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sid_guardian2023-04-03 10:43 pm
trobadora) wrote in sid_guardian2023-04-03 10:43 pm
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GUARDIAN REWATCH - Episode 12
Beginning of episode: Zhu Hong is drugged by her uncle
Ending of episode: Da Qing trashes Wang Xiangyang's fruit shop
Important scenes/developments:
- Zhu Hong is drugged by her uncle; he wants the Snake Tribe to stay out of the coming conflict
- tense meeting in Shen Wei's office: Zhao Yunlan wants Shen Wei to admit the truth; Shen Wei wants him to let it go
- Tan Xiao invades the SID to steal the Hallows, but Sang Zan's traps as well as Zhao Yunlan's and Shen Wei's arrival stop him
- Da Qing complains about Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei flirting in front of him
- Shen Wei undresses to have his consciousness measured; Zhao Yunlan leans in
- pendant moment: Shen Wei wonders if telling Zhao Yunlan the truth will put him in more danger
- Zhu Hong drugs her uncle, and escapes because all the Snake boys love her
- Zhu Hong is hypnotised, but the SID arrives to take Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi into custody
- first glimpse of the underground fight ring: Zhu Jiu is collecting people's life force
- Tan Xiao explains about Zheng Yi's abusive adoptive father, and is taken away by the Envoy
- Zheng Yi hypnotises Da Qing and makes him give her the Hallows
- Zhao Yunlan figures out the truth about Zheng Yi, but arrives too late
- first look at the Huang/Li wedding: Cong Bo is investigating
- Da Qing has a Kunlun flashback and trashes Wang Xiangyang's fruit shop
>
Thoughts:
- Zhu Hong is not having a good time this episode: first she gets drugged by her uncle, then hypnotised by Zheng Yi! I love that Zhu Hong later makes her uncle drink the poisonous wine himself - I had totally forgotten that. (I also love the Snake Guards standing there staring at the sky, pretending not to see her. Go, Zhu Hong!)
- Of course her uncle means well: he's worried about the Hallows' resurgence leading to another great war, and wants the Snake Tribe to stay out of it. He wants Zhu Hong to stay with her tribe, and sends Guo Changcheng to Zhao Yunlan - but of course Zhu Hong refuses to abandon the SID, and Xiao-Guo refuses to abandon Zhu Hong. ♥
This is also our first look into Yashou politics: Fourth Uncle truly seems to believe that it's inevitable that the Hallows will be misused by bad people, and doesn't care about Haixingren or Dixingren - he just wants his tribe safe, and thinks neutrality can achieve that. But his form of "neutrality" is actively preventing Zhu Hong from helping the SID keep the Hallows safe. Somehow he manages to be simultaneously defeatist (can't help it, war is coming, no point in trying to prevent it) and ridiculously optimist (but it won't touch us if we just stay out of it!) ... - Wang Zheng is teaching Sang Zan to write, and tells him to stop playing with old-fashioned traps. But those traps come in handy very shortly later - go, Sang Zan! Where Lin Jing's defences fail, low-tech is the way to go! :D
- Meanwhile, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei are having a very polite stand-off. The tension between them could be cut with a knife. The way Zhao Yunlan keeps staring at Shen Wei! Shen Wei's stiff politeness (a cup of tea for Zhao Yunlan, and none for himself)! Both their tight expressions!
They look at each other for the longest time, silently, and then Shen Wei starts talking about the case. But Zhao Yunlan isn't interested; he ignores him and goes straight for the personal: all he wants is for Shen Wei to admit the truth to him. (He also doesn't seem to care that Shen Wei just found out someone he knew is dead.) Shen Wei, instead, wants to get them back to the status quo ante with a new, shared understanding - he wants Zhao Yunlan to agree to let things remain unspoken. In all this, Shen Wei is utterly unwilling to give an inch, and Zhao Yunlan is utterly unwilling to let it go. Irresistible force, meet unmoveable object. (And they're both of them both!)
I think there are two basic disconnects between them at this point:- Zhao Yunlan is thinking of this as a personal issue - Shen Wei should be telling him because they're friends. And if he doesn't tell, what does that mean for their personal relationship? So he leans in, earnestly, serious the way he rarely is, puts a chair next to Shen Wei so as to put them side by side, tries his hardest to make him just say it. And Shen Wei's refusal seems like a personal rejection.
Meanwhile, Shen Wei is looking at it all from the cautious perspective of the larger picture, and is running a risk analysis in the back of his mind. (See also later in this episode.) He, just like Zhao Yunlan, wants them on the same side in this - he's angling for an unspoken understanding. I think Shen Wei's little laugh before he goes into his spiel about being an ordinary person is an invitation - now that Zhao Yunlan has figured it out, they can make this a shared pretence rather than a one-sided one - but Zhao Yunlan isn't taking it. As Zhao Yunlan says, it's "a lack of understanding": he doesn't get why Shen Wei is doing this, and it's driving him batty.
They're both wrong here, to some degree: Shen Wei doesn't owe Zhao Yunlan his secrets, no matter how much Zhao Yunlan wants them or how close they are, and Shen Wei isn't denying what's between them at all.
Conversely, keeping this distance between them isn't actually safer for Zhao Yunlan or anyone else, no matter how much Shen Wei hopes it will be, and a shared pretence isn't going to cut it for very long even if Zhao Yunlan did agree here; it would only delay the inevitable, for no appreciable benefit. - Zhao Yunlan never considers Shen Wei may have good reasons for not admitting the truth; he just pushes, and keeps pushing, as if Shen Wei's secrets were a personal affront. Shen Wei, conversely, never considers actually saying, "look, there are things I can't talk about, just trust me that I have reasons for that, okay?" instead of trying to imply the same while Zhao Yunlan utterly refuses to play along.
I think what that comes down to, on some level, is different preferred communication strategies: "say it out loud" vs. "implied understanding". In short, Zhao Yunlan wants Shen Wei to admit the truth out loud; Shen Wei wants Zhao Yunlan to let it go without anything being said out loud. And they're just not possible both at the same time; something will have to give eventually.
- Zhao Yunlan is thinking of this as a personal issue - Shen Wei should be telling him because they're friends. And if he doesn't tell, what does that mean for their personal relationship? So he leans in, earnestly, serious the way he rarely is, puts a chair next to Shen Wei so as to put them side by side, tries his hardest to make him just say it. And Shen Wei's refusal seems like a personal rejection.
- Nevertheless, as soon as an outside crisis erupts, there's no question that they're side by side and heading into danger together. Zhao Yunlan, about to rush out, stops immediately to answer when Shen Wei asks what's up, and when Shen Wei (of course) says he's coming, all Zhao Yunlan does is give a tight nod. Neither of them hesitates for a second; they know that, never mind what tension there is between them, they're in this together.
- Arriving in time, Zhao Yunlan dramatically catches the Awl, and Shen Wei dramatically catches Zhao Yunlan:
Zhao Yunlan, on touching the Awl, has visions for the first time: a wedding guest rolling on the ground (next episode), Zhu Hong and Guo Changcheng passed out at Fourth Uncle's (earlier this episode), Sang Zan's pillar with the Hanga totem (two episodes ago), and Zhu Hong unconscious as Zhu Jiu and Zheng Yi enter the SID (next episode). Then he dramatically sways, and keels over into Shen Wei's arms.
