sid_guardian | GUARDIAN REWATCH

Beginning of episode: Da Qing trashes Wang Xiangyang's fruit shop
Ending of episode: Zhao Yunlan reveals he was faking being hypnotised

Important scenes/developments:
There's a LOT this episode!

Zhao Yunlan and co find Da Qing trashing the fruit shop and tame him with fish.
Zhu Jiu uses Zheng Yi to cause chaos at the Huang/Li wedding, and Shen Wei lets off his Dixing power EMP to break the mass hypnosis.
Zhao Yunlan and co arrive, and Zhao Yunlan starts to scold Shen Wei but gets diverted into schmoozing (and defending Shen Wei to) Minister Gao.
Cong Bo has a scoop.
Zhao Yunlan stews in the Huangs' parlour; Shen Wei comes in to check on him? apologise? give more flimsy excuses.
The SID find Cong Bo cowering in the street, and Zhao Yunlan learns there's someone behind Zhu Jiu.
Zhu Jiu and Ya Qing bicker (despite Zheng Yi's presence).
Chu Shuzhi rescues Guo Changcheng from the Snakes, and in flashback Changcheng defends the SID to Fourth Uncle.
Zhao Yunlan finds Tan Xiao at the lab and sends him to the SID.
Ying Chun actively aligns herself with the Envoy by telling on Ya Qing.
Shen Wei finds Zhao Yunlan at the lab, and Zhao Yunlan confronts him with this circumstantial proof of his other role and says, "Shen Wei, I thought we were friends."
Zhu Jiu interrupts this heart-to-heart and uses Zheng Yi to take Zhao Yunlan hostage. Shen Wei tries to bargain and transforms into his Envoy form. Zhu Jiu whisks Zhao Yunlan and Zheng Yi away.
Shen Wei looks for Zhao Yunlan, over-extending himself, and coughs up blood.
Ying Chun appeals to Ya Qing to turn back to the Light Side, but Ya Qing says it's too late.
Zhu Jiu uses Zhao Yunlan to invade the SID, reuniting Zheng Yi and Tan Xiao so Zheng Yi will give him the Hallows.
On Zhu Jiu's command, Zhao Yunlan shoots Zhu Hong.
Shen Wei arrives, finds Zhu Hong's body and tells seemingly hypnotised Zhao Yunlan, "You're my best friend."
The whole fake-out with Zhu Jiu telling Zhao Yunlan to shoot Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan shooting, and Shen Wei rising up again for that classic battle couple shot from the credits.
The glorious reveal where Zhao Yunlan is a total brat, and we and Shen Wei learn he's been faking all along.

Thoughts

Ahhh, where to start. At the beginning, I guess? Poor Da Qing! My favourite thing about the scene at the fruit stand is how Zhao Yunlan uses palm-up beckoning (for animals), rather than palm-down beckoning that you'd use for people. *g* Also, I wonder if he cuts the explanations short because he feels responsible for leaving Da Qing in a vulnerable situation and doesn't want to talk about it?

Lin Jing says to Zhu Hong, "This wasn't so bad. After all, the Deputy's an innocent. If the boss was under a spell and out of control... It doesn't bear thinking about." foreshadowing Zhao Yunlan apparently falling prey to Zheng Yi's hypnosis power, and how dangerous it will seem. :D

The wedding. I suppose "my father was forcing me to marry someone I loved who wasn't into me" is a fair justification for the groom Huang Linqi's obnoxiousness at the start of episode 5, but I still don't really care. Then Zhu Jiu and Zheng Yi arrive and wreak chaos.

There's a great swoopy shot of Shen Wei arriving. He's surprised it's Zhu Jiu controlling Zheng Yi, which I'd forgotten, and which makes some of ep 12 make more sense. (That is, if he thought it was Tan Xiao who was using Zheng Yi as a weapon, then sure, taking him out of the equation and scaring him makes sense and doesn't leave the SID in danger. If only he'd been right! Which... does raise the question of why Zhao Yunlan didn't ask Tan Xiao what he wanted with the Hallows. Tan Xiao had no reason to be loyal to Zhu Jiu at that point, and it might have changed the course of things?!)

I feel like Shen Wei needs to be memed here.
In fact...

