Guardian Episode by Episode: 10

[extrapenguin]

Welcome to the rewatchalong! We have now reached episode 10, i.e. we are a quarter of the way through the series! The Imgur screencap album has 51 images.


Previously on:
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9

This week, we are in the Hanga arc proper, and learn Wang Zheng's backstory.

Introductions/the Hanga story
We get our proper introduction to Sang Zan. He was born a slave, and the Hanga Patriarch killed his sister. When his brother went to ask for justice, the Patriarch's son killed him. This left only Sang Zan to poach birds to get medicine for his sick mother. As luck would have it, he met the Patriarch's daughter, Ge Lan (Wang Zheng), who found him cute, and then he used that relationship and her naïve encouragement of his ideals of everyone being equal to stage a slave rebellion, assassinate the Patriarch and his son, and become the next Patriarch himself.


He kept Wang Zheng by his side, the only person who could protect her from the hatred of the rest of the Hanga.

He tried to rule with Wang Zheng as his ... queen, I guess, and I supposed he loved her, since he was going to abdicate responsibility and run away with her when they were captured and Wang Zheng executed. He also tried to bring her back with the Awl, then buried her with it when he failed. (We're also told he changed after that. We'll find out more next episode.)


This was my favorite Wang Zheng moment.

Characterization
Zhao Yunlan rebuffs Shen Wei's information-gathering attempt, then when Shen Wei tries to accompany them on the way, he asks Zhu Hong (who is also suspicious of Shen Wei) to keep Shen Wei in place, all while playing with social niceties/pretending he doesn't suspect Shen Wei.


Nothing to see here, Professor!

After Wang Zheng's infodump on the Hanga story, Zhao Yunlan has formed an insight on Sang Zan's character – "A man's most basic dignity is to let his loved ones be safe." When the Envoy agrees with this, Zhao Yunlan looks at him as if in surprise. Shocked that the Envoy is so human?

I love how Shen Wei keeps wearing Zhao Yunlan's jacket very possessively. It also guards us viewers from the very STEM Prof fashion choice of detachable plaid sleeves, so go ahead, Shen Wei.

As the Envoy, Shen Wei teleports between Zhao Yunlan's gun (which is likely the only thing in this place that can seriously hurt him, WTF was this choice, Shen Wei) and the ghost beasts, then kills the ghost beast that was trying to hut Zhao Yunlan. Maybe he noticed Zhao Yunlan's hesitation on using the gun?

In any case, the separation is slipping – Zhao Yunlan already remarked that the Envoy resembles Shen Wei, and some of Shen Wei's remarks about how Zhao Yunlan should turn back and go make much more sense as a continuation of the conversation he had with Professor Shen than as something the Envoy would spontaneously say.

Shen Wei as the Envoy is "limited to half his powers" and can't stay too long on the surface. Even now, he aches – what is it about Haixing that oppresses him?


Either that, or it was just a convenient excuse for the heartache he has from liking Chief Zhao so much.

We also get some nice grabbing from the Envoy, who doesn't immediately release Zhao Yunlan's arm afterwards.


Pls no rushing into danger.

Zhu Hong obeys Zhao Yunlan's instructions and stays to take care of Professor Shen, even if she'd love to be charging into danger with Zhao Yunlan.


The power of politeness confines Shen Wei to this social engagement he would rather not be a part of.

Another bit I liked was Chu Shuzhi! He was the one who used literature review and geometry to figure out where Wang Zheng was likely going/the location of the third Hanga holy site. Just because he's the field team and the muscle doesn't mean he's dumb.

Then there's the bit where Guo Changcheng successfully uses his "fear to electricity" shock rod ... to shock Zhao Yunlan in the back. Chu Shuzhi finds this hilarious. This is likely another indication of Chu Shuzhi not respecting Zhao Yunlan's leadership, but let's be real, it works just as well as Chu Shuzhi feeling like this is vicarious justice for all the years Zhao Yunlan was an asshole towards Dixingians.


Chu Shuzhi approves.

Zhu Jiu has lines he won't cross, whether for moral or pragmatic reasons. He outright reassures Wang Zheng that rape is not on the menu, only torture.


Don't worry, I prefer to keep my pants on.

Canon notes

• Snakes have different (more drug-resistant?) metabolisms to humans, but cats don't.
• This is the first occasion Zhao Yunlan has been betrayed by a team member.
• Zhu Jiu says to Sang Zan, "Trapped here for so many years without dying – which of us is the real monster?" Given that Sang Zan has been empillared for a century, this would imply that Dixingians' lifespans are less than a century (or that, at least, they would show significant signs of age at that point).
• The Awl was on the surface a century ago. No evidence on the other Hallows' disappearance – same time vs different time – or whether the disappearance was noticed immediately or only after delay.

Cinematography
Lots of shots of our characters from afar and/or slightly above.




