Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 7, 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 7, up to 24:30

Summary
Shen Wei starts to get serious with the muggers, but just then Zhao Yunlan shows up and "rescues" him... only to be caught unawares with a metal bar. They go to Shen Wei's place for first aid and verbal sparring.



Zhao Yunlan asks Shen Wei to be an official consultant to the SID, and Shen Wei refuses. Zhao Yunlan accidentally implies he's been in Shen Wei's place before. The next day at the SID, Lin Jing is telling ghost stories when a call comes about a new case: one of the muggers is dead. When the SID review nearby CCTV footage, they don't see much, but rewinding to earlier reveals that Zhao Yunlan met up with Shen Wei in that alley. Zhao Yunlan unconvincingly laughs this off. The "bears" call: Zhu Hong grudgingly conveys a laptop to Shen Wei for a Zoom call with Zhao Yunlan and the others. After Shen Wei's extensive and illustrated lecture on different kinds of bears, Da Qing pipes up to suggest the attacker might be a Youchu; Shen Wei produces a relevant sketch. Zhao Yunlan, Lin Jing and Chu Shuzhi visit the surviving mugger in hospital; he's out of his wits, babbling about a monster. Lin Jing sees the crime scene photos and makes the connection with his favourite web novel.

Quote
Shen Wei: There are some questions that, out of principle, I cannot answer. But when the safety of people around me are at stake, I will surely not watch from the side and hide information from you. You can count on me for that.

Detail
The moment they're inside his apartment, Shen Wei starts disrobing takes off his jacket and attempts, twice, to fold it while pressing Zhao Yunlan to stay.

Questions
Do you have a stand-out favourite scene or quote from the first half of episode 7? Do you think Zhao Yunlan's arrival at the mugging was coincidence, or had he been tailing Shen Wei? Do you think Shen Wei had qualms about letting Zhao Yunlan take on the muggers? Shen Wei doesn't show any surprise at the job offer -- do you think he was expecting it? Which of them do you think was most turned on by the "first aid"? We didn't see Zhao Yunlan in Shen Wei's bedroom while searching the apartment -- did he? We now know Lin Jing and Da Qing read web novels; who else at the SID reads them? What do the others think is going on when they see Zhao Yunlan with Shen Wei in the CCTV footage? Did Zhu Hong volunteer to take the laptop to Shen Wei for the video call, or was she assigned to do it? Why a video call instead of Zhao Yunlan paying a visit? At the hospital, why is Chu Shuzhi so grumpy? Lin Jing draws a connection between the case and the web novel -- but how does Wang Zheng already know about this when she calls?

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

[trobadora]

And I think Shen Wei was well aware of it, too.

Do you think he'd have dealt differently with the muggers otherwise? And do you think he took ZYL's presence in account when he decided to handle the would-be pendant thief?

Like, Shen Wei wants the genuine version of this, and while he might find himself turned on by the contact and stuff, I don't think it's 100% doing it for him.
Meanwhile, I think ZYL is very turned on, and that's contributing to his off-kilter squirrelliness. He knows something's up with Shen Wei, and he's in a potentially dangerous situation, but his body is on-board anyway. ;D

Ooh, yes, all this! I especially love how you put that, ZYL's body being on board. :D

Also, the way ZYL segues from "skilful hands" to "you academics are so smart" reminds me of CSZ and the Envoy: the Envoy makes overtures of friendship, and CSZ can't get past the status differential. With ZYL, he's always flattering SW for his big shiny academic brain. And Shen Wei's all, I'm trying to approach you as an equal!!

Ooh, what a neat parallel! I completely see what you mean, yes!

I never thought about this before, but now I really want him to have shamelessly rifled through Shen Wei's bedside table and underwear drawer. (Shen Wei would be fine with it, after all, and DQ would just roll his eyes and make rude remarks about alley cats.)

LOLOLOL!

Everyone! I think CSZ reads epic historical romances, Zhu Hong reads contemporary martial arts, and Wang Zheng reads everything.

Yeah, totally! Do you think Zhao Yunlan reads webnovels too?

I can't decide. I think she doesn't trust SW *and* she's holding a grudge about the interrogation, but I don't know if that would make her want to scope him out at work (looking for cracks in his good-guy facade) or keep her distance.

I think overall it was ZYL's idea, but she might have volunteered to be the one to go, because of those reasons?

Because he's no longer partnered with ZYL, and this time it isn't even GCC. Now it's Lin Jing?!?! Bottom of the barrel!!

Awwww! :D

[china_shop]

> Ooh, yes, all this! I especially love how you put that, ZYL's body being on board. :D

Ha, I'd forgotten I'd said that. ZYL's body might be on board, but he's still running for the door, so... (I like that. I enjoy the conflicted feelings - delicious, delicious tension. :D)

> Yeah, totally! Do you think Zhao Yunlan reads webnovels too?

Ooh, idk. I think he has some manga series he follows (mostly for nostalgic reasons; they remind him of his childhood when his mum was still around), but I don't know about webnovels. He might be too lazy. ;-D

> I think overall it was ZYL's idea, but she might have volunteered to be the one to go, because of those reasons?

Hm, interesting. Why did ZYL opt for that, rather than an in-person visit? Do you think he's deliberately keeping physical distance?

[trobadora]

ZYL's body might be on board, but he's still running for the door, so... (I like that. I enjoy the conflicted feelings - delicious, delicious tension. :D)

Yes, that's why it's such a good description! His body, his heart and his mind are all in different places, and it's so much fun!

He might be too lazy. ;-D

Haha, yeah, I could see him as someone who looks at it that way!

(Every other media takes more effort for me than reading, but I expect Zhao Yunlan is not like me in that. *g*)

Why did ZYL opt for that, rather than an in-person visit? Do you think he's deliberately keeping physical distance?

Yeah, I think it's deliberate, but I'm not 100% sure about his reasons. Post-ointment, post-being-caught-on-surveillance-camera awkwardness? Not wanting to give his team more fodder? Idk.

[china_shop]

> Yeah, I think it's deliberate, but I'm not 100% sure about his reasons. Post-ointment, post-being-caught-on-surveillance-camera awkwardness? Not wanting to give his team more fodder? Idk.

And yet he goes over to gratuitously debrief once the case is closed...