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sid_guardian2019-11-28 06:05 pm
extrapenguin) wrote in sid_guardian2019-11-28 06:05 pm
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Guardian Episode by Episode: 37
Welcome to the rewatchalong! This week we watch the preantepenultimate episode, 37! (Thank you to ratbones for introducing me to that most wonderful word.) The Imgur screencap album has 57 images.
(There will be some schedule changes for the final three episodes; more to be told with the next 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, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25
Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30
Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35
Episode 36
This week, the team scatters in search of the wick.
Characterization
Did any of you remember lao-Li (Li Hongchun) existed? If you did, well, he's dead now! But not after chasing off all of the crows all by himself. Either the crows were about to leg it anyway due to their Dixingian backup losing, or hitting Da Qing on the head gave Li Hongchun anti-Yashou superpowers. *g*
"No, it's okay, I'm just trying to commit insurance fraud!"
The villain of the week (day?) Mi Lu has more presence than most! Or maybe it's just that we haven't had that many villains of the week recently, just bit players and head honchos? She gives away gameplan too early due to being a Dixing supremacist who's contemptuous of the Yashou and doesn't understand the word "assistant", thus walking all over Ya Qing's ego and authority.
She also shares Ye Zun's questionable taste in trouser fit.
Ya Qing, on the other hand, really doesn't like being treated like a second-rate citizen in her own race's leadership battles, and finally declares how annoyed she is with Ye Zun! (Ying Chun starts jumping with joy in the background.) Suggesting her ancestors' sacred branch be taken into Dixing possession was her final straw. She treats the branch like a sacred relic, too: prays to her ancestors with it and treats it as a lack of endorsement when they don't magically make the branch blossom.
"Behold! I am strong enough to lift the Sacred Wood to the skies!Don't tell me that that wasn't the ancestors meant.
Lin Jing got in one final show of technical genius! He, too got killed (SID body count: 4, if Li Hongchun counts), but he set up some sort of dead man's switch to send over his pre-recorded video message of how he always loved the SID most and the video record of his last moments and what happened after them. Containing useful information, too, even if it cuts off before Ye Zun confesses to Mi Lu that the Yashou are next on his hit list. Well done, Lin Jing.
As a reward, he ends up in a Magic School Bus crossover.
The remaining SID team neatly splits up to do things and declare what they're going to do – except for Da Qing, who apparently considers himself an extension of Zhao Yunlan. He is slightly useful in the forest labyrinth, as he climbs a tree and finds Mi Lu, but then he regales her with a long speech about how cats are the best that lets Mi Lu thwack him in the gut with dark energy.
In an effort to give him some enrichment to stop the progress of his Alzheimer's, his owner plops leaves on him.
Zhu Hong gets voluntold/manipulated into being the High Chief! Zhao Yunlan just ordered her to do the thing, and then she got the branch to sprout, and her uncle had to convince her to take on the position she claimed. She did use her Yashou powers to kill Mi Lu (the first time we see non-hypnotism powers from her since episode 4!), but there's still some growing and progress left in her arc.
Zhu Hong sucks the life force out of Ye Zun's minions so he doesn't have to!
Guo Changcheng gets told what his power is and because he is the dictionary definition of "too kind to exist", he's sad that it can't be used to directly help people! Then Chu Shuzhi counsels him through getting Dixing powers. I wonder whether this is his first time talking someone through powers awakening – how frequent is it in Dixing for someone's powers to awaken? Did Chu Shuzhi talk a friend through new powers, or perhaps his brother?
I mean, come on, there's a fucking halo involved.
Our very favorite Dixingian's continued power loss continues to show: Shen Wei was too weak to heal lao-Li (despite being able to resist Wang Yike earlier on, and heal Butler Wu and Zhao Yunlan), and he's also only barely able to open up the door to Dixing. This is probably part of the reason he pretends Wu Xiaojun could knock him out – he thought he wouldn't be a match in a fight – while the other part is probably part of his suicide kaboom plan. After all, he thinks it was always his responsibility to stop Ye Zun. (And Ye Zun is his brother, and thus his family's dirty laundry.) While he was busy with these thoughts, he was also unconcerned about Zhao Yunlan's fondling of the Guardian Lantern back at the SID.
They changed the passcode, and now one has to hack up half one's blood to open the door.
Zhao Yunlan’s amazing inspirational speechmaking skills continued to be in use when he neatly pivoted the team from Da Qing’s desire for revenge into actually productive Lantern-searching. He also backseat drives all of Zhu Hong’s decisions related to becoming the High Chief in a way that makes me boggle at how the Yashou Chieftains didn’t call foul re: Zhu Hong being Zhao Yunlan’s puppet and the branch thing the SID’s attempt at taking over the Yashou. Especially with some of Zhao Yunlan’s pushiness and speaking on Zhu Hong’s behalf after she became the High Chief.
