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sid_guardian2023-09-09 02:42 am
trobadora) wrote in sid_guardian2023-09-09 02:42 am
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GUARDIAN REWATCH - Episode 34
Beginning of episode: Chu Shuzhi tells his true history to an unconscious Guo Changcheng
Ending of episode: "Kunlun" asks the young Envoy about his name
Important scenes/developments:
- Chu Shuzhi tells an unconscous Guo Changcheng the truth about Nianzhi
- Lin Jing and Li Qian talk about the SID, and Professor Ouyang announces his success
- the Inspectorate shuts down the SID and tells everyone to vacate the premises
- Zhao Yunlan hears on the radio that his arrest has been ordered, and narrowly gets away
- Shen Wei is accosted and almost arrested in the street
- Wang Zheng and Sang Zan put two two Inspectorate men out of commission
- Professor Ouyang tests his serum on himself, with painful and powerful effects
- Wang Zheng returns Zhao Yunlan's black energy gun to him with a message from his father
- Ye Zun arrives at the SID, pretending to be Shen Wei
- Zhao Yunlan tries to use the Sundial AGAIN
- Ye Zun-as-Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan: attempted deception, confrontation, Wang Zheng's and Sang Zan's sacrifice; last minute save by wormhole
- Shen Wei follows Zhao Yunlan into the wormhole
- Zhao Yunlan falls into YOHE and interferes in a battle
- Zhao Yunlan meets YOHE!Da Qing and is told to "take his place"
- Zhao Yunlan meets Ma Gui and Fu You, and learns about the war
- Zhao Yunlan gets a new look, meets the young Envoy again and asks him to take off his mask and smile
- clifftop scene: Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei talk about duty, fear, masks, the different flavours of life, and identity
- Fu You tells Ma Gui the Yashou will retreat after everything is over
- Zhao Yunlan asks the Envoy's name
Thoughts:
(With apologies for the extreme lateness of this post!)
There are a lot of things happening in this episode:
- the Nightmare Master arc ends with one more retelling of Chu Nianzhi's story, though the arc's consequences (the SID shield being down) are a significant factor in what comes next;
- the serum project at the Inspectorate lab becomes an active threat rather than a potential one;
- pressure on our team rises from all sides, as they're hunted by the Inspectorate even as Ye Zun moves to invade the SID himself, leading to the first big losses on our heroes' side with Wang Zheng's and Sang Zan's sacrifice;
- we get a second confrontation between Zhao Yunlan and Ye Zun after the scene in the park, and once again despite all Zhao Yunlan's resourcefulness, Ye Zun has the advantage; this time it's the Hallows-ex-machina that save Zhao Yunlan;
- and then, with all that tension ramped up to the max, we are dropped right into the YOHE sequence - in one sense a moment of pause in the plot hurtling towards its conclusion, and a tying-up of several open questions as this part of the time loop closes and we get a significant section of Shen Wei's backstory.
Chu Shuzhi, Chu Nianzhi, Guo Changcheng:
- When Chu Shuzhi finally tells the truth about Nianzhi (and I don't doubt it's the truth; it's too much a confession), it's to an unconscious Guo Changcheng - because he needs to get it off his chest, and of course he wants to tell Xiao-Guo, but at the same time, he still can't face Guo Changcheng hearing it.
- Chu Shuzhi is so expressive during this entire scene! Very little left of his grumpy stoicism; he's all emotion here. From the fond/sad smile as he talks about Nianzhi to laughing with Guo Changcheng, to crying over being called good. ♥ ♥ ♥
- When Chu Shuzhi describes his brother, he calls him gentle and shy, polite and intelligent - are those all qualities Chu Shuzhi thinks he himself lacks?
- From the previous flashback scene during Chu Shuzhi's confrontation with the nightmare master, we already knew Chu Nianzhi was killed by someone who wanted revenge on Chu Shuzhi, and mistook one brother for the other. "So he locked the younger brother up, and set him on fire," Chu Shuzhi explains here - I did not remember this part at all! (I honestly was wondering if it might not have been in the original subs, but yes, it was.) The previous flashback scene made it seem as if Chu Nianzhi had been beaten to death, but I suppose it's not truly a contradiction - the beating could easily have come before the locking up and setting on fire.
- We also learn that Chu Nianzhi did have a puppet-related power of his own, but only used it the once: "The younger one used his power to huddle his body into a doll his brother had given him. That was the first time he used his power, and also the last." So the puppet that was buried in Dixing is in essence Chu Nianzhi's grave.
- Chu Shuzhi, on hearing of his brother's horrific death, not only broke out of prison and killed his brother's murderer, but indiscriminately killed everyone standing in his way, innocent or not - which makes sense in the context of his crime being considered particularly heinous.
- And when Guo Changcheng wakes up, just after Chu Shuzhi finishes telling this story, we see Chu Shuzhi being free with his emotions in a happier way - his smile! Cradling Xiao-Guo's head! Guo Changcheng jokes about Chu Shuzhi's cannibal act! Both of them laughing in relief! Chu Shuzhi crying when Guo Changcheng tells him he's good and not scary at all! Holding hands! So lovely, and such a cathartic scene. ♥
The Inspectorate lab:
- Lin Jing, on seeing the latest news about the SID ("SID Chief Zhao Yunlan harbours murderer from Dixing"), nearly calls Zhao Yunlan. (What we see of his contact list: Guo Changcheng, Li Qian, Professor Ouyang, Shen Wei, Chief Zhao, Zhu Hong.) Instead, Li Qian approaches him, and they connect a little over their SID sympathies before Professor Ouyang interrupts them, announcing success.
- Professor Ouyang is so delighted, and Lin Jing and Li Qian both are so very not! They're both extremely somber and tense, with not the slightest bit of scientific glee over their research project's results. Meanwhile Professor Ouyang insists they need to test the serum, and won't listen to Lin Jing suggesting further research first - if no one else is volunteering, he'll test it on himself! Both Li Qian and Lin Jing try to stop him, but he won't let them. And ends up rolling on the floor screaming in pain - but the granting powers part of the serum is working, as evidenced by the crack he punches into the floor.
Shutting down the SID:
- Zhu Hong, now that she can't bully Lin Jing any more, has taken Cong Bo on as a substitute, I suppose - and she's not happy about it. She's very sharp with him as she pushes him to work harder on getting rid of all the rumours, and doesn't tell him Lin Jing has been fired. Cong Bo tells her he's up against every netizen in Dragon City, and I wonder why only Dragon City - surely this has spread further by now?
- Minister Guo arrives to tell everyone the SID is closed and they must leave the premises. Zhu Hong nearly lashes out, but Cong Bo holds her back. She's practically shaking with fury!
- Guo Ying, meanwhile, takes his nephew aside and tells him - loudly enough to be heard by the others, I believe - that Chief Zhao is is harbouring a murderer from Dixing and is now a wanted man. Next episode makes it even clearer that Guo Ying is not on board with all that's happening, and even if he's not willing to actively go against orders, here IMO he is clearly giving the rest of the SID the chance to warn Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi. And takes his nephew with him, to protect him from the fallout as best he can.
- Meanwhile Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing and Chu Shuzhi - who Zhu Hong earlier said were going to the Inspectorate to argue with them - come out of what seems to be Zhao Yunlan's apartment building, and I'm entirely unsure why they're there, but Cong Bo calls Zhao Yunlan and warns him not to go to the Inspectorate, but meet at his house, where he and Zhu Hong already are.
- Chu Shuzhi has been through a rollercoaster already; now faced with this, he's just kind of blankly staring into the distance. Zhao Yunlan puts his hand on his shoulder and tells him they have his back, and Chu Shuzhi, who earlier in the drama would have given him a huff and an eyeroll at such a proclamation, only gives a small nod now.
- While Zhao Yunlan is driving to the SID to fetch the Hallows, Da Qing texts him to turn on the radio: the SID has been shut down and Zhao Yunlan's arrest has been ordered - he's accused of colluding with Dixingren, spreading terror, disrupting public order, and harbouring a murderer. And all of this is no longer rumour; it's a public statement by the Inspectorate itself. Because Zhao Yunlan's car wasn't exactly chosen with the possibility of being a fugitive in mind, he's promptly spotted and just barely manages to evade arrest by ditching his car.
In a parallel to this, a bit later, Shen Wei is accosted walking through the streets, and nearly arrested by Inspectorate men too. He's still visibly weak and holding his side, but easily knocks them down (with his fists, not with black energy) and runs away, not without apologising first. - Minister Gao, who has ordered Zhao Yunlan's arrest, meanwhile still emphasizes not to hurt Zhao Yunlan, and speaks of him less as of a serious criminal, but more like a recalcitrant teenager.
- At the SID, two Inspectorate men are pasting "sealed" notices everywhere, and it's great to watch Wang Zheng and Sang Zan being spooky and aggressive at them, and take both of them out of commission.
Sang Zan wins "line of the episode" when he knocks one of them out with a book: "Chief Zhao was right, books have power!" *g* - When Zhao Yunlan returns to the SID, Wang Zheng reunites him with his black energy gun - just in time so he'll have it in YOHE. *g* Iit comes with a message from his father (Zhang Shi, I assume): "You've made your choice, so don't hesitate."
Zhao Yunlan at first refuses to take the gun, and then contemplates it for a very long moment. I wonder what he's thinking about.
Ye Zun enters the SID:
- Before he turns up at the SID pretending to be Shen Wei, we see Ye Zun at the university in an empty classroom, being super dramatic and somehow managing to look nothing at all like Shen Wei, despite having the exact same face. The contrast between this and the real Shen Wei in the street is drastic, and means the viewer immediately knows who we're dealing with when Ye Zun appears at the SID.
