Guardian Episode by Episode: 14

[extrapenguin]

Welcome to the rewatchalong! We are now at episode 14. The Imgur screencap album has 70 images. Note: next week's rewatchalong will be on the Thursday.

Previously on:
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13

This week, we have the aftermath of the reveal and the proper start of the Cong Bo case.

Introductions
We meet Guo Changcheng's 二舅, Guo Ying. He is a vice-minister and wants Guo Changcheng to be safe. I don't recall if 二舅 means that Guo Changcheng has a second uncle who's Guo Ying's older brother, or if Guo Changcheng's mother is Guo Ying's older sister. Moreover, 舅 is for maternal uncles, so it's a bit unconventional that Guo Changcheng and Guo Ying share a surname.

We also meet the Merit Brush! Guo Changcheng writes Wang Xiangyang's new shop sign with it.


"Please! I am confident that you know how to write, if nothing else!"

Characterization
On the villain side, Zhu Jiu, who has just gotten shot in the arm, is currently very dismayed and while he could use his powers to get out of the SID, Ya Qing had to pick him up from the curb. The animosity between them is shown further: Ya Qing needles him about the bullet not hitting his vital organs (so why isn't he healing) and passive-aggressively eats an apple at him. Zhu Jiu declares his eternal shame at a regular human managing to hurt him and his eternal hatred towards Zhao Yunlan.


Zhu Jiu looks much more agreeable now that he's suffering.

The Hallows, on the other hand, really like Zhao Yunlan (Shen Wei should perhaps be jealous, given how Zhao Yunlan fondles them with regularity), and give him a vision in two parts! The first part: Zhao Yunlan pointing his gun at Shen Wei (last episode), Zhao Yunlan's mom Shen Xi's grave (yes, it's the same Shen as for Shen Wei; the actual scene is IIRC only a few episodes hence), and the Envoy staring at Zhu Jiu while Zhao Yunlan was pretending to be mind controlled. The second part is young Zhao Yunlan, Zhao Yunlan falling on the ground in Dixing after Ding Dun has stabbed him, and Shen Xi staring.


"Why didn't these fuckers come with a manual?!"

Then we have the reveal wrap-up conversation! Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei quickly get on the same page, and Zhao Yunlan very easily accepts that once Shen Wei started lying, he had to continue, and likewise Shen Wei accepts Zhao Yunlan's very very brief apology on being so rude and informal with the Envoy. Then Zhao Yunlan goes and wheedles Shen Wei into joining the SID.


"I'm going to need some compensation~"

Despite this pushing, Zhao Yunlan does agree to all of Shen Wei's other things, like keeping his double identity secret. We can see he was upset with Zheng Yi being taken away, and he was really happy to see Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi immediately waltzing off together as part of the Envoy's catch-and-release program.


Motorbike time!

Later, we have Zhao Yunlan react to his dad being mentioned by withdrawing into himself. We also discover that Guo Changcheng was transferred to the SID by someone other than his uncle Guo Ying, and Zhao Yunlan is so very annoyed that his favor-currying was all for naught. Then he (and Shen Wei, because they're on the same page) both introduce the worry of who the hell actually transferred Guo Changcheng to the SID.


"The only reason this day isn't the worst one of the year is that I got to put my paws all over Shen Wei earlier."

Shen Wei claims he came upstairs to keep the Hallows from the hands of evildoers. He doesn't answer Zhao Yunlan's question about potential bad experiences in Haixing; whether his silence meant that he has had bad experiences he doesn't want to tell Zhao Yunlan or whether he has no clue how to talk around the Ye Olde Haixing Era adventures is left for the viewer's interpretation.

The morning after the reveal, Zhao Yunlan was super duper happy and Shen Wei in a panic asked whether they could just stop talking. (Zhao Yunlan sang instead.) His people panic is adorable. Later, on the way back from Guo Ying's dinner, he was first happy at Zhao Yunlan bringing him out for more food (and a bit "of course he'd still be hungry") only to acquire a major case of panicface at the concept of being introduced to all of the SID. Poor thing. (Everyone save Zhu Hong and Chu Shuzhi clapped.)


"Maybe we could just ... not talk to anyone at all?"