The face of a man who realizes that the priceless alien artefact was also his dad's paperweight.
Other than that, we get another reminder of Zhao Yunlan’s perspicacity in an additional past flashback where after a few hours in the past, he accurately augurs Ma Gui’s feelings for Fu You and ships it 100%. Alas for him, Ma Gui is the “pine forever from the sidelines” type.
Canon details
Cinematography
A larger than average number of facial close-ups:
Da Qing's rage, Zhao Yunlan's revelation. The Regent's fear, Shen Wei's determination.
We get some good (remaining) team shots!
Zhao Yunlan fondling a Hallow. Hand-pile of promise to return.
I also very much enjoyed this framing:
Shen Wei comforts Guo Changcheng, focus on Chu Shuzhi in the background.
And this one!
All the street shots were pretty nice, tbh. Though the White Rabbit Tnaruatser needs a better sign.
Oh, and Shen Wei's epic battle to get the door open is quite something to behold, though not just for camera angle reasons:
Moral of the story: don't forget your keys.
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
Still the same trenchcoat affair, with a flashback to Kunlun.
Present. Past. Both in blue.
Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
No.
ratbones for introducing me to that most wonderful word.) The Imgur screencap album has 57 images.(There will be some schedule changes for the final three episodes; more to be told with the next 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, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25
Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30
Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35
Episode 36
This week, the team scatters in search of the wick.
Characterization
Did any of you remember lao-Li (Li Hongchun) existed? If you did, well, he's dead now! But not after chasing off all of the crows all by himself. Either the crows were about to leg it anyway due to their Dixingian backup losing, or hitting Da Qing on the head gave Li Hongchun anti-Yashou superpowers. *g*
"No, it's okay, I'm just trying to commit insurance fraud!"
The villain of the week (day?) Mi Lu has more presence than most! Or maybe it's just that we haven't had that many villains of the week recently, just bit players and head honchos? She gives away gameplan too early due to being a Dixing supremacist who's contemptuous of the Yashou and doesn't understand the word "assistant", thus walking all over Ya Qing's ego and authority.
She also shares Ye Zun's questionable taste in trouser fit.
Ya Qing, on the other hand, really doesn't like being treated like a second-rate citizen in her own race's leadership battles, and finally declares how annoyed she is with Ye Zun! (Ying Chun starts jumping with joy in the background.) Suggesting her ancestors' sacred branch be taken into Dixing possession was her final straw. She treats the branch like a sacred relic, too: prays to her ancestors with it and treats it as a lack of endorsement when they don't magically make the branch blossom.
"Behold! I am strong enough to lift the Sacred Wood to the skies!
Lin Jing got in one final show of technical genius! He, too got killed (SID body count: 4, if Li Hongchun counts), but he set up some sort of dead man's switch to send over his pre-recorded video message of how he always loved the SID most and the video record of his last moments and what happened after them. Containing useful information, too, even if it cuts off before Ye Zun confesses to Mi Lu that the Yashou are next on his hit list. Well done, Lin Jing.
As a reward, he ends up in a Magic School Bus crossover.
The remaining SID team neatly splits up to do things and declare what they're going to do – except for Da Qing, who apparently considers himself an extension of Zhao Yunlan. He is slightly useful in the forest labyrinth, as he climbs a tree and finds Mi Lu, but then he regales her with a long speech about how cats are the best that lets Mi Lu thwack him in the gut with dark energy.
In an effort to give him some enrichment to stop the progress of his Alzheimer's, his owner plops leaves on him.
Zhu Hong gets voluntold/manipulated into being the High Chief! Zhao Yunlan just ordered her to do the thing, and then she got the branch to sprout, and her uncle had to convince her to take on the position she claimed. She did use her Yashou powers to kill Mi Lu (the first time we see non-hypnotism powers from her since episode 4!), but there's still some growing and progress left in her arc.
Zhu Hong sucks the life force out of Ye Zun's minions so he doesn't have to!
Guo Changcheng gets told what his power is and because he is the dictionary definition of "too kind to exist", he's sad that it can't be used to directly help people! Then Chu Shuzhi counsels him through getting Dixing powers. I wonder whether this is his first time talking someone through powers awakening – how frequent is it in Dixing for someone's powers to awaken? Did Chu Shuzhi talk a friend through new powers, or perhaps his brother?
I mean, come on, there's a fucking halo involved.