(Despite Ye Zun's visit to the university, the deleted scene does not happen. I'm so glad this one was deleted. Jiajia lives!) - Ye Zun's Shen Wei impersonation is so very off in so many ways, from the suit that not only shows an uncharacteristic bit of skin but also doesn't seem to fit him (the shoulders are what get me every time; they're way too wide and not at all like the tailored jackets SW tends to wear!) to literally every single expression on his face, to asking, "Is my little Yunlan in?" No wonder Wang Zheng and Sang Zan can only stare, and are suspicious enough to immediately check on the Inspectorate men he touched!
- Ye Zun-as-Shen-Wei comes into the lab only to find Zhao Yunlan trying to use the Sundial again. Zhao Yunlan immediately puts it back on its stand and puts the cover back over it, then laughs and tries to deflect from being caught at this again by asking why Shen Wei is here rather than resting at home. He's expecting a scolding, and not getting it!
- He also stares at Ye Zun's outfit for a moment and hesitates before saying it "looks good", making me think he believes no such thing. (It doesn't!)
- When Ye Zun says, in a too-tight voice, "So, you're studying the Hallows?" - I expect Zhao Yunlan mistakes that for indirect scolding, letting him believe "Shen Wei" isn't being wildly OOC. *g*
- This time, Zhao Yunlan has a concrete reason for trying to use the Hallows! He remembers Shen Wei saying the Hallows' resonance can't just predict the future, but also disrupt the flow of time. (IIRC we don't hear him saying exactly this on screen, but it does fit in the context of them discussing Zhao Yunlan's Hallows visions ...) So Zhao Yunlan suggests a time travel fix-it: go back to before Ye Zun broke free, before Bai Suxia died, and just prevent all this from ever happening!
Ye Zun sounds much more like his brother when he expounds on time travel theory and claims time corrects itself, so that even if one factor is corrected, other factors will still steer the timeline towards the same outcome. Also, here's no record of anyone coming back after entering a wormhole. (The fact that he adds this makes me think Ye Zun, who saw the wormhole sucking up Kunlun, must have figured out the time travel too, by now ...) - When Ye Zun tries to touch the Hallows casing, the safety measures zap him - apparently unauthorised persons still can't get to them. (Good job, Lin Jing!)
- Ye Zun, who has not exactly been stellar at impersonating his brother, gives himself away for good when he tells Zhao Yunlan, "You're the Guardian of humankind, yet they call for you to be beaten, even killed. Is it worth it, you doing this?" (Here Zhao Yunlan turns towards him, with a very dark look.) And then Ye Zun asks him to give him the Hallows, so he can try the time travel in his stead. The smile on his face, too, is very, very not Shen Wei.
Zhao Yunlan, who has caught on by now, pretends to buy this reasoning, but instead of handing over the Hallows, presses his gun against Ye Zun's middle: "You are not Shen Wei. The things you say would never cross his lips. Is it worth it? We never do things based on whether it's worth it or not."
And Ye Zun's smile goes from "not Shen Wei" to "the most Ye Zun possible". *g* - Zhao Yunlan doesn't fire his gun until Ye Zun admits to having taken down the shield by putting Lin Jing into a dream - but alas, Ye Zun easily teleports out of the way, with what looks like Wu Tian'en's power. (Could be Zhu Jiu's, I suppose.)
And from thereon, it becomes clear that Zhao Yunlan doesn't stand a chance. Ye Zun goes on the offensive, using black energy pouring from his hand to pull at Zhao Yunlan, and clearly winning against what resistance Zhao Yunlan manages to muster. - Wang Zheng and Sang Zan, having realised what is happening, come in to try and save Zhao Yunlan - they tell him to run as they get in the way. Ye Zun pulls them in and draws the energy to his face, eating it, and then immediately attacks Zhao Yunlan again - their sacrifice made no difference. *sobs*<
And Zhao Yunlan is very nearly eaten as well, except that the Hallows suddenly activate, forming a wormhole that pulls him in. And at the exact same moment, Shen Wei comes in, witnessing Zhao Yunlan being taken by a wormhole again. Just like back in YOHE, he shouts his name - and ultimately refuses to lose him this way again, jumping into the wormhole after him, leaving poor Da Qing behind. - But first, Shen Wei attacks Ye Zun, who taunts him, then vanishes, promising an ending. (But not yet, apparently - Ye Zun makes no effort to actually fight with Shen Wei, or take him captive again, even though Shen Wei is still clearly not well, clutching his side and very pale.
Ten thousand years ago:
What can I say about this that hasn't been said a hundred times before, and better? I'll just point out a few things instead that struck me this time:
- In the starry Hallows space inside the wormhole, Zhao Yunlan seems to have a vision of his mother again, but this time we don't see it ourselves. I suppose that's why I didn't remember this at all!
- Despite just having encountered Ye Zun, when Zhao Yunlan sees the young Envoy, he immediately concludes this is Shen Wei. And despite just having talked about time travel, it takes Zhao Yunlan a while to catch on to where he's landed!
- Zhao Yunlan's first action in the past is to interfere in a battle between Shen Wei's men and the rebels by shooting two of them, marking this as the beginning of Zhao Yunlan using his black energy gun much more freely than he did previously. (It'll become even more obvious next episode.)
- I still love that "He just left?!" moment: for what it says about Shen Wei's priorities (he's clearly grateful to his saviour, and as we see later, willing to indulge him to some degree, but has absolutely zero time to spare for him when he has his men to take care of), and for Zhao Yunlan's sheer bafflement. ♥
Also, the distance between them isn't exactly large - Zhao Yunlan should have been able to follow easily if they'd just walked away. (Or stumbled, more like - those men collapsed just a moment ago!) So I have to assume that, despite no one using any black energy powers during the fight, a power was used here after all. - I love love love the first meeting between young Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan! Zhao Yunlan's confusion over Da Qing's hair and outfit, not to mention the drawing of himself! Da Qing's bafflement at absolutely everything Zhao Yunlan says! The fact that Zhao Yunlan essentially introduced himself to Da Qing by calling himself his master, and Da Qing somehow did not hiss in his face! *g*
- When they approach the Allied Headquarters, the subs call it "our highest base so far", 目前海星最高据点 in the original. I think it's more like "currently Haixing's supreme stronghold"?
- I had also forgotten that Zhao Yunlan comments on the Yashou part of the alliance - he says he never thought the Yashou would participate so actively. Which fits pretty well with the talk about the Yashou remaining neutral during the war, as in what Shen Wei says to Ying Chun at one point - clearly the modern-day story isn't historically accurate, and the truth isn't widely acknowledged.
- Ma Gui and Fu You tell Zhao Yunlan they know he's from 10,000 years in the future, and at some later point, he'll communicate with them across 10,000 years - so he naturally assumes he'll go back to the present. I don't think he doubts it until they recover the get the Hallows and they refuse to activate - at that point, I assume he must wonder if the timeline has changed after all - especially since his own taking over Kunlun's role was presented as "that way, we won't disrupt the timeline", suggesting such disruptions are possible ...
(Also, Shen Wei doesn't know anything at all about this, being kept in the dark by Ma Gui and Fu You, and therefore can't be sure if Zhao Yunlan will come back to the present or not. Well, "Kunlun" did tell him he'd return home eventually, and I assume he believed it - up until he actually got to know Zhao Yunlan in the present and realised "Kunlun" didn't actually have any more clue about the Hallows than Shen Wei! Oops?) - Zhao Yunlan is such a dork when he first appears in his Kunlun outfit and look!
- When the Envoy comes in to talk to Ma Gui and Fu You, Zhao Yunlan greets him enthusiastically, grinning and slapping his shoulder - and I utterly love the way Shen Wei looks at Zhao Yunlan's hand, and then at him, That cold "You are ..." - and then the complete switch in attitude when Zhao Yunlan pushes his hair out of his face and he recognises him as his saviour! ♥
- Zhao Yunlan really doesn't know how to be subtle about Shen Wei, any more than Shen Wei knows how to be subtle about him - luckily for both of them, they both really like it when the other is super intense about them! *g*
- When Zhao Yunlan suggests "take off your mask and smile for me", most people seem delighted by the suggestiveness of the young Envoy's reply ("when all of this is over, whatever wishes you have, I'll do my best to fulfil them"), but I particularly love that Shen Wei, despite being taken completely aback by Zhao Yunlan's ... everything ... and despite his gratitude, has no problem at all deflecting that suggestion. And Zhao Yunlan recognises the rebuff for what it is, given his reaction. ♥
- Zhao Yunlan: "You still have me." And Shen Wei's reaction! ♥
- Zhao Yunlan, who's been joking and ribbing Shen Wei about his mask and his looks, grows very serious immediately when Shen Wei talks about being afraid when he's fighting his enemies.
- The lollipop! Zhao Yunlan is so pleased with himself, just watching Shen Wei eat that lollipop. The way they smile at each other! ♥
- "The life that I owe you, I will definitely return to you." And the way Zhao Yunlan stares at Shen Wei as things start coming together for him, as he realises just what Shen Wei had been talking about in the kitchen scene. And then he proceeds to be just as cryptic at Shen Wei as Shen Wei was at him back then: "You've already returned it. Many times over." TIME LOOP! I love it so! :D
- We end on Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei his name, since he can't have been the Black-Cloaked Envoy from birth. And I'll leave the name discussion for next week, but let me share this exchange from discord:amedia: I now have a mental image of Shen Wei as a baby in a tiny black onesie and cloaksef1029: Had to dress the twins in diff colorsamedia: Haha, good point! Ye Zun in tiny white cloak, then?trobadora: colour-coded for your convenience!autodach: The Chus didn't color-code and look what it led to!
(I would like to emphasize, for the record, that Shen Wei and Ye Zun were indeed colour-coded already in their childhood, as we see in the flashback in episode 40! I wonder if they used to be nicknamed Xiao-Hei and Xiao-Bai. *g*)
Discussion starters:
- What's your favourite scene in this episode? Your favourite line?
