Guardian episodes 37 and 38
Jul. 26th, 2020 12:37 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenayIf you're wondering why we stopped at episode 38, I'm going to admit that mistakes were made last night.
The main mistake was![[twitter.com profile]](https://p2.dreamwidth.org/e0caa790ec10/-/twitter.com/favicon.ico)
hockeybosh and I deciding at the end of episode 37 that we should watch the next one because things had ended in a concerning place and episode 38 couldn't make things worse.
Reader, it made things so much worse.
We have regrets. Mostly that it was midnight and we both had things to get up for today so we couldn't go straight to 39 and 40 because we're actual sensible adults these days. Argh.
Okay, I think the lesson from this is that Shen Wei should never go to the Underground without his boyfriend because it always goes so very very badly. Even if it does also result in great rescue scenes, he needs to stop doing that because it's very stressful for everyone, particularly Zhao Yunlan.
Although this time it was kind of a mutual rescue and I did really enjoy Shen Wei suddenly show up to help Zhao Yunlan rescue him (I cheered, I'll admit). Rescuing each other is the best rescuing! That was probably the only happy part of episode 38 because otherwise it was all incredibly stressful and unhappy.
Shen Wei, your plans are terrible and nobody should ever let you plan things. You jump straight to self-sacrifice every time and your boyfriend (and your fans) would like to lodge a protest over this.
Episode 37 was a much less stressful experience and I loved all the stuff with the Demi-Humans and Zhu Hong becoming chief badass of the badasses. She's such a great character and I want all the good things for her.
hockeybosh noted that she was expecting Zhao Yunlan to suggest Da Qing as the chief. Look, I know Da Qing is Zhao Yunlan's favourite Demi-Human, but even with those ties, he wouldn't suggest putting a cat in charge of anything. Zhao Yunlan is much smarter than he likes people to think he is.
We also had an unexpected moment of joy over discovering Lin Jing is still alive. Which was weird because we hadn't liked him that much, but it turns out that he grew on us more than we'd realised. Apparently distance (and death) really does make the heart grow fonder. Hopefully he's going to find a way to escape from Ye Zun's brain to save Shen Wei at a crucial moment. Right? That's what happens next? *crosses all crossables*
Zhao Yunlan's father-slash-undergrounder is such a great character(s). He's honestly fascinating. The idea of two beings with such different philosophies sharing a body is really interesting and has been done surprisingly well, and I'm loving the idea that Zhao Xinci is being influenced into being a less terrible person by the end. It makes Zhao Yunlan's relationship with them complex in a really cool way that I wish there was more time to explore.
(It goes on my list of "if only the show had more time to do that" along with more Old Haixing scenes. At least we got a tiny bit more Old Haixing here *g*)
I did LOL a bit at Ye Zun thinking Zhao Yunlan would take all four Sacred Items to the Underground. Honey, no, as we've previously noted he's way too smart for that and you don't know him at all. There are many reasons Shen Wei has been in love with him for 10,000 years and this is one of them.
I love Guo so very much which made the whole "possessed Guo" moment horrible. He's such a lovely character and his superpower? Is absolutely perfect for him. It's difficult and awful, because it's a heavy burden, but it's also something that lets his goodness and heart shine through. He's going to be okay and not possessed soon, right? RIGHT?
It turns out I was half-right about the Guardian Lantern. Woo hoo! It was not in a box of crap in a junk cupboard, but it was in a box of crap stacked haphazardly in the library. And Zhao Yunlan surprisingly remembered packing it away there.
I have a suspicion that when I rewatch, I might nope out after episode 35 because these are difficult episodes to watch. I've come to love these characters so much and it's hard to see them get hurt. Even with all the Significant Looks between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, I'm getting sad because they're the significant looks of people who might be looking at each other for the last time. I mean, maybe I'm wrong about the kind of tragedy that's being built to, but I have the horrible feeling I'm not.
Argh.
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan forever, okay?
I want the other kinds of significant looks, the "oh no, how is he so perfect I love him" looks. Or the "if we weren't in a time vortex/hostage negotiation/middle of the SIU I'd be doing filthy filthy things with him" looks. ANY OF THOSE LOOKS EXCEPT THE "WE MIGHT DIE NOW" LOOKS.
Ahem.
We're doing episodes 39 and 40 tonight. I may need all the fluffy fics and fix-it fics after, okay?
The main mistake was
Reader, it made things so much worse.
We have regrets. Mostly that it was midnight and we both had things to get up for today so we couldn't go straight to 39 and 40 because we're actual sensible adults these days. Argh.
Okay, I think the lesson from this is that Shen Wei should never go to the Underground without his boyfriend because it always goes so very very badly. Even if it does also result in great rescue scenes, he needs to stop doing that because it's very stressful for everyone, particularly Zhao Yunlan.
Although this time it was kind of a mutual rescue and I did really enjoy Shen Wei suddenly show up to help Zhao Yunlan rescue him (I cheered, I'll admit). Rescuing each other is the best rescuing! That was probably the only happy part of episode 38 because otherwise it was all incredibly stressful and unhappy.
Shen Wei, your plans are terrible and nobody should ever let you plan things. You jump straight to self-sacrifice every time and your boyfriend (and your fans) would like to lodge a protest over this.
