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sid_guardian2023-02-12 11:47 am
trobadora) wrote in sid_guardian2023-02-12 11:47 am
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GUARDIAN REWATCH - Episode 5
Beginning of episode: Huang Linqi gets abducted from his bathtub
Ending of episode: Zhao Yunlan interviews Mirror Girl's boyfriend
Important scenes/developments:
- the university chancellor wants Shen Wei to move out of the teacher dorms
- Lin Jing makes popcorn (what? it's a very important development! :p)
- Shen Wei chooses his new flat
- Wu Tian'en shouts at a lake, is interviewed by Zhao Yunlan and sees a mysterious figure outside
- Shen Wei speaks with Wu Tian'en, and we hear about a mission 20 years ago
- Wu Tian'en pleads with his son, and they reconcile
- everyone pleads with the Black-Cloaked Envoy to save Wu Tian'en
- first glimpse of Dixing as the Envoy takes Wu Tian'en and Wu Xiaojun back and promptly has to save their lives again
- the Longevity Dial projects an image of the Mountain-River Awl
- beginning of the next case: Mirror Girl's disappearance
- Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing go jogging and discover Shen Wei has moved into their neighbourhood
- Guo Changcheng is learning (or not, heh) how to tail people
A random collection of thoughts:
- elenothar pointed out on Friday that they explicitly show Huang Linqi's pyjamas being pulled into the water with him, so he has a reason not to be naked later, LOL. Great thinking! :p
- The chancellor is the worst. "You've been seen with law enforcement, it's dragging the place down! People are gossiping about you, and this is your fault! Get out of here, and stop contaminating everyone! But keep doing your job for the sake of the university's reputation!" UGH. I mean, Shen Wei is already planning to move, so the impact on Shen Wei is mitigated, but that does not in any way improve the chancellor's character. (I think this rewatch is making me dislike him even more!)
You can see from Shen Wei's expression that he's not impressed. And I think his smile when the chancellor urges him to uphold the university's reputation is one step away from rolling his eyes. - Also, interestingly, after last episode's explosion proving to Shen Wei that the Envoy's association with the SID is proving a danger to the SID, here the SID's attention is proving detrimental to Professor Shen's life. Last week, china_shop wondered if the near-disaster might make Shen Wei keep his distance - and now he has twice the reason. But he does move in right across the hall from Zhao Yunlan in this episode, and he clearly never means to stay away from Zhao Yunlan himself. On the other hand, unlike the last episode, he doesn't involve himself in the case at all save for briefly talking to Wu Tian'en, so perhaps he is to some degree keeping his distance from the SID ...
- I love the popcorn scene, and the playfulness of the SID team here.
The only one who's not around for this is Chu Shuzhi, and I think that's meaningful. He's starting to become more integrated into the group, and I'd say his grumpiness is becoming more teasing - Zhao Yunlan himself says in this episode that Chu Shuzhi is changing - but he's still apart to some degree at this point. (Though I love how well he and Zhao Yunlan are working together!) - I love that moment when Huang Senior misnames the SID, Chu Shuzhi starts to correct him, and Zhao Yunlan coughs loudly to stop him. He's capable of deferring to people!
- Zhao Yunlan hones in on Wu Tian'en pretty quickly. He's got great instincts about who's involved, even if the people he seems to focus on aren't the culprits, but other people important to the case. This is the third time, after honing in on Li Qian and Zhang Ruonan!
- I had totally forgotten that little moment when Zhao Yunlan reaches for Wu Tian'en and Wu Tian'en moves away so quickly Zhao Yunlan notices something's up. (And he's not even using his power, though it's a hint at that too, I'd say - but just as much at his background, with the martial training!)
