Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 6, part 1

[china_shop]

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

Here are the previous weeks' rewatch posts.

Episode 6, up to 22:45

Summary
The SID interview and fail to comfort Ji Xiaobai about his missing fiancée, Weiwei. Chu Shuzhi and Changcheng take him out for some air, and Chu Shuzhi sees something of his twin brother in Changcheng. While they're gone, Weiwei comes back. At night, Shen Wei asks half-transformed Ying Chun if she can help him find someone. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Zhao Yunlan on his motorbike. In Shen Wei's office, Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei discuss the case and flirt. ♥ ♥ ♥



Ji Xiaobai knows the returned Weiwei isn't the woman he loves; he tracks down Changcheng, and the SID go into the mirror dimension to get to the bottom of things. In the mirror, Ji Xiaobai chooses the wrong (human) Weiwei. Spurned (Dixingren) Weiwei threatens to explode them all. The Envoy stops her and takes her away, but not before he and Zhao Yunlan talk privately about softening the SID's deportation policy.

Quote
Shen Wei: This is the first time.
Zhao Yunlan: What first time?
Shen Wei: The first time you don't think I am linked to a case and simply come to consult me.

Detail
I'm always amused that Chu Shuzhi produces (randomly, from his coat pocket?) two cans of beer and offers one to Ji Xiaobai, completely unapologetically leaving Guo Changcheng out. He still thinks of Changcheng as someone he's babysitting, not a partner.

Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 6? What do you think of Guo Changcheng's technique for handling Ji Xiaobai? How about Chu Shuzhi's? How happy are you to see Ying Chun in bush and half-transformed states? Best thing about Zhao Yunlan consulting Shen Wei in his office at night? (Hint: all of it!) Any thoughts about how the mirror 'verse works? (Are all mirrors connected? What about mirrors in Dixing? If Zhao Yunlan and the others can pass through, can anyone at any time?) What's with all the bathrooms? Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama?

If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?

(As usual, 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. We'd love to hear your thoughts!)

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Comments

[china_shop]

1. A bit of me is wondering if bathrooms collectively are a metaphor for Dixing in some elusive way I can't put my finger on: people go missing, no one is safe. /not serious

2. With Ji Xiaobai, Zhao Yunlan is still making his team speak for him, cf the interrogation scene. I'm not sure why -- does he want to just sit back and observe? (Also, ZYL stomping on tactless DQ's foot, my beloved! :D)

3. That moment when CSZ realises that GCC isn't all sweetness and light because he's untouched by life, but despite having suffered loss. <3 <3 <3 (Also, wow, CSZ looks so good in this episode. *screencaps madly* And he's all tearful, like, ahhh has the universe delivered me a substitute for my brother?!!" *cries*

4. Aww, Shen Wei a) identifying bush!Ying Chun as a Yashou, and b) asking if she can help him find the missing team captain. <3 <3 <3 I love how he introduces himself, just by summoning his dao. (That won't be the last time.) And ahh, the moment when ZYL shows up on his motorbike, Ying Chun disappears back into bush form, and SW must teleport to his office to catch ZYL just as he's turning away. <33333

5. This time, Shen Wei invites ZYL in, instead of grumping at him for interrupting his work. <3 <3 <3 (I wonder if it's deliberate that they contrasted missing!Weiwei's "return", ot1h, with Shen Wei having been seemingly out of office and then answering the door, otoh: two people who were "missing" suddenly return, but in Weiwei's case, it's the wrong person. Or is it using the two Weiweis to highlight Shen Wei's dual roles -- one the Haixing professor, and one the Dixing ambassador?)

6. At JXB and Weiwei's place, Changcheng tries desperately to smooth over his and CSZ's presence. He physically bundles a reluctant CSZ out the door. Whereas CSZ knows something's wrong -- I wonder if he's thinking of the face stealer couple.

7. OFFICE SCENE!! ZYL SO FLIRTY!!! SW ENJOYING IT SO MUCH!! And ZYL kind of fiddling with his hair because he really wants Shen Wei's hand there. (Also ZYL: How much lollipop action will it take to win him over???)

8. Original Weiwei is so unpleasant. How much is that her being defensive and scared?

9. Aha, Changcheng successfully notices he's being tailed! And "counter-investigates"! \o/!! :D :D I love that JXB ~knows~ it's the wrong Weiwei. (And, of course, this foreshadows the two scenes where Ye Zun disguises himself as Shen Wei in front of ZYL.)

10. ZYL's shirt hanging unevenly at 15:17. <3 <3 <3 And yay, the flashback to the extended convo. I ♥ when ZYL uses his deep voice. (I ♥ all his voices. <3 <3 <3)

11. When ZYL does the thing with his torch/flashlight and the mirror, GCC flinches from the light, just like how he coughed excessively at the Envoy incense smoke summoning. Is this a pattern? I wonder what it means?

12. The mirror 'verse = the Upside Down. /Stranger Things ref

13. There's such a fairytale quality to JXB catching the ring and choosing the (wrong) love. (Speaking of the ring: more significant jewellery. \o/)

14. As things go wrong, CSZ quietly gets into position to restrain Dixingren!Weiwei... only to find his power doesn't work in the mirror.

15. ZYL to the Envoy: Just in time. (Oh, hey, in the VIKI subs, they have 老黑个 there, instead of 黑老哥 -- is that right? Is it significant?) Anyway, from ZYL's pov, they've clearly made up since the end of ep 4. Saving Wu Tian'en's life together changed everything. <3 <3 <3

16. SW seems extra stern in this mirror scene. Is it because Dixingren!Weiwei nearly just blew up ZYL?? His heart must be pounding!

17. ZYL totally knows which Weiwei is which, and what's going on.

18. And that last scene, where ZYL says the SID just doesn't want Dixingren to abuse their powers (SUCH PROGRESS), and the Envoy replies no one's perfect and respectability politics suck. (I think? I think he's saying that holding Dixingren to the impossible standard of never fucking up is unreasonable?) So they don't ~entirely~ reach an agreement, but they're definitely several steps closer. When the Envoy leaves, ZYL looks a little dissatisfied, I think -- but I'm not sure if that's with the outcome of the conversation or the outcome of the case.

19. Btw, does that entire scene take place in front of Wang Zheng? I think she's the one holding the paperwork for the Envoy to stamp. :D

Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 6?

Three different ones: ZYL stomping on DQ's foot, CSZ having feels about GCC, and everything about the late-night office consultation. <333

What do you think of Guo Changcheng's technique for handling Ji Xiaobai?

He's lucky the wish works. ;-p And the fact that it works makes the whole thing more fairytale-like, imo. DND. ;-p

How about Chu Shuzhi's?

I mean, on one level I appreciate the flirty beer drinking, but otoh, if someone says they don't drink, don't force beer on them, gah!

How happy are you to see Ying Chun in bush and half-transformed states?

So happy! :D :D :D

Best thing about Zhao Yunlan consulting Shen Wei in his office at night?

The way he slouches down with his chin on his hands, fiddling with his hair and looking up at Shen Wei through his eyelashes asdlkfajs;dlfkasj;fdlkasf;dlkasjdf;asdklfjasda. :D :D :D :D :D

Any thoughts about how the mirror 'verse works?

Original Weiwei was in the bathroom and bedroom mirrors, and presumably the bridal boutique or whatever mirror, too. I really don't know if that means ALL mirrors are connected, tho. (If so, what's the point of deporting her?)

What's with all the bathrooms?

Apparently it's a theme?? ;D

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama?

