Jack & Joker – Episode 5-6 – Recap and Review

When last we left our thief and debt collector, the debt collector’s heart began to thaw and the thief promised to turn over a new leaf. We know it won’t go that smoothly.

In part because of choppy editing and weird tone shifts

Joker gets beaten up trying to rescue Tattoo and Hoi. Hope takes Jack’s ring and breaks a bottle over his head before video-calling Jack. Joker says if they want the necklace back they have to work together.

Jack shows up with medical supplies just as Joker is casually going out to get some himself. No wound tending yet, we cut to a light-hearted meeting involving the people who just brutally beat Joker. They plan to sneak into an auction, and Aran reluctantly agrees to play the rich guy from Hong Kong with Jack at his side.

Meeting done, Jack tends Joker’s wounds and Joker apologizes for pulling him into this mess. Joker gets shy about showing his chest. They’re awkward and cute. 

Heist time! Kinda!

Aran has trouble getting past the auction doormen and Jack wildly improvises. He’s at least a little into it.

Rose, our run-away heiress from episode one, is there too. She knows Aran and is also horrible, winning the necklace to spite Aran. Not that Aran needed to win the necklace they’re about to steal.

I don’t know why they went to the auction but after they go home. Hoi teaches Joker to drive so he can steal a truck. Jack messes with some earbuds and overhears Hoi asking about Joker’s type. Joker says it’s someone kind who will forgive him no matter how badly he screws up.

Jack smiles, goes serious, then thoughtful. He’s thinking about it, right?

I don’t know why Joker is dressed this way but it’s funny

Looking very party-city-pirate, he steals the truck and the necklace. At the rendezvous location, guys he knew in prison attack him. Everyone else shows up, there’s a lot of fighting, and Jack takes a broken bottle to the gut. He wants Joker to escape alone but Joker tells him to worry about himself for once. Jack says he sounds like Grandma.

Tattoo steals the necklace and runs, again. This time his mom and Hoi refuse to go along with him. 

Jack isn’t afraid to be shirtless when Joker tends to his wound. They confront Tattoo, who pretends he found the necklace and is returning it. Joker plays along and Jack is impressed. They give the necklace back to Aran, who promises his father will never know anything.

Jack wants to start over and forgives Joker. Joker is adorably happy, more so when Jack invites him to stay at his place.

Rose learns her necklace is gone and that Jack is involved. She’s been keeping tabs on him since he rescued her. 

We take a break from heists for domestic moments

At home, Jack warns Grandma not to get medications through Evil Boss anymore. Was that ever a good idea? 

At dinner, Joker appalls them with his unlucky table manners. He can’t go home because they probably don’t want him back. Grandma invites him to stay. Joker gets teary-happy eating with them, when he ate in a group before it was about finishing quickly. 

Grandma asks Joker if he’s done being a thief. He says yes. She double-checks with Jack. He says he thinks so.

Rose wants her necklace and Aran wants Tattoo

Evil Boss learns about the necklace situation from Rose. But she wants Jack left alone and has the money and power to get what she wants. Ms Nang of the temple is with her, but I don’t know their relationship.

Aran likes Tattoo but decides never to meet him again.

Joker and Jack fight over who is sleeping on the floor. Their flirt-fight aggravates Jack’s wound, and now he’s fussy about showing his chest. He also gets the bed. 

Later, they talk about what they prayed for earlier. Jack still wants to open that school for kids and is impressed when Joker remembers. Joker prayed to stop being a burden on the people he loves. They blow my mind by turning off the lights before going to sleep. 

Jack and Joker aren’t the only ones cohabitating

Evil Boss is furious about the necklace and Aran runs away from home. After Aran stomps off, Evil Boss asks Hope who really caused all this chaos.

It’s Chinese New Year, and Grandma gives out red envelopes. Joker consoles Toi Ting after she’s bullied, and she becomes the first student in Jack’s school. Later, Hoi and Tattoo become involved in the school too.

Aran is not doing great alone. He ends up at Tattoo’s place even though Tattoo doesn’t want him there. Hoi is at the shrine with Tattoo’s mom and agrees to pay for his board by being Ms Nang’s driver. 

Joker sets up a classroom for Jack at home, and they discover a textbook Joker owned was donated to Jack. Jack fixed everything Joker misspelled. There’s a frustrating near confession, and Jack makes Joker promise not to disappear until he achieves his dream. We get a sweet pinky promise and forehead bump.

Out of the frying pan and into… something else bad?

Joker takes Jack to his old gym, which his old coach is giving him to turn into the school. Jack knows the coach did a lot for him as a child and he forgave him a long time ago. 

Joker goes with Jack to pay off his debt at the bank with Hope’s secret boyfriend, Save. Save notices Joker’s shifting backstory. Later, Save tells Hope he’s “taken care of everything” but we don’t know what that means. 

Ms Nang meets with Evil Boss, but won’t accept a deal to return the necklace. Evil Boss begs to keep the necklace, it’s all he has to remind him of his dead wife. Poor Aran. But Rose is willing to trade the necklace for Jack.

At home, Evil Boss has brought Grandma her medicine. Didn’t we talk about this? Jack gives Evil Boss his resignation and gets the ring back. Evil Boss eyes Joker on his way out. 

Jack doesn’t get any time to be happy with Joker before Grandma goes down. Shocking!

A Wish List

I’m hoping Rose is more than a man-hungry villain. It could be bad for Jack to have someone selfish and powerful interested in him. On the other hand, she could support Jack’s school. I’ll take her evil or good, as long as it’s interesting.

Hope is scary and violent, except when he’s eager to share his love with his secret boyfriend. We’ve also seen Jack help Save. Is Save using Hope and helping Jack? Or are they both going to screw over our leads?

I love femme Aran. Will he irritate Tattoo into loving him?

I hope anyone watching this show only for realistic and tense heist scenes has dropped it. 

Does Joker have dyslexia or another learning disorder? I liked the metaphor of Jack fixing Joker’s mistakes via that textbook and hope they do more with it.

This plot is moving nicely. Now that we’ve reached the halfway point, we’re shifting focus to Jack’s school. It’s sweet that Jack is tying Joker down, getting him to promise to stick with him and not steal or disappear. I also do not want Joker to disappear.

I also want a real confession!

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