:D :D :D

Ahhhhh, I love Shen Wei's dark energy EMP!

One of my favourite sequences in the whole show.

And then Zhao Yunlan shows up and immediately starts scolding Shen Wei for being there, before noticing Minister Gao and switching into Schmooze Mode. I LOVE THIS, OMG!

He puts all his professional credit on the line to protect Shen Wei. a;sldkfajs;dlfkjsada;sdlfkjadsf;lk And then Minister Gao's reaction to Shen Wei, shaking his hand and thanking him, is another reveal for Zhao Yunlan, and he switches into "Yeah, I'm trying to recruit him!" :D :D :D He's trying so hard to navigate these confusing waters with aplomb, but the currents keep changing.

Lin Jing says to the bride's dead father, "I never thought your ending would be like this." 想不到你是这样的结局 Which always sounds to me like he knows him.

Zhao Yunlan stewing in the Huangs' parlour. ALSO my favourite part of this episode. He's so serious and intense, and so hurt ("It seems I was tricked by you."), but he still makes sure to let Shen Wei know he wants him around ("If you were the trouble, I'd take it by the dozen to trouble my whole life." *flails*)

A couple more pics

And there's some Very Intense Lollipop Action. Plus this (my paraphrasing):
ZYL: Minister Gao just told me you knocked down everyone all by yourself. Can you explain it?
SW: *looks at him* I-- I work out a lot.
ZYL: *incredulous laugh* You're still lying to me.
SW: [I am very much not.]

In other words, I think Shen Wei's explanation is deliberately transparent. He doesn't expect Zhao Yunlan to believe him for a second, ergo it's not a lie. But that's not enough for Zhao Yunlan, who wants straight-up verbal confirmation.

Can Shen Wei hear the other side of Zhao Yunlan's phone call, or is his expression because he's having feelings about what Zhao Yunlan just said and the way he said it? I thought the former, but I could go either way.

Cong Bo freaking out in the street. From his flashback, Zhao Yunlan finds out there's someone else behind Zhu Jiu. We also get our first glimpse of Ya Qing in human form, looking fabulous. And Cong Bo seems genuinely shaken, but I think his headache is fake. When Lin Jing and Da Qing lead him away to take his statement, he drops the act for a moment to look back suspiciously at Shen Wei.

Zhu Jiu and Ya Qing bicker on the rooftop. Hee! I'd forgotten this, and I love it!
Here's their exchange.

YQ: She'll ruin your plan. Without information from the Crow Tribe, you'd never have found the Mountain-River Awl or stolen the Longevity Dial. You're the one our boss sent on this mission. The Mountain-River Awl mess wasn't my fault. If it wasn't for the boss's order, I wouldn't give you the time of day.
ZJ: Yes, it's your fault, you cowardly Yashou. Except for providing intelligence, you're utterly useless.
YQ: *uses DE to throw a crate at him* You'd better remember what you said today. One day, I promise, you will apologize to all Yashou.
ZY: Hey you two! *uses her power*
ZJ & YQ: *defend themselves with their powers*
ZJ: If you still want to find your Tan Xiao, do what I say!
YQ: This girl is a time bomb. You can't control her.
ZJ: Time bomb works for me. As long as it kills people, I don't care if I get injured.
YQ: Psycho. *turns to leave* The boss needs more nourishment this month. Prepare it well.
ZJ: You don't need to worry about the boss.
YQ: *transforms and flies off*
ZY: Tan Xiao. I need to find Tan Xiao. Tan Xiao. I need to find Tan Xiao.
ZJ: Shut the fuck up! Who knows where Tan Xiao... *gathers himself* Only I know where he is. If you want to find him, follow me.
Also, this confirms our speculation from a previous rewatch discussion that it was information from the Yashou that led to the capture of the Mountain-River Awl. \o/ Also, Ya Qing appears to be bringing messages from Ye Zun (does she travel to Dixing?), and she knows about the life essence "ingredients" that Zhu Jiu is procuring as food. /o\ At the end of the scene, we get a close-up on the flowering plant who is Ying Chun's informant. :D :D :D

Ahhhh, Chu Shuzhi stomping confidently through the forest. He knocks out a couple of Snake patrol guys, finds Guo Changcheng still tied up (was he there all night? he's changed clothes, anyway) and stages a dramatic rescue without listening to Changcheng's protestations. I love this so much!

