. And then there’s Jay.
Jay has a lot of power and takes an interest in Sun, psychoanalyzing him, keeping him safe, and trying to persuade him to be the bottom.
None of this, you’ll notice, has anything to do with revenge.
And this is fine. Except, I wish the show had made it clear what it would be about earlier on, and focused more on those aspects in the beginning. It spends a lot of time building up the revenge story that’s only part of the larger story.
This is based on a webtoon, and from what I’ve seen it has similar issues.
Luckily, I really like a character study
Even better when it’s part of a silly, over-the-top, dark, absurd revenge-ish story. I’m not going to get into it, but a Pink Bunny mascot outfit sees a lot of action. Then there’s the Grey Bunny suit with the long tail. Anyway.
I also really loved the push-pull between our lead couple. Sun is stubborn and closed off. Jay is unhinged and fascinated by him. He has a better understanding of the dangerous entertainment world Sun has entered, and he uses it to help him, but only to a point.
They’re really a unique, odd couple. Sun is not small, and he’s very tough and used to fighting and getting hurt. Yet with the larger, more financially powerful Jay, Sun gets to let go of the need to protect everyone else and well… Anyway.
A fair warning: there is some dark stuff in this show. I am not comfortable giving specific trigger warnings, but if you are sensitive about violence and SA, definitely take care.
But amidst the darkness and violence are good characters willing to fight against it. All the better when they work together against it.
This is one of those shows I’ll rewatch and probably enjoy even more
And not just for the spicy scenes!
Now that I’m not expecting it to be Reset, I can relax and enjoy watching Sun’s emotional journey instead. I’m sure I’ll pick up on things I missed. And I will just really enjoy watching Sun and Jay and their weird romance.
If you want to be better prepared for the show, you can always check out my recaps ahead of time.
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