- I had also forgotten that when Shen Wei is shown the flat he intends to take (buy? rent? I'd assumed it was rent, but who knows) he spends most of his time staring out the door at Zhao Yunlan's door across the hall. :D
- I love that in the very moment when Zhao Yunlan asks Wu Tian'en if he's heard of Dixingren, a ~mysterious figure~ passes outside the window. Talk about excellent timing, Shen Wei! Also, I love that Zhao Yunlan (as it turns out in the phone conversation later) recognised him from that brief glance. :D
- Wu Tian'en and Shen Wei: That confrontation is amazing. Again with the dramatic turn, and taking off his glasses! And Wu Tian'en dropping to his knees! Shen Wei warning Wu Tian'en away from Zhao Yunlan! We get a hint at the Envoy's history, post-YOHE - a mission "back then", which must have been over 20 years ago, since after that Wu Tian'en was Boss Huang's butler. And at the very end we discover that Shen Wei had time-frozen the two guys trying to follow Wu Tian'en, so they could have their conversation in peace! DELIGHTFUL.
- Zhu Hong says they've gone through their data and have found "86 types of water-based Dixing powers" - wow! These can't all be SID cases, surely? What kind of records is this information drawn from? Enquiring minds want to know! (Anyone have thoughts? The Dijun Booklet would have that kind of info, probably, but the SID can't have access to it - doesn't even the Envoy need to go to Dixing to consult it?)
- I love that Da Qing suggests (more teasing Zhao Yunlan than seriously, it seems to me) they ask the Black-Cloaked Envoy over - and Zhao Yunlan refuses, and then promptly calls Shen Wei! :D
Also, this phone conversation is a delight. The teasing ("Where are you?" - "You called my landline."), Shen Wei bending the corner of his book, Zhao Yunlan calling him on his appearance outside the café earlier and Shen Wei immediately turning things around and asking whether there's a case at the university, Zhao Yunlan laughing as he recognises the subject-changing strategy ... Zhao Yunlan promising to get to the bottom of whatever's up with Shen Wei, and Shen Wei promising to help if Chief Zhao needs anything ... it's just a short scene, but it's a complete delight in that early-episode cat-and-mouse push-and-pull way. :D
- Wu Tian'en and Wu Xiaojun: It really struck me this time how much their relationship is a parallel to Shen Wei and Ye Zun! Wu Tian'en lost his son and thought him dead, never realising what really had happened; his son blames him for what happened to him and thinks his father wants him dead, never realising his father was desperate to find him again, and was told he was already dead. Wu Xiaojun is lashing out at not only the culprits (real and imagined) but also innocents, just like Ye Zun. And with Wu father and son, the misunderstanding is cleared up, and they reconcile - foreshadowing the very ending!
- Bosses Huang and Li really are pieces of work, what with everything they've done and are doing to Wu Tian'en and Wu Xiaojun - especially Boss Huang, what with all the while pretending to be Wu Tian'en's benefactor and friend. All the fake kindness and concern! And Papa Li tries to get his daughter to consider some other suitor basically the minute Huang Junior disappears. No wonder the Huang Linqi and Li Jiaqi both are fucked up - who wouldn't be, with such fathers? I do like that they have their own little relationship drama/misunderstanding going on in the background. *g*
(IIRC, Papa Li is the one who dies at the wedding later; we never see Papa Huang again, not even at the wedding. I want to believe that means at least one of them suffered actual consequences for what they did!) - MY HEART re: the SID begging the Envoy to save Wu Tian'en! They're all so good. Xiao-Guo is totally ready to use the Sundial himself; Zhao Yunlan is willing to take over and do it himself; Zhao Yunlan has a great speech to the Envoy about how people are people. It must mean so much to Shen Wei. No one in Zhao Xinci's SID would have said such a thing - non wonder he thinks the SID has changed. ♥ And the other way round, Zhao Yunlan gets to see the Envoy save someone's life, and so they both come away having seen something better than expected of the other ... ♥ ♥ ♥
- Shen Wei totally has a Zhao Yunlan-in-danger sense, appearing just when Zhao Yunlan has activated the Sundial! But more than that, he definitely has Hallows radar. We see it most clearly in the confrontation with Ye Zun in the park, IIRC - Zhao Yunlan is in danger there from the start, but SW only senses something and rushes to the rescue when Zhao Yunlan starts using the Sundial.
