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sid_guardian2019-05-10 08:09 pm
extrapenguin) wrote in sid_guardian2019-05-10 08:09 pm
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Guardian Episode by Episode: 12
Welcome to the rewatchalong! We are now at episode 12. There's still some time to participate in round 2 (eps 11-20) of the Guardian icon battle, should you wish to. The Imgur screencap album has 72 images.
Previously on:
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11
This week, we have the mind control girl plot in full swing, some set-up of the future Fight Club plot, and the scene in which Zhao Yunlan creeps on a napping Shen Wei, whose nipples Lin Jing has fastened electrodes to.
Introductions
We see Cong Bo for the first time at the wedding! He's a paparazzi with audacity, claiming that he's Minister Gao's personal bodyguard.
Smug and armed with a video camera.
Characterization
We get more snake stuff! We hear Zhu Hong swear she lives and dies with the SID, and her uncle says she's just like her dad. Then Zhu Hong executes the greatest escape plan of all time by counterpoisoning her uncle. Indeed, love and crushes will make even the most responsible snake boys look away when the crush object is escaping...
If a relative drugs you, counter-drug them in revenge.
Things Guo Changcheng did in this episode: 1. electrocuted himself by accident; 2. crossdressed at Zhu Hong's behest.
That is actually not that bad a wig for Guo Changcheng.
One of the victims was an upperclassman to Shen Wei, and apparently they sort of kept up with each other's research despite being in vastly different fields. Shen Wei wasn't there for the "Zheng Zhongyuan abused his daughter" story, so idk if he heard it, but the way he's a bit unnecessarily rough with Tan Xiao would imply he didn't. Letting Zheng Yi go would be a thing anyway, whether that be about guilt that he didn't stop the abuse or any other reason.
Shen Wei also used dark energy in front of Zhao Yunlan! He probably knew that Zhao Yunlan knew due to the hinting in the office, but: dark energy usage in the SID with Zhao Yunlan in his arms. He's kept evading the question, but we did see him dramatically clutch his emotionally significant necklace and consider confessing. However, he obviously didn't do it, and took a step backwards in closeness as his Envoy persona as very belated damage control.
Fondle the pendant for reassurance.
Zhao Yunlan has this whole episode been hinting that he knows the truth and just wants Shen Wei to say it. Then Shen Wei inevitably lies and Zhao Yunlan facepalms/in general makes some truly amazing expressions, then seizes the next opportunity to put him on the spot. (Speaking of which, in the "Did Dixing have a buy one get one free deal?" scene, I did not find it terribly flirty. Was it merely the eye contact that had Da Qing complain about excess flirting and Lin Jing go "Comrades!"?) He also let Shen Wei come to the SID while there was a Situation without any objections, and manipulated him into being the test subject in Lin Jing's experiment. Whether that was to force a dramatic confrontation, check how different Dixingians were to humans really, or just get a seizable opportunity to sniff Shen Wei to see if he smelled of Dixing is left to the viewer's imagination.
"Chief Zhao, I am totally a normal person, please believe me!"
With regards to the main plot, Zhao Yunlan is pretty good at getting people to fold, and doesn't find it too suspicious at first that Tan Xiao gives up the path of evil at the slightest push, but then he quickly twigs on what was happening really. (I also think he really didn't want Tan Xiao to be punished for trying to protect Zheng Yi, even when he thought Tan Xiao was responsible for the murders.) He's also very willing to believe that Zheng Yi just lost control of her powers, instead of it being intentional. He's become someone who believes the best of Dixingians.
"Hi."
Da Qing stuff: he wakes Zhao Yunlan up after Hallows splat by meowing in his ear (oh, Da Qing) and then at the end, we see him be mind controlled and destroy some vegetable stands in his abandonment-flashback-voiceover-induced fury. I can't recall offhand whether the dialogue here was repeated in the lao-Li sections later on. Does anyone remember?
Slapped in the face for waking up the boss, mind controlled by the little girl he was sent to comfort.