- When we went into the Nightmare Master arc on this rewatch, one of the things most of us wanted to do was make more sense of all these dreams and dreams-within-a-dream, to sort out what's real. Do you feel you've managed to do this? Now that the arc has ended, what are your thoughts?
- What do you think Guo Ying thinks about all these rumours about the SID? How much does he worry about his nephew? And he and Yu Jinlan seemed to have practically accepted Chu Shuzhi into the family - what are they making of what's now being said about Chu Shuzhi's background?
- Zhao Yunlan's arrest has been ordered, and Shen Wei is nearly arrested as well. Probably Chu Shuzhi would also be arrested on sight - but why were Zhu Hong and Cong Bo allowed to leave the SID unharrassed? Guo Changcheng being allowed to transfer to the Inspectorate can be chalked up to nepotism, I guess. *g* But why is Shen Wei being singled out, other than narrative parallels between our heroes?
And does the Inspectorate know who Shen Wei is, by now? Zhao Xinci certainly knows. But who would think it was a good idea to try and arrest the Black-Cloaked Envoy? - Regarding "my little Yunlan": does Ye Zun really think Shen Wei talks like that? Why do you think Ye Zun chooses that phrasing? (And how delightful is it that even Ye Zun knows these two are together? *g*)
- Do you think Ye Zun is right that the timeline corrects itself? And that no one's ever come back from a wormhole? He could be lying, trying to prevent people from undoing his success, but since he goes on to suggest Zhao Yunlan give him the Hallows and let him try fixing the timeline, this warning doesn't particular benefit him either, so it could also all be true ....
- At what point do you think Zhao Yunlan realises Ye Zun is not Shen Wei? The obvious moment is when Ye Zun asks whether it's worth it, but does he have suspicions before that? To be fair, he has no idea that Shen Wei has an identical twin, or any reason to think the shield is down and unauthorised Dixingren can enter, so it's perhaps not the most obvious conclusion.
- If Zhao Yunlan hadn't interfered in the battle, what would have happened? Would the Rebel Leader have thrown Shen Wei down a cliff for the second time? (Shen Wei did survive that even as a kid, but everyone else would definitely have been toast.)
- What do you think the young Envoy and Da Qing make of all of the weird things "Kunlun" says? Do they ever compare notes?
- I get the impression there's some definite distance between humans and Yashou on one side, and Dixingren on the other, even within the YOHE alliance. What do you think Ma Gui and Fu You make of Zhao Yunlan's interest in and behaviour towards the Envoy? Does it change anything for them?
Let's talk about episode 34!
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 34 fanworks and meta go here!
- any other episode reactions or related meta
- fanworks, picspams, squee, etc, relating to episode 34 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 34 fanworks and meta go here!
Guardian Episode by Episode: 34 by
Scene discussion:
Ye Zun pretends to be Shen Wei by
Zhao Yunlan meets the young Envoy in Allied Forces HQ by
"I don't want my remaining brothers to sacrifice themselves anymore" by
Re: Links to episode 34 fanworks and meta go here!
YOHE
a future of a past (1,374 words) - Da Qing follows Shen Wei into the wormhole
a warning and a promise (433 words) - Zhao Yunlan tries to prepare the young Envoy for their other first meeting
The nights we stole and made our own (5,835 words) - Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, first time in YOHE, SW POV
Woven Through You, Woven Through Me (4,300 words) - Zhao Yunlan's POV on meeting the young Envoy (and his men)
Other time travel
Back to the Middle (parallel time travel fixits) - six alternate fixits with different SID members and Ye Zun doing as Zhao Yunlan suggests and going back to before Bai Suxia is killed
Also
Five YOHE recs by me
Half a dozen YOHE icons by me
A little tiny YOHE picspam
Small meta discussion about when Ye Zun found out the Black Cloaked Envoy was his brother
From an otherwise irrelevant post: Aww, in YOHE, Da Qing wanders around, unarmed, staring at a piece of paper and talking to himself... in the vicinity of a recent battle. It's a good thing he has those extra cat lives!
Meta: Secrets and stakes AKA, the point where I realised that YOHE events explain so much about Shen Wei's modern-day behaviour, not just towards Zhao Yunlan specifically, but also wrt his secrets and everything, AKA He's Always Protecting the Timeline.
And
I'm not usually one for watchalongs, but the Gaywatch Guardian reaction to the revelation of time travel/YOHE is one of my favourite things ever (link to cut-down Youtube version, 15m).
Re: Links to episode 34 fanworks and meta go here!
Fic: Trapped between memory and the moment by laireshi (2,298 words). There's no first in their relationship.
Re: Links to episode 34 fanworks and meta go here!
no subject
Good writeup! I love to see you belittling Ye Zun’s impersonation skills XD
Ye Zun arrives at the SID, pretending to be Shen Wei
Guardian is the only show I’ve ever watched where I genuinely forget two identical characters are played by the same actor. And it works even in this scene!
It’s absolutely obvious that
1) this is Ye Zun
2) actively pretending to be Shen Wei
3) but falling short
If any of these failed, the scene wouldn’t work, but they pulled it off ❤
Ye Zun's Shen Wei impersonation is so very off in so many ways, from the suit […] to literally every single expression on his face, to asking, "Is my little Yunlan in?"
He also uses a different gesture to adjust his glasses. I’m quite fond of this detail, because Shen Wei’s gesture covers the same parts of his face as the HPS mask – but Ye Zun is not HPS…
Ye Zun sounds much more like his brother when he expounds on time travel theory and claims time corrects itself
It seems Lecture Mode is genetic after all XD
Zhao Yunlan doesn't fire his gun until Ye Zun admits to having taken down the shield by putting Lin Jing into a dream
Zhao Yunlan could have shot Ye Zun the moment he caught on he’s not Shen Wei, but he hesitates just slightly too long. Is it because he doesn’t want to shoot someone who looks like Shen Wei?
Is he worried he’s wrong? Or that Shen Wei is possessed/controlled?
I also wonder if things would have gone differently if Shen Wei had warned the SID about his identical twin…
The lollipop! Zhao Yunlan is so pleased with himself, just watching Shen Wei eat that lollipop. The way they smile at each other! ♥
❤❤❤
What's your favourite scene in this episode? Your favourite line?
When Xiao-Wei doesn’t recognize Kunlun, he says “who are you” in a really guarded way. Zhao Yunlan lifts his bangs, revealing Shen Wei’s noble benefactor! Xiao-Wei is elated!
I really like the habitual coldness instantly melting into joyful familiarity. Such a contrast! And it’s something that would not happen for the older version of Shen Wei – he does not open up this quickly.
When we went into the Nightmare Master arc on this rewatch, one of the things most of us wanted to do was make more sense of all these dreams and dreams-within-a-dream, to sort out what's real. Do you feel you've managed to do this? Now that the arc has ended, what are your thoughts?
I went in with no clue, and I am coming out with no clue – completely failed my task lol
What do you think Guo Ying thinks about all these rumours about the SID? How much does he worry about his nephew? And he and Yu Jinlan seemed to have practically accepted Chu Shuzhi into the family - what are they making of what's now being said about Chu Shuzhi's background?
My impression is that Guo Ying is being pragmatic and focused on the moment: Reserve judgment, keep Changcheng out of the line of fire. Everything else can be sorted out when the dust settles.
Zhao Yunlan's arrest has been ordered, and Shen Wei is nearly arrested as well. Probably Chu Shuzhi would also be arrested on sight - but why were Zhu Hong and Cong Bo allowed to leave the SID unharrassed?
I think they do know just who Shen Wei is and they’re trying to take out the SID leaders first. Arresting Zhu Hong would also lead to trouble with the snake tribe, whom they’re probably not in a rush to provoke.
Regarding "my little Yunlan": does Ye Zun really think Shen Wei talks like that? Why do you think Ye Zun chooses that phrasing? (And how delightful is it that even Ye Zun knows these two are together? *g*
This is Ye Zun’s idea of how lovers call each other. Adorable.
Just as he knows to wear a suit, but not how to make it fit, he understands the basic concept but not the details of their relationship.
Do you think Ye Zun is right that the timeline corrects itself? And that no one's ever come back from a wormhole?
It could be true or it could be false, but how would Ye Zun know either way? How could you possibly know if you’re living in a timeline that has “corrected itself”?
To properly test that, one would need to go back in to the same point in time multiple times and make different choices each time. Then you could tell which parts of the timeline are fixed. But it doesn’t seem likely that anyone has done such an experiment.
So yeah, I think he's pulling this out of his ass XD
At what point do you think Zhao Yunlan realises Ye Zun is not Shen Wei? The obvious moment is when Ye Zun asks whether it's worth it, but does he have suspicions before that?
At first, Zhao Yunlan is focused on having been caught fondling the hallows again and explaining himself, and Ye Zun’s little lecture about timelines is plausible for Shen Wei to say.
Then, when Ye Zun says “is it worth it”, we get a reaction shot of Zhao Yunlan looking definitely surprised. I believe that he indeed did not suspect before this point.
What do you think the young Envoy and Da Qing make of all of the weird things "Kunlun" says? Do they ever compare notes?
What a delightful concept! Xiao-Wei and Da Qing commiserating about Kunlun’s oddities XD
Zhao Yunlan is really not very careful about concealing the time-travel – falling only just short of flat-out telling people – maybe the two of them together could have figured it out even back then?
As it is, I think they chalk it up to Kunlun being from a remote area with a noticeably different culture. They’re probably used to various cultural misunderstandings between Haixingren, Dixingren, and Yashou already.
Fu You and Ma Gui are very lucky no one in the camp has met the real Kunlun before XD
I get the impression there's some definite distance between humans and Yashou on one side, and Dixingren on the other, even within the YOHE alliance. What do you think Ma Gui and Fu You make of Zhao Yunlan's interest in and behaviour towards the Envoy? Does it change anything for them?