- Our first glimpse at Dixing, and isn't exactly good. The Dragon Gate looks great and the palace guards have fine uniforms, but we're immediately thrust into politics, backstabbing and attempted murder. The order is blamed on the Dijun here - (his first mention, I think, other than in the name of the Dijun Palace) - but that seems rather unlikely. And much as I'd like to blame the Regent for everything bad in Dixing, I don't think this one's on him either - this looks very much like Ye Zun cleaning up after his would-be minions once again turned out not to be suitable for his plans.
Also, some set-up for next week: Shen Wei gets a clue about that mission from back then and the captain who got away, became a criminal and was shot. (By Zhao Xinci? Very likely.) Now Shen Wei is looking for the guy's family ... - SHEN WEI'S LITTLE SMIRK when he's walking away after telling ZYL he's moved into the neighbourhood! :D (Alas, I could not manage a good screencap. *weeps*)
- Mirror Girl and her boyfriend have a giant bathroom! In any normal flat, someone would long ago have put in an extra wall and turned this into a tiny bathroom and a reasonably-sized extra room ... *g*
Also, the bathtub inside the shower is super weird to me. I hear this is a thing that actually exists in reality, but I've never seen it myself. - Most hilarious line of the episode: Zhao Yunlan's "If someone the Black-Cloaked Envoy took a way could come back as they pleased, I think the Regent's tears would flood all of Dixing." We've already seen Wang Yike, so the viewer knows better! (Also, this is the first mention of the Regent, I believe ...)
(And I do appreciate the continuity nod, since this is the second case in sequence where a person disappears from a bathroom - of course Xiao-Guo would wonder if Wu Xiaojun had returned!)
Discussion starters:
- Anything new you noticed during this rewatch, or had entirely forgotten about? It had been a while since I watched the reunion between Wu father and son, and if I noticed the parallels with Shen Wei and Ye Zun before, I had totally forgotten about it. I really love how this drama leans into its themes and puts ALLLL the parallels and foreshadowing in to reinforce things. ♥
- What's your favourite moment in this episode, and why is it Zhao Yunlan jumping onto the table? - I kid, I kid, my actual favourite bit is everyone begging the Envoy to save Wu Tian'en, but that jump onto the table really is something. :D
- Anyone have thoughts about the painting Papa Huang has on the wall - the one Huang Linqi painted in high school? Zhao Yunlan comments on Papa Huang's taste, but idk what I'm supposed to take from it. Just that it's out of place in their home? (It doesn't look that out of place to me, but then I know little about the sort of art rich people like, LOL.)
- Since Shen Wei takes off his glasses to talk to Wu Tian'en, does that mean he used to go without his mask, back when they knew each other? Why?
- After Shen Wei and Wu Tian'en talk, Shen Wei walks away saying, "Then how much time is there left for me?" What do you think he means by that? (I have never been sure myself. My best guess is the closing of the time loop ...)
- At the end of the Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan phone conversation, Zhao Yunlan says he has questions he wants to ask, but we don't get to hear them. What do you think he asks? (Beyond "are you free tonight?" *g*)
- "These people's crimes will be punished by the law," says Zhao Yunlan. Does that actually happen?
- When Zhu Jiu talks to himself about Wu father and son being useless, he then says it's time for the second stage of the plan. I feel like I'm missing something here ... Help?
- When Shen Wei turns the palace guards into smoke, what does he actually do? Kill them? Stash them somewhere? Him being able to vanish people like that isn't something we see elsewhere, that I can recall, but IIRC we see him pull people into a portal with a similar visual effect, so I wonder if it's related. Is it easier to do in Dixing, with all the ambient black energy, so he doesn't need a portal? (WHY ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME, SHOW. *grumbles*)
Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 14
Most relatable moment in this episode?
View Answers
Zhao Yunlan jumping on the table for popcorn
5 (35.7%)
Lin Jing being forgotten at the crime scene
4 (28.6%)
Wu Tian'en shouting at a lake
2 (14.3%)
Xiao-Guo failing at tailing Lao-Chu
3 (21.4%)
other (see comments)
0 (0.0%)
Let's talk about episode 5!
Come and talk about this episode - anything from favourite scenes or lines of dialogue to notes/questions about continuity or translation, most gorgeous (or angsty) smile, or anything else that strikes your fancy! And share links to your own and/or others' episode-related meta, picspams, and fanworks, new or old!