Chu Shuzhi left to pick up Zhu Hong and Guo Changcheng from snake land before Lin Jing and Da Qing did, but arrived around the same time/not that much earlier. Did he get lost on the way or did he just forget to take the car?
Lin Jing seems to have either worked longer with Dixingians than Zhao Yunlan. Either he was hired by Zhao Yunlan's predecessor or he did work on Dixingians during his academic career.
The Awl-induced visions are a bit fast, but pausing reveals them to be a flashforward to the wedding crowd in the next episode, drugged Zhu Hong from this episode, Sang Zan's pillar, and Zhu Hong lying on the SID floor after being shot (a few more episodes to go, IIRC).
As for Zheng Yi's age: some of Zhu Jiu's remarks/Tan Xiao's responses to them make more sense if she's actually 15, since otherwise Tan Xiao is being suspiciously defensive against accusations of pedophilia/taking on a child bride. (Zhu Jiu's remark was vagueish.) Then there's also the flash of an alternate violin player – is this meant to be the mother, or some future vision of Zheng Yi, or what?
If Zheng Yi was meant to be 15, why couldn't they just get the second girl to play her all the time, instead of this little flash that goes nowhere?
Meanwhile, Wang Zheng has been teaching Sang Zan to write.
Canon notes
Cinematography
As a curiosity, the bit where Shen Wei as the Envoy drags Tan Xiao out to the fields is shot as if he were levitating significantly above the ground. I guess the resident drama llama had to do some drama llamaing.
Also, a nice shot of the dark energy sfx.
The camera swoops overhead to show as much of the space as possible
...and goes in close to show small items.
Shots come from below
and above.
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
It's still the same day as last episode for all the scenes we see Zhao Yunlan in, so he's still in his vest and dotted shirt ensemble.
Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
Yes.
Previously on:
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11
This week, we have the mind control girl plot in full swing, some set-up of the future Fight Club plot, and the scene in which Zhao Yunlan creeps on a napping Shen Wei, whose nipples Lin Jing has fastened electrodes to.
Introductions
We see Cong Bo for the first time at the wedding! He's a paparazzi with audacity, claiming that he's Minister Gao's personal bodyguard.
Smug and armed with a video camera.
Characterization
We get more snake stuff! We hear Zhu Hong swear she lives and dies with the SID, and her uncle says she's just like her dad. Then Zhu Hong executes the greatest escape plan of all time by counterpoisoning her uncle. Indeed, love and crushes will make even the most responsible snake boys look away when the crush object is escaping...
If a relative drugs you, counter-drug them in revenge.
Things Guo Changcheng did in this episode: 1. electrocuted himself by accident; 2. crossdressed at Zhu Hong's behest.
That is actually not that bad a wig for Guo Changcheng.
One of the victims was an upperclassman to Shen Wei, and apparently they sort of kept up with each other's research despite being in vastly different fields. Shen Wei wasn't there for the "Zheng Zhongyuan abused his daughter" story, so idk if he heard it, but the way he's a bit unnecessarily rough with Tan Xiao would imply he didn't. Letting Zheng Yi go would be a thing anyway, whether that be about guilt that he didn't stop the abuse or any other reason.
Shen Wei also used dark energy in front of Zhao Yunlan! He probably knew that Zhao Yunlan knew due to the hinting in the office, but: dark energy usage in the SID with Zhao Yunlan in his arms. He's kept evading the question, but we did see him dramatically clutch his emotionally significant necklace and consider confessing. However, he obviously didn't do it, and took a step backwards in closeness as his Envoy persona as very belated damage control.
Fondle the pendant for reassurance.
Zhao Yunlan has this whole episode been hinting that he knows the truth and just wants Shen Wei to say it. Then Shen Wei inevitably lies and Zhao Yunlan facepalms/in general makes some truly amazing expressions, then seizes the next opportunity to put him on the spot. (Speaking of which, in the "Did Dixing have a buy one get one free deal?" scene, I did not find it terribly flirty. Was it merely the eye contact that had Da Qing complain about excess flirting and Lin Jing go "Comrades!"?) He also let Shen Wei come to the SID while there was a Situation without any objections, and manipulated him into being the test subject in Lin Jing's experiment. Whether that was to force a dramatic confrontation, check how different Dixingians were to humans really, or just get a seizable opportunity to sniff Shen Wei to see if he smelled of Dixing is left to the viewer's imagination.