I agree, and to some extent it makes sense: Their enemies are Dixingren too, after all. It’s not fair, but that’s the way things often go.
Ma Gui and Fu You don’t seem to care very much about Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei’s personal affairs. They have a war to fight, and Zhao Yunlan is only there temporarily (two days or so?) anyway.
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Hee! Yeah, there are a lot of different things going on!
It’s absolutely obvious that
1) this is Ye Zun
2) actively pretending to be Shen Wei
3) but falling short
RIGHT??? It's amazing. Zhu Yilong is seriously impressive here; I don't think many actors would have been able to pull this off. As you say, if any part didn't work the whole thing would fall apart, but instead it's just perfect, and I love it. :D
He also uses a different gesture to adjust his glasses. I’m quite fond of this detail, because Shen Wei’s gesture covers the same parts of his face as the HPS mask – but Ye Zun is not HPS…
Yes! The glasses gesture, that's such a good point! So much lovely detail going into constructing these two characters' different mannerisms. And it's not as if Ye Zun doesn't wear a mask too! But they have such different vibes about it.
It seems Lecture Mode is genetic after all XD
LOL!
Zhao Yunlan could have shot Ye Zun the moment he caught on he’s not Shen Wei, but he hesitates just slightly too long. Is it because he doesn’t want to shoot someone who looks like Shen Wei?
Is he worried he’s wrong? Or that Shen Wei is possessed/controlled?
I think a bit of both, and also he's just not the kind of person who will shoot first for no reason, and I think he thinks he can hold him in check with the gun, not knowing how well Ye Zun can handle being shot at.
(I'm not convinced it'd have worked even if he'd shot immediately without warning. In YOHE, next episode, he shoots Ye Zun and Ye Zun just catches the bullets easily; his reaction speed must be incredibly fast. So he might well have been able to teleport away no matter how quickly Zhao Yunlan fired.)
I also wonder if things would have gone differently if Shen Wei had warned the SID about his identical twin…
Ye Zun is so overpowered, once he's inside the SID I'm not sure there's much anyone other than Shen Wei could have done. Zhao Yunlan would have caught on sooner, and Wang Zheng and Sang Zan before him too, but it would just have sped up the confrontation.
I really like the habitual coldness instantly melting into joyful familiarity. Such a contrast! And it’s something that would not happen for the older version of Shen Wei – he does not open up this quickly.
Oh, yes! He definitely doesn't open up that quickly any more, and it's a great way to show him much younger. But I also love that that coldness is there, that he won't let just anyone talk to him like that!
I went in with no clue, and I am coming out with no clue – completely failed my task lol
LOL! I feel like we've sorted out quite a bit, and I've got a better grip on most of it. There's not much where I'm not sure if it's real or not any more - just the scene where Chu Shuzhi talks to Zhao Yunlan after returning to Haixing, and the flashback scene with Nianzhi being beaten - and even there I'm reasonably sure both are real, even if there's some remaining doubt.
Even with Chu Shuzhi's puppet I'm no longer totally confused, just moderately, LOL.
My impression is that Guo Ying is being pragmatic and focused on the moment: Reserve judgment, keep Changcheng out of the line of fire. Everything else can be sorted out when the dust settles.
Yeah, that sounds right! He's not the kind of person who jumps to conclusions.
I think they do know just who Shen Wei is and they’re trying to take out the SID leaders first.
And they think they can arrest the Black-Cloaked Envoy??????
Just as he knows to wear a suit, but not how to make it fit, he understands the basic concept but not the details of their relationship.
Hee!
(He does much better at making things fit when it's his own style, as with his white outfit in episode 36, but he doesn't have the first clue about how to make Shen Wei's style work. *g*)
It could be true or it could be false, but how would Ye Zun know either way? How could you possibly know if you’re living in a timeline that has “corrected itself”?
Yeah, good point - it would be hard to know! Though it might be that Dixing has research on this sort of thing and he's quoting received wisdom. I guess his lecturing tone sounds to me more as if he's quoting something than just making it up. But he definitely can't know for sure ...
Then, when Ye Zun says “is it worth it”, we get a reaction shot of Zhao Yunlan looking definitely surprised. I believe that he indeed did not suspect before this point.
Yeah, that's what I've always figured too!
What a delightful concept! Xiao-Wei and Da Qing commiserating about Kunlun’s oddities XD
Ma Gui and Fu You don’t seem to care very much about Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei’s personal affairs. They have a war to fight, and Zhao Yunlan is only there temporarily (two days or so?) anyway.
It's pretty unclear how long he's there - it definitely looks like just two days or so in episodes 34/35, but then there's the flashbacks in episode 37 where he apparently teaches Ma Gui how to make alcohol, which wouldn't fit if it were really that short. But yeah, good point, they probably have too much else on their mind.
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And they think they can arrest the Black-Cloaked Envoy??????
Maybe they ran it past the Regent, and he said, "Go for it!" ;-p
(Eee, thanks for the rec. <333)
but then there's the flashbacks in episode 37 where he apparently teaches Ma Gui how to make alcohol, which wouldn't fit if it were really that short.
Plus the Rebel Leader being shot and then uninjured in a later scene...
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LOL!
Plus the Rebel Leader being shot and then uninjured in a later scene...
Yeah, that too! Though that's weird otherwise too - Zhu Jiu never actually recovered from his wound and expected to die from it, according to episode 18, but the Rebel Leader seems to have been fine. Better healing powers 10,000 years ago? *g*
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Oh yes, Ye Zun is pretty dodgy. I think he would have just teleportet away.
But I also love that that coldness is there, that he won't let just anyone talk to him like that!
Yes it's so good. He's young, but still Heipaoshi ❤️❤️❤️
And they think they can arrest the Black-Cloaked Envoy??????
Not the smartest move XD
Although he has been arrested before, by the SID. I wonder if that's on record somewhere? Lol
china_shop has a delightful YOHE fic about that! :D
Thanks for the rec!
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Arrested, or just detained for interviewing? :-)
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Oh, good point! And also, as
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Ohh, that's excellent! Great catch.
Zhao Yunlan could have shot Ye Zun the moment he caught on he’s not Shen Wei, but he hesitates just slightly too long. Is it because he doesn’t want to shoot someone who looks like Shen Wei?
Oh, that might well be part of it. I thought he might not consider himself at war (in a shoot-first kind of environment) until after Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's deaths...
I really like the habitual coldness instantly melting into joyful familiarity. Such a contrast! And it’s something that would not happen for the older version of Shen Wei – he does not open up this quickly.
Ahhh, yessss! That's such a marked contrast. <333
Then, when Ye Zun says “is it worth it”, we get a reaction shot of Zhao Yunlan looking definitely surprised. I believe that he indeed did not suspect before this point.
I know what you mean. It just seems so weird to me when Wang Zheng caught on so quickly, though...
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Oh, good point! He does get much more trigger-happy after this
I know what you mean. It just seems so weird to me when Wang Zheng caught on so quickly, though...
Zhao Yunlan's pretty distracted there for a while. When Ye Zun comes in, he still has the Sundial in hand, and he struggles to place it under its little dome, clearly affected by its power. At the same time, he has an oh shit, Shen Wei caught me with a hallow moment and hurries to explain himself. It's only when he sits down that the gears start turning.
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Yeah, this is how I always read it too!
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But the scene with Ye Zun pretending to be Shen Wei will always be my favorite in this episode. Because of Ye Zun's... everything. It always makes me laugh when I remember that this is how he sees his bother and his relationship with his "little Yunlan". LOL
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But the scene with Ye Zun pretending to be Shen Wei will always be my favorite in this episode. Because of Ye Zun's... everything.
It's a fantastic scene, and so impressive in its layers of identity and impersonation, and everything it says about all the things Ye Zun knows, and all the things he doesn't actually understand. ♥ ♥ ♥
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On the other hand, this rewatch is giving me a greater and greater appreciation of WeiLan, of the bad, dangerous, and sexy Ye Zun as well as Z1L's incredible acting skills in subtly delineating the twins, and of the whole YOHE section. I have nothing much to say about any of these things, but I am noticing and enjoying them lots more, and happily eating up everyone's commentary!
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And yay, excellent to hear that you're enjoying everyone's commentary! Same here on noticing and enjoying things more on the parts I wasn't initially paying as much attention to (which for me is the Chu Shuzhi stuff, even though I love him - I was way too focused on all the Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei and Ye Zun shenanigains). There's just so much good stuff in this episode! And seriously, Zhu Yilong is brilliant in how different he manages to make the twins. His entire face looks different! I think a lot of it is the way he makes his mouth all tight as Ye Zun ...
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The previous flashback scene made it seem as if Chu Nianzhi had been beaten to death, but I suppose it's not truly a contradiction - the beating could easily have come before the locking up and setting on fire.
/o\ /o\ /o\
At some point he presumably had a chance to hide in the doll. I wonder if the doll actually burned, too, and Chu Shuzhi was so off-balance when he reached Dixing that he'd kind of forgotten when he went to dig him up. If not, how did the doll survive the fire? I guess the fire could have been interrupted and put out, and the doll salvaged -- but by whom?
We also learn that Chu Nianzhi did have a puppet-related power of his own, but only used it the once: "The younger one used his power to huddle his body into a doll his brother had given him. That was the first time he used his power, and also the last."
Does it explicitly say that Chu Nianzhi's power was puppet-related? I was wondering if he might have a power like Zhang Shi. Or if not, does that mean that Chu Shuzhi puts a piece of himself inside his puppets so they can act independently, and Nianzhi just took that to extremes and vacated his own body in the process?
From Shen Wei and Ye Zun, we know that twins can have related powers that express differently, so maybe that was the case for Shuzhi and Nianzhi too... So many questions.