(Well, he still has time to give a little laugh and say he's okay before he passes out! Seriously, THESE TWO.) - I will never get enough of that moment when Shen Wei, with Zhao Yunlan in one arm, throws black energy at Tan Xiao with the other! (Zhao Yunlan doesn't see, but Shen Wei doesn't hesitate at all; he's not worried about that in this moment.
- Da Qing being kitty in human form is THE BEST. Meowing to wake Zhao Yunlan up! :D :D :D
- This episode is really good with the fake-out about Tan Xiao's "powers": the way the focus is always on him when powers are used, even when Zheng Yi is standing right next to him; the way he uses his hands to direct the energy. And it's made to look like Zheng Yi is just Zhu Jiu's hostage. Of course it helps that essentially the same visual effect is used for both powers!
Lin Jing's complaints about his detector being broken are a clue, of course - Tan Xiao isn't using black energy - but at the same time, we know black energy was used (by Shen Wei), which neatly obfuscates things for the viewer. And another hint is in the "Dixingren" apparently having two powers - but again, Shen Wei's own multiple powers show that it's not impossible, and Shen Wei himself explains it away. *g* - Zhao Yunlan leans towards Shen Wei, grinning: "The special Dixing powers these days are a pretty good deal, eh? Buy one, get one free." He's prodding Shen Wei - possibly hinting broadly at the Envoy's powers - and they have another brief tense moment before Shen Wei launches into his speech about mutation. But Da Qing takes it for flirtation, and complains about them making eyes at each other in front of him. :D
Lin Jing: 同志们！ (Literally, comrades - but also slang for being gay.) - If Lin Jing wants an ordinary human to measure the frequency of their consciousness, he needs to run this test on himself, or grab Xiao-Guo before he gets himself serum-ified. Zhao Yunlan is already Hallows-affected, and there are no other humans around. *g*
Of course, Lin Jing's science also somehow involves three keyboards, two of which he's typing on simultaneously, one hand on each. And measuring someone's consciousness somehow also requires the person to take off their shirt. - Not that I'm complaining; Shen Wei in his black undershirt with no glasses on is my absolute favourite look for him, topping even the Envoy costume.
Shen Wei in his undershirt is glorious. So is Zhao Yunlan leaning in. - Shen Wei, leaving the SID, contemplates his pendant and wonders if he should tell the truth after all, or if that would put Zhao Yunlan in more danger.
I just said tochina_shop the other day that I'm really loving how much more clearly Shen Wei's reasoning on that front is emerging during this rewatch! Shen Wei has already seen Zhu Jiu target the SID explicitly because of him (with Lin Yusen) and has attempted to distance himself from them at the time; having been drawn in again, he's found in the Hanga mountains that Zhu Jiu lured the SID in to get at the Awl, probably as bait for the Envoy himself (since it was the Envoy's power that was needed to break open the Awl's pillar), and has stayed away from them afterwards until Zhao Yunlan came to his office again. Of course he's worrying about associating more closely with them! - Zhu Jiu isn't just threatening Tan Xiao and keeping Zheng Yi tied up with a facial mask. He apparently also made promises - an Xiao asks if it's true Zhu Jiu can cure her - I'd totally forgotten about that!
And Tan Xiao is very offended when he thinks Zhu Jiu is implying they're a couple ("you can stay together forever"), but I think Zhu Jiu is actually implying they'll both wind up dead. - When Zhu Jiu brushes his hair aside, we see a brief glimpse of his scar!
- Zhao Yunlan wonders why Shen Wei is here (in Haixing? with the SID?), and considers a new career as a sketch artist. (Shen Yi need fear no competition, LOL.) Da Qing watches him, clearly noticing something's up.
- Somehow - despite saying earlier he found no trace of black energy after the SID invasion - Lin Jing is able to trace "the Dixingren's energies" - is he just scanning for sonic disruptions? After all, that's what Tan Xiao's gadget and Zheng Yi's power have in common. (He can't just be scanning for black energy in general; if they could do that widely, they'd be finding all the Dixingren in the city as soon as they used their powers.)
Da Qing says it's "near Zhu Hong's place" - or is it "near Zhu Hong's family"? Same word; unclear. From the map, it looks like it's cultivated fields; from the scene itself it seems like it's a park. (The pillars!) I'd have assumed Zhu Hong lived in the city, closer to the SID, and the Snake Tribe village of course is deep in the woods. Perhaps this is adjacent to those woods? - Time isn't real in this episode. Not only did Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, earlier, manage to get from the university to the SID in time to stop Tan Xiao without using a portal (because that would have been an admission; Zhao Yunlan would be gloating!) - when Zhu Hong is accosted and hypnotised by Zheng Yi and Lin Jing tracks down these "energies", it seems like it's the very next moment when everyone arrives: not just Chu Shuzhi, who earlier went out to look for her and Guo Changcheng and might conceivably be around there at that time, but also Lin Jing, Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan, who have somehow made their way there from the SID with no time lost. *baffled*
- First glimpse of the underground fight ring! The fight club manager has been supplying Zhu Jiu with young men - and he kills them himself, while Zhu Jiu only steals their life energy! And we see Zhu Jiu work with a human, not just with Dixingren.
I wonder if the choice to put that scene here is meant as a clue, since Tan Xiao is also human? - Zheng Yi and Tan Xiao were taken in without resistance. When Tan Xiao explains about Zheng Yi's abusive father, Zhao Yunlan is sympathetic - "but unfortunately, you committed murder, so I have to follow protocol." (Which is very similar to what the Envoy says about Zheng Yi in episode 14!)
- When the Envoy appears, there's more tension in the air than usual, and the Envoy ignores Zhao Yunlan entirely, only taking Tan Xiao away while Zhao Yunlan stares at him. And Da Qing calls Zhao Yunlan out: "Did you upset him somehow?"
Zhao Yunlan says he probably knows the reason, but I wonder if it's more than just the tension that's been between them all this episode - after all, Shen Wei is deceiving the SID about Tan Xiao being Dixingren, and very likely wants to get out quickly to handle things himself. - In the SID lab, the covers for the Hallows have been replaced already. Lin Jing must have ordered them en gros. *g* Zhao Yunlan feels things were too easy, and Lin Jing talks about weak Dixingren losing control over their powers - which makes Zhao Yunlan immediately start to put things together. Zheng Yi's facial mask, Zheng Zhongyuan and his research - his new theory is that Zheng Yi lost control of her powers, and he realises Da Qing is in danger.
Of course, in the flashback, Zheng Yi doesn't look like she lost control at all. Still, she almost never speaks, and she does wear a facial mask that apparently stops her power from erupting similarly to Wang Yike's gloves, so it seems she does have some trouble not using her powers when she doesn't want to. (The murder scene is the first time we see her talk! - In a nice bit of parallelism, Shen Wei has also figured out who's the real Dixingren in this case. He hovers in the air to intimidate Tan Xiao, and finds the proof he expected. And if he was going to tell the SID, now it's too late, as Zheng Yi has already hypnotised Da Qing, but he'll say later he was hoping to handle this himself. Perhaps because Zheng Yi is a child, and he didn't want to be forced to take her to Dixing.
- Zheng Yi has hypnotised Da Qing and makes him take her to the SID and give her the Hallows. (Where are Wang Zheng and Sang Zan during this? On a date?)
