Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 2, part 2

[trobadora]

Hi, welcome to this week's instalment of the Guardian drama Slo-Mo Rewatch! Watch half an episode a week, and then come and chat about it here in comments. Or you can just jump into the comments without rewatching, of course!

Here is last week's half-episode. On to the second half!

Episode 2, from 22:11

Summary: Zhao Yunlan puts some puzzle pieces together and confronts Li Qian, accusing her of killing her grandma. She doesn't deny it. Gao Tianyu intercepts Zhao Yunlan's car, drags Li Qian out of it and attacks her. Li Qian's grandma's spirit comes out of the Sundial to protect her (and to scold her for admitting to what she didn't do). The Envoy takes Gao Tianyu away. Zhao Yunlan and Professor Shen have a moment at Li Yufen's grave. At the SID, Zhao Yunlan summons the Envoy, and they talk about the Sundial. Chu Shuzhi meets up with the Envoy and draws some parallels between him and Zhao Yunlan. Meanwhile Zhu Jiu plans his next move.



Quote:

Li Qian: When someone you cherish is dying in front of your eyes, what would be the main thought in your mind?"
Shen Wei: "I'm willing to exchange my life for his."

(Yes, I know this is iconic and maybe doesn't need quoting again, but it gets me every time!)

Detail:

One of my favourite details that I only noticed during the last rewatch: Shen Wei interfering with Gao Tianyu's attack on Li Qian from inside the car! There's a moment when it cuts to Shen Wei very conspicuously and intently narrowing his eyes - and then suddenly there's a brief blue shield effect flash, Gao Tianyu's hold on Li Qian breaks, and he's thrown back.

Questions:

What's your favourite moment in this half-episode? How much are you feeling for Li Qian? Do you think Zhao Yunlan had sufficient reason to accuse her of murder? Any thoughts about how this compares to the novel? Which of the many things Li Qian says on the rooftop resonates the most with Shen Wei? What does Zhao Yunlan think about the Envoy at this time?

(These are all just conversation starters - feel free to answer all, some, or none, and to say as much or as little as you like! You don't have to be keeping up with the rewatch to join in!)

And here is our schedule - please do sign up to host a post if you can!

Comments

[trobadora]

Apologies for lateness! I had a migraine and my brain is still a bit slow, so I don't really have new thoughts this week. Here are my random rewatch thoughts:

• Our break between posts coincides with a small timeskip in the episode! We find Zhao Yunlan back at his office, studying Li Yufen's patient records and remembering something that happened in that gap: he and Zhu Hong questioning Li Qian about the Sundial. This happens some time after Gao Tianyu's attack, but probably not immediately after, since Zhu Hong wasn't with Zhao Yunlan at the hospital at the time.


• For all that they're talking about Li Qian giving up the Sundial, they don't take it away from her - she still has it later.


• Li Qian says the Sundial has always been in their house, and wonders why they suddenly came after it now - the same question that Shen Wei brought up earlier, and Zhao Yunlan remembers both together, and has an epiphany.


• Speaking of, I assume in the original version of this episode, the flashback happened in real time and the "are you married?" scene came after it, and they decided to frame things differently instead - possibly to put more distance between Shen Wei asking why these Dixingren are appearing now, and Zhao Yunlan remembering it?


• Shen Wei comes along when Zhao Yunlan goes to confront Li Qian, but Zhao Yunlan clearly didn't tell him what he's actually doing, given his reaction. I wonder what he did tell him! Just that he's questioning her again?


• Of course what Zhao Yunlan has put together isn't entirely right - just like last episode where he suspected Li Qian of stealing her grandma's energy, he's very quick to jump to the conclusion that she killed her grandma. Meanwhile Li Qian is blaming herself so much, she accepts his accusation. (He phrases it at first as "who left those pills where they could kill her?" which is exactly what she's blaming herself for! And when he outright accuses her of murder later, she doesn't contradict him, which is good enough for him. And Shen Wei believes it too, at that point, just going by her reaction. Ouch.)


• Grandma Li called the Sundial "an old object that can manifest spirits" - and we see her own spirit come out of it, of course. But whose spirit did grandma see, to know this? Or whoever told her? What shenanigans has the Sundial been up to, previously, and why did no one find it then? (Was this before Shen Wei woke up - or was this when he woke up, the Hallows' activity being part of what woke him?)
  
  Also, later during the meeting at the SID, the Envoy says this spirit appearance is unheard of! Even though it's apparently done something like this before.


• Zhu Jiu accosts Gao Tianyu, and we see a brief fight scene - telekinesis vs. teleportation and direct black energy usage. It's a tiny sequence, but a great show of black energy powers! Very fun, very well done. And it also shows off that Gao Tianyu, for all his bragging last episode, is under duress.