So the puppet that was buried in Dixing is in essence Chu Nianzhi's grave.
And whoever took it was a grave robber. /o\
So lovely, and such a cathartic scene. ♥
It's so gooood! ♥ ♥ ♥
Professor Ouyang is so delighted, and Lin Jing and Li Qian both are so very not! They're both extremely somber and tense, with not the slightest bit of scientific glee over their research project's results.
Which kind of makes me wonder how they thought their research was going to end, you know?
if no one else is volunteering, he'll test it on himself!
A scientific tradition! /o\
Cong Bo tells her he's up against every netizen in Dragon City, and I wonder why only Dragon City - surely this has spread further by now?
For the same reason that all the problems in BtVS only ever affected Sunnydale, I expect. :-)
Next episode makes it even clearer that Guo Ying is not on board with all that's happening, and even if he's not willing to actively go against orders, here IMO he is clearly giving the rest of the SID the chance to warn Zhao Yunlan and Chu Shuzhi.
Oh, excellent point! I wondered why he was being so tactless. ;-p
Meanwhile Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing and Chu Shuzhi - who Zhu Hong earlier said were going to the Inspectorate to argue with them - come out of what seems to be Zhao Yunlan's apartment building, and I'm entirely unsure why they're there
Checking in with Shen Wei?
but Cong Bo calls Zhao Yunlan and warns him not to go to the Inspectorate, but meet at his house, where he and Zhu Hong already are.
This episodes has hands-down my favourite Cong Bo scenes. I love him stepping up when Zhu Hong is too shaken and furious to think straight. <3
Zhao Yunlan puts his hand on his shoulder and tells him they have his back, and Chu Shuzhi, who earlier in the drama would have given him a huff and an eyeroll at such a proclamation, only gives a small nod now.
Haha, so true about Chu Shuzhi's development! I'd argue this moment is proof Zhao Yunlan has come a long way, too. He's putting the lessons he learned in Zhu Hong's dream into action here, aware of his importance to his team, being supportive rather than fake sarcastic or making jokes. (I also feel like this works to resolve the previous, mostly-forgotten discord between them before Chu Shuzhi's dream started. Then Zhao Yunlan was telling Chu Shuzhi that if he wasn't happy, he should leave; now he's saying Chu Shuzhi is an intrinsic part of the team, they're all in it together. You know?)
While Zhao Yunlan is driving to the SID to fetch the Hallows, Da Qing texts him to turn on the radio
LOL, every time this happens on TV, I think, "But if [A] just saw/heard it, by the time [B] turns on the TV/radio, the news story will have moved on to something else!" But I know it's just a TV trope -- much more dramatic for exposition than having [A] (in this case, Da Qing) relay the news themself.
And all of this is no longer rumour; it's a public statement by the Inspectorate itself.
Which, wow! /o\ (I wonder which Dixingren they think he colluded with. Is that why there's also a warrant out on Shen Wei? ;-p)
Because Zhao Yunlan's car wasn't exactly chosen with the possibility of being a fugitive in mind
LOLOL! ♥ (Is that the last time we see the car? Does he get it back at any point? Something to keep an eye out for.)
He's still visibly weak and holding his side, but easily knocks them down (with his fists, not with black energy) and runs away, not without apologising first.
*hearts* I love that even here, he sticks to his principle (I presume) of not hurting humans with his powers. (The only times I remember his using his powers on humans are removing the security people(?)'s memories after he's talked to Wu Tian'en in the street, and hypnotising Jiajia and Xiao Quan on the field trip(?).)
Minister Gao, who has ordered Zhao Yunlan's arrest, meanwhile still emphasizes not to hurt Zhao Yunlan, and speaks of him less as of a serious criminal, but more like a recalcitrant teenager.
Well, he is still Zhao Xinci's son...
it's great to watch Wang Zheng and Sang Zan being spooky and aggressive at them, and take both of them out of commission.
I love that Wang Zheng can teleport! *g*
It comes with a message from his father (Zhang Shi, I assume): "You've made your choice, so don't hesitate."
I don't know if that's Zhang Shi? It's a very Zhao Xinci attitude, too. Never regret, never look back (even if you should)! I could go either way on that.
Ye Zun's Shen Wei impersonation is so very off in so many ways [...] to literally every single expression on his face
Haha, yes! SO OFF!!! I love that Wang Zheng is immediately suspicious. <333
He also stares at Ye Zun's outfit for a moment and hesitates before saying it "looks good", making me think he believes no such thing. (It doesn't!)
Right!? And just the idea of Shen Wei a) thinking about clothes at a time like this, and b) consulting Zhao Yunlan about fashion at all is so ludicrous, I can't help feeling that, even dazed from the Dial, he must know something's wrong -- even without the lack of Hallows-related scolding. But then, his reaction to the "is it worth it?" line is so dramatic, that definitely shifts his thinking, so idk. Maybe initially he thinks Shen Wei is possessed??
So Zhao Yunlan suggests a time travel fix-it: go back to before Ye Zun broke free, before Bai Suxia died, and just prevent all this from ever happening!
I've written six of these! LOL.
Also, here's no record of anyone coming back after entering a wormhole. (The fact that he adds this makes me think Ye Zun, who saw the wormhole sucking up Kunlun, must have figured out the time travel too, by now ...)
I'm not sure how that follows?
And then Ye Zun asks him to give him the Hallows, so he can try the time travel in his stead. The smile on his face, too, is very, very not Shen Wei.
Ha! He's like the Nightmare Guy pretending to be Changcheng in the street outside the SID -- so close to getting what he wants that the performance starts to completely disintegrate.
Zhao Yunlan, who has caught on by now, pretends to buy this reasoning, but instead of handing over the Hallows, presses his gun against Ye Zun's middle
I wonder what would have happened if he'd shot straight away, rather than talking first. (I love that he's mostly a talk-first kind of guy, though.)
"You are not Shen Wei. The things you say would never cross his lips. Is it worth it? We never do things based on whether it's worth it or not."
Ha! Well, not based on whether it's worth it for them personally, anyway.
And Ye Zun's smile goes from "not Shen Wei" to "the most Ye Zun possible". *g*
LOL! So true!
Ye Zun goes on the offensive, using black energy pouring from his hand to pull at Zhao Yunlan, and clearly winning against what resistance Zhao Yunlan manages to muster.
Zhao Yunlan holds out an amazingly long time, considering!
Ye Zun pulls them in and draws the energy to his face, eating it, and then immediately attacks Zhao Yunlan again - their sacrifice made no difference.
I was thinking about this. I feel like the failure of Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's sacrifice to change anything kind of foreshadows the ending: Ye Zun is so powerful that the ultimate triumph against him is just having Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's sacrifices actually be meaningful and effective at stopping him.
the Hallows suddenly activate, forming a wormhole that pulls him in. And at the exact same moment, Shen Wei comes in, witnessing Zhao Yunlan being taken by a wormhole again. Just like back in YOHE, he shouts his name - and ultimately refuses to lose him this way again, jumping into the wormhole after him, leaving poor Da Qing behind.
This makes me wonder (again) what conditions are required for the Hallows to activate like that. Is it Ye Zun's presence? Da Qing's, because he was involved in the original Hallows research? All four of them? All four and the gun? The Hallows didn't work in YOHE until Da Qing and Ye Zun were there too...
In the starry Hallows space inside the wormhole, Zhao Yunlan seems to have a vision of his mother again, but this time we don't see it ourselves.
I wish we'd seen it. *makes grabby hands at more Shen Xi content*
And despite just having talked about time travel, it takes Zhao Yunlan a while to catch on to where he's landed!
Which is fair enough, I think? There's a big difference between theory and surprise!experience. And 10k years is a lot to wrap your head around! (I adore how he rolls with it, once he figures it out. I was utterly delighted by the whole thing the first time I watched, and I still really really am.)
marking this as the beginning of Zhao Yunlan using his black energy gun much more freely than he did previously.
That's an excellent point. I wonder how much it's a response to the attack on Lin Jing, and Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's sacrifice? He's at war now, almost as much as the young!Envoy is.
I still love that "He just left?!" moment: [...] for Zhao Yunlan's sheer bafflement. ♥
Haha. He still thinks Shen Wei should know him at that stage, which does make the not waiting seem pretty weird and OOC!
Zhao Yunlan should have been able to follow easily if they'd just walked away.
Although Zhao Yunlan is hurt, too. His knee!
I love love love the first meeting between young Da Qing and Zhao Yunlan! Zhao Yunlan's confusion over Da Qing's hair and outfit, not to mention the drawing of himself! Da Qing's bafflement at absolutely everything Zhao Yunlan says! The fact that Zhao Yunlan essentially introduced himself to Da Qing by calling himself his master, and Da Qing somehow did not hiss in his face! *g*
LOLOL! Yes! All of it!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D (Does he say master there, or boss? I was wondering if it was more "of course I know your name, I'm your SID chief" equivalent? He doesn't know for sure he's Da Qing's master until the bells, does he?
clearly the modern-day story isn't historically accurate, and the truth isn't widely acknowledged.
Ha, I wonder if the contemporary Yashou play down their ancient involvement so people won't expect anything of them. :D
I assume he believed it - up until he actually got to know Zhao Yunlan in the present and realised "Kunlun" didn't actually have any more clue about the Hallows than Shen Wei! Oops?)
Yeah, but Kunlun|Zhao Yunlan might still have had reason to believe it and in fact, as you say, did.
Zhao Yunlan is such a dork when he first appears in his Kunlun outfit and look!
