at the Haixing lab, research isn't going as well as Professor Ouyang would like
LOL! Yeah. /o\
We see Zhao Yunlan visibly recalibrate - was he just catching up because he'd passed out, or did he not really understand the necessity?
Both, but I've always thought it was mostly because he'd passed out. Maybe I'm giving him too much benefit of the doubt. (Maybe he just really really wants to tease Shen Wei / cannot resist expressing his newfound knowledge for even a second? *g*)
And Shen Wei smirks, and does drop the act: "How do you know I can't?" For which Zhao Yunlan is really not prepared! ♥ ♥ ♥
BEST BEST BEST! :D (I've watched that link approximately 13 zillion times. I can't go past it without watching it at least three or four. *g*)
Where we find out that the flirting and the "to me" leading up to another request to join the SID - which Shen Wei has already turned down multiple times! - makes Shen Wei not just abruptly put down his cup and start to stand up, but also shake Zhao Yunlan's hand off his arm, seriously pissed off and unhappy.
(Should that be "for me"?) I really think Shen Wei is expecting something personal here. It must hurt so much to have this intimate echo twisted into a thing that's not only a parody of the memory in his heart, but is asking for something he's already refused so many times.
On Cong Bo not reacting to powers: he does say in the next episode that he investigates and exposes public figures. Maybe ordinary people in the street don't qualify as targets? (But with Chu Shuzhi, I thought he didn't get a clear look at his powers? You're right that he records the power in his notes, though, so idk. Maybe it wasn't conclusive?)
Minister Gao speaks very familiarly of Zhao Xinci (always calling him Xinci-xiong), but they're clearly not as close as he pretends.
I suspect they're as close as Zhao Xinci is to anyone outside his head. I feel like Zhao Xinci is intensely private, so he might well go drinking with Gao Jingfeng and talk politics and work and ask how Yunlan is doing at the SID (eg, "I hope my brat isn't giving you any trouble"). Gao Jingfeng (who is not the most perceptive person in the world) wouldn't know they're not as close as he feels they are. (Also, maybe Gao Jingfeng does most of the talking. *g*)
Also, Zhao Yunlan doesn't even know they used to be partners back in the day! Did Zhao Xinci never mention anyone from work at home, or has Zhao Yunlan just not put the two together?
That is weird! But family names are common, and his dad mentioning Lao Gao back in the day wouldn't necessarily mean anything to adult Zhao Yunlan?
And it's Wang Zheng who realises there's a (giant) bug in the package. ♥
Yes, I loved that!
Minister Guo, who has apparently just realised about Xiao-Guo working for the SID, invites Zhao Yunlan to dinner to talk about it. Zhao Yunlan in turn rather shamelessly immediately includes Shen Wei
Right?? I'd love more cultural context for this -- for example, does the fact that Vice-Minister Guo asks Zhao Yunlan in front of Shen Wei make the extension of the invitation completely normal and natural, or is it still !!!?? :D
Then Shen Wei asks Zhao Yunlan about his reaction to Zhao Xinci being mentioned, and Zhao Yunlan suddenly discovers that actually, not wanting to answer when someone asks questions is perfectly fine. :p
LOL!
We learn Lao-Chu doesn't eat spicy food
Ahh, I totally missed that! (It's not in the original subs. ;-p) :D :D :D
What's your favourite moment in this episode? It's almost impossible to choose, but I think I'll pick "Who says I can't [erase your memory]?" :D
Oh, yes, that one! (And that entire scene!) (And the entire episode. /cheats shamelessly)
Zhao Yunlan turns away and makes a face - and unlike previous times when Zhao Yunlan was displeased with the Envoy, this time Shen Wei calls him on it. Is that because the relationship between them has changed, or because unlike the incident with Lin Yusen, this time Shen Wei doesn't feel like Zhao Yunlan has cause to be annoyed?