So much! Misunderstandings, love stories between a Dixingren and a Haixingren, lookalikes, significant jewellery. What have I forgotten?

[autodach]

That moment when CSZ realises that GCC isn't all sweetness and light because he's untouched by life, but despite having suffered loss.

Right?? And you are absolutely correct about Chu Shuzhi!

in the VIKI subs, they have 老黑个 there, instead of 黑老哥

It’s actually 老黑哥. It’s what he says out loud, and in the subs I have as well.
Weird that it's different just this once.

I think he's saying that holding Dixingren to the impossible standard of never fucking up is unreasonable?

I thought he’s saying he disagrees with the policy of deporting all Dixingren on sight (or killing them, as was Zhao Xinci’s style).

if someone says they don't drink, don't force beer on them

Yes, the way that gets so casually ignored is so annoying! Very realistic though, sadly.

[china_shop]

It’s actually 老黑哥. It’s what he says out loud, and in the subs I have as well.
Weird that it's different just this once.

Oh, that's good to know, thanks! I couldn't quite make out what he was saying -- it sounded a little different from usual to me. (No idea why the VIKI subs have this anomaly!)

I thought he’s saying he disagrees with the policy of deporting all Dixingren on sight (or killing them, as was Zhao Xinci’s style).

I think ZYL had just changed that policy, though? Like the actual dialogue (from VIKI) goes:

Envoy: She was an orphan left by the Undergrounders. She never had any deviant actions, so we never discovered her beforehand.
ZYL: No need to say more, Brother Black Robe. We just don't want Undergrounders abusing their powers up here, that's all.
Envoy: Abusing powers... is wrong, however... I don't know if I should say this. For everything, if there's yin, there's yang. If there's good, then there's evil. Whether it's people of Seastar, or the Underworld, identity is just a flesh covering. But one's heart cannot be judged by one's identity alone. I've said too much today. Goodbye.

So how I read it is: Shen Wei gives background on the mirror girl and explains/apologises for not discovering her earlier. Zhao Yunlan says it's fine (and would have continued to be fine if she hadn't melted down). He offers a new policy of "We just don't want Dixingren abusing their powers up here." Shen Wei agrees with that (Abusing powers is wrong) so the new policy is set. But then Shen Wei adds "however..." and points out that everyone is complicated (if there's good, then there's evil). I think the subtext is that the SID is holding Dixingren to a higher (impossible?) standard compared to Haixingren? (Which, he's clearly prepared to be more lenient/flexible than that, given he relocated Wang Yike, rather than deporting her.) And yes, that he disagrees with the deportations more generally.

With all this, it's interesting that he did deport Wu Xiaojun last ep... I guess he could see how unstable Xiaojun still is?

[trobadora]

Weird that it's different just this once.

I think it may just be Bai Yu fumbling the line, and no one noticed in time to correct it?

[trobadora]

2. With Ji Xiaobai, Zhao Yunlan is still making his team speak for him, cf the interrogation scene. I'm not sure why -- does he want to just sit back and observe?

Yeah, I noticed that too, and I'm not sure why either - especially when they make him grimace like that! *g*

4. Aww, Shen Wei a) identifying bush!Ying Chun as a Yashou, and b) asking if she can help him find the missing team captain. <3

The team captain isn't missing, he's dead. It's his child/family Shen Wei is looking for.

and SW must teleport to his office to catch ZYL just as he's turning away. <33333

YES! LOVE IT. :D

5. I wonder if it's deliberate that they contrasted missing!Weiwei's "return", ot1h, with Shen Wei having been seemingly out of office and then answering the door

Ooh, great catch, that's a fantastic parallel!

6. I wonder if he's thinking of the face stealer couple.

Yeah, he can clearly tell that this Zhou Weiwei isn't actually the missing fiancée, so that kind of impersonation would be a very reasonable assumption!

7. OFFICE SCENE!! ZYL SO FLIRTY!!! SW ENJOYING IT SO MUCH!!

THE BEST!!!!!!

8. Original Weiwei is so unpleasant. How much is that her being defensive and scared?

I'm not sure. Somewhere between how she used to be and now, she's developed a terrible case of entitlement ... seriously, who thinks they can just swap out half of a couple and it'll work?!

And, of course, this foreshadows the two scenes where Ye Zun disguises himself as Shen Wei in front of ZYL.

YES! And to be fair to Ye Zun, he may not be great at impersonating his brother, but he's better at it than Zhou Weiwei. *g*

11. When ZYL does the thing with his torch/flashlight and the mirror, GCC flinches from the light, just like how he coughed excessively at the Envoy incense smoke summoning. Is this a pattern? I wonder what it means?

I thought it was just him having very mundane reactions to the outward appearance, paying no attention to the non-mundane.

15. Oh, hey, in the VIKI subs, they have 老黑个 there, instead of 黑老哥 -- is that right?

No, that's not right, but also what Zhao Yunlan says isn't his usual Hei-laoge either.

What Zhao Yunlan usually calls him: 黑老哥 hēi lǎo gē
What he calls him in this scene: 老黑哥 lǎo hēi gē
What the viki subs have: 老黑个 lǎo hēi gè

Zhao Yunlan swaps two syllbles (accidentally, IMO). The original Chinese subs represent that as he says it; the Viki subs have a typo.

Anyway, from ZYL's pov, they've clearly made up since the end of ep 4. Saving Wu Tian'en's life together changed everything. <3 <3 <3

From Shen Wei's POV too, given how welcoming he is when Zhao Yunlan visits him at the university - the SID and ZYL changing so much clearly overrides his post-episode 4 caution in associating with the SID.

18. I think he's saying that holding Dixingren to the impossible standard of never fucking up is unreasonable?

Yeah, that's a fair reading, IMO - despite his "people are people" last episode, ZYL is still looking at them differently. And Shen Wei is reinforcing that "people are people" in his own words.

When the Envoy leaves, ZYL looks a little dissatisfied, I think -- but I'm not sure if that's with the outcome of the conversation or the outcome of the case.

I thought he was dissatisfied with the case.

19. Btw, does that entire scene take place in front of Wang Zheng? I think she's the one holding the paperwork for the Envoy to stamp. :D

Haha, yeah, it must! It's clearly her. *g*

I mean, on one level I appreciate the flirty beer drinking, but otoh, if someone says they don't drink, don't force beer on them, gah!

I'm not sure. He says 我不会喝, which isn't "I don't drink alcohol", but more like "I won't drink" - I think he may have thought Chu Shuzhi was giving him alcohol to "medicate" his grief? In which case Chu Shuzhi isn't pushing the alcohol on him, but instead making it clear that that isn't what he means.

Best thing about Zhao Yunlan consulting Shen Wei in his office at night?

and looking up at Shen Wei through his eyelashes asdlkfajs;dlfkasj;fdlkasf;dlkasjdf;asdklfjasda. :D :D :D :D :D

THISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS, always!!