I LOVE HIM SOOOO MUCH ASDLKFAJS;LDKFJAS;DLFKJAS;DFLKJAS;DLFKJASD;LFKJASDF;LKDSJFASDSA
And I love how the fact that it's time travel (vs reincarnation), as well as being super romantic and time-loopy, also means we can have these ancient-past events play out on screen with a very contemporary Haixing sensibility/POV. If it had been pure flashback from Shen Wei's pov, it could have been very serious and earnest, but because we see it all through Zhao Yunlan's eyes, it's immensely poignant and engaging, but still with these ridiculous comic moments and modern context as we see all the time-loopy realisations fall into place. <3 <3 <3 3 <3 <3
And it's also the pay-off for Zhao Yunlan's character arc. He's got to a point now where he can be very real with young!Shen Wei. He expresses his concern and admiration lightly but with utter sincerity. We talk about Shen Wei being super sincere in the present; this is Zhao Yunlan in his version of that mode. (And also, omg, he's gorgeous in that outfit!! ♥___♥)
When Zhao Yunlan suggests "take off your mask and smile for me", most people seem delighted by the suggestiveness of the young Envoy's reply ("when all of this is over, whatever wishes you have, I'll do my best to fulfil them"), but I particularly love that Shen Wei, despite being taken completely aback by Zhao Yunlan's ... everything ... and despite his gratitude, has no problem at all deflecting that suggestion. And Zhao Yunlan recognises the rebuff for what it is, given his reaction. ♥
You know, I always thought Zhao Yunlan's reaction, his repeating "When all this is over" with that moue, was because he'd heard that line before -- Shen Wei postponing the start of their modern relationship until the contemporary Problem of Ye Zun was resolved. But now I'm wondering if it's more a reaction to Shen Wei putting off his own pleasure (smiling). Denying himself? Idk.
The way they smile at each other! ♥
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LOL!!
More to follow...
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HA! I can maybe give you a top 5. ;-p ("We have your back." "The ones who should know me, don't; those who shouldn't know me, know everything." "Take off your mask and smile." "When all of this is over, whatever wishes Benefactor has, I'll do my best to fulfil them." "You've already returned it. Many times over.")
I also love love love how crossly Shen Wei snatches back his mask and goes to replace it... until Zhao Yunlan tells him how pretty he is. (Look, Shen Wei, see? You don't have to keep this barrier between yourself and the world. You don't have to cover your pleasure as well as your fear...) <333
When we went into the Nightmare Master arc on this rewatch, one of the things most of us wanted to do was make more sense of all these dreams and dreams-within-a-dream, to sort out what's real. Do you feel you've managed to do this?
I think so, but I still wish I understood more about Nianzhi and the doll and what happened to it.
But why is Shen Wei being singled out, other than narrative parallels between our heroes?
Minister Gao knows Shen Wei is Dixingren; Zhu Hong and Cong Bo aren't. Maybe that's why?
And does the Inspectorate know who Shen Wei is, by now? Zhao Xinci certainly knows. But who would think it was a good idea to try and arrest the Black-Cloaked Envoy?
Who even knows, at this stage? Who would think it's a good idea to shut down their first line of defence against Ye Zun at time like this??
Regarding "my little Yunlan": does Ye Zun really think Shen Wei talks like that?
LOL, I think he's mocking him, hamming it up. It's like calling Shen Wei gege.
Would the Rebel Leader have thrown Shen Wei down a cliff for the second time? (Shen Wei did survive that even as a kid, but everyone else would definitely have been toast.)
Given the state of his men, would Shen Wei have allowed himself to be thrown? I think he might have gone down trying to protect them.
More to follow in a bit...
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You're not scary at all.
I think this is Changcheng saying, essentially, "You tried to break our relationship to protect me, but this relationship is unbreakable." <333333333333333
How does Ouyang know the serum is a success just by looking at it? Like, surely the point of the testing/experimentation is to find out if it worked?
I love that Cong Bo asks after Lin Jing. And says, "This is the bleakest time I've had since I joined you." Aww!
Changcheng claiming he has excellent recovery skills. Lol, and lots of past opportunities to find that out. Aww, Zhu Hong is so pleased to see him up and about.
Zhu Hong calling the DoS "those bastards." <3 <3 <3
Re Chu Shuzhi being characterised as a murderer: does Haixing not believe in rehabilitation? ;-p
ZYL on phone: Seems like now they really want to get rid of us after we've worked for them.
me: I mean, you did dare Minister Gao to come after you. What did you think would happen?
I'm not sure the military presence on the street has the reassuring BAU vibe Minister Gao is going for. Also, putting out an arrest warrant for a respectable consultant/professor. (Does the chancellor know? Does Jiajia??)
DoS lab: Li Qian, Lin Jing and Prof Ouyang debate ethical serum testing for three seconds before Ouyang is all, "Stand back, I'm going to try science."
I adore the moment when Shen Wei meets up with Da Qing in the street. Da Qing's meow in human form from behind a barrel, and "Aren't you recuperating? Why are you out here?" ♥!! Also, Da Qing says, "Right now, we are without our leader. We're just waiting for you to collect our corpses." But they haven't lost Zhao Yunlan yet. Is that an idiom? I don't quite get it.
Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's pre-sacrifice "life is good" scene, awww! *sniffles*
Love how Zhao Yunlan is civil and chatting with Ye Zun right up until he realises Lin Jing was used. (He believes in second chances.)
LOL, Ye Zun is so irked by Wang Zheng/Sang Zan's self-sacrifice. How dare people nobly believe in something? ;-p
Shen Wei, still wounded, just flat-out refusing to let Zhao Yunlan leave without him. <333 (Jumping into the wormhole is possibly the most reckless thing Shen Wei has done in the whole show?) POOR DA QING, LEFT BEHIND!!!
I love the Rebel Chief's swagger, and I still think part of the emotional charge of this scene, for Shen Wei, is the resonance with his younger self's encounter with the same man, also at a cliff-edge. *pets*
Zhao Yunlan of the sketch: "He's quite handsome." LOL!!
Da Qing's affront at the idea of Yashou isolationism. Awwwww! <3
Ma Gui and Fu You's expressions when they first see Zhao Yunlan (because the first/last time they saw him, he was about to give himself to the Lantern). *cries*
Zhao Yunlan's "everything is a joke" coping mechanism is in full gear. *noogies* But he's going with the flow because Da Qing brought him here, and he recognises Ma Gui from his portrait. He's pretty sure these are the good guys.
(I really wish the healing ointment paid off in present day!!)
MG: You must assume the identity of Kunlun until we wipe out the Rebel Forces. This way, we will not cause a disruption to the timeline.
me: Wait, does that mean there's a pre-existing timeline where Kunlun joined the Allied Forces? Or does he just mean they need a Kunlun (ANY Kunlun) to win? Or that ZYL has to disguise his identity so no one knows about time travel, as this is as good a way as any?)
Da Qing touched the Hallows and lived a long time. Zhao Yunlan has touched 'em a lot, too, IJS. *g*
Everything about YOHE is such an amazing wonderful gift, I can't even believe it.
Ma Gui has so much faith in Zhao Yunlan: "Just believe in Zhao Yunlan. He is someone very capable." Based on what? Maybe this is after the sacred wood/alcohol scene?
Fu You wants poetry and dreams, awww. <333
*collapses* ;-)
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Yes, this! Exactly! It's delightful. :D
How does Ouyang know the serum is a success just by looking at it? Like, surely the point of the testing/experimentation is to find out if it worked?
I mean, there are presumably all kinds of development and testing stages the serum would go through before there was any point in even testing it on a human. I figured he'd got positive results on a testing stage where previous attempts always failed.
me: I mean, you did dare Minister Gao to come after you. What did you think would happen?
LOL, too true!
I'm not sure the military presence on the street has the reassuring BAU vibe Minister Gao is going for.
What does BAU mean? But yeah, very not reassuring!
Also, putting out an arrest warrant for a respectable consultant/professor. (Does the chancellor know? Does Jiajia??)
I figure the Chancellor at least finds out very quickly when people come looking for Shen Wei at the uni. (Which I assume they do ... it would make sense!) And I don't think he'd bother trying to defend Shen Wei, or want anything to do with him any more afterwards, given how he reacted to Li Qian. (But if Jiajia heard, I hope she'd go after her grandpa until he changed his mind. *g*)
I adore the moment when Shen Wei meets up with Da Qing in the street. Da Qing's meow in human form from behind a barrel
Yes! And I particularly love that Shen Wei recognises him immediately, just from him saying "meow"! :D
♥!! Also, Da Qing says, "Right now, we are without our leader. We're just waiting for you to collect our corpses." But they haven't lost Zhao Yunlan yet. Is that an idiom? I don't quite get it.
Solo's subs have this as "Right now we're leaderless. We're pretty much done for." Idk how accurate that is.
Jumping into the wormhole is possibly the most reckless thing Shen Wei has done in the whole show?
Yes, I think so! Also, for once, choosing something for himself, because he can't lose Zhao Yunlan. ♥ ♥ ♥
and I still think part of the emotional charge of this scene, for Shen Wei, is the resonance with his younger self's encounter with the same man, also at a cliff-edge
100% agreed, yes!
Wait, does that mean there's a pre-existing timeline where Kunlun joined the Allied Forces? Or does he just mean they need a Kunlun (ANY Kunlun) to win? Or that ZYL has to disguise his identity so no one knows about time travel, as this is as good a way as any?)
I figure they think they really REALLY can't afford the loss of morale that would result from everyone knowing the Rebel Leader killed real!Kunlun - that they truly believe that becoming public may risk their chance to win the war. But future!Zhao Yunlan during their first videocall told them they'd win the war, so if they don't win, not only do they lose, the entire timeline gets disrupted. So Zhao Yunlan impersonating Kunlun solves both these problems.
Da Qing touched the Hallows and lived a long time. Zhao Yunlan has touched 'em a lot, too, IJS. *g*
LOL! Yeah, that's definitely an option!
Ma Gui has so much faith in Zhao Yunlan: "Just believe in Zhao Yunlan. He is someone very capable." Based on what? Maybe this is after the sacred wood/alcohol scene?
