Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 12, 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 12, from 22:18:

Summary: We start with murder! Zhu Jiu is collecting people's life energy and has recruited the human manager of a fight club to provide it for him. Chu Shuzhi leaves the SID to find out where Guo Changcheng is, since he's still missing. Zhao Yunlan questions Tan Xiao and learns about Zheng Yi's abusive stepfather. He understands Tan Xiao's motive, but tells him he has to follow protocol. At that moment, the Envoy arrives and briskly takes Tan Xiao away. (Da Qing wonders what Zhao Yunlan has done to upset him, since he won't even chat!) When Zheng Yi cries, Zhao Yunlan offers kitty!Da Qing as a comfort.

Returning to the SID, Zhao Yunlan is unhappy with the case's easy resolution. He starts putting together all the clues and realises that it's Zheng Yi who's Dixingren, not Tan Xiao. Meanwhile in a park, the Envoy (literally) shakes down Tan Xiao, then knocks him out - he's deduced the same thing. (In a flashback, Zhu Jiu recruits Zheng Yi just as she's killing her stepfather.) Zhu Hong wakes up, and she, Zhao Yunlan and Lin Jing rush to the hospital, but Zheng Yi and Da Qing are gone. They in turn have gone to the SID, where Da Qing hands Zheng Yi the Hallows. She remembers she's supposed to go to a wedding to find Tan Xiao.

At the Li/Huang wedding, we re-meet Papa Li, the bride and the groom, and Minister Gao, as well as meeting Cong Bo for the first time, who's secretly recording things. Meanwhile, Da Qing walks past Wang Xiangyang's fruit stand, is suddenly reminded of something Kunlun once said to him, loses control and starts trashing the fruit stand.



Quote:

Lin Jing: "We need permission from the boss!"

Chu Shuzhi: "The boss' decision is the same as mine."

Detail:

Lin Jing tells us that "weak-minded" Dixingren accidentally losing control and using their powers, harming themselves and others, happens a lot.

Is it that they're weak, though, or is it that living in hiding, they lack the support and infrastructure to learn control properly?

Questions:

What's your favourite bit from this half-episode? If the Envoy had stopped to talk to Zhao Yunlan, would that have made a difference to the outcome? If Zhao Yunlan et al. hadn't left the SID to rush back to the hospital, could they have stopped Zheng Yi? How does Tan Xiao know about Dixing and the Envoy? How deliberate and premeditated was Zheng Yi's killing of her stepfather and his flunkies? Where does Lin Jing's speech about the hardships of Dixingren come from? Is what's going on with Minister Gao and Li Guangbiao actually headline-worthy? Any thoughts on parallels with other parts of the drama? Or on how this relates to things in the novel?

(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 to give everyone (including ourselves) a bit of time to catch up! Regular posts will resume on the weekend of 20 March.

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

Comments

[trobadora]

My notes:

First look at the fight club! The manager really is the worst, happy to murder people for money. And Zhu Jiu gathering people's life energy in a bottle - this one's much bigger than the one his own energy will eventually land in, too.

When Lin Jing examines the unconscious Zhu Hong, he determines there's only a little black energy left, and she should be free of the mind control now. Can we count that as evidence that the detector doesn't measure her black energy? Because as a Yashou she definitely has her own. Maybe our speculation from last post is true and the detector is designed to exclude the energies of people with red stamps, which would make sense ... except no, I just remembered it does read Zhang Shi's black energy, and I'm sure Zhao Xinci must have a red stamp. Damn, foiled again! *g*

I love Chu Shuzhi just rushing off to go search for Xiao-Guo! And Lin Jing wondering since when he cares that much about Xiao-Guo, LOL.

Fourth Uncle complains that Zhu Hong used to be a good Snake, now she acts like a human. I feel like actually she's definitely her uncle's niece, acting for his own good whether he likes it or not, and copying his strategy with the snake-repellent wine. :p

Zhao Yunlan definitely sympatises with Tan Xiao, but given the murders, says he has to follow protocol. I wonder - if the Envoy hadn't appeared just then, how would that have gone?

