The Art of Dialogue and the kitchen knife scene

[china_shop]

I was watching a YouTube video about how to write snappy dialogue (banter) by heyjameshurst. The creator used examples from The Princess Bride, The Empire Strikes Back, His Girl Friday, and The West Wing to illustrate that good dialogue is like a tennis match, a playful competition, and in each volley the tension escalates to "a sudden, sharp reveal of truth."

Afterwards, I was thinking about it in terms of Guardian, and the first scene that came to mind was the kitchen knife scene. Wow, this is a stellar example of what the video talked about! It's dynamic because every line fires back in a way that is difficult for the other person to respond to. (Often they're reacting to the subtext -- or actually, what they perceive the other's subtext to be -- rather than the words, and sometimes slightly at cross-purposes, so lines that could be non-sequiturs feel seamless.) And the truth is forced out of them. It's so impressive!

ZYL: I woke up because I was hungry.
SW: *turns and drops the knife*
ZYL: *strides over and grabs his wrist* Don't you think of lying to me. What did you do in order to heal my eyes?
SW: *starts to leave*
ZYL: You used the Longevity Dial.
SW: *stops*
ZYL: *moves to his side* You shared your life force with mine. You used your power to neutralize the corrosion of my body. Am I right?
SW: My... My... My body's energy structure has suffered a severe blow. I need to exchange all my energy.
ZYL: It must hurt a lot.
SW: *ghastly smile* Fortunately... Fortunately, I'm used to getting injured.
ZYL: I do not deserve what you are doing for me.
SW: You're worth it.
ZYL: *explodes* Then, what do you want me to do? Be indebted to you? To bow to you? You are not immortal! Why should I so casually owe you a life?
SW: This life is what I'm returning to you.
ZYL: ??????
SW: You should rest soon.

There are so many truths here!! <3 <3 <3

Thinking about it also made me realise something about Shen Wei's initially trying to leave and his "Fortunately, I'm used to getting injured" line, which I will explain in six screencaps:













Newsflash, Shen Wei: Zhao Yunlan's tactics are no more reassuring or less infuriating when you try them.

Comments

[donutsweeper]

Oooooh I never thought of relating SW's line there to ZYL's previous actions. Fascinating way of looking at it and how SW might be comparing his actions to what he has seen of (current, let alone previous version's) ZYL and his actions.

[china_shop]

Right? It had never occurred to me either, but that grin-minimise-deflect tactic is so classic ZYL. (And never works for him either.)

[trobadora]

This is all such a cool observation!

ZYL: I woke up because I was hungry.

Huh, how weird, I never noticed this translation - what you're quoting is from the Viki subs, and I guess I'd never looked at this scene with those before! The original subs have it as "Woke up because you were hungry?", and Solo's subs as "Midnight munchies?" Because the Chinese (大半夜的饿醒了) skips any and all pronouns, in isolation it could be either, but from context I'm pretty sure he's commenting on SW in the kitchen, not talking about himself ...

(Not that it makes any difference for your agument!)

Newsflash, Shen Wei: Zhao Yunlan's tactics are no more reassuring or less infuriating when you try them.

I don't think it's a tactic for SW, though - ZYL is consciously deflecting, but I don't think SW thinks that's what he's doing; he's being earnest in a way ZYL isn't. Both think they're being reassuring, both are minimising the situation, and in both cases this is obviously not working because nothing about this is reassuring! But the vibe is still pretty different IMO.

[china_shop]

in isolation it could be either, but from context I'm pretty sure he's commenting on SW in the kitchen, not talking about himself ...

Yes, I noticed this, too.

I think Shen Wei's smile is intended to reassure, and he thinks it will work because that's what ZYL does. If he was talking to Chu Shuzhi or someone, he's present the same information differently, imo. But that's a great point that it's a very different (not performative) vibe.

Mostly though, I just love how many truths are exposed by this conversation: ZYL's "I'm not worth it" and SW's response to that; ZYL's insecurity about his place in their relationship; and SW's "this life is what I'm returning to you."

[trobadora]

I think Shen Wei's smile is intended to reassure, and he thinks it will work because that's what ZYL does.

I really don't think SW is thinking about it in the moment, or consciously mimicking ZYL's usual strategies - it's intended to reassure, yes, but he thinks it'll work because to him it's true, and IMO from his perspective, that's all he's doing: telling a reassuring truth. (Obviously he's wrong about that, LOL.) Agreed that he'd present this differently to CSZ, though! But then the situation wouldn't be as emotionally charged for him with CSZ.

Mostly though, I just love how many truths are exposed by this conversation

Yes! All of that! It's such a fantastic scene, every line hits hard. ♥ ♥ ♥

[china_shop]

Agreed that he's not consciously mimicking ZYL. But it doesn't have to be conscious to be a thing. Idk.

They're both massive hypocrites about it, anyway. *smishes them*

[trobadora]

Oh, right! I thought you were saying he was doing it consciously.

They seem so different on the surface, but they're so so very much the same underneath, right down to the hypocrisy, yeah. ♥ ♥ ♥

[china_shop]

I mean, I think there's a continuum from consciously manipulative to completely unthinkingly natural, and to me it probably reads a bit more towards the former end than it does for you. But yeah, it's nowhere near in the same league as ZYL's flipping through his rolodex of tactics, trying them one after another, as per the nose-wiping scene. :-)

[facethestrange]

Omg wow, this is fascinating! Especially the picspam, ahhh, I never put any of these scenes together and now I'm having so many feelings?? ♡♡♡

I never even put the two Zhao Yunlan scenes together, and funnily enough I still see them as very different - the first one feels more like 'but what can you even do about it?' shrug/frustration. (Since he doesn't know yet that something - like eating regularly - can actually be done about it.) Which only makes me have even more feelings about the combination of these three scenes, because they're all different reasons and different ways of getting to what is ultimately the same conclusion!

