ExtraPenguin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
extrapenguin) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sid_guardian2019-08-09 07:59 pm
extrapenguin) wrote in sid_guardian2019-08-09 07:59 pm
Entry tags:
Guardian Episode by Episode: 23
Welcome to the rewatchalong! This week we watch episode 23. The Imgur screencap album has 68 images. No rewatchalong next week, as I'll be at Worldcon, but we'll reconvene with episode 24 the week after that.
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, Episode 22
This week, An Bai ascends to the throne of Dixing and the hospital mind control case starts. We also have a pinky promise and knife mishandling on Shen Wei's part.
Introductions
We see a glimpse of Dong Nan when Guo Changcheng goes to visit everyone's graves!
In the grand scheme of things, she could probably have been left on the editing room floor.
Characterization
There is A Lot of Dixing stuff! The old Lord of Dixing comes across as very sympathetic by using his only actual power to pick An Bai as his successor (and thus pardon An Bai's friends), then giving him a chance to back out after a touching speech on responsibilities. He also gives the Attendant the chance to back out of the whole theft thing but gets murdered for his troubles.
Choose your successor early so you can exploit the loophole and get lots of time off the throne to chat with him!
The Attendant ripped off all the pages dealing with the Merit Brush at Ye Zun's command, and kills himself when exposed. He doesn't seem to give his life force or power to Ye Zun, though – at least, I don't think Ye Zun is ever shown with his power. The Regent is also at least somewhat embroiled in the affair, since I find it hard to believe the setup would work if he actually opposed it, but his involvement is as always plausibly deniable.
Da Qing thinks Zhao Yunlan won't believe the memories he just regained, but he tells them obediently when asked. Then he goes to tail Shen Wei and, after finding Shen Wei's vow to protect Zhao Yunlan believable, extracts a pinky promise of all things. It's adorable and a bit silly.
The pinky promise of Don't Hurt Chief Zhao Or You'll Regret It.
Lin Jing thinks Zhao Yunlan has changed. Is this him belatedly commenting on the attitude towards Dixingians, or Zhao Yunlan's level of motivation, or something else. We also see him nod at a Haixing DOS lab person, setting up the fact that he's secretly a spy.
Also some minor Chu manhandling.
Guo Changcheng takes a day off to visit his parents' graves and takes a moment to sweep everyone else's graves as well. He also says he's only not nervous when he's talking to his parents' graves. Someone help him, please.
"Are you sure I can take the day off, Vice Chief? Like, absolutely sure I can actually do something sort of for myself?"
Everyone'sleast favorite glowing pillar notices that his brother has gotten thinner, which implies that Shen Wei's talks to exhort him into stopping invading Haixing happen with at least some regularity. Ye Zun also claims credit for Shen Wei's awakening – okay, sure, he did something to disturb the seal, fine – but also claims he returned Shen Wei to glory and made him shine and anyone but Shen Wei can tell him to stop. In light of their final conversation, the final one makes sense, but the other two ... did Shen Wei early on do something very flashy and Dixing-saving fighting against Ye Zun?
Then there's also the bit where Ye Zun says that in the past, he found it hard to even speak. The Hallows are evil; that is no condition in which to keep a prisoner. Also proof that the seal has been weakening either with time or with Ye Zun getting more energy.
Shen Wei gives himself away by being so inept at technology that he cannot delete a file, he can only destroy the device, so Zhao Yunlan knows who doesn't want him knowing about Kunlun. He also says stuff like "my awakening was a joke the universe played on me" (did he have trouble initially adapting to modern life? does he yearn for the past where he grew up and which he understood and was a part of?) and the tragically foreshadowy "As long as I can kill you, so what if I sacrifice myself?" This is after the eye-healing but before the energy restructuring; one wonders what was going through his mind then.
"Redeem yourself and I might shut up like you so desire."
As for Dixing politics, no-one told Shen Wei who the new Lord would be, and he storms off when An Bai actually ascends and Zhao Yunlan is told how the Lordship works. We don't see any debriefing on this, so we can't be sure whether it's in anger, shame, some other emotion, or a complicated mix. It also seems to hint that Shen Wei didn't really know how the system works – Shen Wei says he found the reality worse than the rumors, but it was unclear to me whether the rumors referred to concerned the Lord of Dixing, or the Regent's political machinations, or Ye Zun's influence.
Shen Wei also feels the need to come up with an excuse to attend to Zhao Yunlan (Zhao Yunlan's "I am the luckiest man in the world" expression says he'd be 100% down for Shen Wei just staying the night and fussing over him), and habitually sets up a dark energy barrier behind him while he's cooking.