Tan Xiao waiting in the lab. Oh, I'd forgotten about his super creepy dream. I mean, I'm glad he's upset about the terrible murders, but still, this must be awful! (Dream!ZY: You are too close to me. Don't forget, I'm a monster.) As soon as the door opens, he says, "How is she?" And Zhao Yunlan is taken completely off-guard. He was not expecting this!

Chu Shuzhi drags Changcheng through the forest. (CSZ: No matter how useless you are, I promised Zhao Yunlan to take care of you, so I'll get you back safely.) Flashback to Changcheng's stirring speech to Fourth Uncle about the SID (quoted in this post, if you want the text). In the present timeline, Changcheng tells Chu Shuzhi, "Actually, you hit him in vain."

Exasperated, Chu Shuzhi snaps, "Thinking about it carefully, Zhao Yunlan didn't ask me to bring you back in one piece, so it's okay if you don't have arms or legs. [...] Come on! Chose one, arm or leg!" LOL! This is awesome!!

Ying Chun! Being an informant! \o/ And she called Shen Wei "Hei Pao". I love everything about this. Poor Shen Wei, with his "I have no way to retreat."

Shen Wei enters the lab, hears violin music. "Tan Xiao?"

And then he sees Zhao Yunlan and suffers cascading system failure as his compartmentalised identities crash into each other. :D :D :D :D :D (So, does that mean the Envoy told Tan Xiao in the park, "Wait here!" and vanished and came back as Professor Shen, who brought him to the lab? (Why the lab?) Or did Shen Wei reveal the connection between his identities to Tan Xiao? That would be an extra kick in the teeth for Zhao Yunlan!) Anyway, Zhao Yunlan lays out the circumstantial evidence, then comes over, lowers his voice and says, "Shen Wei, I thought we were friends."

And Shen Wei looks at him. as;ldfkajsd;lfkasjdf;lksajdf;lksjdf;alskdfja;slkdfjas;ldkfjas;ldkfjas;ldkfjas;ldfkjasd Shen Wei says he thought he could handle everything himself, and he just wanted to keep you (plural) you (singular) safe. a;lsdkfjas;dlfks;ldfkjas;ldfkjsadf Zhao Yunlan does his, "I'm not worth that" laugh, and Shen Wei starts, "Actually, I--" And I'm dying to know what he was going to say, but of course Zhu Jiu chooses that moment to interrupt, gah!

I always assume that Zhao Yunlan-with-earplugs hears the compulsions as suggestions so he knows what to do? That must feel pretty weird and unpleasant.

Does he know for sure he's not hypnotised, given he doesn't get a chance to go against what he's told to do? /o\

Shen Wei's bluffing is best bluffing!

That faux dismissive smirk when he says Zhu Jiu doesn't have to hurt "ordinary people". (Sadly, at this point it's a bit late to play it cool.) Zhu Jiu retorts that all humans are his enemy (but we later learn his real enemy is Hei Pao Shi). He whisks Zhao Yunlan and Zheng Yi away.

Searching for them, Shen Wei overextends himself and coughs blood.

Ouch!

A fantastic scene between Ying Chun and Ya Qing, in which we find out the depth of their relationship, and Ya Qing's motives. I love how serious Ying Chun is; she's not just a pretty face/dress!

And Ya Qing is so moved by her appeal, but, "It's too late." *heartbreak*

Zhu Jiu bitches about Ya Qing to Zheng Yi (seriously?). Zhao Yunlan is on the ground, fake-unconscious. Zhu Jiu realises he can use him to get into the SID. Uh-oh.

Changcheng is watching over Tan Xiao, who thinks the SID still have Zheng Yi safe. Zhu Hong shows up and lets slip that the kid is missing, and Tan Xiao loses it, so she coolly knocks him out. Hee! (Zhu Hong's "I live and die with the SID," repeated from last episode, is foreshadowing for her death fake-out at the end of the episode. Wheeeee!)

