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sid_guardian2019-04-12 09:07 pm
extrapenguin) wrote in sid_guardian2019-04-12 09:07 pm
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Guardian Episode by Episode: 08
Delcome to episode 8 of the Guardian rewatchalong! The imgur screencap album has 89 images. In this week's episode, we set up the Hanga arc properly.
Previously on:
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7
In this episode, Shen Wei discovers that Zhao Yunlan is a fixer-upper, and there's the Ding Dun set-up to the Hanga arc. This is also the episode of the taxi headpat.
Introductions
We meet the Regent Dude! Say hi, everyone!
We don't see his face yet, though we hear his voice. Also seen: the Lord of Dixing's palace.
We also meet Professor Zhou, who is of little importance to the plot, but he's Shen Wei's academia dad and thus counts as a relative.
Of slightly greater importance to the plot, we meet Sang Zan, all empillared. He can make rocks fall from the ceiling. In retrospect, the "pillar with mysterious symbold enscribed on it that is also chained" is quite a visual foreshadowing of Ye Zun.
Alas for Sang Zan, Zhu Jiu is quite good at dodging.
Drunk Professor Zhou tells the dutiful Shen Wei that he should learn how to drink, even a little bit just to get in the mood.
Characterization
Zhao Yunlan continues his ways of trying to get into Shen Wei's good graces by hook or by crook. We start by him buying some old books off a student who said they were the property of her deceased grandfather, then trying to give the same story to Shen Wei, who is having none of it, since apparently he donated those books to the University library personally (and the student stole them or something?)
No, wait, come back!
Da Qing finds it hilarious, especially considering that he thinks Zhao Yunlan "has a thick skin and a black heart, and only bad intentions". Zhao Yunlan, OTOH, is trying to play this as simply an information gathering exercise, though he did bring up the notion of hiring Shen Wei into the SID to Da Qing.
After the old books deceit incident, Zhao Yunlan ended up in the doghouse, meaning that Shen Wei came as the Envoy to deliver a mission to the SID while Zhao Yunlan was elsewhere.
"Zhao Yunlan is out? Too bad."
We also learn that the Envoy doesn't light up Lin Jing's dark energy detector. Do we ever learn why? (In the absence of counterevidence, I'll assume that Shen Wei using powers he's learned from others doesn't light up the detector, but if he wanted to learn someone's power – i.e. use his own root power – it'd light up the detector.)
The bush admonishes Shen Wei to consider the people he'd leave behind. Even the plant is reprimanding you, Shen Wei!
We see Shen Wei go out drinking with his mentor, Professor Zhou, then helping his mentor into the car while he says that alcohol doesn't agree with him. Foreshadowing! Then he spots Zhao Yunlan also drunk on the curb and helps him home, and we get the scene of leaning and headpats.
No, the head goes THERE. – Ah, nevermind.
Then there's the rest of the long interaction, where Shen Wei basically realizes his beloved is a fixer-upper and then cleans his apartment ("as payment for saving me from those thugs" yeah sure) and cooks him congee in the morning. There's a bunch of very sweet interaction when Zhao Yunlan doggedly continues trying to woo Shen Wei into the SID and Shen Wei dodges.
"Not getting you into the SID will be the greatest failure of my life." Also: "How am I supposed to let you go?"
The Regent's message arrived, stating that while there was no-one in the Dixing records as having the name Shen Wei (and thus they couldn't help), the name Shen Wei had been used by a senior official. Shen Wei then rewrote the message completely instead of only wiping off the latter bit.
Like the utter troll he is, Shen Wei implied to Da Qing that he stayed the night (with Zhao Yunlan). It seems Zhao Yunlan won't have to worry about having to let go...
There was also an exchange where Shen Wei told Zhao Yunlan to not go out of the city no matter what. Zhao Yunlan called bullshit on that, because he can't promise things like that and Shen Wei shouldn't ask him to. Later on, there'll be the added "and you shouldn't have to go into danger alone" aspect.
We're introduced to Zhu Hong's romantic intent towards Zhao Yunlan! She's immediately hit by jealousy when she hears Zhao Yunlan pick up the call from the bookseller girl. Her next remarks imply that Zhao Yunlan hasn't really been dating much as chief of the SID. (How long have they known each other?)