Links to episode 5 fanworks and meta go here!
- any other episode reactions or related meta
- fanworks, picspams, squee, etc, relating to episode 5 generally or to specific scenes, characters, or events in this episode
Link to your own works and/or others'. Help us build as comprehensive a collection of links as possible!no subject
The timeline in between Ye Olde Haixing and current events is incomprehensible to me. Isn’t Shen Wei in his 30s and would have been a child 20 years ago?
Zhu Hong says they've gone through their data and have found "86 types of water-based Dixing powers" - wow! These can't all be SID cases, surely? What kind of records is this information drawn from?
I understood this to mean data the SID already has themselves - so past cases? A bundled pack of data they got from Dixing at some point? An out-of date copy of the Dijun Book?
Also, this phone conversation is a delight.
Right? They are clearly having fun teasing each other <3
Wu Tian'en and Wu Xiaojun: It really struck me this time how much their relationship is a parallel to Shen Wei and Ye Zun!
Great observation! I think I never noticed that.
Shen Wei totally has a Zhao Yunlan-in-danger sense, appearing just when Zhao Yunlan has activated the Sundial! But more than that, he definitely has Hallows radar.
He better have at least five trackers on the hallows with how little Zhao Yunlan can be trusted not to touch them XD
When Shen Wei turns the palace guards into smoke, what does he actually do? Kill them? Stash them somewhere? Him being able to vanish people like that isn't something we see elsewhere, that I can recall, but IIRC we see him pull people into a portal with a similar visual effect, so I wonder if it's related. Is it easier to do in Dixing, with all the ambient black energy, so he doesn't need a portal?
I interpreted this as his usual teleportation ability with a different visual effect.
As much as I love the idea of a pocket dimension timeout where he puts people to think about what they did, he might just have a regular place (dungeon cell?) reserved for the purpose.
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I think it's just that, like some other Dixingren, he doesn't age at a normal rate. (In his case, it may even be an anti-aging power - he has so many!) So he's looked pretty much the same for the last 20 or 30 years. He says he's 32 at one point, but that's how old he claims to be as Professor Shen, normal human being who totally didn't sleep for 10,000 years under the earth. *g*
I understood this to mean data the SID already has themselves - so past cases? A bundled pack of data they got from Dixing at some point? An out-of date copy of the Dijun Book?
Yeah, it sounds like it's something they have! Maybe it's just a history of cases including from predecessor organisations (there must have been some, during those 10,000 years between YOHE and the founding of the SID!), but I really love the idea of an old copy of the Dijun Book, that's brilliant! :D
Right? They are clearly having fun teasing each other <3
It's delightful! Seriously, this early episode dynamic is such a joy. ♥
Great observation! I think I never noticed that.
I don't think I did either! I love all these parallels.
He better have at least five trackers on the hallows with how little Zhao Yunlan can be trusted not to touch them XD
Haha, yes, and a baby monitor in the SID lab, at the very least! :D
I interpreted this as his usual teleportation ability with a different visual effect.
As much as I love the idea of a pocket dimension timeout where he puts people to think about what they did, he might just have a regular place (dungeon cell?) reserved for the purpose.
Oh, I love that idea! In Dixing at least, he could definitely dump people straight into a cell. In Haixing he presumably needs to hold them somewhere before he can move them through the passage to Dixing ...? *ponders*
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Yes! I found that time freeze (and shot of him unfreezing them) so hot:
Re: *that* phone call- It’s the forearms and the wrists for me. I lose my damn mind over hot people rolling up their sleeves, or putting on/taking off watches, etc. And I really love Shen Wei’s “If there’s anything you need, Chief Zhao, I will cooperate fully…” *thud*
I thoroughly enjoyed Chu Shuzhi’s snark at Guo Changcheng: “Zhao Yunlan’s not even here. What’s the point in sucking up to him?” XD
You mentioned Shen Wei’s LITTLE SMIRK when he’s walking away after he runs into Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing, and I too enjoyed that! So much that I tracked down a (close enough?) screencap of it in
The mirror girl min-arc is one of my faves, so I’m glad we’re heading into that.