[facethestrange]

"1. A bit of me is wondering if bathrooms collectively are a metaphor for Dixing in some elusive way I can't put my finger on: people go missing, no one is safe. /not serious"

Lolol, you may not be serious, but there's definitely some common thread of 'portals with something dangerous on the other end'. xD

"2. With Ji Xiaobai, Zhao Yunlan is still making his team speak for him, cf the interrogation scene. I'm not sure why -- does he want to just sit back and observe? (Also, ZYL stomping on tactless DQ's foot, my beloved! :D)"

Yeah, I'm not sure either - it only leads to facepalming at them. xD I guess he's hoping they'll eventually do something that won't make him facepalm? :P (And the stomping is so adorably deliberate, lmao. :D :D)

"3. And he's all tearful, like, ahhh has the universe delivered me a substitute for my brother?!!" *cries*"

His face journey in this scene has always been so beautiful to me, since my very first watch. SO MANY EMOTIONS! ♡ (Oh hey, the way you phrased it made me realize that this happens in the scene that is all about the universe delivering things/people, hah. :D)

"4. Aww, Shen Wei a) identifying bush!Ying Chun as a Yashou"

And this randomly made me wonder: If a Flower Yashou goes somewhere else, the plant is gone too, right? So technically you'd be able to tell that someone is a Yashou by the fact that there was no plant there yesterday and now there is one? xD xD (Unless someone just planted it and you're talking to an actual bush. ;D)

"5. I wonder if it's deliberate that they contrasted missing!Weiwei's "return", ot1h, with Shen Wei having been seemingly out of office and then answering the door, otoh: two people who were "missing" suddenly return, but in Weiwei's case, it's the wrong person. Or is it using the two Weiweis to highlight Shen Wei's dual roles -- one the Haixing professor, and one the Dixing ambassador?"

I didn't pay attention to that until you said it, but it is an interesting sequence of scenes, and I could see a 'Zhao Yunlan doesn't even know that he's visiting Heipaoshi' parallel. :D

"6. Whereas CSZ knows something's wrong -- I wonder if he's thinking of the face stealer couple."

Damn, I totally didn't catch this similarity until now - clealy someone should lampshade that this case looks the same but is actually completely different, the way GCC did with the bathroom kidnappings. xD

"7. OFFICE SCENE!! ZYL SO FLIRTY!!! SW ENJOYING IT SO MUCH!!"

GODS IKRRRRR. ♡♡♡♡♡

"And ZYL kind of fiddling with his hair because he really wants Shen Wei's hand there."

Asdfghjfdkhjkl;; ♡♡♡ Now I will never be able to look at him without thinking this, and I'm super grateful for that. :D :D :D

"Also ZYL: How much lollipop action will it take to win him over???"

*DED* :D :D Hahhhh, he doesn't know yet that 1) he already did, a long, long time ago, 2) putting it the lollipop in Shen Wei's mouth works especially well. :D :D :D

"8. Original Weiwei is so unpleasant. How much is that her being defensive and scared?"

I think a lot of it, yeah, but she has all the villain vibes, which is another reason why I didn't expect Dixingren Weiwei to end up acting like a villain.

"9. Aha, Changcheng successfully notices he's being tailed! And "counter-investigates"! \o/!! :D :D "

Yessss! :D And successfully hypes himself up despite being super terrified, I LOVE THIS SMOL BEAN.

"I love that JXB ~knows~ it's the wrong Weiwei. (And, of course, this foreshadows the two scenes where Ye Zun disguises himself as Shen Wei in front of ZYL.)"

Oooh, true! ♡ They're both all 'yeah no, you're not fooling me' basically right away.

"10. ZYL's shirt hanging unevenly at 15:17. <3 <3 <3"

Asdfhgfjkdsl;; I've never noticed that before, thank you for this very important information! xD :D ♡___♡ (And it's the very first scene after he visited Shen Wei overnight, bwahhhh. Unfortunately he's wearing completely different clothes, but he could still be dressing in a hurry regardless. xD) He never fixes it up during the entire mirror scene either - of course I just went and rewatched all of it. :D

"And yay, the flashback to the extended convo. I ♥ when ZYL uses his deep voice. (I ♥ all his voices. <3 <3 <3)"

Ahhh, which part? ♡___♡ Right when the scene opens? (I'm not good at voices, but daaamn I could listen to him speak all day. :D)

"11. When ZYL does the thing with his torch/flashlight and the mirror, GCC flinches from the light, just like how he coughed excessively at the Envoy incense smoke summoning. Is this a pattern? I wonder what it means?"

I'm assuming this is more of 'GCC is wimpy and not exactly fit for this job yet'.

"12. The mirror 'verse = the Upside Down. /Stranger Things ref"

Lol yes, it has never occurred to me but I can totally see it, with the random things floating in midair! xD

"15. Oh, hey, in the VIKI subs, they have 老黑个 there, instead of 黑老哥 -- is that right? Is it significant?"

Everyone else has already said everything, so I just want to say thanks for pointing out that it's in the wrong order! :D The fumbled line is adorable, and it works in-world so well too - he just nearly died, that's more than enough of a reason to stumble over his words!

"16. SW seems extra stern in this mirror scene. Is it because Dixingren!Weiwei nearly just blew up ZYL?? His heart must be pounding!"

And it's been what, a few days (? not sure about the timeline) since the last time someone nearly blew up ZYL and he saved him just in time, damn, this must be getting exhausting. XD

"18. And that last scene, where ZYL says the SID just doesn't want Dixingren to abuse their powers (SUCH PROGRESS), and the Envoy replies no one's perfect and respectability politics suck. (I think? I think he's saying that holding Dixingren to the impossible standard of never fucking up is unreasonable?) So they don't ~entirely~ reach an agreement, but they're definitely several steps closer."

In addition to everything else I also see 'when you find out that Professor Shen is Dixingren, look at the heart'. ;D

"When the Envoy leaves, ZYL looks a little dissatisfied, I think -- but I'm not sure if that's with the outcome of the conversation or the outcome of the case."

I think this is about the case, mostly because it leads directly to the scene where he goes back to Zhou Weiwei because he doesn't think the case it's finished.

"19. Btw, does that entire scene take place in front of Wang Zheng? I think she's the one holding the paperwork for the Envoy to stamp. :D"

Heee, I didn't notice that! She probably stepped away to be discreet, but it's definitely her! :D

"The way he slouches down with his chin on his hands, fiddling with his hair and looking up at Shen Wei through his eyelashes asdlkfajs;dlfkasj;fdlkasf;dlkasjdf;asdklfjasda. :D :D :D :D :D"

Can't stop won't stop keysmashing about it either!! ♡_________♡ :D :D

""So much! Misunderstandings, love stories between a Dixingren and a Haixingren, lookalikes, significant jewellery. What have I forgotten?"

Ohhh, all very true, thanks! :D

[facethestrange]

I've yet to rewatch (first I have a drawing to finish, then it's rewatching time :D) but this picture of themmm tho. :D :D ♡___♡ I made an incorrect quote tumblr thingy with it a few months back. xD (The text is suggestive/mildly nsfw literally and figuratively, but otherwise it's just this screencap.)

Also my theory that all the bathrooms are compensating for the fact that the nosebleed scene doesn't take place in a bathroom (like its equivalent did in the novel) is partially tongue-in-cheek and partially entirely serious, lmao. :D

[china_shop]

but this picture of themmm tho. :D :D ♡___♡

I knooooooow!! The eye-contact!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D (LOL at your tumblr thingy! I remember you linking that before. :D :D :D)

Also my theory that all the bathrooms are compensating for the fact that the nosebleed scene doesn't take place in a bathroom (like its equivalent did in the novel) is partially tongue-in-cheek and partially entirely serious, lmao. :D

Oh, that's right, I forgot. I don't think we ever ever see Shen Wei in a bathroom in the whole show? So that's a LOT of compensating that needs to be done!! *nods* ;D

ETA: Have fun with your drawing (and the rewatch)!! <3

[trobadora]

I made an incorrect quote tumblr thingy with it a few months back. xD

I'm sure I've said it before, but this is DELIGHTFUL. :D

And I will never forget your bathroom theory again, it's glorious. :D :D :D

[autodach]

What do you think of Guo Changcheng's technique for handling Ji Xiaobai? How about Chu Shuzhi's ?

