sid_guardian | Guardian Episode by Episode: 24

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type: episode discussion

Guardian Episode by Episode: 24

Welcome to the rewatchalong! This week we watch episode 24. The Imgur screencap album has 77 images, mostly of Zhao Yunlan's face all "WTF", "You have got to be shitting me", or utterly enraged.

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, Episode 23

This week, we have the hospital mind control case and start the personality swap virus case. This is also the episode with a lot of scenes where Shen Wei sits while Zhao Yunlan stands!

Characterization
Guo Changcheng, upon hearing that Wang Xiangyang was in financial trouble, went to search for him at the graveyard (probably to comfort him, since this is Guo Changcheng we're talking about) and met the mysterious Dong Nan.

Chu Shuzhi answers all his phone calls while dramatically walking down abandoned alleyways. This is very Dixingian of him. Then we have a hilarious exchange where Zhao Yunlan tells him to bring Guo Changcheng to the SID if they bump into each other, Chu Shuzhi going "I can't just bump into him on command!" ... and immediately bumping into him.

"Chu-ge! I didn't know your Dixing power was finding me!"

We also had some Lin Jing getting to play computer games on company time and discovering that this was a double-edged sword in that he had to write a report on it. He also had a run-in with Sha Ya, where Da Qing attempted to be his wingman. ("This is my boss ... 's cat." "Your boss's? No wonder it looks so annoying." will never not be hilarious. Sha Ya is the best.)

Zhu Hong comforts him over his failures and perpetual lack of bonus.

This episode's arc for Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's relationship is very much about Zhao Yunlan, still smarting from the eye-healing, expressing to Shen Wei in very clear terms that he's pissed off about the continued lies, and Shen Wei then promising that Zhao Yunlan will find out one day.

Zhao Yunlan, on the second day of the case, comes alone to the hospital because Shen Wei's got class, but also probably because he's still angry and wants to take some distance to seethe in peace without that interrupting the investigation. Nevertheless, he trusts Shen Wei's friend Dr Cheng because Shen Wei trusts her, and then discovers that oops, he shouldn't have. He forgives Dr Cheng quite readily, though – is it just him understanding the urge to protect someone, or does he think Dr Cheng was mind-suggested?

Nice coffee, shame about the drugs. Though if there's one person one could trust to get the dosage right...

After the game starts (after Wang Xiangyang himself visits the hospital), Zhao Yunlan very efficiently extracts the details of the game out of Zu Ma, whose mentality really is closer to that of a teenager and less like that of a 20-something. Then we have the actual game, where Zhao Yunlan does his best to get through without anyone dying – all of it is him trying to find the third option that leads to no-one's deaths.

Zhao Yunlan, at his life.

Shen Wei appears after both his class and the exciting bits are over. He destroys the mobile phone (thus causing Zu Ma's death) and delivers the freshest news straight from the censor's office on how video games are bad for you.

Shen Wei aids the cause by getting on his hands and knees.

Determined to be useful, Shen Wei discovers the bomb and applies dark energy to it! When plan A does not work at all, he goes for plan B, which is self-sacrifice. Zhao Yunlan is the very opposite of thrilled, gives a speech on "If you die, to you think I'd be all right?!", then gets on a knee and pulls out the pliers and saves the day with a smirk. (The pliers are likely something Zhao Yunlan fetched while Shen Wei was looking for monsters under Zu Ma's bed.)

"Fear not, my lovely damsel in distress – the bomb disposal squad's handsomest bachelor is here!"

They sort of make up after the mutual near-death experience, but Shen Wei only promises that some day, Zhao Yunlan will know the secrets, with no promise on when. Zhao Yunlan is basically the best boyfriend ever and accepts this as an apology without overmuch pushing. I – just – oh Shen Wei. (The conversation/argument they had while holding the bomb read to me as if they were together, and I don't think I could actually make sense of it if the level of commitment is something other than "basically married".)

