Ep 31-32, "Internal and external trouble": Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi clash

[dorinda]

This scene discussion is about an argument Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi have at the end of episode 31 and the start of episode 32. It sounds simple, put like that--but at this point in the series, everything is getting complicated, including the storyline, the relationships, and the emotions!

Location of the scene: ep 31 at about 41:28, continuing into ep 32.

( Five important things that came before this scene )

So, Zhao Yunlan is at a pretty stressful crux here, to say the least! Shen Wei--the Inspectorate--the public--his team--Lao Chu.

And now, the office argument under discussion...

To start (ep 31, 41:28), Zhao Yunlan looks sternly at Lao Chu and snaps: Chu Shuzhi. Come with me. It feels like a big deal for Zhao Yunlan to use his full name instead of "Lao Chu"...I'd be interested to know how many times he does that in the series.

They go to Zhao Yunlan's office for the dressing-down:

( The argument )

This argument sets the stage for some crucial developments in the rest of ep 32, and after:
( The aftereffects )

And this all sparks the events of the rest of ep 32, and ep 33:
( Terrible events )

( Wonderful events )

( Thoughts and reactions )

Questions:

* What would have happened if Da Qing hadn't come in right then? He interrupts Zhao Yunlan's (impulsive!) firing of Chu Shuzhi, plus he blocks Zhao Yunlan's (impulsive!!) decision to go to Dixing after Shen Wei. Is there any scenario in which Zhao Yunlan's crisis-impulsiveness in these moments actually ended up with, for instance, Chu Shuzhi charging off to Dixing sooner ("Well if I'm fired, then you can't tell me what to do") and/or Zhao Yunlan going down there by himself or after Chu Shuzhi?

* Chu Shuzhi desperately wants to go bring Shen Wei back; Zhao Yunlan desperately wants Shen Wei back. Zhao Yunlan says he'll think about letting him go to Dixing--and he later ends up saying No. Why? Did his speech to Minister Gao in between, protecting his team and Lao Chu in particular, affect his decision? Or was it about necessary vs. unnecessary risks? Or--?

* Was Zhao Yunlan right to keep his promise for so long? Was Shen Wei right to ask him to make the promise in the first place?

* Is it an actual advancement in Chu Shuzhi's behavior for him to ask, several times, for permission to rescue Shen Wei? (Granted, he still doesn't know how to take No for an answer, but he did ask, and very patiently...for him. :D )


I know I touched on a whole lot of scenes, in contextualizing this one--but they would still make great discussion posts for their own purposes! The "pot, kettle" scene in 18, the intense promise in 29, Zhao Yunlan brooding painfully over his promise in ep 30, Zhao Yunlan being aggressive and protective in the Inspectorate in 30/31, the second office discussion/argument between Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi later in 32, and of course Chu Shuzhi's ill-fated (but useful??) trip down to Dixing and into the nightmare in 32/33.


I guess it's obvious that this crux in the narrative really gets to me. What do you think?