Guardian Episode by Episode: 22

[extrapenguin]

Welcome to the rewatchalong! This week we watch episode 22. The Imgur screencap album has 89 images. Thank you for engaging so much last week! I hope you'll have fun discussing things this week as well.

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, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21

This week: Zhao Yunlan regains his eyesight twice. End of Miracle Doctor case.

Introductions
We meet the Master of the Merit Brush! He wears a black hoodie and gives speeches on making people pay. His plot has so far caused the death of Wang Qun, the delivery dude in charge of Guangming Street on Reunion Night, plus the collateral aging of a bunch of office workers.


"I am totally not a shady drug dealer. Trust me, just take hold of my shaft."

Characterization
Da Qing is a cat and thus nosy. He peeks in Dr Feng Qubing's surgery while Dr Feng is waving his hands at Zhao Yunlan and then gets them all tossed out. He's also curiously reticient – he hides his hypnotherapy appointment with Dr Cheng by claiming he's "meeting an old friend".


"Now, close your eyes and lie to your boss."

Result of hypnotherapy appointment: Da Qing now remembers Ye Zun creepily walking towards him. As this most certainly didn't happen during the past section, maybe the Hallows are pranking him somehow? (Or, since Zhao Yunlan spent a month or so in the past, maybe this happened on some interim scouting mission that we didn't see?) Since Shen Wei is also reticient and didn't tell anyone he has an evil twin, Da Qing now distrusts Shen Wei and thus insisted on being included on the trip to Dixing.


"Hi! Do you know where my evil twin is? I need to snort him as compensation for the suffering I have undergone because of him."

Zhu Hong takes the opportunity to say she'll take care of Zhao Yunlan forever if his eyesight doesn't recover. He was not that enthused. Lin Jing didn't get what was going on.


"I can't believe boss could just ... die." "Guys, I'm right here!" "Sometimes I can even hear his voice."

Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi are apparently now a better and better team, according to Zhao Yunlan. And Chu Shuzhi, despite being a notorious grump, is very very happy about the boss regaining his eyesight, too!


Guo Changcheng is upset he can't solve this person's problems; Chu Shuzhi is super glad that boss got his sight back (even if the first thing boss did was tell him he'd become uglier).

We meet Li Qian again! She gets recruited by Ouyang, first as a test subject due to her exposure to the Sundial and then as a researcher when she wows them with her brilliance. (But Ouyang was completely willing to sacrifice her For Science in the interim, which Professor Zhou went "wtf mate" at.) The cover story for the lab is trying to understand Dixingians better. Li Qian appears to be conflicted about the research already?

Sha Ya tries to raid the lab. She fails, but she looks very hot in a lab coat.


Like, super hot. Also with better safety compliance than Li Qian! No heels and hair tied up!

Shen Wei is very invested in Zhao Yunlan's eyesight. He questions Professor Ouyang about the doctor's credibility (and gets told he should visit Professor Zhou), then goes make nice with Dr Feng. He is very angry at having to swallow his pride and go kneel outside; we get a shot of his clenched fists. After an evening of kneeling outdoors and getting rained upon, Dr Feng is finally grudgingly impressed with Shen Wei's dogged determination and agrees to see Zhao Yunlan again. Interestingly, at this point Shen Wei takes off his glasses. This seems very Meaningful, but idk what the meaning would be. Help?


"The sad thing is, I would do this ten thousand times over if necessary. No, Yunlan, please don't lose your eyesight ten thousand times to test this."

Of course, then they discover the price of healing Zhao Yunlan's eyes was paid by other people, and there's a very good moment of nonverbal communication where Shen Wei immediately understands what Zhao Yunlan is going to do and tries at first to stop him but doesn't. Then Li Qian sends them an e-mail (why does she do it anonymously? wouldn't they trust it more if it came from Li Qian? is this some sort of "now Dr Professor Shen won't feel indebted to me!" thing?) and Shen Wei can fix Zhao Yunlan's eyes himself! Except that the Longevity Dial extracts some sort of price from him a few minutes afterward.


"I read the fucking manual and this wasn't mentioned!"