Da Qing and Lin Jing looking for Zheng Yi like a couple of doofuses in sunglasses. No one knows Zhao Yunlan's been taken. (Note: Lin Jing says of his detector that the signal isn't stable in crowds.) Da Qing mistakes a girl for Zheng Yi and causes a fuss, and he has to flash his ID to disperse the crowd. (The mistaken girl is another kid who's been abandoned/is crying for their parent, echoing the "If you keep being so noisy, I will really leave you behind" line from last episode that set off his rampage. All the abandonment issues, as befits Da Qing's memory recovery arc.)

Okay, this is interesting: Chu Shuzhi finds Zhu Jiu's lair, with the chess set. How? Then Shen Wei runs in. The next minute, not finding who he's looking for, Shen Wei vanishes again. So what the hell does Chu Shuzhi make of that? He must at least figure that's proof Shen Wei is Dixingren, right?

Invading the SID!! Everything about this is excellent! (Except it really bothers me that Zheng Yi just lets all these things happen. Even if she's only 12 (or 15) and traumatised, she could react to Zhu Jiu saying, "Kill [Zhu Hong]"! I want more ambivalence! And a few minutes later, Tan Xiao is all, "Yeah, hand over the super-powerful objects to this creep," even though they no longer have any reason to cooperate! WHY?)

I was so worried about Zhu Hong the first time through.

Shen Wei, having exhausted other options and knowing Tan Xiao is at the SID, realises the others must be going there. He shows up, checks on Zhu Hong, and confronts Zhao Yunlan.

When he says, "We haven't known each other for long," the camera crosses the line. :D

Oh Zhu Jiu, Ye Zun would be so pissed off if he knew you were trying to kill Shen Wei! No one gets to do that but Ye Zun!

And then the glorious, glorious reveal!

Zhao Yunlan winking in the flashback! Zhu Hong is okay!

Discussion starters:

Favourite line of dialogue? Favourite scene? For me, they're "Shen Wei, I thought we were friends," and the reveal that Zhao Yunlan was faking/the battle couple moment, but really, the episode is just PACKED with amazing goodness!

So many secondary characters are introduced or highlighted in eps 12 and 13:
Pics!

Wang Xiangyang, Cong Bo, Fourth Uncle, Ying Chun (in human form), Ya Qing (in human form), Minister Gao. Among them, who is your favourite?

Zhao Yunlan is so serious when he's sitting in the Huangs' parlour -- is he fuming about Shen Wei's secrets, or the case, or is it what he says when Shen Wei comes in, that he's worried the SID can't handle all the recent incursions? And when he says to Shen Wei, "You don't even want to make up an excuse now? Are you actually—" 现在连一个马虎的理由都懒得编了你到底是不是 whaaaat was the end of that question going to be?

Zhu Jiu asks Shen Wei, "Hei Pao Shi daren, how long can you maintain your complete form on the surface?" Which suggests being the Envoy is more than just a change of clothes. I know we've talked about this before, but... any thoughts?

I love Ying Chun's little twirl of coming and going. How does she travel? Is it a special plant power?

Episodes 12 and 13 really highlight the Yashou as three distinct tribes with different political stances: the isolationist Snakes, the turned-to-the-Dark-Side Crows, and the informants-for-Hei-Pao-Shi Flowers. Do you sympathise with their different strategies?

Team Shen Wei Coughing Blood? Or Team Zhao Yunlan Glaring While Shoving A Lollipop Into His Mouth? :D :D :D

Let’s talk about episode 13!
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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is it a special plant power?
This episode raises a lot of questions for me regarding Yashou abilities. We see Ya Qing defending herself from Zheng Yi's vocal powers with some form of dark energy? shield which seems to be an innate power as opposed to Zhu Jiu's weird hand gauntlet things that appear to give him multiple powers. We know that the Snakes have hypnosis, but don't really see them using any other powers. All we really see of the plant Yashou is transforming forms (I think), so maybe they can turn into pollen and float away wherever they want?

(does she travel to Dixing?)
Can all the Yashou travel to Dixing? Do they use dark energy too? Is that why Shen Wei doesn't seem to mind when Da Qing ends up in Dixing, unlike his very anti-Zhao Yunlan interacting with dark energy/Dixing stance?