And the second and third scene put together next to each other visually, with this tiny look to the side that is almost like a laugh?? Damn, Shen Wei is learning (all the wrong things). xD

Also "ghastly smile", hah, best description! And it's especially unnerving when his expression changes into this smile in a blink of an eye.



(Here's the whole gifset.)

[facethestrange]

Yeah, I also can't see the first line as anything other than a question/comment on what Shen Wei's is doing. :)

I see the vibe of all three scenes as different, which makes it even cooler to me to put them together because of how they start differently/for different reasons, and then kinda end up in exactly the same place.

[facethestrange]

"Mostly though, I just love how many truths are exposed by this conversation: ZYL's "I'm not worth it" and SW's response to that; ZYL's insecurity about his place in their relationship; and SW's "this life is what I'm returning to you."

Ikr?? ♡ It's like 'oh, that's a really big emotional reveal'... wait, there's more. SO MUCH MORE. xD

ETA: "I think Shen Wei's smile is intended to reassure, and he thinks it will work because that's what ZYL does."

And now I'm thinking about this again, and idek how to even word what I'm thinking, but like... I can totally see how he can be thinking that without it being performative - it's like he's trying to speak Zhao Yunlan's language. If ZYL thinks this is reassuring, then it must be reassuring for ZYL to see someone else do it? Ahhh, idek, I have more thoughts than I have words, but this is fascinating!

[facethestrange]

"he thinks it'll work because to him it's true, and IMO from his perspective, that's all he's doing: telling a reassuring truth. (Obviously he's wrong about that, LOL.)"

That's a fantastic way to put it, and the fact that he genuinely thinks that THIS is reassuring is probably the saddest thing about this scene to me.

[facethestrange]

Ikr? ♡ Especially the little sideways look really makes it for me because, intentionally or not, it IS the same same expression.

[china_shop]

Yes!! And Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, respectively, also have similar expressions of JUST NO. *pets them*

[china_shop]

And now I'm thinking about this again, and idek how to even word what I'm thinking, but like... I can totally see how he can be thinking that without it being performative - it's like he's trying to speak Zhao Yunlan's language. If ZYL thinks this is reassuring, then it must be reassuring for ZYL to see someone else do it? Ahhh, idek, I have more thoughts than I have words, but this is fascinating!

Ahhhh, this is exactly what I meant, yes! Thank you so much for putting it into words. <3 <3 <3

[china_shop]

Ha, so true. I feel like the first scene, with ZYL waving Shen Wei off, is more parallel to the start of the kitchen knife scene where Shen Wei tries to leave without a word. Like, "feeling shitty, do not want to deal rn."

[china_shop]

ahhh, I never put any of these scenes together and now I'm having so many feelings?? ♡♡♡

I know, right?! *smishes them*

Which only makes me have even more feelings about the combination of these three scenes, because they're all different reasons and different ways of getting to what is ultimately the same conclusion!

*nodnodnod* I love what the drama does with parallels and repetition SO MUCH!!

Damn, Shen Wei is learning (all the wrong things). xD

Haha, right? /o\ Kunlun was a much better influence than early-canon!ZYL, omg.

And it's especially unnerving when his expression changes into this smile in a blink of an eye.

It's unnerving because he looks so terrible but I'm pretty sure the smile is genuine, and I think that's part of what ZYL can't bear? That SW might have known this would happen, and even knowing, he has no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat. That ZYL (whose whole life is about protecting people) is responsible for SW of all people being hurt.

*stares at that gif for way too long, hai, I should be asleep like an hour ago* :D

[facethestrange]

Oooh, yay! ♡ I found it hard to word it, but I can totally grasp it and feel it! Like 'you showed me how you want/like to be reassured'. OUCH.

[facethestrange]

Yeah, and I feel like it has a lot of the original reaction to the pain still in it, it's not just deflecting, it's also what ZYL would be thinking to himself even if SW wasn't there.

[facethestrange]

"I love what the drama does with parallels and repetition SO MUCH!!"

Saaaaame! ♡

"Kunlun was a much better influence than early-canon!ZYL, omg."

Lol aw, that's not wrong at all, and also it's largely because of Shen Wei's good influence, so in the end it all works out, hah. :D

"It's unnerving because he looks so terrible but I'm pretty sure the smile is genuine, and I think that's part of what ZYL can't bear?"

That's the saddest part for me, I can't even imagine what it's like to be Zhao Yunlan and witness this, ahhh, OUCH.

"That SW might have known this would happen, and even knowing, he has no regrets and would do it again in a heartbeat. That ZYL (whose whole life is about protecting people) is responsible for SW of all people being hurt."

Yeahhhhh, that's what happens when you fall in love with someone whose whole life is about protecting people too. :P

(Sleep well! :) ♡)

[awanderingcoyote]

Ohhhhh that scene and where you put ZYL as ?????? That perfectly encompasses his expression. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[facethestrange]

?????? indeed! ♡

(From this gifset again. :D)

[trobadora]

That's an excellent point! Three different contexts. and yet they all end up going there. I love how the drama draws a line between all of them that way, so cool!

[trobadora]

100% agreed! SO sad.

[trobadora]

And it's especially unnerving when his expression changes into this smile in a blink of an eye.

Yes! He just pulls up that smile from one moment to the next, and yet it's so clearly genuine, and it's just - AAAAARGH.