Well, Xiao-Guo’s first technique of offering condolences when no one has died yet was not it XD. His second approach of talking about himself and magpie wishing seems to work better. Ultimately it’s a distraction technique, nothing wrong with that.

Although I prefer Chu Shuzhi’s style: Hand him a beverage; tell him not to give up. Simple, but all you need - the guy has every reason to be worried, it’s okay for him not to be in great spirits! You don’t need to talk at him until he’s perfectly happy like some video game NPC. Just don’t give up hope yet. It’s more grounded and realistic than magpies.

How happy are you to see Ying Chun in bush and half-transformed states?

❤❤❤!

It’s very interesting how Shen Wei uses his glaive as an ID here. What would happen if it were stolen (if that is even possible, since he can summon it)? Or could someone make a fake Envoy-glaive and impersonate him?

If Zhao Yunlan and the others can pass through, can anyone at any time?

I see no reason why they couldn’t. So the question is really, how has no one else stumbled upon this?

What's with all the bathrooms?

THE question!
Probably a writer’s poorly concealed fetish I have no idea.

[trobadora]

Although I prefer Chu Shuzhi’s style: Hand him a beverage; tell him not to give up. Simple, but all you need - the guy has every reason to be worried, it’s okay for him not to be in great spirits! You don’t need to talk at him until he’s perfectly happy like some video game NPC. Just don’t give up hope yet. It’s more grounded and realistic than magpies.

Yes! Same here. ♥

It’s very interesting how Shen Wei uses his glaive as an ID here. What would happen if it were stolen (if that is even possible, since he can summon it)? Or could someone make a fake Envoy-glaive and impersonate him?

It's specifically materialising the dao that he uses as an ID, so someone would have to have a power that could mimic that - but yeah, very good question about impersonating him! Oof.

So the question is really, how has no one else stumbled upon this?

I have a theory that someone with a mirror power has to have opened the connection first, because yeah, otherwise people would be stumbling into mirrors and this would be a very known thing!

[china_shop]

Well, Xiao-Guo’s first technique of offering condolences when no one has died yet was not it XD.

LOL! :D

You don’t need to talk at him until he’s perfectly happy like some video game NPC. Just don’t give up hope yet. It’s more grounded and realistic than magpies.

Ha, yes. I'm not sure how grounded Ji Xiaobai is, though, so probably good that he got both approaches. ;-D

Probably a writer’s poorly concealed fetish

LOL!

[facethestrange]

"Well, Xiao-Guo’s first technique of offering condolences when no one has died yet was not it XD. His second approach of talking about himself and magpie wishing seems to work better. Ultimately it’s a distraction technique, nothing wrong with that."

ITA with both! :D

"Although I prefer Chu Shuzhi’s style: Hand him a beverage; tell him not to give up. Simple, but all you need - the guy has every reason to be worried, it’s okay for him not to be in great spirits! You don’t need to talk at him until he’s perfectly happy like some video game NPC. Just don’t give up hope yet. It’s more grounded and realistic than magpies."

And ITA with this too! Which is probably weird considering how different their approaches are, lol. I just like it so much that ultimately they both helped, and that both of the approaches seemed to work better together than either one of them would have worked on its own. ♡

"Or could someone make a fake Envoy-glaive and impersonate him?"

Ohhh, could Ye Zun do it? (Does Ye Zun do it? He has convinced a lot of people that he's the Envoy after all, but I don't remember if this was a thing.)

"Probably a writer’s poorly concealed fetish"

LOLOL. :D :D They didn't get to have Weilan make out in a bathroom (like they do in the novel, at least twice off the top of my head), but they got to keep all the bathrooms regardless. ;D

[facethestrange]

- They just couldn't possibly censor Zhao Yunlan's FACE and entire body language when he's looking up at Shen Wei LIKE THAT, lmao, that's not even flirting, that's straight up indecency and shameless propositioning. xD ♡____♡ (Btw I remembered that I made a tumblr thingy with the close-up on his face too. xD Mine is somehow 100% sfw, but if you want more suggestive take on the same screencap, then tumblr user kastors has provided that too. :D :D

- The way Zhao Yunlan was going to just change his mind and leave, and then Shen Wei invites him in, asdfhgfdjsjkl;; ♡♡♡ (Did he even knock before giving up? Was Shen Wei standing on the other side of the door waiting for him to knock? xD)

- The place where Xiao Guo takes Chu Shuzhi and Ji Xiaobai is the prettiest location in the entire drama to me, it's really so calming and relaxing and sweet. ♡♡♡ (I remember wanting to vote for it in the favorite location poll. :D)

- I also adore everything about this scene in general, especially Xiao Guo's hope (!!! my absolute favorite part of the scene, and he didn't have to be right at all, but he was right, and I love that for him :D), and how proud he is to show off his favorite place, and CSZ's EPIC heart-eyes (I remember the first time I watched it, thinking 'ahh, so these two are going to be a thing?'), and how they both fumble but CSZ is generally following GCC's lead (and I love that he openly asked GCC what they should do now, and that's why they went for a walk in the first place), and they're both genuinely trying to help in their own way, and it's just all so sweet to me. And then they're in this lovely location on top of everything. :D

- The Envoy's seal will never not make me think of its proposed use in the fic A Passing Grade in Diplomacy. xD ♡_____♡ Literally the first place my mind goes every time I see it - the seal on Zhao Yunlan's skin YES PLS.

- I adore Ying Chun's half-transformed look, and her entire vibe and attitude, and especially how adorable her face is. :D

- The fact that Ji Xiaobai's name is literally spelled 小白 will never not be wonderful to me. :D :D /just me thinking about Zhubai 24/7 :D

- In the scene where Xiao Guo is counter-investigating, is it because Ji Xiaobai is following him? I've never understood this part of this scene before (because the person who is originally behind GCC is someone else), but I've always loved how it's filmed and how he's hyping himself up in the face of his fear! ♡

- Another thing I've always been confused about it why Dixingren Weiwei suddenly wants to start killing people? Like, she's obviously upset and betrayed, but that doesn't generally directly lead there for anyone who is a regular non-homicidal person. It's not even a complaint, I'm just wondering if there's anything that suggested she would turn homicidal at the drop of a hat? :P

"Shen Wei: This is the first time.
Zhao Yunlan: What first time?
Shen Wei: The first time you don't think I am linked to a case and simply come to consult me."

Is saying 'first time' with no context as suggestive in Chinese as it is in English? xD Okayyyy but more importantly AHHHHHH *flailing from a whole new realization* asdfghfjdkslkl;; Even if it isn't suggestive at all, later Ji Xiaobai says (during their flashback, at 18:43), "This is the first time, there will be many more times. I want to be with you and share wonderful times with you." And I can't believe I've never noticed that before, and now I don't believe for a second that this is not intentional. :D :D It's 7 minutes apart and it's barely even relevant to their flashback honestly. xD

"I'm always amused that Chu Shuzhi produces (randomly, from his coat pocket?) two cans of beer and offers one to Ji Xiaobai, completely unapologetically leaving Guo Changcheng out. He still thinks of Changcheng as someone he's babysitting, not a partner."

Lolol! It never even occurred to me that he could have included GCC but chose not to. xD And I went back to see where he got the cans from, and now I wish we saw him take them out (he's holding them in his hand from the beginning when the scene changes). xD

"Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 6?"

Funnily enough I can't choose between Weilan being all UST personified, and Xiao Guo being a happy, hopeful cinnamon roll, so I'm not gonna choose. :D :D

"What do you think of Guo Changcheng's technique for handling Ji Xiaobai?"

