Hidden Agenda (2023)

A disappointing show

Basically almost everything is subpar in this series, if not downright bad. The cinematography is standard, neither good nor bad, and so is the editing. Some sound effect/music choices during the episodes are confusing but I love the ost and all the songs produced for this show - Joong and Dunk are both really enjoyable singers.

Writing-wise, the premise is pretty simple -  a boy requests a friend's help to hit on his crush and ends up falling (requitedly) for his friend instead - but the writing fails at carrying it out properly. Starting from ep 5 onwards, the « plot » abounds with fillers, and there’s no sense of direction. The story does attempt to tackle complex themes such as family relationships in its last episodes, but their handling and resolution ends up oversimplified.

The secondary characters are either entirely functional (Pat, the other friend), or criminally underused (Pok, Jeng, Nita), which is mind-boggling considering all the time dedicated to fillers in this show, which could instead have been used to develop them and their storylines. Joke and Zo’s relationship, despite being the main focus of this series, still needs work by the end of the 12 episodes, and I could never fully engage with Joke and Zo as characters (in Joke’s case, because he’s too pushy and too entirely defined by his love for Zo - and in Zo’s case, because I didn’t understand what he was thinking half the time, which is both a writing and an acting issue).

I like Joong’s acting but I felt like he was at 50% his capacity half the time. Dunk's acting, while slightly improved since SIMM, still needs a lot of work.

Still, some moments managed to capture my heart in the few occurrences when good writing and acting came together to deliver beautiful scenes (most of ep 3 and 4 for Joke/Zo, ep 7 and 9 for Jeng/Pok). Joong and Dunk’s chemistry is also amazing and the kiss scenes were all brillant.

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it's the dollar store how good can it be

Let me start with a disclaimer that I kind of gave up on this show (more than once) but still wanted to write a somewhat robust review so I forced myself to skim the last two episodes. This means I might have missed some important nuance (surely) or events somewhere in the show and my review isn't super detailed.
And yeah I skipped the side couple's scenes. Sorry! I heard they were good but I just didn't care to watch.

- Plot and Writing -
The writing for Hidden Agenda is pretty bad. I don't think it's awful and unwatchable (on writing alone) but the show felt directionless, as if it was being written in free-form. This could just be a taste thing. I'm not a slice of life person, which is a source of potential bias against Hidden Agenda and it's very simple story. But I don't know. Either I'm wrong, or the show is bad.
I think perhaps what bothered me most is that the show is called "Hidden Agenda", the same agenda by which the show is driven forward. When this ordeal is resolved before the climax of the show (instead of WITHIN the climax of the show) it induces audience whiplash. I imagine it's how people feel when they talk about Riverdale's billionth season being about completely random shit. Except GMMTV shows average 12 episodes. Which means the hidden agenda could have been drawn out to fill those 12 episodes. Instead, the story wastes a lot of space and leaves a lot to be desired. And I saw many MDL commenters sharing this same sentiment.
However, I've seen people praising the simplicity and feel-good aspect of Hidden Agenda. It's an "easy watch" (not for me, which I'll talk about in the acting section) and doesn't raise your blood pressure or expose you to intense content. Hidden Agenda is quite comparable to 2gether the series in this way. The acting is also quite comparable. I dislike both shows.

- The Hidden Agenda Reveal (ep. 9) -
There were a lot of mixed responses on MDL to the Hidden Agenda reveal (and all of Joke's actions leading up to this reveal). Personally I was on the side of finding Joke's approach manipulative in the earlier episodes, but the framing of the show wasn't clear enough to show this to the audience. From what I read about the manga from the comments, it is more obvious that Joke is manipulating the situations he and Zo are in as a means of getting closer to him. "Manipulation" not being an inherently sinister word, but I personally found Joke's use of manipulation too heavy-handed. I was on Zo's side here.
When it was revealed to Zo that Joke had this "hidden agenda" the whole time, Zo becomes upset and expects an apology. For this, half the MDL comments seemed to believe Zo acted hypocritically. "Didn't he do the same thing?"
My thing is, Zo's hidden agenda with Nita was acts of kindness, like trying to carry her stuff, or inviting her to the library under the guise of studying when he actually wanted to read her a story and gauge her response, asking someone she knows for advice on how to date a person, aka actually getting to know her. I think that's pretty harmless. Meanwhile, Joke's approach was being a weirdo. Backing people into walls, sneaky wedding rituals, "we have to go to my house oh its coincidentally a huge mess omg its midnight already I guess you have to sleep over promise I won't do anything weird! Change your style, change your food preferences, I'm super possessive around your friends." Like how is that the same as what Zo did?
I was also stunned by the fact that Zo is one of the least perceptive characters of all time, allowing Joke's hidden agenda to work in the first place. If Zo was a bit less dense he would have realized Joke's hidden agenda sooner. But I won't judge. He has trouble reading people, he has mommy issues, etc. He's a troubled boy. It's not his fault. But what bothered me about the big reveal is that, at that fucking point, the two of you are already dating, you know that he likes you, so did you not put 2 and 2 together? While I don't blame Zo as a character, I blame the writers who gave him so much goldfish-brain that it also deprived the audience of retrospective thinking.