Was this the plan all along? Given that Zheng Yi and Tan Xiao were taken in without resistance, Zhao Yunlan suspects it as soon as he realises the truth about Zheng Yi - but I don't think it's actually true. Tan Xiao's aborted call for Zhu Jiu when Zhao Yunlan confronted them in the park seemed genuine, and more importantly, when Zheng Yi is on the way out of the SID, we find out that Zhu Jiu told her the SID will take Tan Xiao to the Huang/Li wedding, and he'll take her to Tan Xiao if she just gets the Hallows for him. This can only have happened after she and Tan Xiao were separated! Did Zhu Jiu approach her in the hospital? Was Da Qing asleep? - Our first look at the Huang/Li wedding! Li Jiaqi's father says Huang Linqi's father is in hospital, which is why he's not here. I'd forgotten that - and unfortunately it means both fathers got away without serious consequences for what they did to poor Wu Xiaojun.
Ominously, the groom doesn't respect the tradition that it's unlucky to see the bride before the ceremony ... - Meanwhile, we get an excellent first look at Cong Bo, sneaking into the wedding. He seems to be aafter Papa Li and Minister Gao suspecting corruption/nepotism. And Cong Bo has chutzpah, passing himself off as Minister Gao's bodyguard!
- Zheng Yi, when leaving with the Hallows, seems to simply have left hypnotised Da Qing behind, rather than letting him go - or maybe she deliberately sent him out to cause mischief/a distraction? Anyway, he comes across Wang Xiangyang's fruit shop, hears a mother scolding her child and has Kunlun flashbacks (though the name isn't mentioned here), then starts trashing things. Beginning of the arc about Da Qing and his memories!
Poor Wang Xiangyang! I find him boring as an antagonist, but he's pretty good as the slightly pathetic neighbour.
Discussion starters:
- What's your favourite moment in this episode? Mine has to be the sequence where Zhao Yunlan catches the Awl, Shen Wei catches Zhao Yunlan, and then swings him around while throwing black energy at Tan Xiao. That is such a fantastically choreographed scene, and they both look amazing. :D
- Did you scream "Just tell him already!!!!" at Shen Wei? Do you feel like you understand why he doesn't?
- Anything you noticed on this rewatch that you didn't before? I don't think I ever realised that Zhu Jiu must have been in touch with Zheng Yi after the Envoy took Tan Xiao away!
- When Lin Jing looks for volunteers to measure the frequency of human consciousness, Zhao Yunlan immediately starts to rub his temple and fakes a headache before he says he'll do it - he's clearly angling for Shen Wei to step up for him again, like he did with the drink in the village. Is he so sure that will work? What result does he hope to get? And likewise, why does Shen Wei agree? To show Zhao Yunlan that not admitting the truth isn't the same thing as actively hiding it? (I mean, that would tally with him afterwards calling ZYL out on his fake headache, making it clear he knows! And heh, Zhao Yunlan's look when he realises he's been caught out!) Any thoughts/theories?
Most importantly, does neither of them care that they're undermining Lin Jing's efforts to protect them from mind control? What about the science?! *grumbles - Shen Wei's field of consciousness never fluctuating, as if he were dead: so many questions! a) : a) since when do dead people - in a canon without ghosts! - have any consciousness at all, static or otherwise? and b) what does this mean in drama terms, apart from being a novel call-out?
- Speaking of science: Lin Jing's detector never picks up Shen Wei's black energy. I wonder how that works - can he suppress any emanations so well that they can't be measured, or is he sabotaging detection overall? - My favourite theory is that he has a specific "cannot be detected" Dixing power, which is simply always switched on. What's yours?
- When Lin Jing expounds on Dixing powers going out of control and Dixingren accidentally hurting themselves and others, he explains to Zhao Yunlan that this happens a lot. How does he know, when Zhao Yunlan apparently doesn't?
- And finally, the most important question of all: Comfort lollipop vs. comfort kitty - which would you prefer? :D
Let's talk about episode 12!
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 12 fanworks and meta go here!
- any other episode reactions or related meta
- fanworks, picspams, squee, etc, relating to episode 12 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!Re: Links to episode 12 fanworks and meta go here!
Guardian Episode by Episode: 12 by
Zhao Yunlan & Shen Wei talk and have two different conversations by
Tan Xiao breaks into the SID and Zhao Yunlan catches the Awl by
Focus on: Tan Xiao & Zheng Yi by
Re: Links to episode 12 fanworks and meta go here!
no subject
In short, Zhao Yunlan wants Shen Wei to admit the truth out loud; Shen Wei wants Zhao Yunlan to let it go without anything being said out loud.
This is an excellent analysis of what makes this conversation so frustrating for both of them <3
I understand Zhao Yunlan wanting to talk openly now that they are seemingly on the same page and his frustration is so palpable when Shen Wei keeps ignoring his questions. I really emphasize with him in this scene; he has no idea what else Shen Wei is keeping from him, or why.
There is another scene much later on that puts Zhao Yunlan on the opposite side of a similar interaction: When he is trying to let Zhu Hong down gently, but she keeps pressing for an answer (episode 31 iirc) . In that scene it is Zhao Yunlan who refuses to just say the truth they both know out loud.
Shen Wei undresses to have his consciousness measured; Zhao Yunlan leans in
I’m salivating over Shen Wei’s bare arms<3.
But why is he letting them scan him? He must know they might notice he’s not Haixingren.
Also why does Zhao Yunlan give the excuse with the dust? He could just say “I was checking if you’re ok”.
Zhao Yunlan wonders why Shen Wei is here (in Haixing? with the SID?), and considers a new career as a sketch artist. (Shen Yi need fear no competition, LOL.)
Zhao Yunlan’s drawing is adorable. He should also draw little hearts on the page
My favourite theory is that he has a specific "cannot be detected" Dixing power, which is simply always switched on. What's yours?
I also like the idea of some kind of passive Solid Snake power that cloaks him from detection.
Zhu Hong drugs her uncle, and escapes because all the Snake boys love her
I don’t quite get the part where Xiao Guo helps Zhu Hong escape. Like, what’s even the plan?? How is Guo’s disguise helping? She could just leave? And where did they get the wig
On a side note, I want to know what brand of lipstick Zhu Hong uses – perfectly crisp all day, even in combat situations.
no subject
There is another scene much later on that puts Zhao Yunlan on the opposite side of a similar interaction: When he is trying to let Zhu Hong down gently, but she keeps pressing for an answer (episode 31 iirc) . In that scene it is Zhao Yunlan who refuses to just say the truth they both know out loud.
Oooh, that is a fascinating comparison, and a great point - you're right, with Zhu Hong for the longest time Zhao Yunlan is very in a "don't mention it" kind of mode. And now that I think about it, perhaps that is why Shen Wei's refusal to speak is getting under his skin so much, because this, the Zhu Hong situation, is the kind of circumstances where he could understand such behaviour, but even considering casting himself as Zhu Hong in relation to Shen Wei has got to hurt.
I’m salivating over Shen Wei’s bare arms<3.
And the black frames them so nicely! Gorgeous. :D
But why is he letting them scan him? He must know they might notice he’s not Haixingren.