The magpie thing is all kinds of wonderful, but the condolences not so much. xD

"How about Chu Shuzhi's?"

Other than insisting on the drinks, I think he's doing well - that's one of my favorite parts, that they're so different but they're both doing well. :D (Ohhh, this is just like them saving the girl on the bus in the novel, and then the scattered souls - both GCC's skills and CSZ's skills were necessary, and they had no idea what they were doing, but in the end they did well. :D)

"Best thing about Zhao Yunlan consulting Shen Wei in his office at night? (Hint: all of it!)"

Literally all of it indeed, but especially Zhao Yunlan's major 'really, really wants to go down on Shen Wei' energy (not even counting the regularly scheduled lollipop action, which is also impressive in itself, but it always is xD), and how Shen Wei is in full agreement and SMILING, and they're having a whole other conversation underneath their conversation. :D :D

"Any thoughts about how the mirror 'verse works? (Are all mirrors connected? What about mirrors in Dixing? If Zhao Yunlan and the others can pass through, can anyone at any time?)"

It confuses me because it does sound like all mirrors are connected, but if they are, then "I'll smash the mirror and you'll never see him again" isn't much of a threat at all, is it? I mean, there's at least the bathroom mirror, and a lot of other mirrors not at home? But then again the bathroom mirror freezes over when Weiwei is taken away, whatever that means? :P

Mirrors in Dixing are probably not connected because she would just come back? And Zhao Yunlan used scientific instructions from Shen Wei to pass through, so I'm assuming everyone can do it if they use the same method?

In the end I genuinely have no idea about any of this, lmao, it's very fun though. xD

"Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama?"

I think just the obvious 'evil double' one, but I'm curious about more! :D

"If you're familiar with the novel, any thoughts about how the drama adaptation compares, if at all?"

Xiao Guo not making any wishes for himself! :D

"Chu Shuzhi didn’t really understand him. “Did you burn incense on the first day of the Lunar New Year, then? Wishes tend to come true for people like you.”

Guo Changcheng shook his head again. He was completely satisfied with his life as it was. What could he possibly wish for other than his friends’ and family’s health? And right now, his friends and family all seemed happy and safe."

(I really like how the drama consistently gives quotes and conversations more context! One other recent example I can remember is the Weilan conversation about Shen Wei's name, which started with Lin Yusen's name.)

And Ying Chun's first appearance is obviously in wildly different circumstances (and in the novel that's also her only appearance iirc), but I find the vibe similar - the sassy 'kid' who comes out of the winter jasmine flowers when you totally didn't expect that to happen. :D (And I find it interesting that the novel translated her name.)

[trobadora]

They just couldn't possibly censor Zhao Yunlan's FACE and entire body language when he's looking up at Shen Wei LIKE THAT

Yeah, it's so blatant!

Thanks for the tumblr links, those are both delightful. :D

Did he even knock before giving up? Was Shen Wei standing on the other side of the door waiting for him to knock? xD

I thought he had knocked, but no one answered the door because Shen Wei was a little late portalling inside, probably because he didn't want to be rude to Ying Chun and just vanish. (After all he wants her help!)

The fact that Ji Xiaobai's name is literally spelled 小白

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In the scene where Xiao Guo is counter-investigating, is it because Ji Xiaobai is following him? I've never understood this part of this scene before (because the person who is originally behind GCC is someone else), but I've always loved how it's filmed and how he's hyping himself up in the face of his fear! ♡

I think Ji Xiaobao is trying to catch him, and Xiao-Guo notices something but can't see him because he's further behind - if he saw Ji Xiaobai he would just stop for him, after all. And then Ji Xiaobai catches up.

Another thing I've always been confused about it why Dixingren Weiwei suddenly wants to start killing people?

She's emotional and facing Haixingren!Weiwei taking everything she cares about. Ji Xiaobai flinched away from her, and Haixingren!Weiwei called her a monster, and she's half suicidal, half lashing out. Which is not a great trait in someone who can blow people up on a whim! But yeah, there's nothing previously that particularly leads up to it, that I can see.

Is saying 'first time' with no context as suggestive in Chinese as it is in English? xD

Damn, I have no idea, but now I really want to know!

And I can't believe I've never noticed that before, and now I don't believe for a second that this is not intentional. :D :D It's 7 minutes apart and it's barely even relevant to their flashback honestly. xD

YES! It's an amazing use of a repeated line, I love it!

Ohhh, this is just like them saving the girl on the bus in the novel, and then the scattered souls - both GCC's skills and CSZ's skills were necessary, and they had no idea what they were doing, but in the end they did well. :D

Ooh, great catch! Excellent point. :D

Zhao Yunlan's major 'really, really wants to go down on Shen Wei' energy

Ha, I love how you put that, you're not wrong AT ALL. :D

It confuses me because it does sound like all mirrors are connected, but if they are, then "I'll smash the mirror and you'll never see him again" isn't much of a threat at all, is it?

Yeah, I was wondering about that too.

But then again the bathroom mirror freezes over when Weiwei is taken away, whatever that means? :P

Possibly Shen Wei closing the connection?

Xiao Guo not making any wishes for himself! :D

Oh yes, excellent catch! And agreed about the drama giving things more context, that's great stuff. :D

[china_shop]

that's not even flirting, that's straight up indecency and shameless propositioning. xD ♡____♡

And I don't personally think Shen Wei is ready to act on it yet (mmv!), but still, he's enjoying it SO MUCH!! :D :D

The place where Xiao Guo takes Chu Shuzhi and Ji Xiaobai is the prettiest location in the entire drama to me, it's really so calming and relaxing and sweet. ♡♡♡ (I remember wanting to vote for it in the favorite location poll. :D)

Aww! I like that there are a lot of trees behind the bench, too. :D

but CSZ is generally following GCC's lead (and I love that he openly asked GCC what they should do now, and that's why they went for a walk in the first place)

Ooh, that's a great point! I love that!

The Envoy's seal will never not make me think of its proposed use in the fic A Passing Grade in Diplomacy. xD ♡_____♡ Literally the first place my mind goes every time I see it - the seal on Zhao Yunlan's skin YES PLS.

<3333333333333333 (Hee, I'd forgotten that bit. :D)

I adore Ying Chun's half-transformed look, and her entire vibe and attitude, and especially how adorable her face is. :D

Yes! I love how sure of herself she is, too. Like, polite but not overwhelmed or anything. :D

Another thing I've always been confused about it why Dixingren Weiwei suddenly wants to start killing people? Like, she's obviously upset and betrayed, but that doesn't generally directly lead there for anyone who is a regular non-homicidal person.

JXB did talk about her being anxious, and about taking her to a psychologist(?) -- maybe it started with the strain of keeping up appearances and having to hide part of herself, and now that part of herself has come to light and been rejected, it's the last straw? But yeah, idk.

but more importantly AHHHHHH *flailing from a whole new realization* asdfghfjdkslkl;; Even if it isn't suggestive at all, later Ji Xiaobai says (during their flashback, at 18:43), "This is the first time, there will be many more times. I want to be with you and share wonderful times with you."

Oooooh!! That's a fantastic catch!! :D Everything is there to reinforce the importance of their connection, and the romantic nature of it. :DDDD

Funnily enough I can't choose between Weilan being all UST personified, and Xiao Guo being a happy, hopeful cinnamon roll, so I'm not gonna choose. :D :D

Awww! *hearts* I couldn't choose either.