- Supporting Characters -
One noteworthy scene was the Wave and Trin flashback story in episode 10. It was one of the few times in Hidden Agenda where I actually stopped and watched the full scene without pausing or skipping ahead. This is probably attributed to the relative acting talent of these supporting actors, as well as the way it stood out from other scenes.
The problem is that this scene served as insignificant exposition within the greater context of the show. It was a singular, self-contained conflict that explained another singular, self-contained conflict. This wouldn't have been an issue if the screenwriters had found a way to incorporate other self-contained conflicts throughout the show. Sprinkling in the supporting cast throughout the show, instead of just oh there's a stalker at the beginning, an old crush in the middle, and some random beef between seniors towards the end. Maybe we could have learned more about Zo's friends, maybe we could have learned more about Nita (because she was pretty cool), maybe we could have seen a little more of Joke's grandma (she was the best).

- Joong and Dunk and Acting -
So there's the enormous elephant in the room surrounding acting talent. Specifically the two lead actors, the stars of the show, the people who the entire show revolves around.
Personally, I find Joong and Dunk so hard to watch. Both together and separately. I have to do a lot of pausing and skipping, a lot of trying to hold myself together, because I'm very susceptible to secondhand embarrassment. I may have even had an easier time watching Star In my Mind, since I didn't know the actors yet and it was their first time acting together and you can only go up from there, right? Well they haven't gone much farther up yet. Honestly there was a moment in ep 10 where Dunk delivers a mini "you're being an asshole" monologue in the scene between Zo and Wave. That was pretty good! For Dunk standards, that was pretty good. But overall, the acting in Hidden Agenda was just not good enough.

But I want to say something very extremely important. Whenever you go into the Hidden Agenda comment section you're going to see 10,000 comments calling Dunk talentless. This may be true. But you'll also see those fans who try to desperately save Joong from from getting joint criticism. Saying Dunk is dragging Joong down and that Joong deserves a better partner and his career is being impacted by the evil dark energy that is Dunk. This is delusional. You just think Joong is sexy.
Dunk may objectively be the worst actor in this cast, and you might even expand this debate into the greater GMMTV roster, but that doesn't mean that someone who is better at acting than Dunk is a good actor. Joong may not have won 1st place in the GMMTV Worst Actors Contest, but he's still somewhere on the podium.
Joong is, once again, playing the monotonous quiet type. He's been playing discreet characters, in contrast to Dunk who's been playing the clumsier, nerdier, more animated and outwardly emotional characters.
This is tangential, but I want to note that this dynamic commonly follows couples in BL, and it's typically the case that this dynamic is superimposed onto the ever-present pest that is the top/bottom dynamic. Whenever the trope is reversed, it becomes a subversion. I find it the case that this dynamic follows masculine/feminine expectations, which are then projected outwardly onto the actors. Not only is a lack of acting talent more evident when your character requires more expression and dialogue, but the trend seems to be that, unless this actor is extremely capable with a solid reputation, it'll be the "bottom" who receives criticism disproportional to their performance.
This might be a hard sell when I'm using JoongDunk as an example, considering the fact that Dunk is truly a terrible actor. The criticism he gets is valid. But given the characters JD have been typecast as twice, and the comments that Dunk gets compared to Joong, I think it's fair to bring this issue up here. Because Joong is also, truly, a terrible actor.

I do think these two have been kinda victimized by GMMTV. This is their second project together and both shows were shit. That sucks, even considering acting talent. I think with good screenwriting and/or directing, even bad acting can be concealed within a show. Midnight Museum managed to do this and that show wasn't even good. Of course with GMMTV, and especially with JoongDunk, quality isn't the goal. These two actors are young and attractive and they're fanservice menaces. The only thing being monitored right now is profit.

But there is always room for improvement! I believe deep down in my heart of hearts that Joong and Dunk can improve as actors and put on a decent performance. I hope they get cast in a show with good writing and directing and gorgeous cinematography and good hairstyling and makeup. Joong and Dunk are too good looking to waste. And they might be terrible actors but when it comes to kissing they really go for it. That's kind of impressive. I've never seen two BL actors actually allow their bare skin to touch in a scene before. JD have courage and it should be sent to the acting workshops and used by good writers and directors.