I'm not sure it's actually possible to prove someone's Dixingren from a physical exam, or surely it would be used for that purpose at least once? But yeah, he's giving something away, since his readings aren't normal. But then he's never hesitated to let them see other ways in which he's not a normal Haixing professor (see: the interrogation room scene!), so perhaps to him this is just an extension of that. Maybe it doesn't matter so long as there's still (im)plausible deniablitiy, and it could also be gesture for Zhao Yunlan's sake, trying to make it clear that he's not actually trying to deceive him, only to leave some things unspoken?
Also why does Zhao Yunlan give the excuse with the dust? He could just say “I was checking if you’re ok”.
I always took it that he was so flustered, he ended up talking nonsense. :D
some kind of passive Solid Snake power
I'm not sure what that means, would you mind explaining?
I don’t quite get the part where Xiao Guo helps Zhu Hong escape. Like, what’s even the plan?? How is Guo’s disguise helping? She could just leave? And where did they get the wig
Where they got the wig is a VERY good question, LOL!
I'm not entirely clear on it either, but I think perhaps she knew that she could get away alone, but not together with Xiao-Guo (because the guards would look away for her, but not for him), and she knew she had to knock her uncle out because no matter how the guards felt about her, they would listen to him if he were actually there. So putting Xiao-Guo in the wig was mainly about keeping him occupied while she found the means to get him out of the way? Idk. I feel like I'm missing something, LOL.
On a side note, I want to know what brand of lipstick Zhu Hong uses – perfectly crisp all day, even in combat situations.
Hee! She does look excellent in this episode, even when she's hypnotised and being injected by Lin Jing:
no subject
Zhao Yunlan does think he is being rejected by Shen Wei in this scene, doesn't he? As you said above, it never occurs to him that there might be reasons for Shen Wei to be this stubborn. Though to be fair, Shen Wei is giving him nothing – something along the lines of “I can’t tell you everything right now but I will someday” would go a long way…
I'm not sure what that means, would you mind explaining?
Oh sure, sorry. I meant it as a reference to the main character Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid, which is a game all about stealth and sneakiness. Metal Gear is the origin of a meme where the player stays undetected by hiding in a box . So I essentially just meant a power to stay undetected in plain sight XD
But then he's never hesitated to let them see other ways in which he's not a normal Haixing professor (see: the interrogation room scene!), so perhaps to him this is just an extension of that. Maybe it doesn't matter so long as there's still (im)plausible deniablitiy, and it could also be gesture for Zhao Yunlan's sake, trying to make it clear that he's not actually trying to deceive him, only to leave some things unspoken?
It’s true that Shen Wei has never been very careful around the SID. But I really like this idea that it’s a concession to Zhao Yunlan specifically♥. Sort of extending an olive branch?
Although I don’t know how Shen Wei will sleep at night after giving his fellow scientist bad data on purpose XD
no subject
Yes! And it does, eventually - in the bomb defusing scene at the hospital, that's exactly what Shen Wei says: "the secrets I'm keeping from you, one day you'll definitely know them", and that's enough to resolve the tension from the kitchen scene. ♥
Metal Gear is the origin of a meme where the player stays undetected by hiding in a box
Hee! That is amazing. Thank you for sharing,a nd I see what you mean! :D
It’s true that Shen Wei has never been very careful around the SID. But I really like this idea that it’s a concession to Zhao Yunlan specifically♥. Sort of extending an olive branch?
Yeah, I really like it too. :D
Although I don’t know how Shen Wei will sleep at night after giving his fellow scientist bad data on purpose XD
Seriously! How terrible. For shame, Professor Shen! *g*
no subject
I assumed that Xiao Guo was there so that if anyone (anysnake) passed by they would see "Zhu Hong" safely tied up, and so would not go in to ask Fourth Uncle where she was, in which case they would have realized that she'd drugged him and left. Aside from the horny single guys who happened to be on guard duty, I'm guessing not ALL of the Snake Tribe would approve of her escape.
And wow, that is a gorgeous pic of Zhu Hong!
no subject
And right? She looks AMAZING.
no subject
no subject
And this is so shortly after being drugged by Wang Zheng and hypnotised by Shen Wei, too! *pets her* Good thing she's resilient.
But those traps come in handy very shortly later - go, Sang Zan! Where Lin Jing's defences fail, low-tech is the way to go! :D
Yes, though Tan Xiao dodges the darts ridiculously easily. It's like that whole scene happens in slow motion. Maybe it's an effect of the Hallows?
and then Shen Wei starts talking about the case. But Zhao Yunlan isn't interested; he ignores him and goes straight for the personal
Yeah, but at the same time, he is listening. He later talks about mind control (a reference to Shen Wei saying that whatsisface wouldn't have committed suicide; it must have been coerced) and when he figures out Tan Xiao isn't Dixingren, he remembers Shen Wei talking about the research, too. I love that he's managing to burst with frustration and pay attention at the same time. *g*
Shen Wei should be telling him because they're friends. And if he doesn't tell, what does that mean for their personal relationship? and Shen Wei doesn't owe Zhao Yunlan his secrets, no matter how much Zhao Yunlan wants them or how close they are
I see this slightly differently, on two counts. Firstly, I think for Zhao Yunlan, the personal is professional. His job is his life. He says in the Hanga arc that the people at 4 Guangmin Road are his; they're his family, his to protect. He's tried to bring Shen Wei into that family, and Shen Wei keeps refusing, but Shen Wei has also aligned himself with them, as the professor and as the Envoy. And almost all of their interactions blur the line between work and personal -- their late-night chats about cases and Dixingren in Shen Wei's office, etc. So I think this is a professional matter and a personal matter, because the two can't be separated. (And they can be separated even less now he knows Shen Wei's other identity.)
Secondly, I'm going to get a bit apologist for Zhao Yunlan here: I definitely feel like the Envoy doesn't owe anyone his secrets, but maybe Shen Wei as Zhao Yunlan's "intimate friend"... kind of does a bit? Like, that doesn't mean he has to tell, but I think it's fair for Zhao Yunlan to feel a little bit betrayed and pushed away because he didn't know. It's not just that Shen Wei's been hiding a part of himself (his being Dixingren) -- that would be completely understandable. Here, he's been a whole different person, interacting with Zhao Yunlan and pretending not to know him well. (And a person with a vast mythos behind him, who Zhao Yunlan has only recently started to see as a person, at that.) This potentially changes everything, right? It turns everything he thought he knew about Shen Wei on its head. And it reframes every single interaction they've ever had: has Shen Wei been testing him (and if so, has Zhao Yunlan been failing)? is this some kind of bizarre mind game (and if so, to what end)? what's with the flirting??
In a way, it's like Zhao Xinci not telling about Zhang Shi; that was Zhao Xinci's secret to keep, but look at the cost of that silence for Zhao Yunlan and his childhood and sense of family. And when Zhao Yunlan does find out about Zhang Shi, he must have to reevaluate everything about his relationship with his father. I think this is similar. Does anything he knew about Shen Wei still hold? How many of Shen Wei's reactions have been because of Envoy stuff, and Zhao Yunlan didn't know? All that protecting and trying to sideline Zhao Yunlan -- what did that really mean? And here's Shen Wei still putting on the act. (Particularly galling, perhaps, now that Zhao Yunlan is starting to figure out how much Shen Wei hates being on the receiving end of insincerity.) (Which is, I think, why Shen Wei is so transparent with his lies; he doesn't want to do that to Zhao Yunlan. But still!)