I also like this shot:


The Hanga costumes look a bit East European to me, at least Wang Zheng/Ge Lan's dress. I suppose it's an amalgam of stuff that read as non-Han?


Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
Only the one jacket he wore yesterday as well. Notorious jacket thief Shen Wei has yet to return that North Face jacket.


Shen Wei shoes watch
No shots of Shen Wei's footwear.

Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
Not on screen.

Comments

[riventhorn]

Both times I've watched this ep, I haven't really paid attention to the Wang Zheng storyline. So next time I will actually have to watch that part with more focus. And lol, Shen Wei can't just refuse to have tea with Zhu Hong and so must wait to hypnotize her. I assume this must also be a Dixing power he learned? Or do you think he can learn powers from the Yashou too?

[jo_lasalle]

No proof, but my theory is that Shen Wei picked up many powers to do with mind control stuff that he had something in his toolbox that worked against her hypnotism, not that he learned her hypnotism specifically. (I know he says it as a half-joke in episode 14 that he could wipe Zhao Yunlan's memories, but... only a half-joke!)

[goodgriefcharlie]

Oooh I like that theory! I can't remember if Shen Wei knows about Ye Zun's mind control powers at this point (did YZ use them in the past when Shen Wei could see them? I don't think they've encountered any minion obviously under his influence in the present yet), but if so, it'd make SO MUCH SENSE for Shen Wei to make a study of mind control powers and how to resist them.

(I headcanon that if Shen Wei can actually obliviate people's memories, he learned during his initial adjustment to life 10k years in the future because he kept making ridiculous faux pas after ridiculous faux pas and finally decided it was better to just... smooth people's memories out a little rather than have yet another embarrassing conversation about his bewilderment with modern mundane things, like, you know, pens, zippers, indoor plumbing, etc.)

[jo_lasalle]

(I headcanon that if Shen Wei can actually obliviate people's memories, he learned during his initial adjustment to life 10k years in the future because he kept making ridiculous faux pas after ridiculous faux pas and finally decided it was better to just... smooth people's memories out a little rather than have yet another embarrassing conversation about his bewilderment with modern mundane things, like, you know, pens, zippers, indoor plumbing, etc.)

LOL!! Okay, I admit if I'm being serious, I have a hard time imagining Shen Wei being that casual with people's minds and their autonomy (wiping their minds would probably involve some violation of privacy?), especially as as the Envoy, he has important duties and an example to set and a big stick up his butt, but as a more than humorous / cracky take, I'm finding this idea highly entertaining. :DD

[goodgriefcharlie]

No, you're right, this is definitely a very cracky headcanon! :D In truth, Shen Wei seems to be of the Peter Parker School of great powers = great responsibility, so yeah, he likely wouldn't use his powers so casually for his own comfort, especially if they'd infringe on others' privacy/autonomy. (Still, it's fun to imagine him going blenders? wtf are those?, realizing his mistake when everyone looks at him with what planet are you from expressions, and him just -- nope-ing out of having that conversation for the thirteenth time that morning.)

(Nope-ing? Nopeing. Noping? Ugh. It's late and words are hard.)

[jo_lasalle]

"Yes, I am aware that you have explained to me how the elevator works when I started here... yes, last week, too... I still think the staircase has many benefits also in terms of... oh, blast." *swish*

[riventhorn]

lololol Shen Wei plus modern technology is always the best.

[extrapenguin]

I actually rewatched the time travel confrontation recently, and while Shen Wei probably doesn't know about Ye Zun's mind control powers, Ye Zun claimed that he was mind controlled by the rebel leader and couldn't help himself, so Shen Wei would definitely have had reason to investigate mind control powers. (Interestingly, it's also arguable whether Shen Wei knows what Ye Zun's actual power is – there's a second during which he could've been using it, or some other similar-looking power, but that's it.)

Oh Shen Wei, you should just pretend you grew up in bumfuck nowhere with traditionalist grandparents and without indoor plumbing. It'd make a lot of your ideosyncracies more explicable...

[solo]

But the grandparents had an excellent library and the nuns next door practiced invisible mending. :)

Yes, he should have. I'm sure there are plenty of bumfuck nowhere places in Haixing since they only seem to have one city.

[extrapenguin]

The wall of clocks reveals that there are several cities, but our trip to the countryside reveals that there are also several small villages! Shen Wei could easily claim to be from "near [random village far-ish away in the mountains]" and that his grandparents became hermits after his parents died, so that's why his paperwork is so obviously filled in post facto and he has no idea what electricity is.

[qwerty]

In ep 11 when they show the hypnotism scene SW tells her to avoid using it unless needed because it can be turned back on the user.

[green]

OH. I have watched that at least 4 times and never got that specifically. I always just thought 'it's dangerous' or something, not 'it can be TURNED BACK'.

[riventhorn]

Thanks for clarifying! One of the many parts I had forgotten. :)

[mecurtin]

Thanks for this info! solo's subs just have "It can backfire easily", but I think we can make it clearer.