Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Episode 2

Episode 2 of Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart begins 5 years later. Joker is freed from prison and his only belonging is a book on how to make it up to someone. He takes a taxi to Jack’s old place but the taxi driver shares that it is a shady area with a lot of criminal activity.

Once he arrives, he locks heads with a street vendor (a hilarious cameo by Jennie) as he tries to search for Jack. He describes him as a shy, gullible person but Jennie shares that the only one with that name is Jack the Reaper. They hide as Jack arrives to collect debts from the residents. Joke smiles as he starts following him.

However, it isn’t a pleasant reunion as he watches Jack barge into a home and threaten two boys, Tattoo and Hoi who have no money. A shocked Joke hides as Jack is about to cut off the fingers of one of the debtors. Once Jack is alone, Joke tries to sneak up on him but it is the other way around.

Jack is further surprised as Joke claims he wants to apologise for tricking him and wants to make it up to him. Jack is cruel as he rejects the apology and threatens to kill him if they cross paths again.

But Joke refuses to give up as he takes an apartment next to the two boys. He pretends to be interested in Jack and they send him to Boss. However, Tattoo hopes to rob Joke so they can pay off his debt while a confused Hoi tags along.

At Boss’, Joke pretends to be a rich but foolish bitcoin investor who needs a loan. Just as he is about to sign the deal, Jack shows up and stops him. He drags Joke away to beat him up but the latter reveals that he has picked up a couple of moves while in prison. He is still no match for Jack who has him on the ground in a second. The two stare at each other intently and the guards wonder why they are flirting.

An annoyed Jack tells them to beat Joke while he heads out to catch Sampong, a runaway debtor. However, Joke befriends the thugs and once their guard is down, he takes out one and follows Jack.

He finds him beating up Sampong who has cancer and desperate, retaliates with a knife. Joke gets hurt but stops Jack from beating the man up. He lets Sampong escape and Jack is furious with Joke. When Joke begs him to return to his old self, Jack says it is his fault that everything has been ruined for him. He beats him up and leaves. Hoi and Tattoo watch and find the whole thing dramatic but decide to rob Joke as he is already down.

Jack’s problems are far from over as Boss confronts him for covering the debt for the debtors who cannot pay. He declares that Hope will take on Hoi and Tattoo’s case, and if Jack still doesn’t stop, he will kill the debtors he covered for.

Hope turns out to be way worse than Jack as Tattoo goes home to see him threatening his mother. Hope beats him up and threatens to break his leg should his mother interfere. Back to Boss, we see that he has a large jewellery collection, and as he adds his latest piece, we see that he also has Jack’s ring.

Once Joke returns to the flat, Hoi and Tattoo try to rob him but he has had enough and takes them down. Tattoo recognises the tattoos on Joke’s hand and reveals himself as a huge Joker fan. He asks him to help steal Boss’ jewellery collection, and in return, he will tell him Jack’s secret. Joke agrees as he learns that Boss oppresses and toys with his debtors.

The boys finally reveal that Jack’s still the same as he pretends to threaten them but in actuality helps cover their debt. He simply pretended to cut off Tattoo’s fingers but never did so. He also visits his Grandma and takes care of his friends. He only puts up an act since Boss’ men are keeping an eye on him.

Jack owes Boss and he can’t run away since he has given away his parents’ wedding ring as collateral. Realising that this is how he can make it up to him, Joke decides to steal Jack’s ring for him. And the plan is not to steal from the overcautious Boss but from his frivolous and foolish son who loves wearing the jewellery.

We see that the son is Aran who is wearing an expensive diamond necklace as he gets ready for his livestream. He hits it off with the makeup artist as she constantly flatters him. However, we see that the MUA is none other than Joke in disguise. During the livestream, Aran shares that for his new brand collection, he will be hosting an exclusive, invite-only event the next day. At the end of Jack & Joker Episode 2, Joke smiles and comments that it sounds fun.

The Episode Review

While the pilot episode gives us exposition and establishes the conflict, Jack & Joker Episode 2 sets the tone and charts out the plot and what to expect in the following weeks. So far, the highlight is still Jack and Joker’s dynamic even though all we have gotten from them is angst.

It’s funny how for once, other people notice and comment when the main characters are busy flirting while fighting. While this bit is ignored in other shows and is bound to feel cringey, Jack & Joker is pretty self-aware as it pokes fun at how obvious it is that there is something going on between the characters that even outsiders notice it.

The Thai BL pretty much considers itself a comedy complete with slapstick humour, comic sound effects and over-the-top acting from the comic reliefs which clarifies that this BL is not to be taken too seriously. Much like Hoi, we are just here for the ride, watching the angst and the drama with a comic lens.