Shen Wei does all of his cutting in Zhao Yunlan's kitchen.
Zhao Yunlan knows Shen Wei is a deep person with deep secrets who likes to suffer in silence, but after the determined pursuit of the truth of Shen Wei's identity, he's now content to wait and let Shen Wei come to him when the weight of the secrets becomes too much to bear.
"If I sit here lit in chiaroscuro like a noir protagonist, perhaps the great beauty with legs for years will walk in and unload it all onto my hardboiled shoulders."
They also work together excellently! Zhao Yunlan very quickly came up with a plan that he whispered into Shen Wei's ear and then they executed it flawlessly. He's also still on his manipulating feet and claims to think the Attendant was just a manipulated victim to try and get the chance to interrogate him.
"Actually, a pair of hot twins has been my No. 1 fantasy since forever!"
On the scene where Zhao Yunlan comes across Shen Wei cutting in the kitchen: We see Shen Wei be significantly weakened by the energy leakage, and given the delay between question and answer, the explanation given about needing to rebuild his energy structure is heavily edited at best. He also doesn't seem to grasp that "Thankfully, I'm used to getting hurt" does not count as reassuring.
"I hope he doesn't insist on taking me to the hospital again just because I'm leaking blood."
Zhao Yunlan, meanwhile, puts on his kid gloves and delicate handling when he remarks "it must hurt" and then tries to keep it together, but because it's the middle of the night, he just caught Shen Wei cutting in the kitchen, and Shen Wei claims it's fine and worth it because he's used to being hurt and doesn't seem to realize the fundamental not-okayness of the situation, he snaps and yells. It's reasonable, but also not the most constructive thing. (As for the "I'm not worth this" line, IMO it's Zhao Yunlan grasping at straws in his manipulation thing, which can of course be interpreted in many ways.) And then Shen Wei ends up in the doghouse with Zhao Yunlan being passive-aggressively deferential at him.
Some things can't be fixed with a smile, and Zhao Yunlan discovers that while he may not want someone to have long heart-to-hearts with, occasionally one needs to have them.
Canon notes
Also, Shen Wei's yutoudao pole seems to be a different color in Dixing?
Left: in Dixing. Right: in Haixing during episode 6. It also looks dark during its outing in episode 20, but that's from a distance.
Cinematography
This episode's mandatory hands closeup is of the pinky promise.
Zhao Yunlan Protection Club.
We also get a large amount of swooping overhead shots with slight zoom. This is of course hard to represent in still format.
Please take my word for it.
One shot from slightly beneath sight line:
Shen Wei confirms that the plan is still on.
No further commentary this time. Have Zhao Yunlan touching a dark energy thing!
He never saw one he didn't want to touch.
And a pair of smiles, even if one happens in suboptimal conditions:
♥
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
The Dixing trip jacket remains, and he borrows An Bai's jacket for a bit during it. When they come up to Haixing, it's a different jacket for a different day, and the next day they're alerted to the hospital.
Did Shen Wei remove his glasses?
Yes, when he's in Zhao Yunlan's apartment and puncturing holes into himself.
Utterly devoid of external mask, he must engage the inner one.
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, Episode 22
This week, An Bai ascends to the throne of Dixing and the hospital mind control case starts. We also have a pinky promise and knife mishandling on Shen Wei's part.
Introductions
We see a glimpse of Dong Nan when Guo Changcheng goes to visit everyone's graves!
In the grand scheme of things, she could probably have been left on the editing room floor.
Characterization
There is A Lot of Dixing stuff! The old Lord of Dixing comes across as very sympathetic by using his only actual power to pick An Bai as his successor (and thus pardon An Bai's friends), then giving him a chance to back out after a touching speech on responsibilities. He also gives the Attendant the chance to back out of the whole theft thing but gets murdered for his troubles.
Choose your successor early so you can exploit the loophole and get lots of time off the throne to chat with him!
The Attendant ripped off all the pages dealing with the Merit Brush at Ye Zun's command, and kills himself when exposed. He doesn't seem to give his life force or power to Ye Zun, though – at least, I don't think Ye Zun is ever shown with his power. The Regent is also at least somewhat embroiled in the affair, since I find it hard to believe the setup would work if he actually opposed it, but his involvement is as always plausibly deniable.
Da Qing thinks Zhao Yunlan won't believe the memories he just regained, but he tells them obediently when asked. Then he goes to tail Shen Wei and, after finding Shen Wei's vow to protect Zhao Yunlan believable, extracts a pinky promise of all things. It's adorable and a bit silly.
The pinky promise of Don't Hurt Chief Zhao Or You'll Regret It.