- Overall -
Hidden Agenda wasn't good. It might have been watchable with different actors, or with the same actors and better writing. If it had different actors and better writing, it might be an excellent show. But those are hypotheticals and Hidden Agenda did not have different actors or better writing. Some people enjoyed it. I'm happy for them. I did not enjoy it and I would not recommend it, even as something to have playing in the background. If I was studying or cleaning my room and I heard a line delivery from Dunk or looked up to see Joong furrowing his eyebrows on my screen I don't think I'd be able to handle it. You're stronger than me if you can. But the intro OST was catchy I might go listen to it after this.

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Disappointing...

Started and held out for the main actors but other than them it was meh.
Lacklustre school setting, boring story and just generally disappointing.
I mean the debate plot was so flat and fake notmany things could've been worse.
Watched 8 episodes, about 5 normally then the rest on 2x speed, got halfway through ep 9 and realised i genuinely didn't care what happened so dropped it.
It was cute and while bad bearable at the beginning it didn't offer alot to warrant sticking around for 12 eps.
Hope the actors can star in something better.
Don't recommend, not even if you like the actors.

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Deserves a Chance

I do not get why Hidden Agenda is being dragged so much on this site. Yes, Dunk's acting is subpar, but the rest of the cast are all great, and the story, while not unique by any means, balances non-cringy humor, drama, romantic tension, and surprising revelations really well. JoongDunk's chemistry is insanely good. Watching the two of them bicker as sparks fly between them is high-quality entertainment. The characters are likeable and easy to sympathize with, especially Zo. Yes, he is a chaotic fool, but he is trying! He just needs a little help to overcome his awkwardness and self-consciousness, and he will hopefully get this help [and more] from Joke, who, in case you are worried, is not an a**hole. Going by what I have seen of him as of now, I can even say that he is surprisingly mature, kind, and good at communication for a "cold, handsome, popular" BL lead.

Overall, I enjoyed the pilot episode of this series a lot. It is up to you, but if you are interested in watching it, do not let the criticism influence your decision much. Hidden Agenda is not nearly as bad as the other viewers are making it seem. I think that it even has potential to become really good.

Edit: The second episode is a little underwhelming. Except for the debate club scene, its plot is a whole lotta nothin' with clichés on top, especially in the first two parts. This series has the potential to improve, though. JoongDunk are really cute together and have great chemistry, Joke is charming, and some interesting things about the different characters' connections to each other are suggested.

Edit 2: Oh, the sweet, sweet tension between them... *heart eyes* I loved episode three. There is something about JokeZo's dynamic that makes them stand out from other BL couples that I have watched. The way in which their relationship progresses keeps surprising me, and Joke is coming increasingly closer to being my favorite love interest ever in a BL series. If you want something feel-good, funny, and romantic, watch this series.

Edit 3: The more I watch this series, the more I like it. JokeZo's interactions are so natural, so human. Although the plot is light-hearted, the progression of their relationship adds depth to it. JoongDunk's chemistry -- what can I even say? They are on fire in episode four.

Edit 4: Okay, I was defending this series, but now that I have watched episode five and six, I see where the other viewers are coming from. Every character in Hidden Agenda is supposed to have a hidden agenda, but the story does not do a good job at indicating this at all. It should have been building up toward the big reveal, not hiding everything behind a bland plot.
I also agree with everybody who says that something is off about this series. I am feeling the sinister vibes, and I am pretty sure that this is not what the production team was aiming for.

Edit 5: In episodes seven and eight, the plot went through an identity crisis, but JoongDunk's romantic scenes made them worth the watch. I lost count of how many times I have rewatched the bed scene -- it stands out from all other bed scenes that I have seen. Both Joong and Dunk were incredibly convincing, and the scene itself had a gentleness to it that I usually do not see in other BL series.

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We should stick with JoongDunk's YouTube compilations at this point...

Can we stop with these plots that starts with one of the leads pursuing a girl that he has NO connection with? Like, is so overused and boring, it doesn't add ANYTHING useful and interesting to the characters depths and story. But even with that, the beginning was the most interesting and fun part with Joke pursing Zo. Most parts were skippable, and the show was too long for what they had.

The acting was not terrible but not good enough to save it. I could see Dunk falling behind sometimes and losing some opportunities when it comes to showcasing Zo's emotions, and Joong was actually fine and had some really beautiful moments. Aou and Boom didn't have many interesting moments, but I really enjoyed this pairing, and I actually wanted to see more of them. Between other support characters, Nita (Jamie) and Pat (Louis) had more impact in the story, and I was particularly happy seeing Jamie in a completely different role right after Home School.