Shen Wei hasn't gotten used to ballpoint pens, and wrote a self-criticism on Zhao Yunlan's behalf with a brush. (There was some nice whispered strategizing in front of Minister Gao's door related to this.) He was a bit self-conscious about it but that soon became smugness when Minister Gao complimented the self-criticism.


Also very invested in leaving immediately once he saw Zhao Yunlan get upset. Please spot the portrait of Ma Gui on the wall.

The public opinion on Dixingians, amongst those who know they exist, seems to be that they're monsters; Guo Ying said the SID fights against monsters every day. Shen Wei dropped his chopsticks at the reminder that yes, these people consider him a monster.

This episode opened a new chapter on Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's relationship. They walked off from Minister Gao's appointment so that their shoulders were brushing against each other, and then Zhao Yunlan just invited Shen Wei along for a dinner date with Vice-Minister Guo. And led Shen Wei away with an arm around his shoulder. They're now in a Committed Relationship, with bonus blatant flirting, and not afraid to show it. Also, Zhao Yunlan calls Shen Wei "Brother Black" in private a lot now.


One cannot invite the one for dinner without inviting the other.

I must also comment on Professor Ouyang's lab. Real Science does not have sirens that start blazing if experiments fail; if an experiment fails, the result is usually a big flat nothing. Or, well, if a siren blazes, it means that some dangerous chemical got released into the atmosphere and everyone eneeds to evacuate stat. The exchange between Professors Zhou and Ouyang implies that Professor Zhou keeps bringing up Shen Wei as some sort of panacea for science.


"Would you STFU about Shen Wei for five minutes, Zhou, you're even worse than Zhao Yunlan!"

Guo Changcheng, for the first time, broke one of the puppet threads Chu Shuzhi was shooting at him. Chu Shuzhi was happy. Then Guo Changcheng used his speechifying skills to convince his uncle to let him stay at the SID, because the people at the SID are nice to him.


Have a jacketless Chu Shuzhi for eye candy.

We hear the name Kunlun! Da Qing asks some alley kittens if they've ever heard of Kunlun. Then he realizes he can't speak cat anymore.


What's worse, the paparazzis captured his admission.

Also, we see what I can only describe as visual foreshadowing of episode 40:




Canon Details

• Chu Xin plays as the Envoy takes Zheng Yi away
• There are portraits of Ma Gui in existence 10k years after he lived

Cinematography
This episode, the framed shots aren't to indicate secrets, but to symbolize that Cong Bo might be listening!



Some scenes of Guo Ying's house:

Inside and outside.

We also get shots from above when necessary to show everyone:

Also, I didn't know the SID had a wire sculpture thingy.

Other than that, we get some nice composition, but not that many exotic camera angles.


Please spot the excellent rule of thirds composition and strong vertical aspect!

Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
He starts with the same leather jacket as last episode, and then we see a new one! The new one is a bit more tailored and trenchcoat-like, and I shall present two images of it.




Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
No.

Comments

[lunabee34]

No one can passively aggressively eat an apple like Ya Qing. She is the master.

[extrapenguin]

Indeed! It was a delight.

[green]

Have a jacketless Chu Shuzhi for eye candy.

bless you.

[extrapenguin]

I'm glad you enjoyed it!

TBH, speaking of jacketless Chu Shuzhis, I am actually a bit baffled at the lack of fanservice from him. He has muscular upper arms and a face that is not too asymmetric, so I was expecting for him to get more tank top scenes. I guess Chinese productions simply have different priorities for fanservice, or they decided they wanted to keep everything fully Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan.

[jo_lasalle]

Then Zhao Yunlan goes and wheedles Shen Wei into joining the SID.

The thing that really gets me about that exchange over tea is that Shen Wei gets so offended and angry at Zhao Yunlan using the reveal, or rather using the fact that Shen Wei 'owes him' for all the lying, to get him to join SID. Shen Wei is having feels here, and Zhao Yunlan uses the situation to get a thing he's been wanting Shen Wei to do for a while, and Shen Wei is like, HDU and kind of hurt.

I like that despite the major milestone of the reveal, Zhao Yunlan is still kind of his obnoxious self who likes to needle Shen Wei, and I think he is kind of being a shit here, but still gets what he wants. *g*

His people panic is adorable.