Our very favorite Dixingian's continued power loss continues to show: Shen Wei was too weak to heal lao-Li (despite being able to resist Wang Yike earlier on, and heal Butler Wu and Zhao Yunlan), and he's also only barely able to open up the door to Dixing. This is probably part of the reason he pretends Wu Xiaojun could knock him out – he thought he wouldn't be a match in a fight – while the other part is probably part of his suicide kaboom plan. After all, he thinks it was always his responsibility to stop Ye Zun. (And Ye Zun is his brother, and thus his family's dirty laundry.) While he was busy with these thoughts, he was also unconcerned about Zhao Yunlan's fondling of the Guardian Lantern back at the SID.
They changed the passcode, and now one has to hack up half one's blood to open the door.
Zhao Yunlan’s amazing inspirational speechmaking skills continued to be in use when he neatly pivoted the team from Da Qing’s desire for revenge into actually productive Lantern-searching. He also backseat drives all of Zhu Hong’s decisions related to becoming the High Chief in a way that makes me boggle at how the Yashou Chieftains didn’t call foul re: Zhu Hong being Zhao Yunlan’s puppet and the branch thing the SID’s attempt at taking over the Yashou. Especially with some of Zhao Yunlan’s pushiness and speaking on Zhu Hong’s behalf after she became the High Chief.
The face of a man who realizes that the priceless alien artefact was also his dad's paperweight.
Other than that, we get another reminder of Zhao Yunlan’s perspicacity in an additional past flashback where after a few hours in the past, he accurately augurs Ma Gui’s feelings for Fu You and ships it 100%. Alas for him, Ma Gui is the “pine forever from the sidelines” type.
Canon details
- The Guardian Lantern either responds to probing with dark energy or otherwise feels different to its surroundings with it
- The Hallows went through much chaos before coming to Haixing (but is this a lie by the Regent, or further proof that the Awl ran off much before the rest?)
- Ma Gui prepared two passages to Dixing 10 000 years ago
- Fu You was a snake
- Zhu Hong's father left the Yashou lands to bring humans and Yashou closer together
- Ma Gui didn't know wine/baijiu existed
- Ye Zun eats both people and miscellaneous crap like their guitars
Cinematography
A larger than average number of facial close-ups:
Da Qing's rage, Zhao Yunlan's revelation. The Regent's fear, Shen Wei's determination.
We get some good (remaining) team shots!
Zhao Yunlan fondling a Hallow. Hand-pile of promise to return.
I also very much enjoyed this framing:
Shen Wei comforts Guo Changcheng, focus on Chu Shuzhi in the background.
And this one!
All the street shots were pretty nice, tbh. Though the White Rabbit Tnaruatser needs a better sign.
Oh, and Shen Wei's epic battle to get the door open is quite something to behold, though not just for camera angle reasons:
Moral of the story: don't forget your keys.
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
Still the same trenchcoat affair, with a flashback to Kunlun.
Present. Past. Both in blue.
Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
No.
no subject
tbf, I think that if ZXC knew it was a priceless alien artefact, he still would have used it as a paperweight.
no subject
Very probably! (Unless he wanted to use it as a fancy toilet paper holder instead.) If he can't destroy it due to potentially needing leverage with Dixing, he'll just show it zero respect.
no subject
Oh wow, I watched this episode at least 3 times (probably more) and I admit I didn’t notice that. :)
Oh, and Shen Wei's epic battle to get the door open is quite something to behold, though not just for camera angle reasons
LOL Yes, I like this scene, too.
no subject
It's kinda subtle in motion, but pause to screencap? BAM. Halo.
Shen Wei's epic battle to open the door is so sad and tragic (he could do it so easily before!) yet also very picturesque. He should definitely cough up blood more often. :)
no subject
LITERALLY. I laughed out loud when I came across that in my recent Ya Qing/Ying Chun rewatch! OMG, she's precious.
and he's also only barely able to open up the door to Dixing
I don't think that can be used to measure his strength, since he's breaking through Ye Zun's blockage here and we have no idea how hard that would be for him under normal circumstances?
Hand-pile of promise to return.
And Shen Wei's expression says, very loudly, "I'm lying." *sniffles*
no subject
IKR? It's adorable and hilarious.
Ah yeah, the blockage. Though given how surprised he looks at how he can't open it one-handed, I think he's deteriorated further than he expected. (Or deteriorated below his expected power level; idk how much he's adjusting for the light energy corruption on the instinctual level, if at all.)
Exactly. *joins in on the sniffles*
no subject
I wouldn't be so sad about Lao Li's death if Da Qing wasn't hit so hard by it. He just lost Da Qi, and now this. Poor kitty.
(Ying Chun starts jumping with joy in the background.)
Really? I have to waatch it again! :)
I cannot, just cannot, say 'sacred wood' without turning into a twelve-year-old.
Da Qing looks very pretty there with the leaves all over him and that beautiful eyeshadow.
The face of a man who realizes that the priceless alien artefact was also his dad's paperweight.