Very good question! Ha, I like the idea that he thinks Zhao Yunlan is capable because Zhao Yunlan knows about alcohol, LOL.
*collapses* ;-)
*hugs*
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True, fair. I wasn't giving him enough credit. ;-p
What does BAU mean?
Business As Usual.
And I particularly love that Shen Wei recognises him immediately, just from him saying "meow"! :D
*smishes them for 10k years*
Solo's subs have this as "Right now we're leaderless. We're pretty much done for." Idk how accurate that is.
I still don't quite get what he means by it, though. Zhao Yunlan is still around!
Also, for once, choosing something for himself, because he can't lose Zhao Yunlan. ♥ ♥ ♥
Yessssss!
I figure they think they really REALLY can't afford the loss of morale that would result from everyone knowing the Rebel Leader killed real!Kunlun - that they truly believe that becoming public may risk their chance to win the war. But future!Zhao Yunlan during their first videocall told them they'd win the war, so if they don't win, not only do they lose, the entire timeline gets disrupted. So Zhao Yunlan impersonating Kunlun solves both these problems.
Oh, that works! Cool! \o/
Ha, I like the idea that he thinks Zhao Yunlan is capable because Zhao Yunlan knows about alcohol, LOL.
LOLOLOLOL!!! :D :D :D
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Oh! *headdesk* Thank you!
I still don't quite get what he means by it, though. Zhao Yunlan is still around!
No, me neither, tbh.
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Huh, I don't read it that way at all. I don't think Shen Wei cares about how pretty Zhao Yunlan thinks he is. He even snatches the mask back in frustration when Zhao Yunlan goes on about his looks, and almost puts it back on - and then only doesn't because Zhao Yunlan asks why. Because Zhao Yunlan is expressing genuine interest in his thoughts and feelings, and that makes him feel like he can share. ♥
I think so, but I still wish I understood more about Nianzhi and the doll and what happened to it.
Yeah, there are definitely still things I wish were clearer to me! But there's also a bunch of stuff that is clearer than before, which I appreciate.
Minister Gao knows Shen Wei is Dixingren; Zhu Hong and Cong Bo aren't. Maybe that's why?
Oh! Yeah, I'd forgotten about that; that's really obvious now that you say it. Minister Gao doesn't know he's the Envoy, I don't think - and it's Minister Gao who's ordering these arrests. *headdesk*
Who would think it's a good idea to shut down their first line of defence against Ye Zun at time like this??
I KNOW!!!!!!!!! /o\
LOL, I think he's mocking him, hamming it up. It's like calling Shen Wei gege.
That makes a lot of sense!
Given the state of his men, would Shen Wei have allowed himself to be thrown? I think he might have gone down trying to protect them.
I think he would have definitely tried, but depending on how the fight went, might have been thrown or fallen over the edge anyway.
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Ah, I got the exchange backwards, oops, and yeah, I definitely didn't mean it like that. I just love the crossness. He's not being all starstruck or anything at Zhao Yunlan. Maintaining his boundaries on his own terms, until he doesn't want to anymore.
Oh! Yeah, I'd forgotten about that; that's really obvious now that you say it. Minister Gao doesn't know he's the Envoy, I don't think - and it's Minister Gao who's ordering these arrests. *headdesk*
Good thing he hasn't decided Yashou are the enemy, or he'd have to arrest every bush in Dragon City on suspicion. ;-p
I think he would have definitely tried, but depending on how the fight went, might have been thrown or fallen over the edge anyway.
True. I don't think it matters that much? What matters is that he obviously believes Kunlun saved his life.
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Oh, yes, 100% agreed! I love it too, and you see the seeds of modern!Shen Wei's exasperation with (some of) Zhao Yunlan's shenanigans right there. :D
Good thing he hasn't decided Yashou are the enemy, or he'd have to arrest every bush in Dragon City on suspicion. ;-p
LOLOLOLOL!
I don't think it matters that much? What matters is that he obviously believes Kunlun saved his life.
Yeah, it doesn't matter - same as it doesn't matter that Shen Wei didn't literally save Zhao Yunlan's life when he cured him with the Sundial; the exchange still goes, "Why should I so casually owe you a life?"/"This life is what I'm returning to you," and they both mean it. ♥
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Unless the blindness was just the first symptom of creeping dark energy corruption. We don't really know. (Given the mix of energies in Shen Wei's body is weakening him so much, what would the same mix eventually do to Zhao Yunlan?)
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Thinking about this more and rewatching, it's Zhao Yunlan figuring out how much he can tease the young Envoy, isn't it? He's watching closely, alert for Shen Wei's reactions, pushing a little over the line and then switching to a plain question when he sees he's gone too far -- but even then keeping the lightness and good humour they both need in this tense war-struck/10k-years-from-home context.
And what Shen Wei gets from that is knowing he can enforce his own boundaries and even be a bit cross, and it won't put Kunlun off or push him away (which must be a super-useful thing to know when they meet in modern day). ♥ ♥ ♥
ETA: Also, omg, Shen Wei's double take when Zhao Yunlan says "Kunlun"!! So adorable!! <333
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Ooh, yes, that's such an excellent point! ♥ ♥ ♥
And what Shen Wei gets from that is knowing he can enforce his own boundaries and even be a bit cross, and it won't put Kunlun off or push him away (which must be a super-useful thing to know when they meet in modern day). ♥ ♥ ♥
I hadn't thought of that, but yes, that's definitely one of the things Shen Wei already knows about Zhao Yunlan when he meets him in the present, and here is when he learns it! So much love!
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I wonder if the doll actually burned, too, and Chu Shuzhi was so off-balance when he reached Dixing that he'd kind of forgotten when he went to dig him up. If not, how did the doll survive the fire?
Depends on the materials, and how well protected a corner it ended up in - people are a lot more vulnerable.
Good question about how the doll got salvaged, though! I figure it might be connected with just how Chu Shuzhi can know about his brother's use of his power in that moment ...
Does it explicitly say that Chu Nianzhi's power was puppet-related? I was wondering if he might have a power like Zhang Shi. Or if not, does that mean that Chu Shuzhi puts a piece of himself inside his puppets so they can act independently, and Nianzhi just took that to extremes and vacated his own body in the process?
It doesn't explicitly say, no, I just assumed - but it doesn't seem very like Zhang Shi to me; I don't think Zhang Shi can put himself into inanimate objects.
I love the idea that Chu Shuzhi's puppet control works by putting a piece of himself into them, and that's why they can act without him ... But maybe Chu Shuzhi's power is controlling puppets, and Nianzhi's power was inhabiting them, related but different. It's all ambiguous; I guess we get to pick and choose. *g*
And whoever took it was a grave robber. /o\
Yeah, and by taking the puppet desecrated Nianzhi's grave. No wonder Chu Shuzhi reacts as badly as he does!
Which kind of makes me wonder how they thought their research was going to end, you know?
I think Li Qian at least would have been more excited earlier, but now there's open conflict between the Inspectorate and the SID, and Professor Ouyang has been getting increasingly irrational and obsessed, and it's all no longer about science for her.
For the same reason that all the problems in BtVS only ever affected Sunnydale, I expect. :-)
LOL!
Checking in with Shen Wei?
Oh, yes, good thought! Damn, now I want a missing scene where not only does Zhao Yunlan go and check up on Shen Wei's recuperating, he brings Da Qing and Chu Shuzhi with him! I wonder what Shen Wei makes of that ...
This episodes has hands-down my favourite Cong Bo scenes. I love him stepping up when Zhu Hong is too shaken and furious to think straight. <3
Yeah, this is a good episode for him!
I'd argue this moment is proof Zhao Yunlan has come a long way, too. He's putting the lessons he learned in Zhu Hong's dream into action here, aware of his importance to his team, being supportive rather than fake sarcastic or making jokes.
Yeah, agreed - he used to be practically allergic to sincerity, and now he's capable of being entirely sincere when called for, without trying to downplay his feelings or hiding behind jokes. Which is where he needs to be before he goes to YOHE!
I also feel like this works to resolve the previous, mostly-forgotten discord between them before Chu Shuzhi's dream started. Then Zhao Yunlan was telling Chu Shuzhi that if he wasn't happy, he should leave; now he's saying Chu Shuzhi is an intrinsic part of the team, they're all in it together.
I guess that works if you look at it that way, but honestly I didn't think it needed resolving? It's already become entirely irrelevant to both of them; neither of them cares about that argument any more.
LOL, every time this happens on TV, I think, "But if [A] just saw/heard it, by the time [B] turns on the TV/radio, the news story will have moved on to something else!"
Haha, I know! The only way it would work is if they were broadcasting the same thing on a loop, LOL.
Which, wow! /o\ (I wonder which Dixingren they think he colluded with. Is that why there's also a warrant out on Shen Wei? ;-p)
Ha, could be! (I figure they meant he's colluding with the Black-Cloaked Envoy. Which he is!)
Because Zhao Yunlan's car wasn't exactly chosen with the possibility of being a fugitive in mind
(Is that the last time we see the car? Does he get it back at any point? Something to keep an eye out for.)
I don't remember either! Will be interesting to see.
I love that even here, he sticks to his principle (I presume) of not hurting humans with his powers. (The only times I remember his using his powers on humans are removing the security people(?)'s memories after he's talked to Wu Tian'en in the street, and hypnotising Jiajia and Xiao Quan on the field trip(?).)
Yeah, he's pretty consistent with that! I figured he froze them before talking to Wu Tian'en, and what we see is him unfreezing them. But yeah, that's one of the few times he uses his powers on humans. He also uses them on Tan Xiao, but that's under very different circumstances.
I don't know if that's Zhang Shi? It's a very Zhao Xinci attitude, too. Never regret, never look back (even if you should)! I could go either way on that.