ZYL: "Thank fuck that's over!"
SW: *bedazzled by Zhao Yunlan's sexy competence*

Afterwards, there's a dénouement where Zu Ma dies because the phone was destroyed. Zhao Yunlan thinks Shen Wei should comfort his friend Dr Cheng; Shen Wei (who destroyed the phone in the first place) has him do it instead because he's busy being wracked with guilt.

"Hugs now?" ">:(" "...Hugs later."

Shen Wei in this episode: "I'm helping!"

Then we shortly visit the lab, where Li Qian violates all the rules ever (No drinking in labs! No hair down in labs! No impractical footwear in labs! No! Drinking! In! Labs!) and they lost a syringe.

While the shoes are not pictured, they are of an impractical heel. Also, did they blow the lab budget on sexy floor lights so that they can't afford to get anyone gloves?

Canon details

Zu Ma's growth stagnated when he started gaming on the phone (unless I misread the subs). Comparing with Zheng Yi and Wu Xiaojun, it seems that Dixingians grow up at roughly the same rate as humans, except that they can accidentally bind their dark energy into something, leading to their growth stagnating. (Or is Zu Ma even supposed to be Dixingian?)
Zhao Yunlan is skilled in bomb disposal.
Dr Cheng has figured out the identity of the Master of the Merit Brush!

Cinematography
We have some nice shots from afar

and the shots through framing devices.

This episode, we have four hand close-ups!

Shen Wei making the bomb go faster, money going into the taxi driver's hands, Dr Cheng mourning Zu Ma by stroking his bed, and Guo Changcheng not being up on his dark energy vaccinations.

Oh, and proof that Shen Wei got caught teleporting on camera, even if he did destroy the camera.

Did no-one tell Professor Shen about remote backups?

I'd also like to highlight the scene where Zhao Yunlan follows Dr Cheng through the hospital to Zu Ma's lair, as that was done as a single take with a moving camera!

Also, the hospital has some nice digs.

Plus the feather duster scene was actually pretty epic!

"The name's Zhao. Zhao Yunlan."

Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
Three jackets, as this happens over three days!

Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
No.

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delivers the freshest news straight from the censor's office on how video games are bad for you
Sometimes the little moral lessons they throw in (some of Xiao Guo's journal entries oh my god) are hilarious and facepalm-worthy. The actors should get more credit for delivering those lines even marginally convincingly.

"Fear not, my lovely damsel in distress – the bomb disposal squad's handsomest bachelor is here!"
GOD the LOOK OF LOVE in that pic. *dying*

Thank you forever for this screencap.

The actors should get more credit for delivering those lines even marginally convincingly.
Yep! It's ... ohhh dear. Another moral!

GOD the LOOK OF LOVE in that pic. *dying*
IKR? And then Shen Wei responds with a facial expression that is surprisingly Ye Zun.

Thank you forever for this screencap.
It was a very nice moment, how could I not screencap it? :)

I fuckin' love that Shen Wei smirk/smile so much. It reminds me of the very Ye Zun grin he gives during the interrogation scene earlier in the series.

Indeed, it's cute! I want to poke it.

Oooh, very Ye Zun. I was like "that's a great touch on Shen Wei's actor to show the similarities between the twins and copy what Ye Zun's actor does" and then... I remembered. :P

I was like "that's a great touch on Shen Wei's actor to show the similarities between the twins and copy what Ye Zun's actor does"

His entire performance is just that astonishing. *^^*

"that's a great touch on Shen Wei's actor to show the similarities between the twins and copy what Ye Zun's actor does"
LOL, yes!

Zhao Yunlan's dramatic feather duster poses fill me with inexpressible joy. I feel a bit sad that he was busy trying to prevent anyone from dying, so he couldn't just relax and enjoy the opportunity to wallop his subordinates.

Now that you've pointed it out, the bomb scene really is a good distillation of Shen Wei's problem-solving method.
1. Use dark energy.
2. That didn't work? Guess I'll die!
But also, I just can't help seeing this scene as a proxy proposal. Zhao Yunlan kneels and pretty much tells Shen Wei he can't live without him, and Shen Wei accepts. By not teleporting away and killing himself. Romantic!