LOLOL
Ye Zun eats both people and miscellaneous crap like their guitars
But it seems he can't digest the guitars.
Epic door-opening battle is epic. And very pretty!
no subject
Da Ji's still alive – I don't think she dies until 38 or early 39. But yeah, the only reason I care at all about lao-Li (or Da Ji) is Da Qing.
The perfect test of Yashou leadership, then! "Must be able to say 'sacred wood' without turning into a 12-year-old." :P (Though I suppose the double entendre wouldn't work in Chinese.)
This is a wonderful headcanon and I'm adopting it. Imagine Ye Zun in the middle of the final battle, going all "Brb, gotta hack up a few guitars" and Zhao Yunlan et al being very ??? at it!
no subject
Did any of you remember lao-Li (Li Hongchun) existed?
Sometimes I remember he exists and wish he was more interesting. He could have been a Team Dad. (Arguably the team already has dads, in which case he could have been a Team Grandpa.)
Ya Qing, on the other hand, really doesn't like being treated like a second-rate citizen in her own race's leadership battles, and finally declares how annoyed she is with Ye Zun!
I am also jumping with joy. I'm terribly fond of Ya Qing but I just wish she'd gotten fed up sooner. Could have changed the whole tide of the conflict.
he ends up in a Magic School Bus crossover.
Oh good, I'm glad we're talking about this, because I can only see Magic School Bus when I look at the inside of Ye Zun's belly pocket dimension. Is this supposed to be the literal inside of his body? He's just that much bigger on the inside? I feel like this would trip me up less if it was just a white void or something.
He also backseat drives all of Zhu Hong’s decisions related to becoming the High Chief in a way that makes me boggle at how the Yashou Chieftains didn’t call foul re: Zhu Hong being Zhao Yunlan’s puppet
This is a good point. The Sacred Wood obviously holds a lot of cultural weight, and I don't think the Chieftains have any reason to suspect Zhao Yunlan had privileged knowledge of how to make it sprout (correct me if I'm wrong) so it makes sense thay they'd treat Zhu Hong's ascension as legitimate, but it's surprising Ya Qing didn't immediately make a fuss about her loyalty to Zhao Yunlan, who obviously is maneuvering things to the SID's benefit.
Though the White Rabbit Tnaruatser needs a better sign.
hahahaha ohhh no
no subject
Sometimes I remember he exists, too! But him being more interesting would've required, like ... 10 more episodes of plot and minor character development, which they didn't have the budget for, so. Given that he's nonstop cooking, maybe he could've been the Team Mom? Or Team Grandma with the dried fish for everyone.
YUP. If only she'd have changed her mind when she first had doubts, or run off from Zhu Jiu's anti-Yashou racism. Sigh. (She always was the eyes of the outfit, and often the brains as well.)
I guess this is the *spins wheel* metaphorical representation of his insides? Like, Lin Jing expects to go into a digestive system when eaten, so he sees the digestive system. Shen Wei might see a swirly dark energy thingy. IDK. Fun could've been had, but I guess they wanted to make sure everyone caught on?
I think they must've seen Zhao Yunlan whisper something in Zhu Hong's ear re: the alcohol, but yeah, they wouldn't have suspected Zhao Yunlan had privileged knowledge. They would've certainly seen that Zhao Yunlan was the one suggesting to wait a little bit longer, and definitely that he was the one who acknowledged Ya Qing kneeling, even if he did kneel himself. So do they all trust that Zhu Hong will immediately see the light now that she's the High Chief and will dump Zhao Yunlan's ass, or are they all just going "yes let's ally ourselves with the SID against Ye Zun" as a momentary bit of realpolitik that they'll have doubts about later?
no subject
I like Team Grandma! He fits that so well with the always feeding everyone thing!
Ahhh huh, that makes some amount of sense I guess. I assume that the swirly galaxy place that Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan visit also isn't literally interstellar space, either. And given the fairly breakneck pace of these endgame episodes, viewers might get confused as to where the heck Lin Jing is if it didn't look like he'd been eaten. (Viewer is still slightly confused, but it could have been worse.)
Second thing sounds pretty reasonable to me, but I have a feeling that Fourth Uncle and Ying Chun, at least, have a good deal of respect for Zhu Hong already and aren't expecting her to just stay under Zhao Yunlan's thumb. Well, Fourth Uncle is also probably pleased to have a snake as High Chief.
no subject
Yeah, this. Though now I want all the Hallows spaces and Ye Zun's gut spaces. Would Shen Wei imagine dearest didi's digestion as a swirly black and blue place like the dark energy SFX?
True! Maybe Fourth Uncle is also treating this as an opportunity to get her to move on from her unrequieted crush and find a nice snake/crow/flower boy?