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Da Qing's physical mannerisms are amazing! He's such a cat in human form, I keep admiring the hell out of it. :D
I found that time freeze (and shot of him unfreezing them) so hot
Haha, yes! It's all in that casual gesture half behind him, unfreezing them without even looking. :D
I thoroughly enjoyed Chu Shuzhi’s snark at Guo Changcheng: “Zhao Yunlan’s not even here. What’s the point in sucking up to him?” XD
Chu Shuzhi is in high form in this episode! Also snarking at Zhao Yunlan directly - "the instinct of a beast", LOL! :D
You mentioned Shen Wei’s LITTLE SMIRK when he’s walking away after he runs into Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing, and I too enjoyed that! So much that I tracked down a (close enough?) screencap of it in kernezelda’s files.
Oooh, thank you so much! I couldn't manage to get a non-blurry cap, but this is gorgeous. It's such a tiny little moment and it's so perfect! :D :D :D
The mirror girl min-arc is one of my faves, so I’m glad we’re heading into that.
Oh, that's cool! I love it too, but I think I love Wu Tian'en's story more. (That bit with the SID begging Shen Wei to save him just really got to me, you know? *g*)
Re: Links to episode 5 fanworks and meta go here!
episode 5 by
Scene discussion posts:
Wu Tian'en and Shen Wei meet on the street by
the Envoy healing Wu Tian'en by
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(The earnest begging getting to you is totally relatable. They're so soft sometimes- in the best way!)
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And especially this early on, getting to see Zhao Yunlan fully open and earnest about something is seriously a treat. I can't imagine how much it must mean to Shen Wei, even apart from and on top of the "yes, I'm not hesitating any more, Dixingren are people and I'm willing to risk my life to save one" thing ... ♥ ♥ ♥
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The original subs have "animal instinct", which seems a shade less derogatory to me? Any idea which conveys the original sense better?
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ZYL: brings up Li Jiaqi's looks in an attempt to get Wu Tian'en to talk more about her and Huang Linqi
GCC: takes him literally and praises him for his eyesight at such distance
ZYL: snarks back about the chief of course being good at that
CSZ: makes fun of him for the whole thing by also pretending to take it literally
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My favourite quotes from this episode (orig. subs):
I think you're right that Chu Shuzhi is softening. I think he's enjoying working well with Zhao Yunlan, who is competent and decisive and treats him as competent and kind of like a partner/2IC. Love his teasing ZYL and ZYL noticing that he's changed, the bit where Chu Shuzhi is about to apprehend Wu Tian'en on his own and ZYL stops him because they need evidence (19:45), and also the two of them working together to train Xiao Guo. In the scene in Li Jiaqi's bathroom, CSZ walks right up to ZYL and they converse in undertones.
Other random things I noticed:
You can see from Shen Wei's expression that he's not impressed. And I think his smile when the chancellor urges him to uphold the university's reputation is one step away from rolling his eyes.
I didn't read it like that. I thought Shen Wei was sincere when he said he understood and offered to take responsibility. (I may be influenced by currently watching a Kdrama about education and what things parents are inclined to consider a "scandal".)
On the other hand, unlike the last episode, he doesn't involve himself in the case at all save for briefly talking to Wu Tian'en, so perhaps he is to some degree keeping his distance from the SID ...
Yeah, I think this is very deliberate. IIRC, he doesn't get involved in the Mirror Girl case, either, except for acting as consultant.
Zhao Yunlan hones in on Wu Tian'en pretty quickly. He's got great instincts about who's involved, even if the people he seems to focus on aren't the culprits, but other people important to the case.
Ooh, good point. Yes.
Wu Tian'en and Wu Xiaojun: It really struck me this time how much their relationship is a parallel to Shen Wei and Ye Zun!
I noticed that too. So cool, especially that it foreshadows the reconciliation! <3
the captain who got away, became a criminal and was shot. (By Zhao Xinci? Very likely.)
I was trying to figure out if we ever see him. Maybe it's the Dixingren who blows up Shen Xi? Or Bao Laosan's wife?