• Zhao Yunlan has the Sundial in his bare hand while driving!


• I'm never quite sure what Shen Wei is thinking during the little conversation with Li Qian in the car, where she's asking him if he really thinks there's no such thing as too late, and he says that after betrayal, maybe you can't go back to the way things were. But also, it sounds like she's quoting something he said to her.


• Zhao Yunlan's first encounter with a Dixingren attacking, up close and personal! And he can't do a thing, and the day is saved by the Sundial.


• I already mentioned my favourite bit in the post: Shen Wei isn't letting being locked in the car stop him! And he's interfering very subtly, without anyone noticing. (Including me, for several watches. *g*)


• The way Gao Tianyu ends up staring at Li Qian and his grandma, the black energy fading in his hands, alwayss makes me think he's giving up. But then he's screaming and seems to be gathering power (?), and I'm not sure what he's trying to do.


• Once again (after the Shadow Man) the Envoy takes someone away and then immediately reappears as Professor Shen, so he must have stashed his prisoners somewhere in between. Probably frozen/in stasis.


• I always wonder what the event is when everyone's gathered at Li Yufen's graveside. (That is, almost everyone from the SID - without Wang Zheng and Lin Jing, plus Shen Wei, and of course Li Qian.) It's not her actual funeral, since Shen Wei then says that since the funeral the Dixingren hasn't appeared again ...


• Zhu Hong comforting Li Qian! Guo Changcheng crying, and Chu Shuzhi snapping at him! Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan having a moment with Zhao Yunlan leaning against a tree! Lots of great bits here. But I especially love that Zhao Yunlan gets serious for a moment when he agrees with Shen Wei that there's a problem, and for a moment despite all the secrets they're clearly on the same page. ♥ ♥ ♥


• So much ouch at the flashback to suicidal Li Qian!


• I really love that it's Da Qing who encourages Zhao Yunlan to call the Envoy. And just everything about that scene, from the SID team dynamics to Shen Wei's special effects-heavy appearance and Zhao Yunlan's little wave. ♥


• Also, it's "no one explains anything to Xiao-Guo" time again when Zhao Yunlan brings out the incense!


• Zhao Yunlan thinks Shen Wei's concern for Li Qian is the Envoy meddling in Haixing affairs, and I love all the mostly-unspoken Dixing-Haixing political tension in their entire conversation


• The Envoy says the Hallows were scattered after the war 10,000 years ago, which doesn't really align with the backstory we get later. And we get the first warning against using the Sundial! And before they part, Shen Wei can't stop himself from telling Zhao Yunlan to look after himself, hee!


• I have no idea what "the permutation of life energy" is, which Lin Jing is apparently studying?!


• Everything about the Chu Shuzhi-Shen Wei scene is wonderful. Chu Shuzhi's declaration of fealty! But also he doesn't hesitate at all to question the Envoy about why he let the SID keep the Sundial, or to laugh when he draws a parallel between the Envoy and Zhao Yunlan. (But also, ouch, Shen Wei wants them to be equals and friends, but Chu Shuzhi can't see himself that way ...)


• In the final scene, Zhu Jiu ponders the SID, and this always gives me the impression that he didn't know about them before. Which makes me wonder how much Zhu Jiu knows about Haixing when he comes to the surface, and where he gets his intel from ...)

[china_shop]

But whose spirit did grandma see, to know this? Or whoever told her? What shenanigans has the Sundial been up to, previously, and why did no one find it then?

I don't think it has to have happened; it could be a rumour. I can think of a number of possibilities. Perhaps someone researched the Dial and found ancient writings by Ma Gui or Fu You or someone. Or someone with a precognitive power a bit like Ding Dun's could have touched it and seen a vision of it doing this...

Zhu Jiu accosts Gao Tianyu, and we see a brief fight scene - telekinesis vs. teleportation and direct black energy usage. It's a tiny sequence, but a great show of black energy powers! Very fun, very well done. And it also shows off that Gao Tianyu, for all his bragging last episode, is under duress.

Ooh, yes to all of this. <3 <3 <3 (Srsly, I don't know why I like Gao Tianyu so much, but I really do!)

I'm never quite sure what Shen Wei is thinking during the little conversation with Li Qian in the car, where she's asking him if he really thinks there's no such thing as too late, and he says that after betrayal, maybe you can't go back to the way things were.

I think that's about Ye Zun, isn't it? He betrayed Ye Zun by failing in his promise to protect him, and Ye Zun betrayed him during the fight -- how can they ever go back to being loving brothers?

Zhao Yunlan's first encounter with a Dixingren attacking, up close and personal!