The magpie thing is all kinds of wonderful, but the condolences not so much. xD

Hee! <3

and they're having a whole other conversation underneath their conversation. :D :D

Yessss! I just really really adore that they like each other so damn much (as well as the attraction, obviously). They're just really enjoying discussing the case together. <3 <3 <3 asadfja;sklfdjafd :D :D :D :D

(I really like how the drama consistently gives quotes and conversations more context! One other recent example I can remember is the Weilan conversation about Shen Wei's name, which started with Lin Yusen's name.)

Ooh, yes, so true. I love that too. <3 <3 <3

[trobadora]

Hi! I'm a complete zombie this weekend, but I'll try to make a coherent comment anyway.

I'm always amused that Chu Shuzhi produces (randomly, from his coat pocket?) two cans of beer and offers one to Ji Xiaobai, completely unapologetically leaving Guo Changcheng out. He still thinks of Changcheng as someone he's babysitting, not a partner.

Hee! Great point!

Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 6?

The late-night consultation/flirting session. No competition whatsoever!

Any thoughts about how the mirror 'verse works? (Are all mirrors connected? What about mirrors in Dixing? If Zhao Yunlan and the others can pass through, can anyone at any time?)

I think mirrors must be somewhat connected, but probably not across Dixing and Haixing both. And maybe someone with mirror powers needs to open them first by passing through? Otherwise ordinary people would accidentally stumble into mirrors all the time!

(I have a WIP where I'm trying to make it all make sense - one day I'll finish it ...)

What's with all the bathrooms?

Hee!

Did you see any parallels in these scenes with other parts of the drama?

Doubles and twins, especially - people with the same face are kind of a theme. People impersonating someone else. Significant jewellery (a ring again, like with Wu Xiaojun)! And a Dixing/Haixing couple is already a parallel in its own right, of course. :D

On to my notes:

Da Qing is so tactless! Zhao Yunlan's grimace is a delight, and then he pats Xiao-Guo's knee to prompt him! And then Xiao-Guo comes out with "sorry for your loss" and Zhao Yunlan has to grimace more! Awww. :D

(That's what you get for not speaking up yourself! We know who the smooth-talker is in this SID. *g*)

Da Qing's philosophy here definitely explains why he wouldn't speak up about Wu Tian'en here - he has no personal investment there either, after all. (But when he does ... :p)

I think Zhao Yunlan is meant to see, or at least subconsciously notice, the lack of a shadow from the photos. But even staring at the one photo we see, I can't really see it myself.

Where did Lao-Chu get the beer cans from? Did he walk all the way to wherever this is with them in his hand? And yay for telling Ji Xiaobai not to give up!

I like the randomly parked bikes in the background that make it all look more lived-in.

Xiao-Guo is so lucky the magpie wish came true! But I do like the fairytale atmosphere it creates. And Lao-Chu is so amused by it all at first - only then to be hit right in the gut with the parallel to Nianzhi. Awww! He looks like he's going to cry. ♥

Shen Wei walking up and down in front of Ying Chun and seemingly talking to himself is delightful. And I'm always so fascinated with how the version of history he tells here is outright contradicted by what we know to be true of YOHE. (Solo's subs say "because they supported them at war and stayed neutral after", but the Chinese says they maintained neutrality throughout the war.) I always think that must be the official version of history for the Yashou - which would mean Fu You isn't remembered as one of the co-leaders of the alliance ...

Shen Wei at first introduces himself as Professor Shen, and only summons his dao to identify himself when Ying Chun demands more. I wonder if he might not have identified himself as the Envoy at all if she hadn't ...

I love that Ying Chun immediately says she can't help with any fighting ... and then at the end of the drama, we do see her fight. Right now she can't imagine coming to that point ... Great way to show how high the stakes are, and give her character development as well.

Shen Wei is looking for someone - the child of the captain from his team 20-something years ago. (And he must have found her - he knows who she is when he has her, after all, though that won't come up until the second half of the episode. But I wonder if he did get help from Ying Chun, offscreen, connecting the pieces!)

I love that Shen Wei sees Zhao Yunlan coming by on his motorbike - and then clearly portals into his office so he won't miss out on a visit. But apparently not quickly enough, because Zhao Yunlan is almost leaving. (I never thought about it before, but Shen Wei probably doesn't just portal away immediately, but says some words to Ying Chun first, so as not to offend her, which takes a little time.)

Chu Shuzhi is immediately suspicious of Zhou Weiwei, who is VERY off, but Xiao-Guo doesn't pick up on anything - and that'll stay that way until the very end, heh. Xiao-Guo isn't stupid, but sometimes he really isn't the smartest cookie. And Chu Shuzhi lets Ji Xiaobai know they'll be back without outright confronting Zhou Weiwei, which is pretty diplomatic for him. And then he lets Xiao-Guo physically push him out! I bet that wouldn't have happened without the little Nianzhi parallel earlier. *g*

BEST SCENE: Zhao Yunlan putting his chin on his hands like that, lollipop at all, looking up at Shen Wei like that ...! And Shen Wei's fondness, and leaning in! The flirting in this scene really is off the scale.

(There's a tiny continuity error when Zhao Yunlan answers the phone, that I never noticed before! He takes his lollipop out of his mouth to answer, and we see it in his hand - but then when we see him from the other side, it's back in his mouth. Hee!)

And the synchronised "mirror"! I love it so much when they're on the same page like this. :D :D :D

Aw, all the teaching about tailing someone did work, Xiao-Guo notices when someone's following!

Haixingren!Weiwei threatens to smash the mirror - would that actually do anything? I'd think Dixingren!Weiwei could just use any other mirror.

But with the way the two of them switched places, and the Mirror Girl took the appearance of Zhou Weiwei, I wonder if that ties her down? Can she just un-become someone's reflection, or does she need their cooperation? So many questions about the mechanics of her powers ...

The mirror world with the floating objects always reminds me of the Hallows-space inside the wormhole - I wonder if they're the same kind of space ...

看来又被他说中了, Zhao Yunlan says - Solo's subs just have it as "Shen Wei was right", but literally it's more like, "looks like he predicted it correctly again", or "looks like he hit the nail on the head again". I love that he just says "he". :D

And in flashback, like Shen Wei earlier, Ji Xiaobai points out a first time (leading to hopefully many more). Parallels! :D

Ji Xiaobai recognises her initially, then is misled by Zhao Yunlan pointing out she has no shadow. But he knows who she is just as it's too late.

(Yay for not only Zhao Yunlan recognising which is the Dixingren, but also Chu Shuzhi, who got in position to restrain her. They both must know that it's the Dixingren who was Ji Xiaobai's fiancée, too. Even Ji Xiaobai knows it by the end. Xiao-Guo is the only one who never figures it out!)

I love that moment when Shen Wei slams down into the mirror dimension and everything abruptly stops.

Zhao Yunlan calls the Envoy Lao Hei-ge! I don't think that's deliberate - he's accidentally switching syllables.

Shen Wei is very harsh with the Mirror Girl - no wonder; she committed multiple of the worst crimes in his book: attacking Zhao Yunlan, attacking innocent bystanders, AND turning against someone she claims to love.

(Also fascinating: Solo's subs have Shen Wei saying, "I cannot let you stay here anymore," but what he actually says is "this place won't abide you any more.")

Ooh, I wonder if the mirror icing over is meant to signify Shen Wei closing whatever connection Mirror Girl opened, so now no one can pass through it again?

Small detail I always think of now when I see the Envoy's seal, even though we don't see it clearly here: someone was able to read it when it appears on the faked order to return to Dixing in episode 30, and it has the "suppress the heart of evil" quote on it! Meaning that presumably that's how Zhao Yunlan knows it ...