I'm really not convinced Shen Wei has people panic in general. (Much less that that's his issue here.) He's sometimes awkward and he's an introvert, but he's a professor who deals with crowds of hormonally charged people (he's always looked comfortable in the classroom), he has colleagues he's pretty smooth with, and he's been leading a double life - you kind of need a steady hand with people for that, not be someone who freaks out because you have to meet guy X.

(I think that some of Shen Wei's tension in the car is leftover sulking from how Zhao Yunlan manipulated him, even as he's kind of accepted his fate by now, and nervousness over continued secret keeping where he's no longer the only one in control.)

Speaking of Zhao Yunlan on the motorcycle: he looked really tiny to me! Also, I think that's the first time we hear the Hatsune insert song? I still wish I could find that version of the song - it's not hugely different from the soundtrack album version, but does some light variation on the emo in the vocals, and I think it's very pretty.

Another small thing that I noticed a few times, but was reminded again here in the car: is it just me, or is Zhao Yunlan's dubbing better than anyone else's? I feel like when Shen Wei's lines get dubbed over (usually to dub in something with 'Dixing'), I can always immediately tell this was dubbed. Zhao Yunlan's re-dubbed lines feel a lot more subtle and less obvious to me.

It would have been very funny if the necklace had set off the metal detector as they went into the ministry...

And I know they had no money for extras, but it cracks me up that there's an entire ministry where apparently all the ministers open their own mail - I don't think we see a single assistant around anywhere...

Chu in that sleeveless shirt: narratively extremly important. Oh yes.

One extra adorable moment from Zhao Yunlan was IMO when he breaks out the dorky DADADAAAAA!! at the end when he introduces Shen Wei to the SID.

Also, we see what I can only describe as visual foreshadowing of episode 40:

That's a good point! That image really stood out to me on rewatch but I didn't connect it to later.

Some scenes of Guo Ying's house:

I'm pretty sure that's a restaurant! :-)

[extrapenguin]

I like that despite the major milestone of the reveal, Zhao Yunlan is still kind of his obnoxious self who likes to needle Shen Wei, and I think he is kind of being a shit here, but still gets what he wants. *g*
Yeah, he is and will always be a manipulator. He likes Shen Wei, but he saw an opportunity to get him to do the thing, so he took it without hesitation.

Motorbikes are huge. Everyone who isn't wearing a huge amount of bulky protection looks tiny on them.

Yup, first time we hear Chu Xin.

Another small thing that I noticed a few times, but was reminded again here in the car: is it just me, or is Zhao Yunlan's dubbing better than anyone else's? I feel like when Shen Wei's lines get dubbed over (usually to dub in something with 'Dixing'), I can always immediately tell this was dubbed. Zhao Yunlan's re-dubbed lines feel a lot more subtle and less obvious to me.
Huh, come to think of it, that ... is a thing? Hmm. Chinese dramas typically dub over every line of dialogue, so it's possible Bai Yu simply did his dubbing at a later stage to Zhu Yilong, when the script had already been amended to say Dixing. Or he did it at a different studio to the rest of the cast, and that studio did some rudimentary audio processing to make the lines sound similar to the originals.

It would have been very funny if the necklace had set off the metal detector as they went into the ministry...
Yes!!!! I now want this fic. Poor Shen Wei, it really would be a terrible day for him...

One extra adorable moment from Zhao Yunlan was IMO when he breaks out the dorky DADADAAAAA!! at the end when he introduces Shen Wei to the SID.
Indeed! (And then Shen Wei stares at the meat on a stick like he's totally not 10 000 years old and hasn't ever eaten anything so barbaric in his life.)

I'm pretty sure that's a restaurant! :-)
...but...do restaurants in China look like that? Why did he reserve a table for over twice as many people as turned up? Why did the restaurant have birthday décor? Where was the waitstaff all this time? SO MANY QUESTIONS.

ETA: As for the people panic... I do think he has a form, in that he wants to figure out which mask to wear before meeting people, and now he needs to figure out how to adjust the mask of Professor Shen and Zhao Yunlan isn't giving him the time to do so.