"Chief Zhao, I am totally a normal person, please believe me!"
With regards to the main plot, Zhao Yunlan is pretty good at getting people to fold, and doesn't find it too suspicious at first that Tan Xiao gives up the path of evil at the slightest push, but then he quickly twigs on what was happening really. (I also think he really didn't want Tan Xiao to be punished for trying to protect Zheng Yi, even when he thought Tan Xiao was responsible for the murders.) He's also very willing to believe that Zheng Yi just lost control of her powers, instead of it being intentional. He's become someone who believes the best of Dixingians.
"Hi."
Da Qing stuff: he wakes Zhao Yunlan up after Hallows splat by meowing in his ear (oh, Da Qing) and then at the end, we see him be mind controlled and destroy some vegetable stands in his abandonment-flashback-voiceover-induced fury. I can't recall offhand whether the dialogue here was repeated in the lao-Li sections later on. Does anyone remember?
Slapped in the face for waking up the boss, mind controlled by the little girl he was sent to comfort.
Chu Shuzhi left to pick up Zhu Hong and Guo Changcheng from snake land before Lin Jing and Da Qing did, but arrived around the same time/not that much earlier. Did he get lost on the way or did he just forget to take the car?
Lin Jing seems to have either worked longer with Dixingians than Zhao Yunlan. Either he was hired by Zhao Yunlan's predecessor or he did work on Dixingians during his academic career.
The Awl-induced visions are a bit fast, but pausing reveals them to be a flashforward to the wedding crowd in the next episode, drugged Zhu Hong from this episode, Sang Zan's pillar, and Zhu Hong lying on the SID floor after being shot (a few more episodes to go, IIRC).
As for Zheng Yi's age: some of Zhu Jiu's remarks/Tan Xiao's responses to them make more sense if she's actually 15, since otherwise Tan Xiao is being suspiciously defensive against accusations of pedophilia/taking on a child bride. (Zhu Jiu's remark was vagueish.) Then there's also the flash of an alternate violin player – is this meant to be the mother, or some future vision of Zheng Yi, or what?
If Zheng Yi was meant to be 15, why couldn't they just get the second girl to play her all the time, instead of this little flash that goes nowhere?
Meanwhile, Wang Zheng has been teaching Sang Zan to write.
Canon notes
- The SID has a hidden crossbow system.
- Shen Wei's "field of consciousness" doesn't fluctuate, as if he were already dead. This might be a Dixing thing or it might be a dirt nap thing. A "field of consciousness" is not a real-world thing (I checked the hanzi).
- Relatedly, apparently the field of consciousness is stored in the pectoral region. Or Lin Jing just wanted to fondle Shen Wei's boobs and used electrodes as the excuse.
- Snake tribe boys have a little mark between the eyebrows. On men, this sort of thing generally signals the supernatural character of the man. (On women, it's just "she pretty".)
- Weak-willed Dixingians can accidentally turn on their powers.
- The Hallows have been "absorbing the energy of extraterrestrial asteroids" (physicist side note: ????? HOW – is there a fucking neutrino gun or wtf) according to Snake Uncle, which I guess is foreshadowing for the fact they've actually been made from a meteorite.
Cinematography
As a curiosity, the bit where Shen Wei as the Envoy drags Tan Xiao out to the fields is shot as if he were levitating significantly above the ground. I guess the resident drama llama had to do some drama llamaing.
Also, a nice shot of the dark energy sfx.
The camera swoops overhead to show as much of the space as possible
...and goes in close to show small items.
Shots come from below
and above.
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
It's still the same day as last episode for all the scenes we see Zhao Yunlan in, so he's still in his vest and dotted shirt ensemble.
Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
Yes.
no subject
IKR? We get some truly hilarious fail-evasions from Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan has the best "I want to hit my head on a brick wall" expressions!
Aw, thank you! ♥