Lin Jing thinks Zhao Yunlan has changed. Is this him belatedly commenting on the attitude towards Dixingians, or Zhao Yunlan's level of motivation, or something else. We also see him nod at a Haixing DOS lab person, setting up the fact that he's secretly a spy.
Also some minor Chu manhandling.
Guo Changcheng takes a day off to visit his parents' graves and takes a moment to sweep everyone else's graves as well. He also says he's only not nervous when he's talking to his parents' graves. Someone help him, please.
"Are you sure I can take the day off, Vice Chief? Like, absolutely sure I can actually do something sort of for myself?"
Everyone's
Then there's also the bit where Ye Zun says that in the past, he found it hard to even speak. The Hallows are evil; that is no condition in which to keep a prisoner. Also proof that the seal has been weakening either with time or with Ye Zun getting more energy.
Shen Wei gives himself away by being so inept at technology that he cannot delete a file, he can only destroy the device, so Zhao Yunlan knows who doesn't want him knowing about Kunlun. He also says stuff like "my awakening was a joke the universe played on me" (did he have trouble initially adapting to modern life? does he yearn for the past where he grew up and which he understood and was a part of?) and the tragically foreshadowy "As long as I can kill you, so what if I sacrifice myself?" This is after the eye-healing but before the energy restructuring; one wonders what was going through his mind then.
"Redeem yourself and I might shut up like you so desire."
As for Dixing politics, no-one told Shen Wei who the new Lord would be, and he storms off when An Bai actually ascends and Zhao Yunlan is told how the Lordship works. We don't see any debriefing on this, so we can't be sure whether it's in anger, shame, some other emotion, or a complicated mix. It also seems to hint that Shen Wei didn't really know how the system works – Shen Wei says he found the reality worse than the rumors, but it was unclear to me whether the rumors referred to concerned the Lord of Dixing, or the Regent's political machinations, or Ye Zun's influence.
Shen Wei also feels the need to come up with an excuse to attend to Zhao Yunlan (Zhao Yunlan's "I am the luckiest man in the world" expression says he'd be 100% down for Shen Wei just staying the night and fussing over him), and habitually sets up a dark energy barrier behind him while he's cooking.
Shen Wei does all of his cutting in Zhao Yunlan's kitchen.
Zhao Yunlan knows Shen Wei is a deep person with deep secrets who likes to suffer in silence, but after the determined pursuit of the truth of Shen Wei's identity, he's now content to wait and let Shen Wei come to him when the weight of the secrets becomes too much to bear.
"If I sit here lit in chiaroscuro like a noir protagonist, perhaps the great beauty with legs for years will walk in and unload it all onto my hardboiled shoulders."
They also work together excellently! Zhao Yunlan very quickly came up with a plan that he whispered into Shen Wei's ear and then they executed it flawlessly. He's also still on his manipulating feet and claims to think the Attendant was just a manipulated victim to try and get the chance to interrogate him.
"Actually, a pair of hot twins has been my No. 1 fantasy since forever!"
On the scene where Zhao Yunlan comes across Shen Wei cutting in the kitchen: We see Shen Wei be significantly weakened by the energy leakage, and given the delay between question and answer, the explanation given about needing to rebuild his energy structure is heavily edited at best. He also doesn't seem to grasp that "Thankfully, I'm used to getting hurt" does not count as reassuring.
"I hope he doesn't insist on taking me to the hospital again just because I'm leaking blood."
Zhao Yunlan, meanwhile, puts on his kid gloves and delicate handling when he remarks "it must hurt" and then tries to keep it together, but because it's the middle of the night, he just caught Shen Wei cutting in the kitchen, and Shen Wei claims it's fine and worth it because he's used to being hurt and doesn't seem to realize the fundamental not-okayness of the situation, he snaps and yells. It's reasonable, but also not the most constructive thing. (As for the "I'm not worth this" line, IMO it's Zhao Yunlan grasping at straws in his manipulation thing, which can of course be interpreted in many ways.) And then Shen Wei ends up in the doghouse with Zhao Yunlan being passive-aggressively deferential at him.
Some things can't be fixed with a smile, and Zhao Yunlan discovers that while he may not want someone to have long heart-to-hearts with, occasionally one needs to have them.
Canon notes
- The pillar cannot be destroyed while Ye Zun is within it.
- The Regent thinks An Bai will last only 4-5 years, so Lords of Dixing must usually last over 5 years.
- "Despite praise or blame, I know my merit. Those who are the same in sympathy share it. Seize every chance to rise with the tide. Asses the circumstances, safely advance or abide."
- The Merit Brush can erase traces of dark energy (so neither Shen Wei nor technology can detect its use) as well as buff Dixing powers.