Or is Zu Ma even supposed to be Dixingian?
I am still confused about this. I think he is, because everyone seems surprised about next episode's bad guy being human, but the show doesn't really make it clear.

Shen Wei on his hands and knees, like many of you have no doubt wanted to see him.
Okay rude. Not you, the hospital cot, for obstructing the view.

Zhao Yunlan's dramatic feather duster poses fill me with inexpressible joy. I feel a bit sad that he was busy trying to prevent anyone from dying, so he couldn't just relax and enjoy the opportunity to wallop his subordinates.
Damn, now I want him to wallop idk Zhu Jiu with a feather duster. Or Ye Zun. Let him pwn the villains with his epic feather duster skillz!

Now that you've pointed it out, the bomb scene really is a good distillation of Shen Wei's problem-solving method.
Yeah, he ... really could work on that. Even if under less-acute circumstances he has step "1b. Use dark energy in a different way" in there.

But also, I just can't help seeing this scene as a proxy proposal. Zhao Yunlan kneels and pretty much tells Shen Wei he can't live without him, and Shen Wei accepts. By not teleporting away and killing himself. Romantic!
ZYL: "I can't live without you!"
SW: "Okay, I won't commit suicide, then."
...except more romantic. Then again, it's not like a candlelit dinner would've helped with the bomb wire snipping.

I am still confused about this. I think he is, because everyone seems surprised about next episode's bad guy being human, but the show doesn't really make it clear.
I guess Zu Ma and Feng Qubing are supposed to be part-Dixingian? Feng Qubing would actually make sense as someone from a line of Dixingian doctors who supplemented the medical state of the art with a hereditary power of healing, then was the first generation with an insufficient percentage of Dixing genes to use Dixing powers.

Okay rude. Not you, the hospital cot, for obstructing the view.
And no doubt Zhao Yunlan would've liked to be in the room, admiring the view!

Let him pwn the villains with his epic feather duster skillz!
please somebody write the AU where this is actually how the good guys win

Then again, it's not like a candlelit dinner would've helped with the bomb wire snipping.
It took a goddamn bomb to get them on the same page about this in the first place. ...And they're still not on the same page, really, they've just maybe located the same book. Candlelit dinners clearly won't cut it for these two.

Yeah, I agree with you about Feng Qubing, so I'm going to go with that for Zu Ma as well. Anyway, if Zu Ma is human, the video game-stunted growth makes even less sense.

And no doubt Zhao Yunlan would've liked to be in the room, admiring the view!
Aw, so many missed opportunities for ZYL in this episode!

please somebody write the AU where this is actually how the good guys win
Yes! Zhao Yunlan discovers the feather duster in the Dixing Palace, wallops Ye Zun with it, and the world is saved! (Shen Wei: o.o but also hearteyes)

And they're still not on the same page, really, they've just maybe located the same book.
Yeah, Shen Wei could really do with maybe telling Zhao Yunlan a bit of why he can't tell yet? Or that he's waiting for an external event to happen, and he doesn't know when it'll happen, and has no idea how to make it happen. Currently it just seems to Zhao Yunlan that Shen Wei is being secretive just for the sake of it.

Zhao Yunlan's dramatic feather duster poses fill me with inexpressible joy.

(Extremely random, but this reminds me that I work on a manga where the heroine's magical weapon literally manifested as a toilet brush, and she's totally on board with it.)

On topic: I feel like Zu Ma makes even less sense than the average Guardian Antagonist of the Day. :/

(Name of manga, please, because I like this character already. And then I'll drop the off-topic.)