I love the conversation between the Envoy and Zhao Yunlan here. Shen Wei apologises for not catching her earlier; Zhao Yunlan says they just don't want Dixingren to abuse their powers in Haixing, which is a definite turnaround on the presence of Dixingren in general! And Shen Wei speaks up about something he'd definitely have held back earlier, but now he trusts Zhao Yunlan's attitude towards Dixingren enough. (Wu Tian'en was such a turning point!)

(Also, I have a fic about Chu Shuzhi's perspective on that conversation, and the previous scene where Mirror Girl is arrested: Abide.)

[facethestrange]

"Hi! I'm a complete zombie this weekend, but I'll try to make a coherent comment anyway."

HI and *HUGS* ♡♡♡

"The late-night consultation/flirting session. No competition whatsoever!"

*HIGH FIVE* :D :D ♡___♡

"And maybe someone with mirror powers needs to open them first by passing through? Otherwise ordinary people would accidentally stumble into mirrors all the time!"

Ohh, that's such a great explanation why it was possible for ordinary people to enter this mirror but probably not every mirror, YES. *adopts it immediately*

"(I have a WIP where I'm trying to make it all make sense - one day I'll finish it ...)"

*cheers you on!* :D

"Doubles and twins, especially - people with the same face are kind of a theme. People impersonating someone else."

This just made me realize that the novel has much fewer doubles (only Shen Wei and Gui Mian, ZYL father's bodysharing, and Kunlun's incarnations? well, there are A LOT of those but they don't exactly play a role ;D) and no one impersonates anyone in this way, unless I'm forgetting something? I can only think of the youchu impersonating a human, but it's not a specific human. So Ye Zun pretending to be Shen Wei is purely a drama invention, and a wonderful one. :D (And then there's drama Zhao Yunlan impersonating Kunlun without actually being his double - idk where exactly that fits with other things but it's neat. :P)

"Significant jewellery (a ring again, like with Wu Xiaojun)! And a Dixing/Haixing couple is already a parallel in its own right, of course. :D"

And now that I started thinking of the novel - these are not a thing in the novel either! Well, there may be some jewelry other than Shen Wei's pendant that I'm forgetting, but I know that there are zero other human/gui couples. Obviously the novel doesn't have to go 'LOOK AT WEILAN, their relationship is very real and very important' because it's already all in the text, and I love how the drama went all-out and used every possible parallel to draw attention to them! :D

"And then Xiao-Guo comes out with "sorry for your loss" and Zhao Yunlan has to grimace more! Awww. :D"

Lolol! :D :D ♡

"(That's what you get for not speaking up yourself! We know who the smooth-talker is in this SID. *g*)"

xD xD My thoughts exactly. xD If he's waiting for someone to do something that won't make him grimace, he's gonna need to wait for a long time. ;D

"Da Qing's philosophy here definitely explains why he wouldn't speak up about Wu Tian'en here - he has no personal investment there either, after all. (But when he does ... :p)"

Yeah, very true! (Ohh, what are you referring to?)

"I think Zhao Yunlan is meant to see, or at least subconsciously notice, the lack of a shadow from the photos. But even staring at the one photo we see, I can't really see it myself."

Now I obviously looked too, lol, and yeah, I can't really see either of their shadows? It all look more like stains on the wall. :P

"Where did Lao-Chu get the beer cans from? Did he walk all the way to wherever this is with them in his hand?"

Lolol, I don't know if I like this image better or the image of him taking them out of his coat pocket - they're both hilarious and I want to see the missing scene here. xD

"Shen Wei walking up and down in front of Ying Chun and seemingly talking to himself is delightful."

Heee, it is! :D

"And I'm always so fascinated with how the version of history he tells here is outright contradicted by what we know to be true of YOHE. (Solo's subs say "because they supported them at war and stayed neutral after", but the Chinese says they maintained neutrality throughout the war.) I always think that must be the official version of history for the Yashou - which would mean Fu You isn't remembered as one of the co-leaders of the alliance ..."

Ohhh, I didn't realize that at all! (The hardsubs say that they stayed neutral too, but the last time I watched it with those subs was too early for me to catch the contradiction.) It is fascinating indeed!

"Shen Wei at first introduces himself as Professor Shen, and only summons his dao to identify himself when Ying Chun demands more. I wonder if he might not have identified himself as the Envoy at all if she hadn't ..."

Yeah, it looks to me like he wasn't going to. I guess if it's possible to get the answers as Professor Shen, it's not necessary to reveal himself.

"I love that Ying Chun immediately says she can't help with any fighting ... and then at the end of the drama, we do see her fight. Right now she can't imagine coming to that point ... Great way to show how high the stakes are, and give her character development as well."

Ohh, this is very neat indeed! ♡ And it made me double check if she's mentioned in the final battle in the novel, but she isn't. (It only says "A crowd of yao rushed in. Every last one was either a tribe leader or an elder." and then it talks about the Crows being back "for some reason". xD And novel Ying Chun is not a leader - she talks about the chief of her tribe who is not her.) I always love how much more story she got in the drama, including her entire conflict and backstory with Ya Qing that apparently all stemmed from exactly one line in the novel. :D

"Chu Shuzhi is immediately suspicious of Zhou Weiwei, who is VERY off, but Xiao-Guo doesn't pick up on anything - and that'll stay that way until the very end, heh. Xiao-Guo isn't stupid, but sometimes he really isn't the smartest cookie."

Yeah, I think he both always assumes the best of people, and also really wants his magical happy ending to be real in this case specifically.

"And then he lets Xiao-Guo physically push him out! I bet that wouldn't have happened without the little Nianzhi parallel earlier. *g*"

AWW, I love this observation, very true! :D

"BEST SCENE: Zhao Yunlan putting his chin on his hands like that, lollipop at all, looking up at Shen Wei like that ...! And Shen Wei's fondness, and leaning in! The flirting in this scene really is off the scale."

Isn't ittttttt. ♡♡♡♡♡ LIKE THAT.

"There's a tiny continuity error when Zhao Yunlan answers the phone, that I never noticed before! He takes his lollipop out of his mouth to answer, and we see it in his hand - but then when we see him from the other side, it's back in his mouth. Hee!"

What a fantastic excuse to rewatch, thank you! xD And clearly the solution to continuity errors is to just never take the lollipop out, lmao - in this scene it's in his mouth the entire time other than this tiny moment, which btw is also a wonderful thing to know. xD :D

"And the synchronised "mirror"! I love it so much when they're on the same page like this. :D :D :D"

Yesss! ♡♡♡ And I also love that Shen Wei got it first but he knew that Zhao Yunlan would get it on his own too, so he waited a second because he knew this would happen. :D (This must have happened in YOHE a lot. :D)

"Aw, all the teaching about tailing someone did work, Xiao-Guo notices when someone's following!"

So proud of him! ♡ ZYL and CSZ sneaking up on him so seamlessly was quite unsettling, he must be glad that people can't do it to him anymore. xD And he does something about it too. :D

"Haixingren!Weiwei threatens to smash the mirror - would that actually do anything? I'd think Dixingren!Weiwei could just use any other mirror."

*high-five on the confusion* (Like, her threat obviously doesn't have to be logical, but Dixingren Weiwei seems to react like it is.)

"But with the way the two of them switched places, and the Mirror Girl took the appearance of Zhou Weiwei, I wonder if that ties her down? Can she just un-become someone's reflection, or does she need their cooperation? So many questions about the mechanics of her powers ..."