(So interesting that during the entire interview with Tan Xiao, Da Qing is taking notes! Very diligent. :D)

Da Qing notes the scars/wounds on Zheng Yi's arms, which definitely weren't there in the scene at the lab - though in-universe, I wonder if along with the dress-up in the white dress, Zheng Zhongyuan also covered up her injuries with make-up?

Zheng Zhongyuan is awful, but the two lab guys who see him abusing Zheng Yi and immediately praise him for raising her so well, supporting him in his behaviour, are honestly THE WORST. :(

The Envoy's brief appearance is so tense! Zhao Yunlan tries to rally with a "long time no see", but Shen Wei doesn't react to him at all. No wonder Da Qing wonders if Zhao Yunlan upset him! Shen Wei is clearly creating more distance between them now, and not telling Zhao Yunlan what he has already deduced.

He does look at Zheng Yi for a long moment before he takes Tan Xiao away, and in his next scene with Tan Xiao we see that he's figured it out. But he's not telling the SID, which gives Zheng Yi the chance to hypnotise Da Qing and later cause havoc at the wedding. He doesn't seem to realise that Zhu Jiu has recruited her and not just Tan Xiao. And by keeping her status as Dixingren to himself, I assume he's hoping to be able to quietly let her stay in Haixing, rather than having to take her away ...

Lin Jing's speech about the hardships of Dixingren is so fascinating, I really wonder where it's coming from. Have the SID and/or the Inspectorate lab really seen a lot of Dixingren "losing control", for him to state so confidently that it happens a lot, or is he just talking big?

The sequence of Zhao Yunlan putting together all the clues and figuring out the truth about Zheng Yi is so good! I think that's my favourite part of this half-episode.

Tan Xiao's reaction when Da Qing removes Zheng Yi's facial mask, and the place of that moment in Zhao Yunlan's flashback sequence - does that mean such a flimsy mask can actually stop her power? Or does Tan Xiao only think so?

It's hilarious to me that Tan Xiao finds himself in a park and asks if that's Dixing. :D But also, how does he know about Dixing? He addresses the Envoy as "Hei Pao-daren" too, so he knows something. Possibly from Zhu Jiu, when this entire plan was arranged? Because Tan Xiao is clearly the decoy, getting himself arrested and taken away by the Envoy so Zheng Yi is in place to hypnotise someone from the SID.

Zhao Yunlan says Tan Xiao was covering for Zheng Yi who "lost control of her black energy and caused the deaths", but I think it was more intentional than that. (Poor Zheng Yi.)

In the flashback to the killing, Zhu Jiu promptly turns up at the same moment and recruits her. As usual, I wonder how he found her! (This is the first time we hear her speak without using her power, I'm pretty sure! She's clearly entirely capable of doing so, even if her control isn't perfect.)

I love that when Zhu Hong wakes up, the first thing she says is a warning about Zheng Yi.

Zhao Yunlan, Lin Jing and Zhu Hong rush to the hospital - I have to assume that like Shen Wei, they haven't realised that Zheng Yi has been recruited to steal the Hallows, or they wouldn't have left like that.

At the wedding, we get our first look at Cong Bo! And when a security guy wants to check his invitation, he bluffs that he's Minister Gao's guard and gets away with that! He's so resourceful - and so ready to jump to conclusions, as here about Minister Gao talking to Li Guangbiao. (It's not a great look, but "power colluding with money" suggests a LOT more than exchanging mutual flattery at a social event!)

(Li Guangbiao is here; Huang Chaoyang is in hospital. Looks like absolutely nothing stuck to either of them and they entirely got away with what they did to Wu Xiaojun. /o\)

Li Jiaqi and Huang Linqi get some terrible foreshadowing with seeing each other before the wedding. Unlucky indeed!

And then poor hypnotised Da Qing gets hit with a blast from the past! He overhears a mother scolding her crying child with the same words Kunlun once used, and the hypnosis apparently knocks something loose in his head enough for him to remember. And then we get the first trashing of Wang Xiangyang's fruit stand ...