Good point! I meant to pay special attention, but I forgot. *goes back to watch again* Aw, he orders, "Let her go!" but he has nothing at all to back it up with. And again, Gao Tianyu could really hurt him there, but he just pushes him back. (I bet Zhu Jiu would have hurt him quite badly, just for the hell of it, if he was the one attacking.)

But then he's screaming and seems to be gathering power (?), and I'm not sure what he's trying to do.

I think he's just expressing frustration. His hands tense, but there's no power in them.

It's not her actual funeral, since Shen Wei then says that since the funeral the Dixingren hasn't appeared again ...

Oh, that's a good point. I wonder if it's a month anniversary or something. There must be something of a time skip, to allow for the real funeral and Li Qian handing over the Dial.

and I love all the mostly-unspoken Dixing-Haixing political tension in their entire conversation

Yesss! That's so good. :D

And before they part, Shen Wei can't stop himself from telling Zhao Yunlan to look after himself, hee!

Which bit is that?

Which makes me wonder how much Zhu Jiu knows about Haixing when he comes to the surface, and where he gets his intel from

I presume the answers are 1) very little, and 2) Ye Zun (or maybe some of Ye Zun's recruits in Dixing). He doesn't know about Shen Wei's non-Envoy activities, either.

[trobadora]

Or someone with a precognitive power a bit like Ding Dun's could have touched it and seen a vision of it doing this...

Or Hallows-visions! Yeah, now that you say it, all of that is very plausible, and I love the idea. :D

Ooh, yes to all of this. <3 <3 <3 (Srsly, I don't know why I like Gao Tianyu so much, but I really do!)

I wish he didn't end up just eaten by Ye Zun offscreen! At least the Shadow Man gets a heroic death.

I think that's about Ye Zun, isn't it? He betrayed Ye Zun by failing in his promise to protect him, and Ye Zun betrayed him during the fight -- how can they ever go back to being loving brothers?

Yes, all of that makes a lot of sense! I don't know why I always think there's something else I'm missing.

Aw, he orders, "Let her go!" but he has nothing at all to back it up with.

Yes! And that's a good point about Gao Tianyu not really hurting him. (Has anyone ever written Gao Tianyu's POV, do you know?)

I wonder if it's a month anniversary or something. There must be something of a time skip, to allow for the real funeral and Li Qian handing over the Dial.

Yeah, that would make sense. There definitely has to be a time skip. (I like paying attention to time skips because they're so useful for fic!)

Which bit is that?

38:52, Solo's subs say, "Please look after yourself" - just before the farewell. But now that I'm looking more closely, I'm not sure how correct that translation is. The Chinese is 望好自为之, and the original subs and Viki both have, "I wish you all the best". 望 is just "I hope", but 好自为之 apparently can both mean "do your best" and "better behave yourself" ... I guess he's saying something like "I hope you won't get yourself in trouble"?

I presume the answers are 1) very little, and 2) Ye Zun (or maybe some of Ye Zun's recruits in Dixing). He doesn't know about Shen Wei's non-Envoy activities, either.

Yeah, but SW's secret identity is more hidden than the existence of the SID, which is part of official Dixing-Haixing interactions. So if Ye Zun also doesn't know about it, I guess that means at this point, he doesn't yet have a spy in the Palace who is privy to that kind of thing.

[china_shop]

> I wish he didn't end up just eaten by Ye Zun offscreen!

As part of the prison break, do you mean? That's relatively easy to handwave, at least.

> I don't know why I always think there's something else I'm missing.

Because it feels like it should be about Kunlun?

> (Has anyone ever written Gao Tianyu's POV, do you know?)

I've never seen it, but I don't check AO3 often.

> I guess he's saying something like "I hope you won't get yourself in trouble"?

LOL! "Stay out of trouble." That's such an authority figure thing to say. :D (Thanks for checking the translations. <3)

> So if Ye Zun also doesn't know about it, I guess that means at this point, he doesn't yet have a spy in the Palace who is privy to that kind of thing.

That's true. Or maybe YZ doesn't want ZJ to know, because YZ is saving SW's downfall for himself...

[trobadora]

As part of the prison break, do you mean? That's relatively easy to handwave, at least.

I meant Ye Zun having absorbed his power (which is how we know his name, because Wu Xiaojun comments on it in episode 29.

Because it feels like it should be about Kunlun?

Yeah, maybe. Idk.

Or maybe YZ doesn't want ZJ to know, because YZ is saving SW's downfall for himself...

That would go for SW's secrets, but surely not the existence of the SID?

[china_shop]

> I meant Ye Zun having absorbed his power (which is how we know his name, because Wu Xiaojun comments on it in episode 29.

Oh. Stink. I don't think I've ever noticed that before.

> That would go for SW's secrets, but surely not the existence of the SID?

True, true.