It doesn't seem like Zhao Xinci to me; Zhao Xinci very much wants his son to change his mind, whereas Zhang Shi is fine with the path Zhao Yunlan is on.
And just the idea of Shen Wei a) thinking about clothes at a time like this, and b) consulting Zhao Yunlan about fashion at all is so ludicrous, I can't help feeling that, even dazed from the Dial, he must know something's wrong -- even without the lack of Hallows-related scolding. But then, his reaction to the "is it worth it?" line is so dramatic, that definitely shifts his thinking, so idk.
I think he's a bit slow on picking up on it because he's been using the Sundial, and it took a lot out of him - last time he tried it, it looked pretty similar, and he passed out from that! And then he's just glad Shen Wei isn't being too pushy about scolding him, so everything takes longer than usual to really sink in. It works for me.
I've written six of these! LOL.
Hee! There can never be enough! :D
Also, here's no record of anyone coming back after entering a wormhole. (The fact that he adds this makes me think Ye Zun, who saw the wormhole sucking up Kunlun, must have figured out the time travel too, by now ...)
I'm not sure how that follows?
I mean that Ye Zun, when talking about time travel, brings up wormholes - so he thinks (correctly) that time travelling means going into a wormhole. How does he know that? Presumably this doesn't actually happen often ... but it did happen once, right in front of him, with Kunlun. I figured he'd made the connection between Zhao Yunlan and Kunlun and the wormhole, and that's how he knows about time travel involving wormholes.
He's like the Nightmare Guy pretending to be Changcheng in the street outside the SID -- so close to getting what he wants that the performance starts to completely disintegrate.
Yeah, this! Great point, that's very much a parallel.
I wonder what would have happened if he'd shot straight away, rather than talking first. (I love that he's mostly a talk-first kind of guy, though.)
Like I said above in another comment, I don't think it would have made much of a difference, but yeah, I love that about him too!
Well, not based on whether it's worth it for them personally, anyway.
Definitely not based on "these people have been awful to me, so I won't bother trying to protect them"!
I feel like the failure of Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's sacrifice to change anything kind of foreshadows the ending: Ye Zun is so powerful that the ultimate triumph against him is just having Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's sacrifices actually be meaningful and effective at stopping him.
Oooh, yes, now that you say it, that makes so much sense! Completely agreed, and that's really well constructed!
This makes me wonder (again) what conditions are required for the Hallows to activate like that.
It's hard to say! They're so erratic otherwise in what they do and when ... there might not be a rhyme or a reason at all. Or maybe it's just that Zhao Yunlan has become the kind of person he needs to be, to be Kunlun?
Which is fair enough, I think?
Oh, yeah, for sure! And he was thinking about going back a few weeks, not ten thousand years! It's just funny to me because he goes from suggesting time travel to actually time travelling without realising at first. *g*
I wonder how much it's a response to the attack on Lin Jing, and Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's sacrifice? He's at war now, almost as much as the young!Envoy is.
I think Wang Zheng and Sang Zan's sacrifice have to be a big part of it, even if the drama doesn't dwell on it. It's the first time he's suffered that kind of loss on his team - presumably the first time he's lost people close to him since his mother. (Which might also be why he sees his mother in the Hallows void?) So that makes everything so much more real and dangerous, and he's willing to do a lot to prevent it from happening again.
Although Zhao Yunlan is hurt, too. His knee!
Yeah, but Shen Wei's two men could barely stand. He should have been able to keep up if there were no powers involved.
(Does he say master there, or boss? I was wondering if it was more "of course I know your name, I'm your SID chief" equivalent? He doesn't know for sure he's Da Qing's master until the bells, does he?
The word he uses is 主子 - true, there's previous talk of a master Da Qing doesn't remember, and Zhao Yunlan obviously doesn't know that's him, but I think one of the things he's very sure about in his relationship with Da Qing is that Da Qing is his cat, previous other masters or no.
Ha, I wonder if the contemporary Yashou play down their ancient involvement so people won't expect anything of them. :D
Haha, could be! They clearly don't want to be bothered by people.
And I love how the fact that it's time travel (vs reincarnation), as well as being super romantic and time-loopy, also means we can have these ancient-past events play out on screen with a very contemporary Haixing sensibility/POV. If it had been pure flashback from Shen Wei's pov, it could have been very serious and earnest, but because we see it all through Zhao Yunlan's eyes, it's immensely poignant and engaging, but still with these ridiculous comic moments and modern context as we see all the time-loopy realisations fall into place. <3 <3 <3 3 <3 <3
This is such a good point!
And it's also the pay-off for Zhao Yunlan's character arc. He's got to a point now where he can be very real with young!Shen Wei.
Yes! And his sincerity and openness with his feelings - as you say, despite all the joking and teasing, the genuine sentiment is just unmistakable - are exactly why he's having such an impact on young Shen Wei.
But now I'm wondering if it's more a reaction to Shen Wei putting off his own pleasure (smiling).
If so, it's on one hand true (Shen Wei absolutely does that) and very presumptuous (because some rando you don't know asking you to smile is an imposition, not a pleasure). He's lucky Shen Wei likes him being OTT/extra like that. *g*
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Whereas I think he could but doesn't, because he's learned that when he's in an inanimate object, he can't do anything or easily get out again (cf Nianzhi)...
Yeah, and by taking the puppet desecrated Nianzhi's grave. No wonder Chu Shuzhi reacts as badly as he does!
Right?!
I think Li Qian at least would have been more excited earlier, but now there's open conflict between the Inspectorate and the SID, and Professor Ouyang has been getting increasingly irrational and obsessed, and it's all no longer about science for her.
That makes sense. *pets her*
Oh, yes, good thought! Damn, now I want a missing scene where not only does Zhao Yunlan go and check up on Shen Wei's recuperating, he brings Da Qing and Chu Shuzhi with him! I wonder what Shen Wei makes of that ...
Aww, yes! I want it too. (I love the idea of that combo of people -- all with very different important relationships with Shen Wei.)
I guess that works if you look at it that way, but honestly I didn't think it needed resolving? It's already become entirely irrelevant to both of them; neither of them cares about that argument any more.
Maybe more like... this feels like a do-over.
I figure they meant he's colluding with the Black-Cloaked Envoy. Which he is!
I'm really not clear if they've decided the Ambassador of Dixing (operating in Haixing under the treaty, with Haixing's agreement) is a public enemy, or if they haven't connected the Envoy and Shen Wei!!
I figured he froze them before talking to Wu Tian'en, and what we see is him unfreezing them.
Oh yeah, I forgot that.
It doesn't seem like Zhao Xinci to me; Zhao Xinci very much wants his son to change his mind, whereas Zhang Shi is fine with the path Zhao Yunlan is on.
I think Zhao Xinci now understands that Zhao Yunlan isn't going to change. That's what his last line in the scene at the flat meant, after Zhao Yunlan stormed out. Agree to disagree?
I mean that Ye Zun, when talking about time travel, brings up wormholes - so he thinks (correctly) that time travelling means going into a wormhole.
Ah, right! I mean, he could just be talking shit, but yeah. I see what you mean.
It's just funny to me because he goes from suggesting time travel to actually time travelling without realising at first. *g*
This makes me wonder how much, narratively, the time travel conversation with Ye Zun was there to prime us, the audience, so we wouldn't be too "wait, what? no way!"
but I think one of the things he's very sure about in his relationship with Da Qing is that Da Qing is his cat, previous other masters or no.
Idk, I could go either way on this. I'll have to see what I think when I get to the bells scene. :-)
And his sincerity and openness with his feelings - as you say, despite all the joking and teasing, the genuine sentiment is just unmistakable - are exactly why he's having such an impact on young Shen Wei.
And on me. *g*
If so, it's on one hand true (Shen Wei absolutely does that) and very presumptuous (because some rando you don't know asking you to smile is an imposition, not a pleasure).
I mean, Zhao Yunlan being presumptuous is kind of on brand... (He's not a rando! He just saved Shen Wei's life! He could be asking for fealty here, and instead he's only asking for a smile. ;-p)
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Huh. What makes you think that?
(I love the idea of that combo of people -- all with very different important relationships with Shen Wei.)
100% agreed! So good! :D
I'm really not clear if they've decided the Ambassador of Dixing (operating in Haixing under the treaty, with Haixing's agreement) is a public enemy, or if they haven't connected the Envoy and Shen Wei!!
After replying to all the comments here, my current interpretation is that a) Minister Gao considers Dixing itself to be the enemy now, and b) he thinks Zhao Yunlan is colluding with Dixingren, such as Professor Shen and the Black-Cloaked Envoy, but c) he has no idea that these two are the same person when he orders the arrest of Professor Shen.
Agree to disagree?
Sure!
This makes me wonder how much, narratively, the time travel conversation with Ye Zun was there to prime us, the audience, so we wouldn't be too "wait, what? no way!"
Oh, yes, completely agreed! It's definitely priming the viewer.
Idk, I could go either way on this. I'll have to see what I think when I get to the bells scene. :-)
Looking forward to your thoughts then!
He's not a rando! He just saved Shen Wei's life!
Aw! But debt and all, I do love that Shen Wei doesn't let that override his boundaries or priorities. ♥
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Partly because of Nianzhi, tbh. Partly because why not? He's had 10k years -- more than enough time to try everything. Why wouldn't have have spent a few centuries as a rock before figuring out an escape, swearing never again, and reframing his power as "can only inhabit other people."
After replying to all the comments here, my current interpretation is that a) Minister Gao considers Dixing itself to be the enemy now
So simply not distinguishing between Dixingren who are friends and Dixingren who are foe? That makes sense, especially given prevailing attitudes in Haixing bureaucracy, and is also absolute proof that Minister Gao is no longer fit for his office. Yeah...
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Idk, it feels completely out of nowhere to me. Agree to disagree?
and is also absolute proof that Minister Gao is no longer fit for his office
Yes, this!
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