Conversely, keeping this distance between them isn't actually safer for Zhao Yunlan or anyone else, no matter how much Shen Wei hopes it will be
Or maybe it is? Maybe it would have gone even worse earlier if Shen Wei had officially joined forces with the SID. But I don't think it's safer for the world. It's going to take their combined efforts to protect Dragon City and Dixing, and at some point Shen Wei is going to have to accept that protecting Zhao Yunlan can't be his sole priority. You know?
(Otoh, I feel like one of Shen Wei's motives for keeping his identities separate is protecting his role at the university, and Zhao Yunlan must know that and isn't taking it into account at all. Maybe if he'd talked to him about it somewhere that wasn't Professor Shen's office, he'd have had better luck??)
Zhao Yunlan, about to rush out, stops immediately to answer when Shen Wei asks what's up, and when Shen Wei (of course) says he's coming, all Zhao Yunlan does is give a tight nod.
LOL, I love that. I love how Shen Wei's cover just completely dissolves at the first sign of danger. If he was an ordinary professor, what on earth use would he be?
Thanks so much for listing the visions! I found it interesting that the wedding guest's face wasn't clearly visible -- with his blue suit and white shirt, he looks a bit like Shen Wei to me. Maybe that's a deliberate fake-out?
I will never get enough of that moment when Shen Wei, with Zhao Yunlan in one arm, throws black energy at Tan Xiao with the other!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh yes!! So good!!!! (Fwiw, I think this is where Shen Wei starts to figure out Tan Xiao is human. He's all flimsy, and Shen Wei has a reaction there. YMMV, but I think that's why he's willing to subvert Lin Jing's science project.)
Da Qing being kitty in human form is THE BEST. Meowing to wake Zhao Yunlan up! :D :D :D
SO GOOD!!!!!!
I'm really loving how much more clearly Shen Wei's reasoning on that front is emerging during this rewatch!
Yes, it really rewards a close reading, doesn't it? Things that seem arbitrary and frustration (Shen Wei refusing to speak!!) come into focus as strategic and well-motivated. Love it!!
but I think Zhu Jiu is actually implying they'll both wind up dead.
Ha, you're probably right. That tracks.
Zhao Yunlan wonders why Shen Wei is here (in Haixing? with the SID?), and considers a new career as a sketch artist. (Shen Yi need fear no competition, LOL.)
I found Zhao Yunlan's muttered, "What's your real purpose for coming here?" so interesting -- I'd forgotten that. He's not questioning why the Envoy is hiding his identity, or what his overall agenda is. It's this one specific aspect that's bothering him. (Secretly hoping Da Qing's teasing about the Envoy coming to Haixing to see his lover (ie, ZYL) is true? *g* Though he must see that Shen Wei's cover was established well before they met (as far as he knows).)
(Who's Shen Yi?)
and the Snake Tribe village of course is deep in the woods. Perhaps this is adjacent to those woods?
That's what I assumed: a part of the city on the way to the Snake Tribe village.
The fight club manager has been supplying Zhu Jiu with young men
For money, too. I think he might be the most morally bankrupt person in the show. ;-p (Where does Zhu Jiu get those wodges of cash? And given he has access to them, why does he live in that abandoned warehouse?)
I wonder if the choice to put that scene here is meant as a clue, since Tan Xiao is also human?
Oh, that's a good catch! It's definitely thematically on point.
"but unfortunately, you committed murder, so I have to follow protocol."
Cool motive. Still murder. /Jake Peralta, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
In the SID lab, the covers for the Hallows have been replaced already. Lin Jing must have ordered them en gros.
LOLOL!
but he'll say later he was hoping to handle this himself. Perhaps because Zheng Yi is a child, and he didn't want to be forced to take her to Dixing.
I don't think that can be it. He was catch-and-releasing before -- Wang Yike, for example. I think it's more that Zheng Yi's power is very dangerous, and Zhu Jiu is using her, and he wants to insulate the SID from that danger as much as possible.
Did Zhu Jiu approach her in the hospital? Was Da Qing asleep?
Maybe Ya Qing? We see her at the hospital in a later episode. But yes, someone from Team Ye Zun must contact Zheng Yi and manipulate her, and having lost the one person she trusts, she'd be desperate enough to do anything to get him back.
Li Jiaqi's father says Huang Linqi's father is in hospital, which is why he's not here. I'd forgotten that - and unfortunately it means both fathers got away without serious consequences for what they did to poor Wu Xiaojun.
Yeah. :-(
What's your favourite moment in this episode?
I couldn't stop watching the "I only want to hear the truth from you" scene over and over, so I'll have to say that, but your choice is also EXCELLENT. *g*
Did you scream "Just tell him already!!!!" at Shen Wei? Do you feel like you understand why he doesn't?
In some ways, I feel like the more Zhao Yunlan pushes, the more Shen Wei has to retreat. Zhao Yunlan knows he's talking to the Envoy, but he's not acting like it. What happens to their official working dynamic if Zhao Yunlan gains a concession but just keeps pushing and pushing further and further?
And likewise, why does Shen Wei agree? To show Zhao Yunlan that not admitting the truth isn't the same thing as actively hiding it?
I think that has to be part of it. It's a concession, without giving in the whole way. Of course, it's not enough to satisfy Zhao Yunlan...
Shen Wei's field of consciousness never fluctuating, as if he were dead
I wondered if he went into the equivalent of energy-seal stasis? And when Zhao Yunlan's examining his face, I never think it's romantic -- it looks more to me like he's searching for signs of Envoy-ness -- age, mask lines, etc. *g*
Speaking of science: Lin Jing's detector never picks up Shen Wei's black energy.
A "cloaking" power -- hee! (Or maybe as the Envoy he has a talisman/red stamp that lets him pass through the security system and renders him invisible to other detectors? Although that doesn't work with Zhao Xinci being able to enter but still tripping the detector. Hm.)
How does he know, when Zhao Yunlan apparently doesn't?
He has access to a lot of top secret info and research via Professor Ouyang?
Definitely comfort kitty!
I'll have to come back tomorrow with my other notes. This is already too long!! But really great post! \o/
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Oh, yes, very good point! Poor Zhu Hong.
Yes, though Tan Xiao dodges the darts ridiculously easily. It's like that whole scene happens in slow motion. Maybe it's an effect of the Hallows?
I thought the slow motion was just the camera, and Tan Xiao got lucky, but I like the idea of Hallows shenanigans!
Yeah, but at the same time, he is listening.
Yes, in the moment he's utterly uninterested in talking about that, but that doesn't mean he's ignoring it. It's just shunted to the side until he has use for the information. I love that, too. :D
I see this slightly differently, on two counts. Firstly, I think for Zhao Yunlan, the personal is professional.
Yes, I agree that for Zhao Yunlan the boundaries are so blurred as to not really be there, and you have a very good point that Shen Wei has been blurring those lines just as much, when it comes to the two of them. But what I meant is that what he talks about is all personal feelings - his desire to hear him say the truth, his confusion and lack of understanding for how Shen Wei is acting.
I definitely feel like the Envoy doesn't owe anyone his secrets, but maybe Shen Wei as Zhao Yunlan's "intimate friend"... kind of does a bit?