Episode 37 was a much less stressful experience and I loved all the stuff with the Demi-Humans and Zhu Hong becoming chief badass of the badasses. She's such a great character and I want all the good things for her.
hockeybosh noted that she was expecting Zhao Yunlan to suggest Da Qing as the chief. Look, I know Da Qing is Zhao Yunlan's favourite Demi-Human, but even with those ties, he wouldn't suggest putting a cat in charge of anything. Zhao Yunlan is much smarter than he likes people to think he is.
We also had an unexpected moment of joy over discovering Lin Jing is still alive. Which was weird because we hadn't liked him that much, but it turns out that he grew on us more than we'd realised. Apparently distance (and death) really does make the heart grow fonder. Hopefully he's going to find a way to escape from Ye Zun's brain to save Shen Wei at a crucial moment. Right? That's what happens next? *crosses all crossables*
Zhao Yunlan's father-slash-undergrounder is such a great character(s). He's honestly fascinating. The idea of two beings with such different philosophies sharing a body is really interesting and has been done surprisingly well, and I'm loving the idea that Zhao Xinci is being influenced into being a less terrible person by the end. It makes Zhao Yunlan's relationship with them complex in a really cool way that I wish there was more time to explore.
(It goes on my list of "if only the show had more time to do that" along with more Old Haixing scenes. At least we got a tiny bit more Old Haixing here *g*)
I did LOL a bit at Ye Zun thinking Zhao Yunlan would take all four Sacred Items to the Underground. Honey, no, as we've previously noted he's way too smart for that and you don't know him at all. There are many reasons Shen Wei has been in love with him for 10,000 years and this is one of them.
I love Guo so very much which made the whole "possessed Guo" moment horrible. He's such a lovely character and his superpower? Is absolutely perfect for him. It's difficult and awful, because it's a heavy burden, but it's also something that lets his goodness and heart shine through. He's going to be okay and not possessed soon, right? RIGHT?
It turns out I was half-right about the Guardian Lantern. Woo hoo! It was not in a box of crap in a junk cupboard, but it was in a box of crap stacked haphazardly in the library. And Zhao Yunlan surprisingly remembered packing it away there.
I have a suspicion that when I rewatch, I might nope out after episode 35 because these are difficult episodes to watch. I've come to love these characters so much and it's hard to see them get hurt. Even with all the Significant Looks between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, I'm getting sad because they're the significant looks of people who might be looking at each other for the last time. I mean, maybe I'm wrong about the kind of tragedy that's being built to, but I have the horrible feeling I'm not.
Argh.
Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan forever, okay?
I want the other kinds of significant looks, the "oh no, how is he so perfect I love him" looks. Or the "if we weren't in a time vortex/hostage negotiation/middle of the SIU I'd be doing filthy filthy things with him" looks. ANY OF THOSE LOOKS EXCEPT THE "WE MIGHT DIE NOW" LOOKS.
Ahem.
We're doing episodes 39 and 40 tonight. I may need all the fluffy fics and fix-it fics after, okay?
no subject
Date: 2020-07-27 12:24 am (UTC)This is a fundamental truth of Guardian, yes. So much crying over Shen Wei's choices.
Zhao Xinci is a fascinating character! I don't like him, but I greatly appreciate what he brings to the show.
I might nope out after episode 35 because these are difficult episodes to watch.
You would be far from the only one.
This SHOW. My heart!
no subject
Date: 2020-07-27 08:48 am (UTC)I really expected this show to be all about Zhao Yunlan's terrible choices. I mean, he was set up to be the disaster of awful choices and he does make some pretty bad ones at time. But Shen Wei! So many bad plans that involve self-sacrifice without looking for a different one! NO MORE PLANNING.
Even if his long game plan did eventually work. TERRIBLE PLAN.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-28 06:28 pm (UTC)Guo's power was perfect and makes me wonder about Undergrounders and how their powers come about, compatability etc etc. I guess like Daemons - they reflect or show something of a person's character. Or is it completely random??
It did break my heart to see him do that but I do have slightly unformed thoughts that I'm stewing over about wars and our responsibility to bear witness etc but hmmm they are still in progress.
no subject
Date: 2020-07-28 09:23 pm (UTC)We don't know much about most of the Undergrounders, so it's hard to judge. Shen Wei's power is learning, which feels like it reflects him. And Guo's suits him so well. Chu complements his brother's power.
Which does make me think about Undergrounder twins and their powers. Chu and his brother had similar powers, but sort of twists on the concepts. I think they were from a family of people with puppet-type powers?
Ye Zun's power was a dark mirror version of Shen Wei's - absorbing destructively rather than learning. Maybe twins are always some kind of reflection of each other in the Underground?
I guess there's also the possibility that the person adapts who they are to their power, but I can't decide whether I like that because it removes some of the agency from someone like Ye Zun. It implies that the power he had is what made him into what he was. That he could have been good with a different power, which makes it destiny rather than choice whether you're a good person or not.
I have too many thoughts.
I do have slightly unformed thoughts that I'm stewing over about wars and our responsibility to bear witness etc but hmmm they are still in progress.
Ooh, I'm going to be interested to read it when you've got your thoughts fully stewed!
(That...sounded better in my head.)