We see Ya Qing defending herself from Zheng Yi's vocal powers with some form of dark energy? shield which seems to be an innate power

Yes! That was very stylish, too. :D

as opposed to Zhu Jiu's weird hand gauntlet things that appear to give him multiple powers.

OMG! I'd never connected Zhu Jiu's powers to his gauntlets! Ha! (Is that confirmed? I'm so curious now. *g*)

Snakes have hypnosis, explosive energy (like Zhu Hong escaping from the face stealer), and red fighting energy (seen in eps 39/40). I think Shen Wei lists their powers in the interrogation scene when he's needling Zhu Hong. *g* (And now I'm wondering why Fourth Uncle drugged Zhu Hong instead of hypnotising her. Huh.)

All we really see of the plant Yashou is transforming forms (I think), so maybe they can turn into pollen and float away wherever they want?

Ahhh, I like that interpretation. Hee!

Can all the Yashou travel to Dixing? Do they use dark energy too? Is that why Shen Wei doesn't seem to mind when Da Qing ends up in Dixing, unlike his very anti-Zhao Yunlan interacting with dark energy/Dixing stance?

I think so? I think when Da Qing and Ya Qing transform, that puff of blackness is dark energy -- if not identical to Dixing energy, then very similar? But I'm really just making stuff up. *g*

connected Zhu Jiu's powers to his gauntlets
Well, he does use seem to use them to schlorp the teens' energy out of their bodies, and the dark energy he was using to counter Zheng Yi was coming out of them. I'm pretty sure he uses them for other things too, and since we know his innate power is teleportation, he has to have Something that enables him to do those other things. But I don't think there's ever anything stated explicitly in the show.

why Fourth Uncle drugged Zhu Hong instead of hypnotising her
Maybe snake hypnosis only works on non-snakes? Which wouldn't work with Shen Wei turning the hypnosis back on Zhu Hong, unless we take into account that she isn't very good at it... maybe snakes just don't tend to bother with hypnotising each other since they should be capable of countering it?

*goes to revisit the "countering Zheng Yi" scene* I think maybe I don't know what a gauntlet is, lol. The energy he's using comes from the energy balls in his hands, right? Are those not regular energy balls as per Shen Wei's glittery dark-energy ones? They do look different!

and since we know his innate power is teleportation, he has to have Something that enables him to do those other things.

Yeah, agreed. I assumed Ye Zun was supplementing Zhu Jiu's power, but I didn't realise there was a device/devices involved. (Someone should really steal them off him -- maybe Zheng Yi?!)

maybe snakes just don't tend to bother with hypnotising each other since they should be capable of countering it?

Ha, maybe! Or maybe it's considered rude, and drugging isn't. *g*

This episode raises a lot of questions for me regarding Yashou abilities. We see Ya Qing defending herself from Zheng Yi's vocal powers with some form of dark energy? shield which seems to be an innate power as opposed to Zhu Jiu's weird hand gauntlet things that appear to give him multiple powers.

I think it's the same in both cases, unrelated to Zhu Jiu's gauntlet - they're both using black energy directly, not through a specific power. Actually, I wonder if the ancestors of Yashou and Dixingren already were able to use blakc energy? All we hear about are the mutations (Dixingren) and gene fusion with native species (Yashou), but those are all on top of being able to use black energy in non-specific ways.

(Regarding Zhu Jiu's use of black energy - we see him with black energy balls in both hands at 18 minutes in, but he only has a gauntlet on one hand, so that has to be unrelated ...)

All we really see of the plant Yashou is transforming forms (I think), so maybe they can turn into pollen and float away wherever they want?

The way Ying Chun appears sometimes (including in this episode) looks to me like she's floating in the form of petals on the wind. Lovely!

Do they use dark energy too? Is that why Shen Wei doesn't seem to mind when Da Qing ends up in Dixing, unlike his very anti-Zhao Yunlan interacting with dark energy/Dixing stance?

Ooh, yes, that makes a lot of sense! Yashou powers and Dixingren powers both seem to come from black energy, and so it would make sense that Yashou would be able to handle the Dixing environment better.

GUARDIAN REWATCH – Episode 13

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