[china_shop]

I think that some of Shen Wei's tension in the car is leftover sulking from how Zhao Yunlan manipulated him, even as he's kind of accepted his fate by now, and nervousness over continued secret keeping where he's no longer the only one in control.

That's how I read it, too. And Zhao Yunlan's singing is all, "Fine, sulk if you like. I'm happy enough for both of us!" (And then Shen Wei can't quite suppress a grin. *g*)

[clevermanka]

That "DADADAAAAA!!" gets me every time. Bai Yu's comic delivery there is PERFECTION. Every time I watch that scene I have to rewind it like five times. Delightful.

[trobadora]

I'm really not convinced Shen Wei has people panic in general. (Much less that that's his issue here.)

Yeah, I'm completely with you on that. Your reading of the car scene is very close to mine - he's sulking and being pissy and not really sure how this is going to work, but he's not panicking or afraid or anything.

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Shen Wei always reacting to Zhao Yunlan asking for compensation makes me wonder if he's thinking of the "take off your mask and smile for me" request 10k years ago. He's so exasperated by Zhao Yunlan's wheedling, but also can't stop from being happy around him!

[trobadora]

Yes! This!

[jo_lasalle]

That's an interesting thought to me. I really do think Shen Wei's anger reaction in that scene (I know there are other interpretations, but this is the one I find most convincing) is about how he expects the compensation request to be something emotionally meaningful, and then Zhao Yunlan uses it to get him into the SID, and RAWR. And while I've been occasionally joking, "was he expecting to be asked for a blow job?" I didn't really think that either. *g* This is an interesting possibility of what he might have been expecting to me...

[riventhorn]

I feel like I might have liked science better if there had been blazing alarms set off at every failure.

Also, Da Qing and the alley kittens is the best. And Shen Wei and the brush too. I love his embarrassed dismay--it's so adorable.

[lannamichaels]

I'm in love with the "Resigned tea offering" caption in the imgur album, especially ZYL's reaction face in the next image.
Shen Wei: ugh, here's tea.
Zhao Yunlan: Please appreciate that I could make this face even mor suggestive if I had a lollipop, but I'm not doing that yet out of respect for your emotional state

Also if I had any photo manip skills, I'd erase the tea cup and replace it with an engagement ring, it's such a proposal pose and framing.


"Does the technology see me now?" is also excellent :D

[extrapenguin]

Hee! I'm glad you like my imgur album image captions.

Zhao Yunlan: Please appreciate that I could make this face even mor suggestive if I had a lollipop, but I'm not doing that yet out of respect for your emotional state
The key word there, of course, is yet. Ah, poor Shen Wei.

[willowcatkin]

That pic of Shen Wei holding the little girl's hand, I totally didn't even notice that foreshadowing! Now that you've pointed it out though, it's actually so obvious. Also, I love all the captions you've put :D

[extrapenguin]

I didn't even remember that Shen Wei held Zheng Yi's hand like that, but it was quite blatantly obvious when I saw it! I'm glad you're enjoying the captions.

[china_shop]

I love this episode so much! I especially love Shen Wei being mutedly pissy (I read his, "Or we could not talk!" as a mild rebuke, not panic), and the fact that he wrote a model self-criticism for ZYL. He managed to come up with two pages of things that ZYL could viably apologise for, without incriminating him for anything serious! I bet that was cathartic. (I want to read it!) *g*

Also, we see what I can only describe as visual foreshadowing of episode 40:

Ohhh, I hadn't noticed that before. Awesome!

I love how Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi literally skip off into the night together! *pets them* I hope Tan Xiao can find a new job soon -- he has a dependant now! And given that playing the violin is psychological torture for her, Zheng Yi probably doesn't want support them through busking.

The Department of Supervision has the slowest elevators in the world.

We hear the name Kunlun! Da Qing asks some alley kittens if they've ever heard of Kunlun.

At first, that seemed to come out of nowhere, but I guess the audio hallucinations from his Zheng Yi-inspired rampage must have triggered a vague memory?

And ahaha, I adore that Chu Shuzhi doesn't applaud Shen Wei's arrival. He was all smiley and clappy when Xiao Guo was made permanent staff!

[jo_lasalle]

He managed to come up with two pages of things that ZYL could viably apologise for, without incriminating him for anything serious! I bet that was cathartic

That is a great observation! I love it!! (And now I want to read it too!)