I think it's precisely because Zhao Yunlan turns away, rather than pressuring the Envoy, that Shen Wei is prepared to discuss it further. And each of them are being very much themselves: Shen Wei presenting a very black-and-white front, as the Envoy, and Zhao Yunlan leading with his heart and not particularly caring about the rules. (In contrast, too, with Zhao Xinci who used the letter of the Treaty to justify some terrible actions.)
And it's Zhao Yunlan's implicit/implied disagreement with the Envoy's initial judgement that allows Shen Wei to reveal the merciful part of himself via Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi's joyful waving, I think. If Zhao Yunlan seemed perfectly happy for Zheng Yi to be taken away, then would he have done that?
When Zheng Yi takes Shen Wei's hand, Tan Xiao suddenly stumbles back. Did she push him away with black energy? Why?
Huh, for some reason I thought Shen Wei's energy had expanded to encompass her, partly to contain her powers maybe, and partly as a protective shield?
Why does Zhao Yunlan want Shen Wei to join the SID so much? And why does Shen Wei eventually agree? Does it make things better, or more difficult, or both?
I think Shen Wei has realised that coordinating with the SID is now a necessity (and the best way of keeping Zhao Yunlan out of danger, given his reckless tendencies). And Zhao Yunlan just, you know, wants Shen Wei close -- at the SID and in other ways too. *g* (I think partly also to protect him, too; Shen Wei facing all the dangers alone is not without its own risks.)
I'm always a bit annoyed with Zhao Yunlan's glee in the car because he seems to not at all pick up on just how serious all of this is for Shen Wei - both as the Envoy (who has to navigate an increasingly more complicated balance between political duty, public image and private mercy) and as Professor Shen (whose position at the university has already been endangered by his associating with the SID)! They have such a mood mismatch in that scene, and Zhao Yunlan just ignores it all. How do you feel about that?
I've already written a whole post about how much I love it, hee. In the end, though, I mostly love that neither of them are pretending to feel anything they aren't. Shen Wei isn't putting a polite face on his discomfort, and Zhao Yunlan isn't putting a polite lid on his cheer. It's very much Bring Your Emotions To Work Day.
Zhao Yunlan really is shameless - he actually asked Shen Wei to write his self-criticism for him! Any theories (or fic recs for missing scenes) as to how that came about?
See above re my not getting that before. (What I have said about this before, in the singing-in-the-car-scene post, is: This is a Shen Wei who’s been up half the night writing a probably quite cathartic account of things Zhao Yunlan did wrong -- the self-criticism -- on Zhao Yunlan’s behalf. I like to think he wrote a blistering twenty-page version to get the worst of it out of his system, then threw or tucked that away and wrote the official/helpful one, partly in an attempt to control the narrative as far as the Department of Supervision is concerned.
In terms of asking Shen Wei to write it, maybe after the successful recruitment, when they were arranging to go to the DoS together, Zhao Yunlan made some careless reference to how he should write a self-criticism to smooth the way with Minister Gao, "the brass like that kind of thing," but it was obvious he wasn't going to follow through, and Shen Wei ended up offering, to Zhao Yunlan's bemusement. Or something? It's hard to know how brazen Zhao Yunlan would be about it -- he didn't seem to expect it when Shen Wei produced it.
(And aahhhhhhh, thank you so much for linking to the translation! I missed that somehow. Priceless. :D)
Shen Wei, left alone in the corridor at the Ministry, steps into a blind corner the surveillance camera won't catch, and starts searching with black energy. What is he searching for? Is he already suspicious about the lab, and trying to find out what's happening there? Or did he somehow sense Professor Zhou saying his name? :p
I was wondering that too. He could be looking for Hallows, or dark energy, or seeing if there are any Dixingren in the building (either working or being used as experiment subjects)? I'm really not sure. Btw, he hears Zhao Yunlan coming through the door, right? I think he'd also hear if anyone was coming along the hall.
no subject
at the Haixing lab, research isn't going as well as Professor Ouyang would like
LOL! Yeah. /o\
We see Zhao Yunlan visibly recalibrate - was he just catching up because he'd passed out, or did he not really understand the necessity?