Ohh, very good questions. I think human Weiwei would very much want her to un-become her reflection, so maybe it's permanent and neither of them can do that? (Or she has to become someone else's reflection instead?)

"看来又被他说中了, Zhao Yunlan says - Solo's subs just have it as "Shen Wei was right", but literally it's more like, "looks like he predicted it correctly again", or "looks like he hit the nail on the head again". I love that he just says "he". :D"

There's only one "he" that Zhao Yunlan thinks about all the time, hah, it's beyond obvious to him who he means, no need to specify. :D :D

"Also fascinating: Solo's subs have Shen Wei saying, "I cannot let you stay here anymore," but what he actually says is "this place won't abide you any more.""

Ohh, neat! And the hardsubs have "the earth is not for you anymore" - I feel like all three are different re: who is ultimately making the decision that she can't stay, and whether or not it's something inherent/immutable.

"Ooh, I wonder if the mirror icing over is meant to signify Shen Wei closing whatever connection Mirror Girl opened, so now no one can pass through it again?"

Yeah, I think this is it, and not letting random people fall into the mirror sounds like a very good idea. :P

"Small detail I always think of now when I see the Envoy's seal, even though we don't see it clearly here: someone was able to read it when it appears on the faked order to return to Dixing in episode 30, and it has the "suppress the heart of evil" quote on it! Meaning that presumably that's how Zhao Yunlan knows it ..."

Oooh, I didn't know that at all, thank you!

[china_shop]

Hi!! *HUGS* Sorry it's taken me so long to reply.

> The late-night consultation/flirting session. No competition whatsoever!

\o/!!!

> (I have a WIP where I'm trying to make it all make sense - one day I'll finish it ...)

Ooh, awesome! *cheers you on*

> Doubles and twins, especially - people with the same face are kind of a theme.

Yes, we even got that flashback to CSZ and Nianzhi, as a hint. :D

> Where did Lao-Chu get the beer cans from? Did he walk all the way to wherever this is with them in his hand?

Maybe he always has one or two in his pockets? (Interesting that they're cans and not bottles like they drink at team meals.

> the Chinese says they maintained neutrality throughout the war.) I always think that must be the official version of history for the Yashou - which would mean Fu You isn't remembered as one of the co-leaders of the alliance ...

:-( (But she is remembered, going by ZH's reaction during the Hallows zoom call.)

> Right now she can't imagine coming to that point ... Great way to show how high the stakes are, and give her character development as well.

Yes! And to contrast her with Ya Qing...

> But I wonder if he did get help from Ying Chun, offscreen, connecting the pieces!

That would make sense! How else would he know?

> I love that Shen Wei sees Zhao Yunlan coming by on his motorbike - and then clearly portals into his office so he won't miss out on a visit.

adfja;sdklfja;sdklfja;sklfdja;sdlkfja; sYES

> I never thought about it before, but Shen Wei probably doesn't just portal away immediately, but says some words to Ying Chun first, so as not to offend her, which takes a little time.

Ooh, great point! Though she is the first to interrupt the conversation by reverting to plant form, so I could go either way. (I wrote a little sequel to this scene where SW apologises for leaving abruptly. :-)

> but Xiao-Guo doesn't pick up on anything - and that'll stay that way until the very end, heh.

Ha, I wrote a little thing about this, too. (And several about Ji Xiaobai and his Weiwei -- I really love this case/episode/point in the drama. :D)

> And Chu Shuzhi lets Ji Xiaobai know they'll be back without outright confronting Zhou Weiwei, which is pretty diplomatic for him. And then he lets Xiao-Guo physically push him out! I bet that wouldn't have happened without the little Nianzhi parallel earlier. *g*

Both great points!! <3

> BEST SCENE: Zhao Yunlan putting his chin on his hands like that, lollipop at all, looking up at Shen Wei like that ...! And Shen Wei's fondness, and leaning in! The flirting in this scene really is off the scale.

BEST SCENE!! :D

> Haixingren!Weiwei threatens to smash the mirror - would that actually do anything? I'd think Dixingren!Weiwei could just use any other mirror.

Maybe it would destroy that particular mirror 'verse?

> The mirror world with the floating objects always reminds me of the Hallows-space inside the wormhole - I wonder if they're the same kind of space ...

I keep wondering why there are floating objects. Gravity clearly works, going by the way everyone's standing... It makes more sense to me in the wormhole, for some reason -- maybe because other!Weiwei has been living here for years??

> but literally it's more like, "looks like he predicted it correctly again", or "looks like he hit the nail on the head again". I love that he just says "he". :D

asdlkfjas;dlfkjas;ldkfjas;dflkjas;dflkajd AHhhhh

> Ooh, I wonder if the mirror icing over is meant to signify Shen Wei closing whatever connection Mirror Girl opened, so now no one can pass through it again?

Ooh, yes. That makes sense, and it goes with his other use of ice, like freezing the Shadow Man. \o/

> And Shen Wei speaks up about something he'd definitely have held back earlier, but now he trusts Zhao Yunlan's attitude towards Dixingren enough. (Wu Tian'en was such a turning point!)

Yes -- oh, I wonder if the thing with Wu Tien'en is part of why ZYL is more genuinely flirty now? Because it makes him suspecting SW of being Dixingren less important??

[trepkos]

Why is it that things I would be very angry about in real life - eg. hitting staff upside the head; constantly threatening bonus/pay cuts; being generally mean for their own good; stamping on their feet - are things I find charming in the series?

I wonder why the mirror has all those bubbles etc. floating about in it?

Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng are wonderful - and I missed the beer incident!

[trobadora]

Why is it that things I would be very angry about in real life - eg. hitting staff upside the head; constantly threatening bonus/pay cuts; being generally mean for their own good; stamping on their feet - are things I find charming in the series?

Haha, the magic of Zhao Yunlan! :D

Good question about the mirror dimension! The floating things remind me of the inside of the wormhole when Zhao Yunlan goes to the past, I wonder if that's related ...

[facethestrange]

"Why is it that things I would be very angry about in real life - eg. hitting staff upside the head; constantly threatening bonus/pay cuts; being generally mean for their own good; stamping on their feet - are things I find charming in the series?"

Lol, right?? xD No need to be a good boss when you're Zhao Yunlan. xD

"I wonder why the mirror has all those bubbles etc. floating about in it?"

*high five* No idea either. There are actual objects floating too (like a statue and a bucket), which makes it even more puzzling to me - if it was just bubbles and sparkles, I'd say it's something inherent to a mirror being sparkly/reflective. ETA: I really like how it looks though, no matter what the reason behind it is. :D :D

[china_shop]

> Why is it that things I would be very angry about in real life - eg. hitting staff upside the head; constantly threatening bonus/pay cuts; being generally mean for their own good; stamping on their feet - are things I find charming in the series?

Ha, so true. I know what you mean. :D

CSZ and GCC are awesome, yessss! :D :D :D

[china_shop]

A further question: at what point does Shen Wei figure out that ZYL's case is related to the person he's looking for (the team captain's child)? Is it the fact that the case is about mirrors that gives it away? Might he have received information from Dixing that the girl's mother had a mirror power? (Or the team captain himself?) And if so, does he know that when ZYL comes to him with info about the case, or not until afterwards (in a missing scene between that and SW appearing in the mirror dimension)?

[trobadora]

Oooh, all very good questions!

I think he doesn't know yet when ZYL comes to him. Mirror powers being a family thing would make sense, and that would be a great clue! And then maybe he gets info from Ying Chun that confirms the connection? I vote for a missing scene!