This whole post is so amazing!!! Right now I want to point out two things that really struck me:
Chu Shuzhi is the voice in the back of Zhao Yunlan's mind, the dark angel on his shoulder. Be ruthless. Don't regret it. Solve the problem. Pot, kettle.
Oooh, I love this idea SO MUCH. For one thing, it reminds me of how Danny Arnold claimed that all the characters on Barney Miller were aspects of himself - I vaguely recall he said he'd never been nearly as cool as Harris, but always secretly wanted to be. For another, it's a great way to explain their dynamic in fights like this. Opposing Chu Shuzhi and working hard to batten him down is necessary for Zhao Yunlan to exercise his own self-control--in a sense, it actually IS ZYL exercising his own self-control.
Also, I hadn't noticed this until I read your summary and the moments you point out - but CSZ is tempting fate when he yells that Zhu Hong deserves what she gets, presumably because she's allowed herself to be fooled by the Nightmare Master, who traps her by showing her what she wants ... and then HE gets fooled the same way, to such an extent that it contributes to his falling apart.
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Chu Shuzhi is the voice in the back of Zhao Yunlan's mind, the dark angel on his shoulder. Be ruthless. Don't regret it. Solve the problem. Pot, kettle.
Oooh, I love this idea SO MUCH. For one thing, it reminds me of how Danny Arnold claimed that all the characters on Barney Miller were aspects of himself - I vaguely recall he said he'd never been nearly as cool as Harris, but always secretly wanted to be. For another, it's a great way to explain their dynamic in fights like this. Opposing Chu Shuzhi and working hard to batten him down is necessary for Zhao Yunlan to exercise his own self-control--in a sense, it actually IS ZYL exercising his own self-control.
Also, I hadn't noticed this until I read your summary and the moments you point out - but CSZ is tempting fate when he yells that Zhu Hong deserves what she gets, presumably because she's allowed herself to be fooled by the Nightmare Master, who traps her by showing her what she wants ... and then HE gets fooled the same way, to such an extent that it contributes to his falling apart.