Both, but I've always thought it was mostly because he'd passed out. Maybe I'm giving him too much benefit of the doubt. (Maybe he just really really wants to tease Shen Wei / cannot resist expressing his newfound knowledge for even a second? *g*)
And Shen Wei smirks, and does drop the act: "How do you know I can't?" For which Zhao Yunlan is really not prepared! ♥ ♥ ♥
BEST BEST BEST! :D (I've watched that link approximately 13 zillion times. I can't go past it without watching it at least three or four. *g*)
Where we find out that the flirting and the "to me" leading up to another request to join the SID - which Shen Wei has already turned down multiple times! - makes Shen Wei not just abruptly put down his cup and start to stand up, but also shake Zhao Yunlan's hand off his arm, seriously pissed off and unhappy.
(Should that be "for me"?) I really think Shen Wei is expecting something personal here. It must hurt so much to have this intimate echo twisted into a thing that's not only a parody of the memory in his heart, but is asking for something he's already refused so many times.
On Cong Bo not reacting to powers: he does say in the next episode that he investigates and exposes public figures. Maybe ordinary people in the street don't qualify as targets? (But with Chu Shuzhi, I thought he didn't get a clear look at his powers? You're right that he records the power in his notes, though, so idk. Maybe it wasn't conclusive?)
Minister Gao speaks very familiarly of Zhao Xinci (always calling him Xinci-xiong), but they're clearly not as close as he pretends.
I suspect they're as close as Zhao Xinci is to anyone outside his head. I feel like Zhao Xinci is intensely private, so he might well go drinking with Gao Jingfeng and talk politics and work and ask how Yunlan is doing at the SID (eg, "I hope my brat isn't giving you any trouble"). Gao Jingfeng (who is not the most perceptive person in the world) wouldn't know they're not as close as he feels they are. (Also, maybe Gao Jingfeng does most of the talking. *g*)
Also, Zhao Yunlan doesn't even know they used to be partners back in the day! Did Zhao Xinci never mention anyone from work at home, or has Zhao Yunlan just not put the two together?
That is weird! But family names are common, and his dad mentioning Lao Gao back in the day wouldn't necessarily mean anything to adult Zhao Yunlan?
And it's Wang Zheng who realises there's a (giant) bug in the package. ♥
Yes, I loved that!
Minister Guo, who has apparently just realised about Xiao-Guo working for the SID, invites Zhao Yunlan to dinner to talk about it. Zhao Yunlan in turn rather shamelessly immediately includes Shen Wei
Right?? I'd love more cultural context for this -- for example, does the fact that Vice-Minister Guo asks Zhao Yunlan in front of Shen Wei make the extension of the invitation completely normal and natural, or is it still !!!?? :D
Then Shen Wei asks Zhao Yunlan about his reaction to Zhao Xinci being mentioned, and Zhao Yunlan suddenly discovers that actually, not wanting to answer when someone asks questions is perfectly fine. :p
LOL!
We learn Lao-Chu doesn't eat spicy food
Ahh, I totally missed that! (It's not in the original subs. ;-p) :D :D :D
What's your favourite moment in this episode? It's almost impossible to choose, but I think I'll pick "Who says I can't [erase your memory]?" :D
Oh, yes, that one! (And that entire scene!) (And the entire episode. /cheats shamelessly)
Zhao Yunlan turns away and makes a face - and unlike previous times when Zhao Yunlan was displeased with the Envoy, this time Shen Wei calls him on it. Is that because the relationship between them has changed, or because unlike the incident with Lin Yusen, this time Shen Wei doesn't feel like Zhao Yunlan has cause to be annoyed?