Zhao Yunlan continues his incredible Zhao Yunlan-ness – he has his hands in his pockets even while lying down on the doctor's table, and sits his butt onto Dr Feng's tea table. Then he is an asshole and pretends Shen Wei's Sundial-ing didn't work.


"It worked! Don't tell him."

After recovering his eyesight, he's very chipper, and jokes about how he was afraid Shen Wei might stop feeding him (as if) and insists on accompanying Shen Wei to Dixing, even if last time he came down with a case of stabbing. He's still on his charm A-game, too, and becomes best buds with the Dixing barkeep who originally disliked him by teaching him some cat-related gimmick for acquiring money.


"Ahh yes, that's good. Hey, maybe you could teach my Committed Ally how to massage my shoulders properly, just like I taught you the cat trick?"

Oh, and a nice shot of these two contemplating the evidence in unison:

This is what commitment looks like.

Canon details

• It's November 1st, according to the newspaper, but also the 26th according to another prop. It's also simultaneously Monday and Friday.
• There was a death after Reunion Night and then every other day, six total, so it's at least 10 days after Reunion Night.
• Lin Jing's detector and Shen Wei have both stopped sensing any dark energy.
• Shen Wei is a dark energy detector! This explains how he could arrive to help out the SID, though probably not always his timing.
• The barkeep in Dixing raised prices because the Black-Cloaked Envoy visited his bar.
• A bunch of Dixingians now know Shen Wei on sight as the Black-Cloaked Envoy.
• Dixing closes for business when its Lord retires.

Cinematography
Shen Wei kneeling in the rain! But before that, he kneeled in the not-rain, and he was very effectively visually isolated from his background: warm-toned Shen Wei in front of a cool-toned background where people walked past, symbolizing him standing apart from the world.



This episode, we had two hand close-ups!

Shen Wei clenching his fists in anger at being asked to kneel, and the Sundial healing thing.

Shots from afar!


Shen Wei kneeling! The whole SID doing stuff together! Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan walking to Dixing! All of Dixing being closed for the holidays!

Shots from above!

Shen Wei kneeling in the rain! Chu & Guo interviewing a victim!

And with regards to the healing process, we have a tilted angle shot to foreshadow that something is off, and a shot through a framing device.

Featuring Shen Wei's terribad fashion choices and the SID.

Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
We start with him in yesterday's green affair, and the day after that he wears a leather jacket. When they go re-visit Dr Feng, he's in a brown coat. When his eyes are re-healed (at least one day after the re-visit?) and for the visit to Dixing, he's in a jean vest.



Shen Wei shoe watch

These bootlets.

Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
Twice! Once in the rain after Dr Feng decides to treat Zhao Yunlan again after all, and once in Zhao Yunlan's apartment over food.

Comments

[solo]

Aaaaah, that episode! *__*


Da Qing is a cat and thus nosy.

You know, I get that he's a cat and nosy, but why on earth didn't he choose to be nosy as a cat? That was just well dumb.

I did always assume that his encounter with Ye Zun was during some scouting act, yes.

Shen Wei takes off his glasses. This seems very Meaningful, but idk what the meaning would be.

I always read it as a kind of puncutation mark: 'now this distasteful business is over, yay.' ~ish. Also, now that he's no longer going to be stationary, rained-on glasses (that he doesn't even need) are a bit of an encumbrance?

Then Li Qian sends them an e-mail (why does she do it anonymously? wouldn't they trust it more if it came from Li Qian?

THIS! This has always puzzled me, along with their readiness to simply believe what an anonymous email tells them. It could have come from anyone, including some very nasty people.

But also, interesting to note that when Shen Wei finds out that the Longevity Dial can be used for this, he simply looks happy! There's no sign whatsoever that he's expecting there'll be a price and is bracing himself to pay it.

Which IMO fits with his surprise when the thing starts to mess with his energy.

he has his hands in his pockets even while lying down on the doctor's table,

AND his legs crossed in that 'one foot rests on the other knee' way, which, really...

Note the fugly red banner in Feng Qubing's office, too. I take it these banners are a thing.

I love the cinematography in this one!