- Dixingians confined to Dixing because "Haixing's resources are scarce", except that it's been 10k years since the meteor.
- Da Qing doesn't have (remember having?) parents.
Also, Shen Wei's yutoudao pole seems to be a different color in Dixing?
Left: in Dixing. Right: in Haixing during episode 6. It also looks dark during its outing in episode 20, but that's from a distance.
Cinematography
This episode's mandatory hands closeup is of the pinky promise.
Zhao Yunlan Protection Club.
We also get a large amount of swooping overhead shots with slight zoom. This is of course hard to represent in still format.
Please take my word for it.
One shot from slightly beneath sight line:
Shen Wei confirms that the plan is still on.
No further commentary this time. Have Zhao Yunlan touching a dark energy thing!
He never saw one he didn't want to touch.
And a pair of smiles, even if one happens in suboptimal conditions:
♥
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
The Dixing trip jacket remains, and he borrows An Bai's jacket for a bit during it. When they come up to Haixing, it's a different jacket for a different day, and the next day they're alerted to the hospital.
Did Shen Wei remove his glasses?
Yes, when he's in Zhao Yunlan's apartment and puncturing holes into himself.
Utterly devoid of external mask, he must engage the inner one.
no subject
Just curious – do you mean that he was trying to heal himself the whole time to the end, and blowing up Ye Zun was just a happy coincidence, or that he was trying to heal himself in the kitchen, but later changed track to turning himself into a brother-killing bomb? (Given how he acts in later canon, there is at least some support for the latter option, even if the plan is a bad one, imo.)
no subject
The stuff I feel relatively sure about (I know views differ, but this is how it reads to me) is that the backlash from the sundial exchange took him by surprise, he hadn't expected he'd get damaged. But he still doesn't think he's in mortal peril/has no options. (The dinner scene right after Zhao Yunlan's eyes are fixed doesn't make sense to me, mood-wise, if he just learned he's definitely going to die and - important - be separated from Zhao Yunlan.) But he realises something isn't right, and tries to fix himself. Around this ep here, he's realising the fixing is a little tricky, but he can get through it. There are a couple of other instances in the upcoming eps where he runs into the way he's damaged himself, and those still take him by surprise. I'm currently on episode 33 of a rewatch, and honestly? I am still not getting the vibe from him that he definitely thinks it's over for him. I know there's some foreshadowing, and like I said in my comment to Manka, it's not that I don't see where some of the other interpretations are coming from, but still, my impression is not "plans to die (and leave Zhao Yunlan)", by that point.
But it does get a little fuzzier after that. I remember that on my previous rewatch, I still wasn't getting the impression that he went to Dixing knowing he'd definitely die right until very very close to the end; more that it was one of several options and he was up for using that one if it became necessary. And I don't find it inherently implausible to think that if they'd been able to get Ye Zun some other way, he might have been able to heal in time. But I've only seen the final couple of episodes twice, and the first run was fairly traumatic and OMGWTFBBQ, so, heading into those for a third time, I expect to be testing some theories and taking a critical look at what might be preference.
Another thing coming into it for me is the fact that I initially took the bomb thing also as a failsafe in case Ye Zun ever ate him, because Shen Wei is so powerful that Ye Zun getting all of his powers by itself would be scary. So the read of "if Ye Zun ever gets me, I can blow us both up" was more intuitive to me than "I will maneuver a series of complicated circumstances into just the right setup so he will eat me, in order for me to blow us both up." But I also concede that the idea of a failsafe and keeping Shen Wei's powers from Ye Zun is something never mentioned or addressed on the show.
(Sorry this got so long, I'm not actually trying to convince anyone, but this is a question for which timeline is important... and nuance... and lots of words, apparently.)
no subject
Our theories actually align, here. I don't think SW's self-bomb option was his only plan. It was, as you say, a fail-safe. (but I don't think he was as torn-up about having to use it as he could have been, either)
no subject
I do agree with that, actually. I mean, it makes me go ARGH SHEN WEI!!!!!! but, yes, he really doesn't place a high premium on his own well-being.
no subject
Huh, this is interesting! I'll have to ruminate on my views on this. (I think he did intentionally encourage the bomb-ness at some point, but idk how much of that is actually canon-based.)
Nodnod. I agree with you here, and like you, am a bit fuzzy on the canon details later on. I'll pay attention to this once the rewatch rolls along to the appropriate episodes.
This is a very apt description of the final run! :D
I'm actually not sure that Ye Zun would get all Shen Wei's powers instead of just the power of learning that allowed Shen Wei to get all those powers! Then again, it's not like we got to see the results in canon.