Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 8, 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 8, from 22:19:

Summary: In Dixing, the Regent sends a smoke message. In Haixing, Shen Wei pours his drunk mentor into car and then finds Zhao Yunlan ill on the kerb. He takes him home in a taxi (where he serves as a pillow), then discovers Zhao Yunlan's disaster apartment (featuring: wine bottles, dirty dishes, THE FRIDGE). During the night, Zhu Jiu finds the pillar with the Mountain-River Awl, but can't approach it. Meanwhile Shen Wei discovers that Zhao Yunlan asked Dixing about him and the Regent is ratting him out. He alters the message. In the morning, Zhao Yunlan wakes up to a tidy flat and Shen Wei sitting next to his bed. He tries to recruit Shen Wei for the SID again, but fails again. Wang Zheng sees a newspaper report about an earthquake in the Hanga mountains, passes out and regains her memory. Da Qing comes to tell Zhao Yunlan and finds Shen Wei there in the early morning. The Sundial begins to glow and resonate with the Awl; Lin Jing traces the source to the mountains.



Quote:

Shen Wei: "I suggest you eat regular meals. I don't want to find you on the road again."

Zhao Yunlan: "If you want to know whether I eat regular meals, why don't you just join ourSID, and you'll know?"

Shen Wei: "So your SID doesn't need a consultant, it needs a nanny?"

Detail:

I always notice that when Shen Wei takes off Zhao Yunlan's boots, he accidentally slips one of Zhao Yunlan's socks off his heel and doesn't pull it back up, argh! :p

Questions:

What's going through Shen Wei's head in the taxi? How is Zhao Yunlan feeling about Shen Wei taking him home? What's your favourite detail in Zhao Yunlan's flat? What's Shen Wei's favourite detail? Why do you think Zhao Yunlan keeps trying to recruit Shen Wei after Shen Wei has refused more than once? Do you think Shen Wei is seriously hoping to warn Zhao Yunlan away from leaving Dragon City? Why is Da Qing surprised to find Shen Wei with Zhao Yunlan in the morning? Why does Wang Zheng try to leave the SID? Any thoughts about how any of this compares to the novel? Or about parallels with other parts of the drama?

(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!)

For the next two weekends, we're taking a break for the holidays - time to catch up on the rewatch, if you've been meaning to! Regular posts will resume on 9 January.

Here is our schedule for the current batch of episodes - please do sign up to host a post if you can!

Comments

[facethestrange]

"I really love that they built it into things with the little Professor Zhou scene - the drama is so good at that stuff. This scene reminds us of Professor Zhou (who was mentioned in episode 1), introduces us to him personally and his relationship with Shen Wei, AND lays the ground for Shen Wei's reaction to alcohol. Such a little scene, and so fun to watch, and doing so much work, too! :D"

Yessss, all of this! :D The drama is amazing at adding context and connections/parallels and foreshadowing to everything. ♡♡♡ And I find it really cool that Shen Wei already knows that he shouldn't drink and that it's introduced beforehand, because in the drama that's actually a point - in the novel he doesn't pass out from the alcohol, he (consciously or unconsciously) decides to take himself out of the situation, and I guess the drunkenness is involved enough that the hospital is fooled, but otherwise it's just SW yeeting himself out of his body. (And in the Shen San story he does pass out from alcohol, but that's after an entire bottle - everyone else would too. xD)

"I could see Shen Wei learning about his reaction to alcohol very young, too, but given that Ma Gui apparently didn't know what alcohol is (LOL), it's probably more canon-compliant (as well as more fun and more time-loopy!) if it happens while Zhao Yunlan is there. :D"

Waaait, what is that about Ma Gui? xD xD I don't remember that but it sounds so funny. xD

I feel like Shen Wei was probably the most likely to learn that about himself during his first student party in modern Haixing, lmao, but throwing Zhao Yunlan in everywhere is always the most fun indeed. :D :D And for this headcanon I went with 'he has never had friends before, and he's slowly making friends now that Kunlun is there, oops, friends come with surprise alcohol'. xD