Hm, two things - one, IMO that depends heavily on where their personal relationship is at, just then - and I think it hasn't progressed far enough yet. It's absolutely fair for Zhao Yunlan to feel pushed away, and it's also true that they've been getting closer under somewhat false pretenses, that this knowledge reframes every interaction they've had. But at the same time, the trust between them has been building slowly, and no matter how important their relationship is to both of them already, it feels to me like they haven't reached the point beyond which Zhao Yunlan would definitely have a right to feel betrayed. That's subjective, of course, so YMMV.
The other thing is that Zhao Yunlan isn't just asking his personal friend to confide in him; he is asking the Envoy, because there's no separating the two. Shen Wei can't confide in Zhao Yunlan personally without also confiding in him as the Envoy. Zhao Yunlan talks to him entirely as the Shen Wei he's come to know (maybe because he doesn't want things between them to be different?), and even though he's asking for the truth about him being the Envoy, he's at the same time not really acknowledging it in the way he talks to him, you know?
In a way, it's like Zhao Xinci not telling about Zhang Shi; that was Zhao Xinci's secret to keep, but look at the cost of that silence for Zhao Yunlan and his childhood and sense of family.
That's a good point about the dual-identity secrets and their ramifications!
(From Zhao Xinci's side, I think the issue is almost the exact opposite of this - hiding his secret leads to him withdrawing from his family, whereas Shen Wei is very much not planning to hide forever, or withdrawing at all - but that's a different matter.)
(Particularly galling, perhaps, now that Zhao Yunlan is starting to figure out how much Shen Wei hates being on the receiving end of insincerity.) (Which is, I think, why Shen Wei is so transparent with his lies; he doesn't want to do that to Zhao Yunlan. But still!)
Oh, yes, that's an excellent point! Entirely agreed about the transparency of his pretence - Shen Wei isn't trying to deceive. Certainly not at this point, and from the start he's been making it obvious that there was more going on with him.
Maybe it would have gone even worse earlier if Shen Wei had officially joined forces with the SID. But I don't think it's safer for the world. It's going to take their combined efforts to protect Dragon City and Dixing, and at some point Shen Wei is going to have to accept that protecting Zhao Yunlan can't be his sole priority. You know?
Very true about their combined efforts! But at this point neither of them have any idea yet just how high the stakes will end up being, so it makes sense that Shen Wei isn't taking that into account.
(Otoh, I feel like one of Shen Wei's motives for keeping his identities separate is protecting his role at the university, and Zhao Yunlan must know that and isn't taking it into account at all. Maybe if he'd talked to him about it somewhere that wasn't Professor Shen's office, he'd have had better luck??)
Oh, that's a fascinating question! Tbh I'm not sure if Zhao Yunlan does know it, but he could have thought of it. I think he's talking to him in his office because he's appealing to the Shen Wei he knows, the relationship they've built based on all their office chats - but if he'd gone about it differently, I don't know how things might have gone. What a cool canon divergence idea!
(Maybe if he'd acknowledged the truth of Shen Wei not just being Professor Shen in the way he approached him ...? Or even approached him as the Envoy first? - I want that AU now!)
I love how Shen Wei's cover just completely dissolves at the first sign of danger. If he was an ordinary professor, what on earth use would he be?
Well, he's not dropping the cover to the point of portalling them to the SID, even though it does appear they arrive there in moments. *g* And he was putting himself in the middle of cases long before Zhao Yunlan knew he was the Envoy (see episode 4!). But this is such a great moment! Everything else just stops mattering: they have a crisis, and they're dealing with it together. ♥
I found it interesting that the wedding guest's face wasn't clearly visible -- with his blue suit and white shirt, he looks a bit like Shen Wei to me. Maybe that's a deliberate fake-out?
Huh, that didn't occur to me, but it might very well be!
Fwiw, I think this is where Shen Wei starts to figure out Tan Xiao is human. He's all flimsy, and Shen Wei has a reaction there. YMMV, but I think that's why he's willing to subvert Lin Jing's science project.
Oooh, good thinking about when he figures it out! Though I'm not quite following, how does that relate to subverting Lin Jing's science project?
I found Zhao Yunlan's muttered, "What's your real purpose for coming here?" so interesting -- I'd forgotten that. He's not questioning why the Envoy is hiding his identity, or what his overall agenda is. It's this one specific aspect that's bothering him. (Secretly hoping Da Qing's teasing about the Envoy coming to Haixing to see his lover (ie, ZYL) is true? *g* Though he must see that Shen Wei's cover was established well before they met (as far as he knows).)
I'm never sure what he actually means - whether he's questioning why Shen Wei is living in Haixing, or why he's getting involved with the SID, or ...?
(Who's Shen Yi?)
Sorry, reference to another show, Under the Skin. Shen Yi is an artist who becomes a police sketch artist, and there's lots of gorgeous art in that show. Shen Yi would totally prove Shen Wei and Hei Pao Shi are the same people by drawing his chin, or his eyes, or something. *g*
And given he has access to them, why does he live in that abandoned warehouse?
For the aesthetic, and the drama. *g*
I think it's more that Zheng Yi's power is very dangerous, and Zhu Jiu is using her, and he wants to insulate the SID from that danger as much as possible.
I'm not sure that tallies - if that's what he's thinking, he's leaving the very dangerous Zheng Yi in SID custody while taking Tan Xiao away, after all ...
Maybe Ya Qing?
It was Zhu Jiu himself; she remembers his voice telling her Tan Xiao will be taken to the wedding. But it would make sense if Ya Qing was watching and told Zhu Jiu that Tan Xiao had been taken away.
In some ways, I feel like the more Zhao Yunlan pushes, the more Shen Wei has to retreat. Zhao Yunlan knows he's talking to the Envoy, but he's not acting like it. What happens to their official working dynamic if Zhao Yunlan gains a concession but just keeps pushing and pushing further and further?
Yeah, agreed - the more Zhao Yunlan insists, the more less Shen Wei is going to give in. And that's a good point about how Zhao Yunlan is acting towards him. Like I said above, I wonder if it might have gone differently if Zhao Yunlan had approached him differently ...
I wondered if he went into the equivalent of energy-seal stasis? And when Zhao Yunlan's examining his face, I never think it's romantic -- it looks more to me like he's searching for signs of Envoy-ness -- age, mask lines, etc. *g*
Oooh, do you think Shen Wei put himself in stasis for the scan? Is that why he initially doesn't respond when Zhao Yunlan speaks to him?
And yeah, I don't think it was romantic in intent, but then Shen Wei opens his eyes and Zhao Yunlan is so flustered, it sort of makes it romantic in retrospect. *g*
I'll have to come back tomorrow with my other notes.
Looking forward to that! ♥
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It looks like it's just the camerawork, but at the same time: he hears the mechanism, has time to turn, realise what's happening, and throw himself out of the way, so either the mechanism is verrrrry slow, Tan Xiao has incredible reflexes, or there's something going on. *g*
But what I meant is that what he talks about is all personal feelings - his desire to hear him say the truth, his confusion and lack of understanding for how Shen Wei is acting.
True, it's definitely personal, but I think everything is, for ZYL, so... I guess I'm not sure that's a very useful distinction? His conflicts with Zhu Hong and Lin Jing are the same. When he finds out about Lin Jing's spying, that's a personal betrayal (as well as a professional one). And Shen Wei has been deceiving the SID, too -- working with them under false pretences. I... don't really know what I'm trying to argue here, tbh. But yeah, he's definitely feeling these things very deeply and on a very personal level. Agreed!