Tbh I love the structure of this case -- it reminds me of the game series Zero Escape (characters forced to play deadly versions of innocent games via explosives attached to wrists) -- but Zu Ma himself is...??? I guess if he's part-Dixingren, then dark energy weirdness can maybe explain him not aging, but what is his actual power? Forcing people to play games? Then why isn't it working on Zhao Yunlan? Yeah, if I think about him for any time at all I start seeing question marks.

but what is his actual power? Forcing people to play games?
My personal theory is that when giving part-Dixingians powers, the Merit Brush's holder can affect them – so Feng Qubing didn't get the healing power his long line of doctor ancestors had, but rather a life force exchanging power. I imagine Zu Ma might've had some video-game-adjacent power, and then it was twisted into "creating a video game with a select person as the player". (Also, that was kinda crap game design – two thirds of the tasks are just random chance, while gamers in general love being able to improve and show off their skillz.)

Oh, that's a good thought. It would be just typical for the Merit Brush to twist things to be more malicious and terrible!

Also, that was kinda crap game design...
The game mostly seems like a farce designed to degrade/psychologically torture Zhao Yunlan (and the SID and the hospital staff), but it did give us Zhao Yunlan playing Russian roulette and cheating to lose, which is quite a moment.

It would be just typical for the Merit Brush to twist things to be more malicious and terrible!
Or that the baddies made the Merit Brush twist the thing to their ends! Given the specificness of the skills and their calculated way of hitting at people Wang Xiangyang disapproves of, I think some intentional control must be present.

it did give us Zhao Yunlan playing Russian roulette and cheating to lose, which is quite a moment.
Yeah, it did! And it was glorious. As was Zhao Yunlan freaking out trying to figure out how to make it through the last room without anyone dying.

(Name of manga, please, because I like this character already. And then I'll drop the off-topic.)

(It's QQ Sweeper [three volumes] and Queen's Quality [sequel series, several volumes so far, ongoing], published in North America from VIZ. And to be completely precise, I didn't do the script for the first volume of QQ Sweeper, but other than that, it's mine. ^_^)

That didn't work? Guess I'll die!

Oh, Shen Wei. :(

i knowww :(

Your captions are a joy, as always. ^_^

This isn't one of my favorite episodes in terms of Zu Ma and the whole plot at the hospital, but I really love the emotional material with Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei. The episode provided that in spades.

Your captions are a joy, as always. ^_^
<3

The hospital plot is a bit "Video games are bad; love, the government" but: Zhao Yunlan's face! And the bits where he interacts with Shen Wei.

Let's face it, Shen Wei is absolutely that tech illiterate dude who thinks breaking the computer monitor will destroy the computer. He definitely didn't think about remote backups.

LOL, yes. Someone tell younger Shen Wei to double major in IT just like Professor Ouyang!

I have a sudden vision of Shen Wei in that scene from Zoolander where the models say "the files are IN THE COMPUTER". Shen Wei is probably beyond trying to open a computer case to get at something inside of it, but I bet he'd had the thought. ;)

...Actually, considering I have two random old CPUs in my apartment, I probably *could* use them to secretly hide files inside them. A thought for some future fic, perhaps.

I have a sudden vision of Shen Wei in that scene from Zoolander where the models say "the files are IN THE COMPUTER". Shen Wei is probably beyond trying to open a computer case to get at something inside of it, but I bet he'd had the thought. ;)
AHAHAHA yes. Poor thing. Though at some point he must've wanted to open up the computer case to get at the files within...

...Actually, considering I have two random old CPUs in my apartment, I probably *could* use them to secretly hide files inside them. A thought for some future fic, perhaps
Maybe Shen Wei can use his university computer for that purpose, making Zhao Yunlan laugh and weep simultaneously? :P

"Just one moment, Chief Zhao," Shen Wei said, then bent to tend to the large computer case underneath his desk. Zhao Yunlan watched in fascination as Shen Wei unscrewed the four screws holding the side of the case in place. Shen Wei then lifted the side carefully off the computer and reached inside. He pulled out a manilla envelope, then stood, brushed his knees off, and handed the envelope to Zhao Yunlan.

Zhao Yunlan took it gingerly. It felt a little like the longevity dial did. "What is it?"

Shen Wei blushed. "I found the Merit Brush on the sidewalk during my morning commute. I had to keep it somewhere no one would look."

I love it! :D

This is great!

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Guardian Episode by Episode: 24

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