Slo-Mo Rewatch: Guardian episode 13, 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 13, up to 21:44

Summary
Zhao Yunlan & co. break Da Qing out of his frenzy with the help of Lao Li's dried fish. Looking for Tan Xiao, Zheng Yi causes mayhem at the wedding, and Shen Wei arrives and stops it. Zhao Yunlan arrives and intervenes before Minister Gao can blame Shen Wei for any of it, but in fact, Minister Gao is grateful. Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei go head-to-head about Shen Wei's secrets again, neither able to concede. They're called out to the street, where Da Qing and Lin Jing are trying to calm a frenzied Cong Bo. From him, they learn Zhu Jiu and the Crow Yashou have a boss. Zhao Yunlan hints again that he wants to work with Shen Wei, but Shen Wei leaves. Human-form Ya Qing and Zhu Jiu fight in front of Zheng Yi, who just wants her Tan Xiao. Chu Shuzhi stomps through the Snake forest and rescues Guo Changcheng. Tan Xiao has a nightmare and wakes up in the lab, where Zhao Yunlan finds him.



Quote
Shen Wei: Did I bring you trouble?
Zhao Yunlan: If you are the trouble, I'll take it by the dozen to bother my whole life.

Detail
Ya Qing delivers a message from Ye Zun to Zhu Jiu. Does that mean she's travelled to Dixing as their go-between?

Questions
Dried fish brings Da Qing back to his senses: what would work for some of the other characters? During Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei's standoff in the parlour, who do you sympathise with the most? Is Zhao Yunlan demanding answers in his capacity as chief of the SID or on the basis of their personal relationship? Is it okay for the SID to go around sedating members of the public without first checking their medical histories? What is Zhao Yunlan thinking as he watches Shen Wei leave the alley? (He looks so serious!)

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]

So excited to finally be catching uppppp (on the episodes first, then at least on some of the newest comments/replies)! :D :D :D :D

Yayayayayaayayay!! :D :D :D

- I continue to really like the filming angles in this half of the scene too!

Yes, the camerawork is always really great. <3

And then Lao-Li continues to pet him, awww, and Da Qing grabs one last fish before leaving. :D

Awww!

(Does he lose focus when Zhu Jiu grabs Zheng Yi, and that's why time is not frozen anymore?

Oh, maybe! Or maybe Zhu Jiu messes it up? I'm never sure.

Kicking the groom is so weirdly funny (and I was going to ask if it was china_shop who made the tumblr meme about it, and then I saw it in the comment above, hah, I remembered correctly! :D)

:D

- Zhao Yunlan using his bullshitting skills to protect Shen Wei, awww! :D ♡♡♡

Yessss!

the tiny expressions Shen Wei makes when he's deflecting are so perfect! And Zhao Yunlan's very deliberate lollipop. :D

Yes, it's so good! :D

- Zheng Yi trying to defeat both Zhu Jiu and Ya Qing, DAMN, I love this kid!

Ooh, I'd forgotten that. Yay Zheng Yi!!

Awww! I thought it was just because he's a Cat, and you couldn't do it this easily with other characters, but now I love the idea that you could! :D (Idk what the things would be though.)

Zhu Hong gets roused from dark-energy sleep with talk of Zhao Yunlan, in a much later episode, so I figured there might be a way. :-)

> "Is Zhao Yunlan demanding answers in his capacity as chief of the SID or on the basis of their personal relationship?"

It's extremely personal to him imo - I think the SID is not even supposed to be interested in what the Envoy does in his free time.

Maybe the fact that he lives permanently in Haixing and has been getting involved in SID cases justified putting him on their radar? Idk.

> "What is Zhao Yunlan thinking as he watches Shen Wei leave the alley? (He looks so serious!)"

I think it's just that he keeps hoping for this connection between them, and Shen Wei keeps shutting him out.

Owww. (Shen Wei sends such mixed signals... I mean, not about working at the SID, but about ZYL generally.)

Now that I see the Ye Zun and Zheng Yi parallels, I love how Tan Xiao's dream is one of them too - I feel like Shen Wei could (and probably does) have similar subconscious feelings about Ye Zun!

Ha, true!

Novel-wise, this is the part of the reveal storyline that I like better in the novel - Zhao Yunlan not pushing so much, Shen Wei having (imo) bigger reasons to keep the secret.

That's fair! I feel like SW having gone out of his way to capture ZYL's attention, and then literally moved in across the hall from ZYL gives ZYL a lot more license to push for answers than he'd otherwise have. But that's just me.

(And yes, the rest of the reveal is amaaaaaazing! :DDD)