WZ flashbacks & backstory
This episode is the one in which we get Wang Zheng content! We're shown Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing discovering her in the mountains in the Northwest...
Spot the hiking gear on the guys and the fact that Wang Zheng has changed clothes after this.
...and the triangular tattoo thing of Hanga slaves gives her flashbacks to her Hanga life, including her original name and Sang Zan's existence. When all those memories hit her, she faints.
No wonder – figuring out official name change bureaucracy must be a pain.
This is also a major Zhu Jiu episode! He steps into the light, tells Ding Dun that he utterly loathes humans and every interaction makes him want to kill them, and displays his organizational MO of killing Ding Dun as soon as the latter is done being useful.
He also tries asking someone for directions like a normal person. Alas, he was not quite successful at the "like a normal person" part.
Guo Changcheng is under the impression that Chu Shuzhi and the Envoy have a "special relationship". No, Changcheng, the only person the Envoy wants to smooch is the manager.
Canon details
Cinematography
One thing I've yet to point out is the show's tendency to dramatically angle the camera to make shots more dynamic:
There's also a bunch of shots from above in this episode.
And technically not cinematography per se, but the fight scene between Shen Wei and Zhu Jiu was very nice! Screencapping it went beyond my skills, but as someone who has studied martial arts, Shen Wei was very good at blocking. I believe Zhu Yilong is a trained martial artist? Zhu Jiu didn't seem that bad, either, so I wonder if the guy playing him (Wang Naichao) also has some martial arts background.
That smirk! And also the humiliation of being defeated by a plant.
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
The denim jacket, worn two days in a row because Shen Wei drew the line at removing his shoes.
Shen Wei shoe watch
The same black dress shoes we've seen earlier. No clear close-ups.
Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
No.
Previously on:
Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7
In this episode, Shen Wei discovers that Zhao Yunlan is a fixer-upper, and there's the Ding Dun set-up to the Hanga arc. This is also the episode of the taxi headpat.
Introductions
We meet the Regent Dude! Say hi, everyone!
We don't see his face yet, though we hear his voice. Also seen: the Lord of Dixing's palace.
We also meet Professor Zhou, who is of little importance to the plot, but he's Shen Wei's academia dad and thus counts as a relative.
Of slightly greater importance to the plot, we meet Sang Zan, all empillared. He can make rocks fall from the ceiling. In retrospect, the "pillar with mysterious symbold enscribed on it that is also chained" is quite a visual foreshadowing of Ye Zun.
Alas for Sang Zan, Zhu Jiu is quite good at dodging.
Drunk Professor Zhou tells the dutiful Shen Wei that he should learn how to drink, even a little bit just to get in the mood.
Characterization
Zhao Yunlan continues his ways of trying to get into Shen Wei's good graces by hook or by crook. We start by him buying some old books off a student who said they were the property of her deceased grandfather, then trying to give the same story to Shen Wei, who is having none of it, since apparently he donated those books to the University library personally (and the student stole them or something?)
No, wait, come back!
Da Qing finds it hilarious, especially considering that he thinks Zhao Yunlan "has a thick skin and a black heart, and only bad intentions". Zhao Yunlan, OTOH, is trying to play this as simply an information gathering exercise, though he did bring up the notion of hiring Shen Wei into the SID to Da Qing.
After the old books deceit incident, Zhao Yunlan ended up in the doghouse, meaning that Shen Wei came as the Envoy to deliver a mission to the SID while Zhao Yunlan was elsewhere.
"Zhao Yunlan is out? Too bad."
We also learn that the Envoy doesn't light up Lin Jing's dark energy detector. Do we ever learn why? (In the absence of counterevidence, I'll assume that Shen Wei using powers he's learned from others doesn't light up the detector, but if he wanted to learn someone's power – i.e. use his own root power – it'd light up the detector.)
The bush admonishes Shen Wei to consider the people he'd leave behind. Even the plant is reprimanding you, Shen Wei!
We see Shen Wei go out drinking with his mentor, Professor Zhou, then helping his mentor into the car while he says that alcohol doesn't agree with him. Foreshadowing! Then he spots Zhao Yunlan also drunk on the curb and helps him home, and we get the scene of leaning and headpats.