So that's it, if you want to watch just for JoongDunk, as I said in the headline, you should stick with the YouTube compilations, they are far more entertaining.

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What was the point of this?

Seriously, what was the point of this? It had no direction and felt like it had no clue what it was trying to accomplish. There were some interesting threads that could have massively improved the story had they been focused on properly, but instead every couple of episodes had a new flimsy story arc.

It doesn't help that the two leads have the weakest acting in the whole series. Dunk's weak acting has been talked to death, but in my opinion his main issue is how stilted his performance feels - he needs to work on making it feel more natural. Joong is definitely better, but still nothing to write home about - whilst he is more of a natural, he needs to work on his range and bring more depth.

Aou and Boom are of course the shining light in this show, and not in it nearly enough. Their chemistry is so natural and they are very sweet together. The issues they faced in their relationship were quite moving, especially Boom's performance, but it was undercut by a half baked story arc.

Overall, I would say it's a pretty mindless watch - only bother putting this on if you want an easy show that you can half pay attention to.

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Surpresa boa

Eu confesso que não comecei a assistir com muitas expectativas, mas terminei essa série com uma sensação gostosa de conforto. É importante falar da evolução do Dunk, pois a série anterior, que ele também fez par com o Joong, deixou a desejar tanto na atuação como na química, Agora, ele aparece mais maduro, talvez pela construção do personagem, que é diferente da outra série, e com atuação melhorada a química entre eles melhorou consideravelmente.

O plot é bem clichê na verdade, mas blzeiros vivem de clichês, não é mesmo?
O roteiro nada inovador, traz o personagem de Zo "apaixonado" por Nita, e o personagem Joke, amigo de Nita, promete ajudá-lo a conquistar a garota, com a condição de que ele consiga entrar no clube de debates (esse clube é novidade pra mim). Na verdade, Joke tem a intenção de aproveitar o tempo próximo a Zo para conquistá-lo, e ele consegue! Mais clichê impossível.

Gostei muito do casal secundário, gostei de não terem vilanizado a personagem Nita, ao contrário, humanizaram ela e mostraram uma amizade sincera entre homem e mulher. Não existiu nenhum drama mirabolante entre os casais, apenas aquela negação dos sentimentos que atormentou Zo após o primeiro beijo, e foi bonito ver o Joke entendendo isso e correndo atrás.

Minha crítica vai apenas para a questão familiar. A família de Zo, com sua alegria ou problemas estava sendo mostrada desde o início, mas sobre Joke, tivemos apenas a aparição rápida de sua avó (uma diva) e no último episódio é que vemos o real problema da família dele, a treta com o pai poderia ter sido explorada de forma mais inteligente.

A parte técnica também não deixa a desejar, não tenho críticas.

Com certeza recomendo essa série, e pretendo assisti-la várias vezes.

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Not the best, not the worst

Unlike it’s title Hidden Agenda is pretty fluffy. Hardly any angst. If you’re looking for an easy watch that doesn’t take a lot of brain power this is the one. Joong’s acting is stiff and Dunk’s acting is awkward, especially when he has to act frustrated. Thing is when Joong and Dunk are together they’re pretty good. Probably because they’re comfortable with each other.
I would say my only problem with the writing is the little angst they do have feels like the writers were stretching it. I thought no one would actually get this upset over something like that. If you’re looking for a fluffy and easy watch then try it out. Don’t look for an interesting story with this one.

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Hidden agenda or hidden PLOT?

This was definitely a snoozefest.

In 12 episodes I can barely remember anything that happened. Every week a new episode came out I had already forgotten the last one.

Zo is not a likeable character. At any point. Also no matter what happens; big, small, happy, or sad, Dunk's acting stays the exact same. 😭

Zo could manage to give the dead whiplash with all the back and forth he put Joke through. Joong was good, I adore him, but even he couldn't save this show. He needs a script that will showcase his talent and a partner who can show emotions and give chemistry.

I'd recommend this if you want something kinda low key, medium angst?

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Your Expectations Are Accurate

I'm one of the few people that isn't tired of university dramas. I know that we've seen similar love dynamics thousands of times, that we can predict every single move these boys will make. I'm okay with that because just because it plays into common tropes doesn't necessarily mean it'll be bad. What determines quality is how the show executes those tropes.

Unfortunately, Hidden Agenda doesn't do anything revolutionary, and having seen so many GMMTV shows, I don't know why I expected any different.