[lannamichaels]

In your screencaps, the two above the caption of "Shen Wei, when did you change your face?" ... honestly, if I did not know that was the same actor, I would never ever believe it. How can he look so different, he's wearing the same outfit! He just took off the glasses and has a slightly different face angle! He looks like he aged 5 years.

It's November 1st, according to the newspaper, but also the 26th according to another prop. It's also simultaneously Monday and Friday.

This sums up my mental state a lot. "What day of the week it is? Monday and Friday. Yes, both." :D

[forestofglory]

The meal that Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei share in this is one of my favorite food moments.

Thanks for the cannon details -- the date thing with the newspapers is very annoying.

Re: kneeling in the rain removing glasses

[wintersoldier77]

I'm just going to comment on the glasses thing... In general I feel like the fandom believes that glasses are a way for Shen Way to wear a mask when he's pretending to be a human. In a sense, Hei Pao Shi and Professor Shen represent different levels of control he has over himself. Hei Pao Shi is ultimate figure of authority and therefore must be perfectly capable of keeping his cool- cue wearing cool and/or ugly mask depending on how you see it. Professor Shen is also a figure of authority albeit less so, but his glasses are a very central symbol of this persona. He's a lot closer to being himself but you'll notice that he really leans on this image of himself in order to protect his true identity, his true story and his true life. Without glasses, however, is just Shen Wei. No persona, no nothing. Just himself. It's more of a general observation as opposed to a rule.

So why would he take his glasses off after kneeling in the rain out front? My theory is that he was probably leaning on Professor Shen to be able to bear this particular humiliation upon himself. Even though Hei Pao Shi is a persona it is still tied in part to who he is, so even though such a demand to kneel would be humiliating for anyone, it is even more so for him.

I guess he leans on Professor Shen to keep himself in check then when it's over, when Dr. Feng tells him he can go, then he can be himself, and his real self is relieved that Zhao Yunlan will be able to see again.

(Maybe I should make a post about this and extend my analysis to Zhao Yunlan's approach to Shen Wei and his personas...)

[firestar]

"I can't believe boss could just ... die." "Guys, I'm right here!" "Sometimes I can even hear his voice."

I cackled so much at this, omg. XD

(Is the pinky promise next ep? Because that's always super cute to me. <3)

[qikiqtarjuaq]

Shen Wei angrily putting aside his pride to kneel in the rain for Zhao Yunlan will never get old for me. It's such a hard thing to do, but when Zhao Yunlan's eyesight recovers, that smile on his face was just so brilliant. In his own words: Worth it!

Re: Da Qing's flashback - You know what I always hoped the show would have done more? Identity porn shenanigans with Ye Zun & Shen Wei. Imagine if Da Qing recovers a partial memory, and thinks Ye Zun is Shen Wei. I really thought they were initially going to go in that direction with that plot thread!

Re: Li Qian sending an anonymous e-mail - I had assumed it was to protect her own identity, in case anyone would pull up/snoop in her personal e-mail accounts.

[(Anonymous)]

(hi i'm ratbones from ao3, i don't know what i'm doing and i don't have an account yet but here I AM)

I am in strong agreement about Sha Ya in the lab coat. Whew. Lin Jing does have good taste.

Shen Wei taking off his glasses: I took this to just be the fact that wearing wet glasses is blinding and unpleasant, but he didn't take them off earlier because he was deliberately not moving at all/taking any action to make himself more comfortable. The Professor Shen persona thing makes sense to me as well, though.

It's simultaneously Monday and Friday, and the newspaper was printed both in the morning (assuming that's what "moriong" was meant to be) and at 3:00 PM. Beautiful. Best prop.

Shen Wei's casualwear in this episode is just so...he's doing very badly and he doesn't appear to know it, and that is absolutely adorable to me. But, god, somebody help him. Zhao Yunlan, HELP HIM.

[jo_lasalle]

Aaaaah, this episode!

"I am totally not a shady drug dealer. Trust me, just take hold of my shaft."

LOL! Good summary of that dude.

"I can't believe boss could just ... die." "Guys, I'm right here!" "Sometimes I can even hear his voice."