No, the head goes THERE. – Ah, nevermind.
Then there's the rest of the long interaction, where Shen Wei basically realizes his beloved is a fixer-upper and then cleans his apartment ("as payment for saving me from those thugs" yeah sure) and cooks him congee in the morning. There's a bunch of very sweet interaction when Zhao Yunlan doggedly continues trying to woo Shen Wei into the SID and Shen Wei dodges.
"Not getting you into the SID will be the greatest failure of my life." Also: "How am I supposed to let you go?"
The Regent's message arrived, stating that while there was no-one in the Dixing records as having the name Shen Wei (and thus they couldn't help), the name Shen Wei had been used by a senior official. Shen Wei then rewrote the message completely instead of only wiping off the latter bit.
Like the utter troll he is, Shen Wei implied to Da Qing that he stayed the night (with Zhao Yunlan). It seems Zhao Yunlan won't have to worry about having to let go...
There was also an exchange where Shen Wei told Zhao Yunlan to not go out of the city no matter what. Zhao Yunlan called bullshit on that, because he can't promise things like that and Shen Wei shouldn't ask him to. Later on, there'll be the added "and you shouldn't have to go into danger alone" aspect.
We're introduced to Zhu Hong's romantic intent towards Zhao Yunlan! She's immediately hit by jealousy when she hears Zhao Yunlan pick up the call from the bookseller girl. Her next remarks imply that Zhao Yunlan hasn't really been dating much as chief of the SID. (How long have they known each other?)
WZ flashbacks & backstory
This episode is the one in which we get Wang Zheng content! We're shown Zhao Yunlan and Da Qing discovering her in the mountains in the Northwest...
Spot the hiking gear on the guys and the fact that Wang Zheng has changed clothes after this.
...and the triangular tattoo thing of Hanga slaves gives her flashbacks to her Hanga life, including her original name and Sang Zan's existence. When all those memories hit her, she faints.
No wonder – figuring out official name change bureaucracy must be a pain.
This is also a major Zhu Jiu episode! He steps into the light, tells Ding Dun that he utterly loathes humans and every interaction makes him want to kill them, and displays his organizational MO of killing Ding Dun as soon as the latter is done being useful.
He also tries asking someone for directions like a normal person. Alas, he was not quite successful at the "like a normal person" part.
Guo Changcheng is under the impression that Chu Shuzhi and the Envoy have a "special relationship". No, Changcheng, the only person the Envoy wants to smooch is the manager.
Canon details
- One month has passed since Guo Changcheng joined the SID in episode 1! Also it's been half a month since Shen Wei injured Zhu Jiu. (Which episode was that one in again?)
- Wang Zheng gives Guo Changcheng a stamp so he can go through the barrier even if he's ever transferred away from the SID.
- Lin Jing gives Guo Changcheng his "fear into electricity" shock rod thing!
- Zhao Yunlan went to talk about next year's new address to a Minister Song
- We are told that someone infiltrated Dixing and because of that Ding Dun could escape. No prizes for guessing who.
- We're again told that the Flower Tribe didn't interfere in the war 10k years ago, and Shen Wei tells us that he "already lost once"
- There's a ghost beast refuge in Sang Zan's cave
Cinematography
One thing I've yet to point out is the show's tendency to dramatically angle the camera to make shots more dynamic:
There's also a bunch of shots from above in this episode.
And technically not cinematography per se, but the fight scene between Shen Wei and Zhu Jiu was very nice! Screencapping it went beyond my skills, but as someone who has studied martial arts, Shen Wei was very good at blocking. I believe Zhu Yilong is a trained martial artist? Zhu Jiu didn't seem that bad, either, so I wonder if the guy playing him (Wang Naichao) also has some martial arts background.
That smirk! And also the humiliation of being defeated by a plant.
Zhao Yunlan jacket watch
The denim jacket, worn two days in a row because Shen Wei drew the line at removing his shoes.
Shen Wei shoe watch
The same black dress shoes we've seen earlier. No clear close-ups.
Did Shen Wei take off his glasses?
No.
no subject
I'm pretty sure that was their blindfight in the alley in Ep. 4.
no subject