The Untamed episode 13

[selenay]

News flash: monster hunting did not go well.

I'm impressed by the way Wen Chao makes himself more loathsome with every scene. Wow, he is an awful character.

At least they didn't make Nie Huaisang go monster hunting, this episode would have been so bad for my beautiful delicate boy.

Instead, we got the full range of everything that can possibly go wrong and also every way that WWX and LWJ can try to selflessly save everyone except themselves. Oh my gosh, why are you both like that? On the plus side, we got yet another chance to see how well they work together to solve problems and I love their whole battle couple dynamic. And it was nice to see Jiang Chen getting to do a bit of heroic sneaking and swimming.

On the other hand, WWX and LWJ got everyone out of that cave except themselves and the entire episode was VERY STRESSFUL.

And on the third hand, I loved those scenes at the end with just WWX and LWJ in their tiny monster-free cave. All the trapped in a cave tropes, plus some gorgeous hurt/comfort. LWJ is clearly hurting a lot now that his broken leg has also been mauled (meep!), but he still tries to make WWX use some of the healing grass on himself. And then there is the conversation about the Cloud Recesses being burned and LWJ's family being missing/hurt and WWX doesn't know how to make that hurt less, but gosh he tries.

I have some questions about why WWX thought that stripping would make LWJ throw up the clotted blood. Honey, my adorable labrador chaos goblin, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

And then the conversation about girls, and Mienmien, and why LWJ isn't interested in Mienmien and...

Wei Wuxian. You were four inches from his face. How did you not notice the feelings LWJ was broadcasting louder than I've seen him broadcast any feelings before? He couldn't have been louder with a tannoy and a neon sign. YOU FAILED TO NOTICE. HOW.

I see the theme of their relationship is very different from what I expected. I figured there might be some pining, but I didn't expect LWJ and his stoic pining. I thought it would be WWX very loudly pining in dramatic flops somewhere while LWJ gradually works out his feelings. This is somehow better than I imagined? And also, this got past the censors with that expression on LWJ's face?

So yes, this episode was both incredibly stressful and also had an ending that had me chewing my fingers for totally different reasons. I genuinely have no idea how this can possibly get worse, but I'm sure episode 14 will demonstrate.

At least I'll have that cave scene to remember as everything goes horribly wrong in even worse ways.

Comments

[soupytwist]

As I understand it the "stripping makes LWJ puke blood" thing is explicitly a gay thing - that shock should make him throw up the blood, and stripping like they're gonna get down to business is a shock, so he does. (It's just not the shock WWX thinks it is. Cause WWX THINKS LWJ LIKES MIANMIAN OR SOMETHING. oh my god. LWJ's "you think WHAT" face is a classic for the ages.)

I love everything about them being trapped in a cave together. :D

[selenay]

As I understand it the "stripping makes LWJ puke blood" thing is explicitly a gay thing - that shock should make him throw up the blood, and stripping like they're gonna get down to business is a shock, so he does.

I figured it was probably something like that.

t's just not the shock WWX thinks it is.

It's a very different kind of shock and WWX is ridiculously clueless.

LWJ's "you think WHAT" face is a classic for the ages.

It is! I just stared at him trying to figure out a) why WWX didn't notice it and b) why the biggest expression we've had yet is this one.

And then I face-palmed slightly at myself about b).

I love everything about them being trapped in a cave together. :D

It is definitely my favourite section so far, even if I do want to shake WWX for being utterly clueless :D

[soupytwist]

I also think it's a shout-out to the book - that happens in the book, and also WWX spends quite a lot of time trying to play Gay Chicken* with LWJ and being surprised when it doesn't work, ahaha.

LWJ's expressions are great and get more so the longer you go on, where they become more obvious with experience. It's a really impressive performance from Wang Yibo - doing "restrained" well and not boringly is in a lot of ways harder than the flamboyance of WWX, I think. And I am so excited at all the stuff you've got coming up!


*like literally throwing himself on top of him at night in the belief this might get LWJ to kick him out. It doesn't. sadly we do not see this in the show. Also, in the book the body he is resurrected into is explicitly that of a young gay man.

[selenay]

being surprised when it doesn't work, ahaha

You mean novel!WWX is even worse at recognising feelings? Oh wow.

doing "restrained" well and not boringly is in a lot of ways harder than the flamboyance of WWX, I think

I'd agree there. Restrained isn't too difficult, but doing it without being boring isn't easy at all.

like literally throwing himself on top of him at night in the belief this might get LWJ to kick him out

*facepalm* Yes, that's definitely going to work. NOT. I really wish this was in the show.

Also, in the book the body he is resurrected into is explicitly that of a young gay man.

I didn't know this! Interesting.

[soupytwist]

He's SO MUCH WORSE in the book, honest! to! god! They literally have sex and WWX is STILL like "well this seems ambiguous".

I didn't know this! Interesting.

Yeah there's a lot to unpack with it for sure! I have no idea what I think because I suspect all my usual framework is just not going to do the job - there's a whole lot going with the guy whose body WWX ends up in (Mo Xuanyu) being not just into men but flamboyantly so, he's into makeup (apparently badly? like there's a lot about how he doesn't just wear makeup but LOADS of makeup?) and he gets seriously and quite horrifyingly abused for it.

[selenay]

They literally have sex and WWX is STILL like "well this seems ambiguous".

*facepalm*

*headdesk*

I have no idea what I think because I suspect all my usual framework is just not going to do the job

I suspect it's one of those things where we just don't have the cultural references and there are enough things going on there that trying to unpack without that isn't going to work.

[hils]

Episode 14 was the one I watched at 3am because I needed to know how they got out of the cave. So, uh, well done for being an adult :D

If you think WWX is oblivious here just wait until you read the novel! It's like this x100

[selenay]

So, uh, well done for being an adult :D

Honestly, I nearly didn't have that much restraint. It was so close. But then I remembered all the times during Guardian watch when I thought "just one more, how much worse can it get?" and decided to quit while I had a lovely cave scene rather than ending up in a spiral of just one more episodes until 5am.

I'm getting better at the adult thing?

If you think WWX is oblivious here just wait until you read the novel! It's like this x100

...I genuinely didn't think he could get worse.

[kimboo_york]

"At least I'll have that cave scene to remember as everything goes horribly wrong in even worse ways."

BIG MOOD!!!! ahahahaha...ha?...

LWJ's expression there is iconic FOR A REASON, omg, how did Yibo manage to convey that much emotion with so few facial muscles? Ha! I think you hit on something, though, about the expectations for their interactions, for me anyway: they are tropetastic but in unexpected ways. The flirty one is the oblivious one! The stoic one is the hornee one! They pine so hard but that's not the main plot of the story!

And believe me that is not the last time you will be asking, "HOW did this get by the censors????" Much to our blessing. :)

[selenay]

BIG MOOD!!!! ahahahaha...ha?...

I'm learning!

they are tropetastic but in unexpected ways

This is exactly it. I adore the tropetasticness, but I also adore that none of it is the way I expected because it makes predicting anything impossible. And it subverts some of the tropes in the best way.

And believe me that is not the last time you will be asking, "HOW did this get by the censors????" Much to our blessing. :)

I pretty much knew this going ing :D And now that I've watched episode 14...HOW DID THAT GET PAST THE CENSORS.

But that was also a frequent thing I yelled during Guardian, too :D

[white_hart]

The whole trapped-in-the-cave sequence is just so fabulously, goofily delightful.

[selenay]

It really, really is. So delightful.

Who knew that being trapped in a cave with a murderous tortoise could be delightful?

[white_hart]

I mean, just the fact that it's a murderous tortoise is pretty good.