"AWWWWW! Fantastic catch, thank you! Now I'm going to headcanon that he in fact does let go and then put his arm around him again, because having him this close is giving Shen Wei FEELINGS, but Zhao Yunlan isn't steady enough without. *g*"

:D :D Ahhhhhh, I love that adfghfjdksl;; *MELTS* ♡♡♡♡♡

"Yeah, I always figured it wasn't improvised during the actual filming of the scene, but while they talked the scene through before - because as you say, it's clearly deliberately filmed like that. (I figure most "improvised" things are like that. I heard the kneeling-in-the-rain was a spontaneous reaction to rain during filming, too, but that scene, too, is clearly deliberately filmed that way. Real rain doesn't even show up well on film. *g* I love it when actors take their craft seriously and contribute things like this - and Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu very clearly put their all into Guardian. :D)"

I wish I knew which interview it was (especially since I know that I just rewatched it in November, so it could be relatively easy to pinpoint, but I may have rewatched like 80% of all their interviews on the same day xD I think it's one of Zhu Yilong's individual interviews?) but there's one where they talk about Bai Yu unexpectedly flopping his head down while Zhu Yilong tried not to break character, so it had to have been improvised in practice, but that obviously doesn't mean that any of that has made it to the final edit. (Or that it wasn't during a rehearsal, but idk if they had rehearsals in this way, especially with his fast they filmed.) I could see it either way because the way the taxi scene starts could be improvised (or not), and only later it switches to other parts that are clearly not improvised. As I said, trying to figure it out may be futile but the rewatching is 100% of the fun, hah. :D

Re: the rain, yep! I think I've only read second-hand accounts (I'm sure there's an actual interview somewhere, I just can't recall one), so idk how correct I am, but iirc it wasn't improvised per se, it was just that they were going to stop filming (idk if because of the rain or just because they were finished?) and Zhu Yilong decided that the rain made it even better and wanted to stay longer and do it this way. Which I guess does make it improvised - if the rain never happened, they wouldn't have thought of this possibility. :D

And yessss, they both always went above and beyond, it's amazing! ♡♡♡

"Looks to me like they only almost touch, but that's already fantastic, and I have no idea how I never saw it before! Thanks for pointing it out!"

:D :D Yeah, it's SO CLOSE but not quiiite, lol, but it's delightful either way. :D :D

"The bowl is steaming on the sideboard only moments before, so I don't think it needs heating up, but if it had needed it, Shen Wei was ready! :D"

I can't believe I never caught it steaming (what a wonderful excuse to rewatch :D :D) - in this part of the scene I'm always focused on how young Shen Wei looks. :D And now I'm wondering if he has kept it hot or if it's just a coincidence that he made it just before Zhao Yunlan woke up. :D

"You bet that if it was someone he really didn't trust, gastritis or no, he definitely wouldn't have suggested they take him home! ♥ ♥ ♥"

Awwwwwww, so true, this is such a great point!! ♡♡♡

"And I love that drama!Shen Wei absolutely knows, yes. (Novel!Shen Wei should have known too, dammit!)"

(Right?? He really should have, if not before than at least immediately after - iirc he's still confused and surprised that Zhao Yunlan didn't stay put even after everything goes wrong. :P And they have been together for a lot longer at that point too, like, what else would you expect from Zhao Yunlan of all people. xD)

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH that's why he takes off his boots, of course! And why they didn't have him fix the sock! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *screams* Thank you so much for pointing this out!"