But at the same time, the trust between them has been building slowly, and no matter how important their relationship is to both of them already, it feels to me like they haven't reached the point beyond which Zhao Yunlan would definitely have a right to feel betrayed.
I think Zhao Yunlan still has residual feelings of being exposed by [all of episode 8 *g*], and the idea that Shen Wei has seen behind his front, seen his weaknesses and seems to really get him on a fundamental level, and seems to really like him (and ZYL himself is head over heels at this point), and he made himself vulnerable by drinking Zhao Yunlan's drink -- but he's still keeping up this wall between them... I mean. And it's not even that Shen Wei should have told him earlier, but Zhao Yunlan is sitting here now, he knows now, and Shen Wei is still refusing to let him in?
(And I'm thinking, too, how Zhao Yunlan's closest relationship is with Da Qing, and they seem to tell each other everything. So Zhao Yunlan's default expectation for friendship is like that? Imagine if Da Qing had a whole separate identity he hadn't told Zhao Yunlan about?! Especially one that Zhao Yunlan interacted with!)
The other thing is that Zhao Yunlan isn't just asking his personal friend to confide in him; he is asking the Envoy, because there's no separating the two. Shen Wei can't confide in Zhao Yunlan personally without also confiding in him as the Envoy. Zhao Yunlan talks to him entirely as the Shen Wei he's come to know (maybe because he doesn't want things between them to be different?), and even though he's asking for the truth about him being the Envoy, he's at the same time not really acknowledging it in the way he talks to him, you know?
Yes, absolutely! And that's a massive problem from Shen Wei's side. But for Zhao Yunlan -- it's Shen Wei who's been lying to him, claiming over and over to be an ordinary person. The Envoy hasn't lied; he's just been the Envoy.
And if Zhao Yunlan did turn up in Professor Shen's office and treated him very formally, wouldn't that be just as bad for Shen Wei? Wouldn't that hurt like hell? Because Shen Wei has really put himself out there to build this friendship between them, and Zhao Yunlan's feelings for the Envoy are obviously much less warm and friendly and open. (Someone should absolutely write this!)
whereas Shen Wei is very much not planning to hide forever
Do you think he had a time frame in mind? If his hand hadn't been forced, then when might he have revealed the truth? Once Zhu Jiu was neutralised?
But at this point neither of them have any idea yet just how high the stakes will end up being, so it makes sense that Shen Wei isn't taking that into account.
Yes, very true. Zhu Jiu has murdered Ding Dun and stirred up a lot of trouble, but it doesn't feel like imminent war yet!
Tbh I'm not sure if Zhao Yunlan does know it, but he could have thought of it.
He was listening in when the chancellor and Shen Wei talked about Li Qian dropping out, so depending on what he made of that conversation... But yeah, he doesn't know that Shen Wei has been politely evicted from the teachers' dorms because of him.
Oooh, good thinking about when he figures it out! Though I'm not quite following, how does that relate to subverting Lin Jing's science project?
If he thinks the main threat is technological rather than Dixing-powers driven, then Lin Jing's defence is less important? Idk. What do they actually know that Zheng Yi has done at that point?
I'm never sure what he actually means - whether he's questioning why Shen Wei is living in Haixing, or why he's getting involved with the SID, or ...?
I assumed Haixing, but returning to the SID has to be part of it too, maybe. Interesting! I need to think about this some more. :-)
Shen Yi would totally prove Shen Wei and Hei Pao Shi are the same people by drawing his chin, or his eyes, or something. *g*
Hee!
I'm not sure that tallies - if that's what he's thinking, he's leaving the very dangerous Zheng Yi in SID custody while taking Tan Xiao away, after all ...
Oh, true! Huh.
the more Zhao Yunlan insists, the more less Shen Wei is going to give in. And that's a good point about how Zhao Yunlan is acting towards him. Like I said above, I wonder if it might have gone differently if Zhao Yunlan had approached him differently ...
They're both being So Very Them! Shen Wei has compartmentalised and is refusing to/can't stop, and is frustrated that Zhao Yunlan won't accept that and stick to the rules Shen Wei has put in place; and Zhao Yunlan is going, "Ohhhh, these are the rules! How can I use/subvert them to find out more and get closer?" Like, if Shen Wei is going to insist he's just Professor Shen, who has always treated ZYL as a friend and equal, and who ZYL has always gone to for info, then of course ZYL is going to go to him in this instance, too. (Shen Wei had his chance to change the rules / set a new mode between them over the last week since the Hanga arc, but he didn't take it.)
Oooh, do you think Shen Wei put himself in stasis for the scan? Is that why he initially doesn't respond when Zhao Yunlan speaks to him?
Yeah, that's what I was thinking.
And yeah, I don't think it was romantic in intent, but then Shen Wei opens his eyes and Zhao Yunlan is so flustered, it sort of makes it romantic in retrospect. *g*
Hee! That makes sense. *smishes them*
And then Zhao Yunlan badly fakes his headache again, and Shen Wei stalks off like he did from the old books thing. Because ZYL still hasn't got it!
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Yeah! All of this!
And good point about Da Qing - that's his only meaningful close relationship, and it would make sense that it shapes his expectations for closeness. No boundaries and all. And with Shen Wei, the boundaries are all in non-standard places, so no wonder he's confused!
But for Zhao Yunlan -- it's Shen Wei who's been lying to him, claiming over and over to be an ordinary person. The Envoy hasn't lied; he's just been the Envoy.
Yeah, and also, he seems to be looking at it in terms of "Shen Wei is secretly the Envoy", and not "the Envoy is secretly Shen Wei". Even though both are true. I think Zhao Yunlan isn't quite ready to engage with the Envoy yet? He's still wrapping his head around that, and part of him can't quite believe it from that side of things.
And if Zhao Yunlan did turn up in Professor Shen's office and treated him very formally, wouldn't that be just as bad for Shen Wei?
Oh, that would be awful! I wasn't thinking in terms of formality, and Shen Wei would feel awful if Zhao Yunlan retreated and treated him more distantly, ouch. But if, say, Zhao Yunlan just went and called him Hei-laoge, do you think Shen Wei would actually stand there and claim he had the wrong man?
Do you think he had a time frame in mind? If his hand hadn't been forced, then when might he have revealed the truth? Once Zhu Jiu was neutralised?
I don't think he had a clear idea of when, but he absolutely wanted it and expected it to happen sooner or later.
If he thinks the main threat is technological rather than Dixing-powers driven, then Lin Jing's defence is less important? Idk. What do they actually know that Zheng Yi has done at that point?
She killed her stepfather and the other two researchers - that was clearly hypnosis, since they committed "suicide".
And then Zhao Yunlan badly fakes his headache again, and Shen Wei stalks off like he did from the old books thing. Because ZYL still hasn't got it!
Yes, this! Stalks off without even getting dressed first! :D
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Oh yeah, so true! Good point. And I think the "Why are you really here?" is aimed at the Envoy, because it makes zero sense to wonder that about Shen Wei (unless it's "Why are you really helping the SID?").
IOW, Shen Wei's compartmentalisation is so absolute, it's hard to stop thinking of them as different people. (I do it myself, all the time. *g*)
But if, say, Zhao Yunlan just went and called him Hei-laoge, do you think Shen Wei would actually stand there and claim he had the wrong man?