Zhao Yunlan comments on Papa Huang's taste, but idk what I'm supposed to take from it. Just that it's out of place in their home?
I'd guess that he expected to find classical art (or at least representational art) in a rich person's house, like the stuff at the university. Or traditional Chinese paintings. The abstract piece doesn't really fit with the overall display of wealth? (I got distracted by the ceramic chickens in the shelves at the end of the kitchen counter.)
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This is so Lin Jing! Can't argue with that. *g*
I think he's enjoying working well with Zhao Yunlan, who is competent and decisive and treats him as competent and kind of like a partner/2IC.
Yes! I really like the way they work together, and Lao-Chu is clearly thriving. I wonder if the lower-stakes cases they must have had before contributed to his sense of being out of place - like, "why am I even here? anyone without any powers could be doing this" ...?
During the stakeout outside the Li's place, Guo Changcheng is in the driver's seat.
I noticed that too! I assumed he was the one who drove, yeah.
Wu Tian'en knows where to go to try to talk to his son. (This might be TV convenience, though.)
I think it's absolutely TV convenience, but also it can easily be explained by that lake being an important place for father and son when Wu Xiaojun was little.
Last episode, CSZ could tell on sight that Lin Yufen was ordinary, but he can't tell that Wu Tian'en isn't.
Oh! Great observation, I totally missed that. Yeah, the ability to recognise Dixingren really comes and goes, depending on what's convenient, right? I haven't been able to come up with a fanwank to explain it yet.
During the phonecall, Shen Wei kicks the "unofficial consultant" ball into motion, by saying, "Then, to prove my innocence, if Chief Zhao needs anything, I will do everything in my power to cooperate."
True, he absolutely does! And Zhao Yunlan promptly takes him up on it next episode. :D
I feel like the ring should be more significant. Maybe it's a Dixing ring? Or it's just to make us aware (again) of the importance of jewelry?
I think it's just another important token, a symbol of a relationshipo, yeah.
Zhu Jiu talking about the second step in his plan: could that be tracking down Ding Dun and starting to find the Awl?
I'm having trouble putting this together - would you mind explaining how that would be a second step in this plan, rather than a separate plan?
Investigating Ji Xiaobai's bathroom -- did Lin Jing make a forensics robot bug so he wouldn't have to go to crime scenes and get left behind anymore? Ha!
LOL, yeah, sure looks like it! Maybe he didn't want to get left behind any more? *g*
I didn't read it like that. I thought Shen Wei was sincere when he said he understood and offered to take responsibility.
I think he can be sincere in offering to take responsibility while also being 100% unimpressed by how the chancellor chose to address the issue ... (I really find the guy incredibly unpleasant.)
Yeah, I think this is very deliberate. IIRC, he doesn't get involved in the Mirror Girl case, either, except for acting as consultant.
Yeah, agreed! Definitely looks very deliberate to me. I never picked up on this before; it's fascinating! Really loving all the details this rewatch is bringing out. :D
I was trying to figure out if we ever see him. Maybe it's the Dixingren who blows up Shen Xi? Or Bao Laosan's wife?
The guy who blows up Shen Xi didn't get shot, though - he blew himself up. And we know the missing/dead captain is Mirror Girl's father, so ...
I don't think we see the person in question, but I wish we had, and that this entire arc about the mission 20 years ago had been developed in a bit more detail. It's so fascinating!
The abstract piece doesn't really fit with the overall display of wealth?
I guess I just don't know enough about art, becuase it didn't look obviously out of place to me. *g*
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That seems likely, especially if they involved Yashou rather than Dixingren. Is Zhao Yunlan's "You've changed" because that's the first thing we've seen Chu Shuzhi say to him that isn't directly case-related? And aww, Chu Shuzhi's little smile after he says it. He feels seen?
but also it can easily be explained by that lake being an important place for father and son when Wu Xiaojun was little.
True!
Yeah, the ability to recognise Dixingren really comes and goes, depending on what's convenient, right? I haven't been able to come up with a fanwank to explain it yet.
Maybe there are some people who are just really obviously ordinary, and others who are more ambiguous? If anyone was going to be blatantly ordinary, it would be Lin Yufen.
