and that really forces the question: why is Zhao Yunlan so adamantly estranged from his father?
This is just my off-the-cuff take. Not trying to convince you. It's a good question, and it made me have thoughts. :-)
IMO, 90 to 95 percent of ZYL's distaste for his father is personal. ZXC deliberately caused ZYL's mother death, right in front of his eyes, and in that moment ZXC declared she would be okay with his choice. He said, in subtext, not only is the rest of the world more important than my son, but his mother thinks so too.
Since then, I think ZYL has internalised that worthlessness but not forgiven his father for his words and actions (and as far as we know, ZXC has never asked for forgiveness). I don't think that makes ZYL immature. After all, it wasn't just a trauma; it was a betrayal, too. It does make him stubborn and principled in a way, and deeply deeply hurt (a hurt which has scarred over and given him the blackened heart Da Qing refers to in ep 8). Add in incompatible personalities, young!ZYL not having any other visible parent figure to fall back on to help him heal, and the other five to ten percent of political disagreement, and that's enough (for me) to justify ZYL's reactions in the show. Obviously YMMV. :-)
He loves Zhao Yunlan in the most detached way, as his duty as a father, but without affection.
I see affection there, but also someone incredibly unbelievably crap at expressing it and unable to rein in his critical side. /my 2 cents
ETA: I'm not trying to argue that ZXC isn't a terrible father. Just that I personally don't think he's a villain on a par with the Regent.
no subject
This is just my off-the-cuff take. Not trying to convince you. It's a good question, and it made me have thoughts. :-)
IMO, 90 to 95 percent of ZYL's distaste for his father is personal. ZXC deliberately caused ZYL's mother death, right in front of his eyes, and in that moment ZXC declared she would be okay with his choice. He said, in subtext, not only is the rest of the world more important than my son, but his mother thinks so too.
Since then, I think ZYL has internalised that worthlessness but not forgiven his father for his words and actions (and as far as we know, ZXC has never asked for forgiveness). I don't think that makes ZYL immature. After all, it wasn't just a trauma; it was a betrayal, too. It does make him stubborn and principled in a way, and deeply deeply hurt (a hurt which has scarred over and given him the blackened heart Da Qing refers to in ep 8). Add in incompatible personalities, young!ZYL not having any other visible parent figure to fall back on to help him heal, and the other five to ten percent of political disagreement, and that's enough (for me) to justify ZYL's reactions in the show. Obviously YMMV. :-)
I see affection there, but also someone incredibly unbelievably crap at expressing it and unable to rein in his critical side. /my 2 cents
ETA: I'm not trying to argue that ZXC isn't a terrible father. Just that I personally don't think he's a villain on a par with the Regent.