[china_shop]

Great post! Your screencap made me realise that Zheng Zhongyuan has a fish tank at home as well as in the lab. Poor fish! /o\

The Fight Club manager is the worst, omg. (Outside the locker room, it looks like two guys running away: Ye Huo and someone else. I wonder who the someone else is.



Also, I'm amused by the presence of barrels and nets, cf, the Dixing bar. <3 I wonder what's supposed to be in the barrels.)

I love how gently Lin Jing and Chu Shuzhi lay unconscious!Zhu Hong on the experiment bed. <3

The way CSZ talks about the Snakes and stomps off to save Changcheng makes me wonder if he doesn't see the Snakes as allies. "There's no time! Any later, that fool will be made into dessert by that Snake Tribe." Really?

I feel like Zhu Hong could have tied up decoy!Changcheng with slipknots or something? Changcheng is there for AGES!! And Fourth Uncle says Zhu Hong is acting like a human (just like her father) when she's doing exactly what he (Fourth Uncle) did, drugging a relative!! ;-p

Who is Tan Xiao protecting when he tells Da Qing, "Don't touch her!" Is it Zheng Yi directly (ie, she's vulnerable and traumatised; don't bother her!) or is he indirectly worried for her, ie, worried Da Qing will set her power off? (The fact that Da Qing grabs Zheng Yi's arm without any warning is so inappropriate, too. /o\)

What does Tan Xiao mean by "born different from other people"? Is he just referring to her power, or her apparent muteness, or her delayed ageing, or something else, I wonder.

Ooh, Zheng Yi pretending to be mute is analogous to Shen Wei determinedly keeping his Envoy identity secret!! To speak out is potentially powerful and destructive. And her father beats her when she doesn't perform well; meanwhile Dixingren turn on Shen Wei.

OMG, in the flashback, her shirt says, in all caps, "Boobies make me smile." Wth, that is so wildly inappropriate, wow!! /o\ /o\ /o\ /o\

Zhao Yunlan apologises to the apparently vigilante murderer for following protocol. OMG! (Which makes me go, what should Tan Xiao have done? Don't they have a Child Protective Services equivalent he could have reported ZZY to?)

LOL, ZYL is the only one who really startles at the Envoy's arrival. (How much does Tan Xiao know? He seems to understand the Envoy's role?!)

ZYL: having a cat comforted me when my mother died, extrapolate, extrapolate. *hearts him*

"For Undergrounders with a weak mentality, they might even accidentally switch on their abilities. When their dark energy rampages out of control, they end up accidentally harming other people and themselves." I think this is bigotry talking -- maybe he's quoting Professor Ouyang? I don't think Wang Yike, for example, had a weak mentality. ;-p

Ha, if ZYL and co had stayed at the SID, Da Qing and Zheng Yi might have come to them. Or maybe DQ & ZY were waiting for the others to leave... I'm surprised DQ taking the Hallows doesn't set off alarms; GCC did when they were trying to save Wu Tian'en. Maybe Lin Jing changed the security settings? If the alarms had gone off, Sang Zan might have rushed in to see what was happening.

Ah, I'd forgotten Zheng Yi sees the wedding invitation on the floor.

Oh, Cong Bo!! /o\ I really want to warm to you, but you're so annoying. /o\

I'm disappointed "Lao Huang" is only hospitalised, not in prison for kidnapping. (Oh hey, maybe he is in prison and this is just the cover story so the wedding won't be tainted by the groom's family's disgrace? /new headcanon ;-p)

And Da Qing is triggered. Poor Da Qing!!! (Poor Wang Xiangyang!)

Ha, I just realised Chu Shuzhi goes off looking for Guo Changcheng twice in this ep. *hearts*

What's your favourite bit from this half-episode?

The hospital room scene. I took so many screencaps of Zhao Yunlan. <3

If the Envoy had stopped to talk to Zhao Yunlan, would that have made a difference to the outcome?

Yes!! For starters, ZYL wouldn't have let him take away Tan Xiao -- which I suspect is part of why Shen Wei didn't say anything. ;-p

If Zhao Yunlan et al. hadn't left the SID to rush back to the hospital, could they have stopped Zheng Yi?