Yessssss. :D :D :D ♡♡♡

It even has an illustration of what could have been. xD :D


Though tbh I wouldn't in any way trade the drama version of this scene for that - I like it a lot better in so many ways! ♡__♡ Zhao Yunlan being so completely out of it makes everything softer to me. ♡♡♡ And in the novel he removes his own shoes, and Shen Wei removing them is one of my favorite things ever, so somehow the way they toned it down still contains all the foot touching AND makes things more intimate, not less. :D ♡♡♡ (I'd possibly take Zhao Yunlan's shameless pajamas, lmao, but I'm fine without that either. xD :D)

[trobadora]

The drama is amazing at adding context and connections/parallels and foreshadowing to everything. ♡♡♡

Yes! And it makes rewatching so rewarding. :D :D :D

And I find it really cool that Shen Wei already knows that he shouldn't drink and that it's introduced beforehand, because in the drama that's actually a point

Ooh, yes, that's a great point! It's a completely different context in the novel, and it's really only the specific circumstances there that lead to him yeeting himself out of his body; it's not his standard reaction to alcohol! (Though LOL, it would be very funny if it was!)

Waaait, what is that about Ma Gui? xD xD I don't remember that but it sounds so funny. xD

It's in the flashback in episode 37, where Ma Gui is trying to make a seed sprout for Fu You (the one that turns into the sacred wood). Zhao Yunlan helps him, and it turns out alcohol makes it sprout. Ma Gui says, "I never knew a thing like alcohol existed in this world" - suggesting that Zhao Yunlan taught him how to make alcohol!

oops, friends come with surprise alcohol

LOLOLOL, I love how you put that!

there's one where they talk about Bai Yu unexpectedly flopping his head down while Zhu Yilong tried not to break character, so it had to have been improvised in practice

Oh yes, true, I didn't remember that! And clearly they ran with it from there, yeah.

I think I've only read second-hand accounts (I'm sure there's an actual interview somewhere, I just can't recall one)

Yeah, I don't remember the source either, but I do remember there being one - it's not like some other rumours/filming stories where I never saw an actual source. I remember the same thing you do, that the rain occurred during filming and he thought that made it even better. And clearly that gave them the idea, and they set it up properly for filming. I love that!

I can't believe I never caught it steaming (what a wonderful excuse to rewatch :D :D) - in this part of the scene I'm always focused on how young Shen Wei looks. :D And now I'm wondering if he has kept it hot or if it's just a coincidence that he made it just before Zhao Yunlan woke up. :D

Haha, I always notice the steam! I do like the idea that he periodically reheats it so whenever Zhao Yunlan wakes up it'll be ready.

like, what else would you expect from Zhao Yunlan of all people. xD

Seriously!!!!!

It even has an illustration of what could have been. xD :D

Oh, I had forgotten all about that! :D :D :D

Though tbh I wouldn't in any way trade the drama version of this scene for that - I like it a lot better in so many ways! ♡__♡

Totally with you on that, it's just such a completely lovely scene in the drama in so many ways, and I adore it to pieces. :D

[facethestrange]

"It's a completely different context in the novel, and it's really only the specific circumstances there that lead to him yeeting himself out of his body; it's not his standard reaction to alcohol! (Though LOL, it would be very funny if it was!)"

Lolol omg, it should be! xD Now I need a storyline where the one thing that immediately defeats the King of the Gui is alcohol. xD

"It's in the flashback in episode 37, where Ma Gui is trying to make a seed sprout for Fu You (the one that turns into the sacred wood). Zhao Yunlan helps him, and it turns out alcohol makes it sprout. Ma Gui says, "I never knew a thing like alcohol existed in this world" - suggesting that Zhao Yunlan taught him how to make alcohol!"

Ahhh, thanks!! :D Somehow I completely missed/forgot that! :D

"I do like the idea that he periodically reheats it so whenever Zhao Yunlan wakes up it'll be ready."

Yesss, awww! ♡♡♡

[china_shop]

Now I need a storyline where the one thing that immediately defeats the King of the Gui is alcohol. xD

Hee! <3 <3 <3

[china_shop]

I do like the idea that he periodically reheats it so whenever Zhao Yunlan wakes up it'll be ready.

Awwwwww! a;ldskfjasd;lfka

[trobadora]

:D :D :D

[china_shop]

Ahh, I'd totally forgotten that illustration. Thaaank you!! (And I totally agree that the drama version is perfect as is. <333)