LOL! I think he'd even have that coming with all his terrible trolling of Shen Wei in this episode. Shen Wei being tennnnsssse when Zhao Yunlan is messing around with the cane is both heartbreaking and hilarious.

Chu Shuzhi is super glad that boss got his sight back (even if the first thing boss did was tell him he'd become uglier

Chu's sneak loyalty to Zhao Yunlan always makes me ❤️❤️❤️

Sha Ya tries to raid the lab. She fails, but she looks very hot in a lab coat.

Very, VERY hot.

On the whole doctor interlude:

- I'm forever annoyed that Da Qing spying on the doctor in his human form was what led to the doctor sending them away. That's 'Guo breaking the escape button in the freezer room' levels of plot stupid, IMO. There had to have been some other way to get to the kneeling.
- I find Shen Wei going "No matter what he is, as long as he can help others..." about the doctor when he first hears about him such a telling characterisation moment for Shen Wei. It's very knee-jerk, Must Help Zhao Yunlan driven, and a similar knee-jerk reaction than when they realise Zhao Yunlan should really give his eyesight 'back' because he was healed at the cost of other people.
- Zhao Yunlan is much, much more critical towards the doctor, and I was wondering for a bit if that was his spidey senses tingling. But given that he does go along with it on the first eyefixing attempt, once Shen Wei has made his kneeling sacrifice, suggests it was probably more to do with the doctor's attitude and Zhao Yunlan not wanting to need the help of someone who's being condescending to him.
- Even though it didn't take, the smiles between Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei after the first eye healing are SO AMAZING.
- The kneeling in the rain outfit is my favourite Shen Wei outfit, and I was honestly a little worried that he might have ruined it. (Especially in an episode that is otherwise a Best Of reel of Shen Wei: His Mommy Dressed Him Badly) But I think we see it again later on, because Dark Magic?
- I love that the kneeling in the rain scene was what they saved all their remaining extras for. The streets of Dragon City might be terminally underpopulated, but when Shen Wei sacrifices his pride on the altar of love, YOU BETCHA we'll have people walking by!!! This show has its priorities right.
- Zhao Yunlan still has no idea Shen Wei even did that. ❤️❤️❤

"I read the fucking manual and this wasn't mentioned!"

(;____;) That's just unfair!

Then he is an asshole and pretends Shen Wei's Sundial-ing didn't work.

I love him but OMG! OMG!!!!!

Interestingly, at this point Shen Wei takes off his glasses. This seems very Meaningful, but idk what the meaning would be.

I think it's meaningful and 'practical'. It's meaningful in that it breaks the holding-still spell, tied to the practical reality that there was no point before in either taking them off or wiping them. Shen Wei's been kneeling there for hours, he's probably been tuning out the world to the best of his abilities. His glasses are wet, so he can't see anything, but he also doesn't need to or want to see anything, really, because all he's doing is wait out however long he has to do this. There's no point periodically wiping them or anything, it would be futile, and taking them off would also be weird, because they're part of his persona and where would he put them and... stuff. Once he's told he's done enough is when he snaps out of that state, and then taking off the glasses actually lets him see, and he's back in the world.

Also, given that the glasses have been generally used as a marker of when Shen Wei is in his persona and when he's relaxed, to me the taking off of the glasses plays into that; not that he's suddenly cozy in Zhao Yunlan's living room, but with how tied the lack of glasses is to "relaxed, unguarded Shen Wei", the taking off of the glasses to me emphasises the moment of relief.

The cinematography pointers in this post are great!!!

[phyrry]

I am so confused about Dr. Cheng's specialty. Is she a neurologist or a psychotherapist? Those are two completely different jobs. (My bestie and I have decided that 'there are only twenty scientists in Dragon City so they can't specialize' is a legit explanation for the 'one scientist can do everything' trope, but it continues to bother me.)

Li Qian getting her new job was awesome.

Was this Professor Zhou's last episode? I think Sha Ya kills him?

Zhao Yunlan in Dixing never makes me fail to laugh. I do wish the barkeep got a name, though.

Thank you for the timing details on Reunion Night, I wasn't sure if it was the Mid-Autumn Festival or Lunar New Year. Apparently it's neither, lolsob.