Scene discussion: Ye Zun and Shen Wei fall into the abyss (episode 35)

[trobadora]

Location of scene: episode 35, 22:52 - 25:31

Prior to this, young Shen Wei had to watch Kunlun being sucked into the sky by the Hallows, and Zhao Yunlan has reunited with present-day Shen Wei inside the wormhole. Before they return to the present, Zhao Yunlan wants to watch how the story ended ...



... and our scene begins:

Shen Wei and Ye Zun are reeling a bit from what just happened; everyone else still lies unconscious.



Ye Zun speaks very quietly - not sure if Shen Wei can hear him:

在哥哥心中，终穷还是外人更重要一些。
"Brother, to you, others are more important than me."

And then he continues, just thinking to himself:

可在我心里，哥哥意外的任何人都不过是沙粒芥子。 自从你当年离我而去，我就戴上了这个面具，就为了不想看到这张和你一模一样的脸。
"But to me, anyone else is just dust compared to you, brother. Ever since you left me behind back then, I've been putting on this mask, because I don't want to see this face that looks exactly the same as yours."

While Ye Zun has been internally monologuing, Shen Wei has climbed to his feet and is facing his brother. Ye Zun makes to attack his brother - and is immediately stopped by a black energy effect strong enough that Shen Wei moves to shield himself from it.



Ye Zun, faced with the Hallows pulling at him, reaches out and calls for his brother:

哥！ 救我！
"Brother! Help me!"

Shen Wei - likely remembering Ye Zun's previous ruse during their fight, where he'd pretended to regret things only to then attack - hesitates.



But he doesn't hesitate for long. Shen Wei has already watched one person being torn away from him by the Hallows, and now he's faced with it happening again. Of course he rushes to grab Ye Zun's hand:



They're both visibly straining to hold on to each other:



And then the ground beneath Ye Zun begins to split, and Shen Wei loses his grip on his brother:



Shen Wei can only grasp at air and then stare as Ye Zun is ripped away and falls into the newly-formed abyss:



But it doesn't stop there; Shen Wei's terrible day is not yet over. Suddenly he flinches - something is happening to him. The Hallows' power seems to have latched on to him as well! He lets out a strained sound.

Some Dixingren soldiers appear then, calling for Hei Pao-daren - they seem to be straining and not able to approach. Shen Wei looks back at them over his shoulder and tells them:

接下来 就交给你们了。
"From now, it's over to the rest of you."

And then the ground begins to split under his feet as well ...



The last we see is Shen Wei falling into the abyss as his men call for him.

---

There are two things in particular I want to talk about for this small scene.

Ye Zun's feelings for his brother

• When Ye Zun explains why he's wearing a mask - because he can't stand having a face that looks just like his brother - do you think he's being truthful about his reason? Are there other reasons?


• There's a lot of dramatic irony in the fact that Ye Zun claims to wear the mask to avoid looking like his brother - but his brother, of course, also wears a mask. When did Ye Zun find out about Hei Pao Shi being his brother? How did he feel when he saw his brother wearing a mask, just like him?


• When Ye Zun calls out for Shen Wei to save him, what's going on in his head? Does part of him still instinctively reach out for his brother, or is it a more calculated move?


• This contrast/parallel: how perfect is this? Second chances!
  

Shen Wei falling into the abyss:

• So, in the span of a few minutes, Shen Wei has two important people torn from him, in parallel and contrasting ways: both taken from him by the Hallows; one sucked into the sky, the other pulled into the earth. And then the Hallows are pulling on him as well - and instead of resisting as hard as he can, he seems to be more or less accepting his fate. Do you think he could have resisted the Hallows' pull? (Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun couldn't, but Shen Wei could surely at least have tried harder ...)


• What is going on in Shen Wei's head in this moment? Is he choosing to follow his brother, or is he just giving up? What does he think falling into the abyss will mean? Does he expect them to die?


• For what it's worth, I think he's deliberately choosing to let go. He couldn't keep Kunlun from being taken by the wormhole, and couldn't follow him - he was left behind. And he couldn't keep Ye Zun from being taken by the abyss, but he can follow him, let himself be drawn into the ground as well. If he fights the Hallows' pull and wins, all he's getting is being left behind twice over. It's reckless, because he can't know what awaits them down there, or if either of them survive, but I think to him, following Ye Zun is better than just standing there and watching it happen and doing nothing. It's worth taking a risk on.


• If it is a decision, Shen Wei decides to leave his people behind rather quickly. Well, with Ye Zun gone, the rebel leader is defeated, and Shen Wei isn't needed to protect people from him any more. He probably thinks they can do fine without him. (And they do, from what we can tell, for 10,000 years, until the Guardian Lantern extinguishes.) So he's free to do the reckless, selfish thing if he wants.


• And I'm not sure what role he'd have played if he'd stayed around. He's a war leader, not a peacetime ruler. If he'd stayed, if he'd led his people back to Dixing himself - would it have made a difference? Would the world be different, ten thousand years later? How would he be different? If anyone has thoughts about that, I'd love to hear them!


• I can't help but wonder what the scene looks like to Shen Wei's men. What do they think happened? Do they think the Envoy is leaving them willingly, or do they think he's being taken? Do they think he's dying? Do they expect him to eventually return?
  
  For context - in the scene following this, where Ma Gui and Fu You and an unknown Dixing representative sign the Guardian treaty, and Ma Gui gives the Hallows to Dixing, Ye Zun being trapped in the energy seal, and the energy seal needing the Hallows, is already known to them all. But even though Shen Wei followed his brother into the seal, his fate seems to be entirely unknown. (Did the Hallows deliberately hide Shen Wei?)


• From the department of parallels: Shen Wei couldn't follow Kunlun into the wormhole just prior to this scene; he can and does follow Ye Zun into the ground, willingly or not. And he will, ten thousand years later, follow Zhao Yunlan into the wormhole after all ...

Come talk to me about this scene! ♥

Comments

[elenothar]

One of these days I'll manage not to acquire yet more plot bunnies every time I talk to one of you dangerous people 😅