Oh. Wouldn't he have to? Look at him like he's mad and say, "I don't understand"? He's not ready to collapse his compartments yet, after all.
She killed her stepfather and the other two researchers - that was clearly hypnosis, since they committed "suicide".
True. (And they must suspect that Zhu Jiu is involved, because of the play for the Hallows, surely.) Hmm... Maybe they both just have unshakeable faith in Lin Jing's abilities, whether or not he gets the data he needs? ;-p
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Huh, that's fascinating, do you really? I don't think I do that ...
Oh. Wouldn't he have to? Look at him like he's mad and say, "I don't understand"? He's not ready to collapse his compartments yet, after all.
Oh, yeah, he's not ready, that's true. But I think if Zhao Yunlan came at it from that angle it would be a lot harder for him to maintain the separation.
Maybe they both just have unshakeable faith in Lin Jing's abilities, whether or not he gets the data he needs? ;-p
And they're right! Human consciousness or no, he does come up with the earbud, which stops Zheng Yi's power very neatly. *g*
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I meant saying things like "I definitely feel like the Envoy doesn't owe anyone his secrets, but maybe Shen Wei as Zhao Yunlan's "intimate friend"... kind of does a bit?" and talking about the Envoy being very stern with Tan Xiao. The roles are so distinct that sometimes the boundary between them seems impermeable? And the Envoy's reactions are different from Shen Wei's too, a lot of the time, and his priorities (by necessity). I think that's why it's so obvious when Shen Wei is plain-clothes Envoying, versus when he's being Professor Shen.
But I think if Zhao Yunlan came at it from that angle it would be a lot harder for him to maintain the separation.
Which may be why Zhao Yunlan doesn't do it? He wants Shen Wei to meet him in the middle, right?
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And the Envoy's reactions are different from Shen Wei's too, a lot of the time, and his priorities
The Envoy's and Professor Shen's, yes, but Shen Wei is the whole person; he's the Envoy as much as the professor. (Sometimes people imply that Professor Shen is more who Shen Wei "really" is and the Envoy is just a role, but that's not what you mean, is it?)
He wants Shen Wei to meet him in the middle, right?
Yes, true. He doesn't want to trap Shen Wei; he wants Shen Wei to confide in him.
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No, you're right, they're both roles; Shen Wei is the person. I was going to say that it's easier to see Shen Wei in the professor, because the Envoy is so often (deliberately) a cipher, but on second thoughts, I think that's what the meetings with Chu Shuzhi in the park (eps 2 and 4) are for -- so we can see Shen Wei in him there, too.
Of course, Zhao Yunlan didn't get to witness those meetings, so for him, the Envoy is more of a mystery.
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And that's a great point about the scenes with Lao-Chu and seeing Shen Wei as a person while he's being the Envoy!
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Oh, he absolutely would 🤣
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The tea scene is very good too! This episode has some amazing stuff, I will never grow tired of it.
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SW: Sound manipulation isn't my field of expertise. Regarding this case, I want to help but I don't have the capability. 声音控制不是我研究的领域这个案子我有心无力
Ooh, might that actually be a double meaning, and Shen Wei is saying, "I want to tell you my secrets, but I can't"? "Sound manipulation" = talking/explaining? (Except that totally is SW's field of expertise, hm.) Anyway, even if he means it like that, ZYL doesn't hear it.
me: She's drugging you, just like you drugged her!! She's absolutely acting like a Snake!
Ohh, is that suggesting the murders weren't deliberate? That would be reassuring, actually. Cold-blooded murderer Zheng Yi living happily ever after in Dragon City does sometimes give me pause.
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Oh, good point. I guess he had realised conflict was brewing, even if he didn't know the Hallows were involved?
(Also, he suggests sending GCC back alone, and the chance of Changcheng making it out of the forest be himself seems... slight. *g*)
Fourth Uncle thinks more highly of the SID than that! *g*
Ooh, might that actually be a double meaning, and Shen Wei is saying, "I want to tell you my secrets, but I can't"? "Sound manipulation" = talking/explaining? (Except that totally is SW's field of expertise, hm.) Anyway, even if he means it like that, ZYL doesn't hear it.
Huh, that never occurred to me, very interesting thought! And maybe only the "I want to help, but I can't" bit is meant to have a double meaning? "I want to help you, but I can't tell you this"?
So weird that Da Qing interprets the DE power talk as flirting -- from ZYL's side, it's more of a challenge!
Right? I can only conclue that Da Qing has decided that a) SW and ZYL are weird about each other because they're into each other (correct), therefore b) if they're being weird right now, it has to be for that reason (wrong). *g*
Shen Wei leaves the lab before he's even dressed! Does he dress in the hallway outside?
I always notice that too! :D
Zhao Yunlan throws his notebook on the table. What if someone happened to look inside? I suppose the cartoon is open to interpretation...
Yeah, it could be interpreted as the Envoy coming to take SW away?
me: She's drugging you, just like you drugged her!! She's absolutely acting like a Snake!
Hee! :D
Ohh, is that suggesting the murders weren't deliberate? That would be reassuring, actually. Cold-blooded murderer Zheng Yi living happily ever after in Dragon City does sometimes give me pause.
It looks so deliberate in the flashback, doesn't it? But that would make sense. I just watched episode 13, and at the wedding the all of it definitely looks unintentional to me. She's wandering around calling for Tan Xiao, and doesn't even seem to really realise the havoc her power is wreaking.
The Envoy is so stern with Tan Xiao! Wow! Choking him, dropping him, wow.
Since he can't well keep him unconscious for long, he may be trying to frighten him into behaving?
Zhu Jiu's planned attack on the wedding is really just for kicks, right? He doesn't need that for his plan?
If there was another reason, I never did figure out what it was!
Cong Bo -- man, I hated him at first. *g*
Haha, yeah, me too. And we don't even know anything about him other than that he seems to be looking for corruption with Minister Gao, but he's just so smug about it.
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Or the Hallows are just an excuse, and he thinks it's time Zhu Hong settled down and had a clutch of snake babies. ;-p
And maybe only the "I want to help, but I can't" bit is meant to have a double meaning? "I want to help you, but I can't tell you this"?
Yes! That works, right?
I can only conclue that Da Qing has decided that a) SW and ZYL are weird about each other because they're into each other (correct), therefore b) if they're being weird right now, it has to be for that reason (wrong). *g*
HEE! Yes.
Since he can't well keep him unconscious for long, he may be trying to frighten him into behaving?
And test his mettle? Shen Wei can't leave Zheng Yi with him if Tan Xiao isn't up for it.
And we don't even know anything about him other than that he seems to be looking for corruption with Minister Gao, but he's just so smug about it.
This!! (And yet, I'm so delighted when Zhao Yunlan converts him into an ally. *g*)
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LOL! But no, I think the speech about wanting the Snake Tribe to stay out of the coming conflict was genuine, even if the Hallows were an impromptu addition.
Yes! That works, right?
It does for me!
And test his mettle? Shen Wei can't leave Zheng Yi with him if Tan Xiao isn't up for it.
Yeah, maybe!
This!! (And yet, I'm so delighted when Zhao Yunlan converts him into an ally. *g*)
But they knock the smugness out of him first. :D
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Absolutely! Isolationism and babies! *g*
But they knock the smugness out of him first. :D
Ha, true. And it's so satisfying! :D
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Does that work?
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