Idk, I think Zheng Yi was staking out the SID, waiting for them to leave.

How does Tan Xiao know about Dixing and the Envoy?

This is such a big question!! Maybe after he met Zheng Yi, he asked around?

How deliberate and premeditated was Zheng Yi's killing of her stepfather and his flunkies?

I think it was deliberate but not premeditated. She was mostly protecting Tan Xiao, or reacting on his behalf, wasn't she?

[china_shop]

The manager really is the worst, happy to murder people for money.

Right??! I'd like to think Zhu Jiu mind-controlled him, but I think the manager's just that evil. /o\

Can we count that as evidence that the detector doesn't measure her black energy? Because as a Yashou she definitely has her own.

Makes sense to me. *handwaves the Zhang Shi thing* (Maybe Zhao Xinci's red stamp only works intermittently because Zhang Shi isn't him, he just lives in his body?)

I love Chu Shuzhi just rushing off to go search for Xiao-Guo! And Lin Jing wondering since when he cares that much about Xiao-Guo, LOL.

Yes! *hearts*

Fourth Uncle complains that Zhu Hong used to be a good Snake, now she acts like a human. I feel like actually she's definitely her uncle's niece, acting for his own good whether he likes it or not, and copying his strategy with the snake-repellent wine. :p

Snap! *high fives*

(So interesting that during the entire interview with Tan Xiao, Da Qing is taking notes! Very diligent. :D)

Ooh, I didn't notice that. Aww!

Da Qing notes the scars/wounds on Zheng Yi's arms, which definitely weren't there in the scene at the lab - though in-universe, I wonder if along with the dress-up in the white dress, Zheng Zhongyuan also covered up her injuries with make-up?

/o\ /o\ /o\

Zheng Zhongyuan is awful, but the two lab guys who see him abusing Zheng Yi and immediately praise him for raising her so well, supporting him in his behaviour, are honestly THE WORST. :(

This episode is full of terrible humans. /o\

He doesn't seem to realise that Zhu Jiu has recruited her and not just Tan Xiao.

Because he doesn't stop and ask!

And by keeping her status as Dixingren to himself, I assume he's hoping to be able to quietly let her stay in Haixing, rather than having to take her away ...

Yes, though she can't really stay on her own, at that age. I think he should have taken both of them.

The sequence of Zhao Yunlan putting together all the clues and figuring out the truth about Zheng Yi is so good! I think that's my favourite part of this half-episode.

It is excellent! I love it when he's smart. :D

Tan Xiao's reaction when Da Qing removes Zheng Yi's facial mask, and the place of that moment in Zhao Yunlan's flashback sequence - does that mean such a flimsy mask can actually stop her power? Or does Tan Xiao only think so?

Maybe it's a physical reminder to her not to speak? Otherwise, yeah, idk.

Possibly from Zhu Jiu, when this entire plan was arranged? Because Tan Xiao is clearly the decoy, getting himself arrested and taken away by the Envoy so Zheng Yi is in place to hypnotise someone from the SID.

Oh, I didn't think this was part of the plan. I mean, the desired outcome is for the two of them to stay together, where Tan Xiao can protect Zheng Yi, so how does Tan Xiao getting himself taken away lead to a happy ending for anyone?? Or has Zhu Jiu promised he can bring Tan Xiao back from Dixing?

Zhao Yunlan, Lin Jing and Zhu Hong rush to the hospital - I have to assume that like Shen Wei, they haven't realised that Zheng Yi has been recruited to steal the Hallows, or they wouldn't have left like that.

Yeah, it's very sneaky of Zhu Jiu. (I find it so hard to remember how it all seemed before I knew what was actually happening.)

(Li Guangbiao is here; Huang Chaoyang is in hospital. Looks like absolutely nothing stuck to either of them and they entirely got away with what they did to Wu Xiaojun. /o\)

I know! That bothers me so much. They kidnapped a kid! And, more recently, tried to murder him!! /o\

And then we get the first trashing of Wang Xiangyang's fruit stand ...

Haha, poor WXY.