I think it's precisely because Zhao Yunlan turns away, rather than pressuring the Envoy, that Shen Wei is prepared to discuss it further. And each of them are being very much themselves: Shen Wei presenting a very black-and-white front, as the Envoy, and Zhao Yunlan leading with his heart and not particularly caring about the rules. (In contrast, too, with Zhao Xinci who used the letter of the Treaty to justify some terrible actions.)
And it's Zhao Yunlan's implicit/implied disagreement with the Envoy's initial judgement that allows Shen Wei to reveal the merciful part of himself via Tan Xiao and Zheng Yi's joyful waving, I think. If Zhao Yunlan seemed perfectly happy for Zheng Yi to be taken away, then would he have done that?
When Zheng Yi takes Shen Wei's hand, Tan Xiao suddenly stumbles back. Did she push him away with black energy? Why?
Huh, for some reason I thought Shen Wei's energy had expanded to encompass her, partly to contain her powers maybe, and partly as a protective shield?
Why does Zhao Yunlan want Shen Wei to join the SID so much? And why does Shen Wei eventually agree? Does it make things better, or more difficult, or both?
I think Shen Wei has realised that coordinating with the SID is now a necessity (and the best way of keeping Zhao Yunlan out of danger, given his reckless tendencies). And Zhao Yunlan just, you know, wants Shen Wei close -- at the SID and in other ways too. *g* (I think partly also to protect him, too; Shen Wei facing all the dangers alone is not without its own risks.)
I'm always a bit annoyed with Zhao Yunlan's glee in the car because he seems to not at all pick up on just how serious all of this is for Shen Wei - both as the Envoy (who has to navigate an increasingly more complicated balance between political duty, public image and private mercy) and as Professor Shen (whose position at the university has already been endangered by his associating with the SID)! They have such a mood mismatch in that scene, and Zhao Yunlan just ignores it all. How do you feel about that?
I've already written a whole post about how much I love it, hee. In the end, though, I mostly love that neither of them are pretending to feel anything they aren't. Shen Wei isn't putting a polite face on his discomfort, and Zhao Yunlan isn't putting a polite lid on his cheer. It's very much Bring Your Emotions To Work Day.
Zhao Yunlan really is shameless - he actually asked Shen Wei to write his self-criticism for him! Any theories (or fic recs for missing scenes) as to how that came about?
See above re my not getting that before. (What I have said about this before, in the singing-in-the-car-scene post, is: This is a Shen Wei who’s been up half the night writing a probably quite cathartic account of things Zhao Yunlan did wrong -- the self-criticism -- on Zhao Yunlan’s behalf. I like to think he wrote a blistering twenty-page version to get the worst of it out of his system, then threw or tucked that away and wrote the official/helpful one, partly in an attempt to control the narrative as far as the Department of Supervision is concerned.
In terms of asking Shen Wei to write it, maybe after the successful recruitment, when they were arranging to go to the DoS together, Zhao Yunlan made some careless reference to how he should write a self-criticism to smooth the way with Minister Gao, "the brass like that kind of thing," but it was obvious he wasn't going to follow through, and Shen Wei ended up offering, to Zhao Yunlan's bemusement. Or something? It's hard to know how brazen Zhao Yunlan would be about it -- he didn't seem to expect it when Shen Wei produced it.
(And aahhhhhhh, thank you so much for linking to the translation! I missed that somehow. Priceless. :D)
Shen Wei, left alone in the corridor at the Ministry, steps into a blind corner the surveillance camera won't catch, and starts searching with black energy. What is he searching for? Is he already suspicious about the lab, and trying to find out what's happening there? Or did he somehow sense Professor Zhou saying his name? :p
I was wondering that too. He could be looking for Hallows, or dark energy, or seeing if there are any Dixingren in the building (either working or being used as experiment subjects)? I'm really not sure. Btw, he hears Zhao Yunlan coming through the door, right? I think he'd also hear if anyone was coming along the hall.