And Zhao Yunlan promptly takes him up on it next episode. :D
Two birds with one stone! *g* (Get info, and continue to test/investigate/flirt with Shen Wei.)
I'm having trouble putting this together - would you mind explaining how that would be a second step in this plan, rather than a separate plan?
In the overall plan of finding the Hallows, he now knows where the Dial is, even if he doesn't have it yet, and next step, needs to locate the Awl? But I have no idea. And I still don't know how he and Ding Dun connected Wang Zheng to the Awl, unless they just sent a random letter to the SID, to fish, and they got lucky. (But that's a question for a later episode.)
I think he can be sincere in offering to take responsibility while also being 100% unimpressed by how the chancellor chose to address the issue ... (I really find the guy incredibly unpleasant.)
I think he's making pragmatic decisions that are the wrong decisions but are understandable given his age and position. There's just been a rash of murders of students on campus. He's probably fielding calls from a lot of anxious parents, and concerned that the university will get a reputation for something other than academic excellence, which could have negative effects for current staff and students, and alumni, too. I'm not surprised he's taking some small countermeasures, even if they are misplaced.
I never picked up on this before; it's fascinating! Really loving all the details this rewatch is bringing out. :D
Yeah, me too. I'm getting a much stronger sense of the subtle background arcs this time around, rather than viewing the first few episodes as just cases of the week. Events have consequences! It's very cool.
The guy who blows up Shen Xi didn't get shot, though - he blew himself up.
But Shen Wei might not know that?
And we know the missing/dead captain is Mirror Girl's father, so ...
So...? I'm not sure how that changes things.
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That would make a lot of sense!
Maybe there are some people who are just really obviously ordinary, and others who are more ambiguous? If anyone was going to be blatantly ordinary, it would be Lin Yufen.
Hee! I like this idea, Lin Yusen being so obviously normal you couldn't possibly mistake him for anything else. *g*
And I still don't know how he and Ding Dun connected Wang Zheng to the Awl
Yeah, that's definitely something to pay attention to, I can't wait to find out if there's any context we missed!
I think he's making pragmatic decisions that are the wrong decisions but are understandable given his age and position.
Yes, damage control makes sense and I wouldn't hold that against him, and of course Shen Wei wouldn't either! But I wasn't talking about his decision; I meant how he speaks to Shen Wei. How he approaches the topic with him, and the tone and words he chooses. He very much sounds like he personally blames Shen Wei, in a "why are you putting us in this difficult position?" kind of way, when none of this is Shen Wei's fault. Which, ugh.
Yeah, me too. I'm getting a much stronger sense of the subtle background arcs this time around, rather than viewing the first few episodes as just cases of the week. Events have consequences! It's very cool.
Yeah, same here! It really is worthwhile watching it all one episode at a time, and taking the time to think and talk about it, rather than rushing on to the next one!
The guy who blows up Shen Xi didn't get shot, though - he blew himself up.
But Shen Wei might not know that?
I mean, he might be wrong that the guy he's looking for got shot. But since that's literally the only thing we know about what happened to him, dismissing that bit of info opens things up so much, it's not really useful any more?
<And we know the missing/dead captain is Mirror Girl's father, so ...
So...? I'm not sure how that changes things.
You suggested Bao Laosan's wife (who did get shot). Could she have been Mirror Girl's father? It doesn't seem likely to me - her circumstances don't fit with what Shen Wei says about the captain's crimes, and the gender also doesn't fit, and while that doesn't mean they can't be the same person, it again dismisses too much of the very little info we have. It just doesn't feel useful to me to cast the net that wide ...
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I don't have anything else to add (missed this post when it first went up and apparently my brain is a sieve these days), but I did want to thank you for doing these posts every week, I'm really enjoying reading them and seeing what others have noticed this time around <3
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(Luo Fusheng's silk pyjamas are a great place to lay the blame!)
And great to hear you're enjoying the posts! I'm having so much fun with the rewatch, so happy we decided to do this!
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I'm really enjoying watching together with a whole bunch of people who've already seen Guardian before, it's really fun
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Re: Links to episode 5 fanworks and meta go here!