My main issue with Hidden Agenda, and many other BLs in general, is that the plot is nonexistent. Even if a show has so much potential, the writers complete the entire plot in the first three or four episodes and then drag out the characters actually getting together for far too long. It's fine to have scenes where characters are being lovey-dovey for the safe of being lovey-dovey, but that can't drive a plot.

And it seemed like the writers understood that because then they started throwing plot points at the show hoping one would stick -- an evil ex-friend, a stalker, disappointed parents, a debate competition! But all of those would be resolved fairly anticlimactically in an episode and a half each plot point. So what was the point? To show that their love can withstand all? I'm not really believing it.

There was a surprising amount of depth and complexity to Jeng and Pok's relationship - hiding their relationship when one clearly longs to be public. It was actually so much more interesting than Joke and Zo's plot, and because the writers were taking their time in building out their exposition, I had hope that Jeng and Pok's relationship would be the redeeming factor of the show.

But of course, like all plots in Hidden Agenda, it was completed too soon, too hastily that I was left to wonder if I was imagining the potential their story had.

And then in the last three episodes, the show decided to finally show its worth with an actually substantive plot. Zo is stressing over the upcoming debate competition as he believes it's his one opportunity to make his mom proud, and we find out in the last episode that Joke is the black sheep of the family and he struggles with gaining their acceptance. The latter is criminally underdeveloped and cobbled together and concluded in just two scenes, and sadly this is where we see the best performance by Joong. Despite horrifically awkward writing where we get whiplash by the grandpa who in basically less than five minutes both cuts Joke down a few notches by practically calling him a degenerate in front of the whole family AND THEN asks Joke for a hug and tells him he's proud of him, Joong manages to move my heart with his tears.

I knew going into this show, I probably would be disappointed. And I was, but not nearly as much as other shows, and in fact, it almost became fun since I was hate-writing pages full of notes. You get what you expect and nothing more. I need to stop expecting GMMTV to blow me away with an underrated gem because that hasn't happened in a long, long time.

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Honestly Not Bad, Just Not Good Enough to Finish

From the get-go, I knew that this concept could be told in about 8 episodes, and low and behold, it was happily ever after by the end of episode 8. So because I was already only getting by by the skin of my teeth, I've decided that episode 8 is where this shall end for me.

Let's Dive In.

I immediately knew where this was headed as Joong and Dunk being the leads -- Boring Boulevard. Needless to say, I fell asleep through episodes 1-4 and had to keep going back to see what the hell had gone on, only to have missed absolutely nothing but a bunch of talking and talking and talking. Yes, the plot is simple, but gosh darn it something about this was so freaking aggravatingly dull that I just couldn't do it. The only reason I didn't drop this by episode 4 is because there is one thing that these boys do great at and that's affection. So am I shallow for staying for the physicality and skipping through the rest? Maybe. But oh well.

Joong and Dunk's chemistry (outside of being physical) isn't bad persay -- but there's just something missing. I can't quite put my tongue on it, but for whatever reason, it's so hard for me to believe their chemistry even though it doesn't look necessarily bad on camera. I've said it before and I'll say it here too, I want Joong to be given another on-screen partner. Dunk is great but he just doesn't sell it for me. However, again, 10/10 in everything physical. I mean some really good kissing.

The side couple was cute, and they also weren't so bad at kissing, but they didn't do enough for me.

Some nit-picking, but because it's GMMTV, I expect better: so so SO many continuity errors that I almost gauged my eyes out. Some glaring ones were hand placements not being the same, and the ceramic that was supposed to be broken just so happened to not be broken seconds before. This is what also adds to the cheap feeling of the show cause it's obvious that it was rushed and wasn't given much thought to detail. It was so lazy for a company like GMMTV to produce crap like this that it's genuinely upsetting.

And like I said, it's happily ever after at the end of episode 8, so looking at the preview I just knew I was fine with not finishing the rest as I know it's nothing but added-on nonsense so they could fill their 12-episode agenda.

Ratings:

Story: 4/10 - Yes the plot is simplistic, but that's no reason for a terrible script. Bunch of nothingness until they do cliches and some kissing -- then I like it. Production value also brings the score down for it's terrible lack of detail.

Acting: 8/10 - Both have never been given a very strong plot to really show off their acting abilities, so this is as best as I've always seen them do. I really could care less for this couple, but if they're paired again I hope they're given a heavier plot in terms of story.

music 5/10: Joong sang too much so, yeah.

Recommendation Value: 3/10 - Honestly, this series isn't bad so I'm not giving it a low score cause it's terrible, I'm just giving it a low score because out of all the BLs going on right now, this is the least entertaining one to watch. But this might be a good one to watch for someone's first BL so, a 3/10 it is.

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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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