Question re death of Chief's mother

[sef1029]

I don't really understand what happens in this scene. Zhao Xinci kills (tries to kill?) a Dixing with his special gun? Why does he make no attempt to negotiate or save his wife? Why does he think she's willing to die? Why is it so urgent that he try to kill this guy?

The bad guy is holding his wife hostage and he does...what? Blows himself and the hostage up? How and why?

Does Zhao Xinci's symbiote play any role in this drama?

And is this bad guy the one who led Butler Wu and others on the expedition to retrieve the Holy Tools?

i don't understand. Someone, have pity on me.

Comments

[sef1029]

Hmm. It's just so...weirdly ungrounded in the rest of the show. It seems like a throwaway scene instead of a major trauma in ZYL's life. Almost all the cases somehow tie into the overall arc, so why not make this more connected or meaningful?

But thanks very much for the explanation!

[feklar42]

It always felt like a plot bandaid b/c they needed father issues/alienation.

[china_shop]

I think it connects thematically, in terms of sacrifice and loss, though, you know? And in the way Zhao Yunlan's trauma and his father's handling of the situation (and subsequent hardened bigotry) inform a lot of Zhao Yunlan's life choices...

[sef1029]

Loss, definitely. But it doesn't feel like sacrifice to me because the hostage doesn't really have any say in the decision. I think that might be what feels most off about this scene.

Perhaps if I think of the theme as revenge and obsession, I can better fit these events into my understanding?

[china_shop]

But it doesn't feel like sacrifice to me because the hostage doesn't really have any say in the decision.

Oh, I think it's depicting sacrifice done wrong (ie, sacrificing someone else) -- a bad example that ZYL spends his whole life pushing back against. [ETA: That's why he tells his father in ep 29, when Team Merit Brush have kidnapped Zhao Xinci, "I'm telling you, I'm different from you. Instead of having regrets for twenty years, I will follow my heart from the beginning. I want you to know that it is worth it to sacrifice one's self for one's family!"]

But, you know, ymmv. :-)

[sef1029]

That makes sense!