[clevermanka]

The screenshot with the "I'm going to need some compensation~" caption is just...porn. It's porn. I mean, you read "looked up through his eyelashes" all the time in fic, but here's this asshole actually does it.

[extrapenguin]

It's not even the first time he's looked up at Shen Wei through his eyelashes! He kept doing that when he was visiting Shen Wei's office at the university and wheedling him about cases.

[trobadora]

I adore Ya Qing being passive-aggressive at Zhu Jiu! She is delightful.:D

[extrapenguin]

I know! I have no idea how she manages to passive-aggressively eat an apple, but it is all delightful!

[soupytwist]

For an apparently super-stealth guy, Cong Bo is SO OBVIOUS. I love that Zhao Yunlan's just like "some bored dude keeps hanging around".

I also love the "dadada!", which is super cute, and the fact that the second he's able to get away with it Zhao Yunlan believes all walking next to Shen Wei requires him to have his arm around Shen Wei's shoulders.

I had totally not noticed the Ma Gui picture - how interesting.

Da Qing and kittens is one of my favourite things ever. Stay elegant and maintain your self-respect, kittens!

I also assumed the awkward dinner was at a house, because there's the happy birthday banner, which I would think of as a private home thing?

[extrapenguin]

For an apparently super-stealth guy, Cong Bo is SO OBVIOUS
IKR? I guess everyone's just used to ignoring all the other people so Cong Bo has free rein to terrorize the populace.

the second he's able to get away with it Zhao Yunlan believes all walking next to Shen Wei requires him to have his arm around Shen Wei's shoulders.
It's adorable. (And given how Shen Wei is probably at least a little touch-hungry, I suspect he doesn't mind that much.)

Ma Gui's portrait says interesting things about the persistence of legends. In the real world, we only get to maybe a quarter of that time depth before we have the civilizational continuity cut off, and here we have Ma Gui from 10k years ago in perfect likeness. It's – interesting.

I also assumed the awkward dinner was at a house, because there's the happy birthday banner, which I would think of as a private home thing?
It's decorated not like how I'd expect a restaurant to be decorated, and there's no waitstaff! IDK what the happy birthday banner was about, though – was Guo Changcheng's birthday recently and they couldn't bother to take down the decorations?

[abyss_valkyrie]

I enjoy these posts way too much! <3
OMG!That foreshadowing,never thought of it.o_o.And I really happen to like this jacket of ZYL's. Shirtless Chu Shuzhi or at least more of tank-top should have happened,but nooooo! T_T
The captions,hehe.Passive aggressive apple eating is hilarious.

[extrapenguin]

I'm glad you're enjoying it!

I didn't even realize it at first, but ... Shen Wei holds out his hand for a mind controller who's caused deaths and has a tragic backstory, then they disappear into a portal/gate.

[china_shop]

Btw, does anyone have any theories about what Shen Wei was looking for, when he did his "Can the technology see me?" dark-energy vision thing?

[extrapenguin]

I suspect he might be trying to eavesdrop on whatever's going on behind the door, or perhaps just take a look through the building – Professor Ouyang did try to recruit him, after all, and might have spilled the location of the lab.

[lynndyre]

the Envoy's catch-and-release program.
HAHAHAHAHA YES that's exactly what it is.

I feel bad for Da Qing being unable to remember how to speak cat, but I LOVE every single scene of him surrounded by tiny kittens.

This show really likes close-ups of hands sometimes! I really like all the different angles, and lightings, and frames and closeups. It's really beautifully shot.

[extrapenguin]

Given that forgetting how to speak cat seems to be recent, I think it must be caused by the Hallows. Lin Jing did after all ask everyone to touch the Sundial, and Da Qing has probably been napping in the vicinity...

The close-ups of hands are nice! As is the rest of the cinematography as an art. I don't really watch much western TV, but comparing to movies, Guardian is doing at least as well as much larger-budget SF movies.

[forestofglory]

This episode has so many great food moments -- and great moments in general.

The dinner is in a restaurant -- apparently Chinese restaurants just keep function rooms set up with birthday decor. More info here

[extrapenguin]

Huh, TIL! I guess it is a restaurant, then.