The Untamed episode 34

[selenay]

I'm still so relieved to be in less crushingly dark times. SO RELIEVED.

Although I am concerned that WWX and LWJ have already managed to separate to investigate things, because as predicted, that went terribly for WWX within five minutes.

Jiang Cheng is so ANGRY. And this time it's proper bitter anger, not his old anger that was inspired by love and protectiveness as much as anything else. This is sixteen years of blame and fury, at WWX for what happened and at himself for pulling his blow at the last minute, and it's intense. I suspect it's also fury because despite everything, despite all that hate and anger, he can't make himself kill WWX when he gets the chance. He captures WWX and warns everyone to keep an eye on him (without telling anyone including Jin Ling who WWX really is) and clearly has no idea what to do with WWX after that.

I'm both annoyed with him and incredibly sad for him. I'd like to think that he'll eventually let go of all that anger when he realises WWX isn't the one who deserves all (or any) of the blame for Yanli's death, but that's a lot of long-term anger to deal with and I can't see them getting back to their old relationship :(

He's sad, angry grape.

I suspect that some of that anger has influenced the way he interacts with Jin Ling, who is a total brat but at least shows flashes of a good heart underneath that needs a WWX-shaped influence to become less flash and more substance. I feel bad for Jin Ling, growing up with the other Jins and Jiang Cheng as his major role models. There's some damage to undo there, I think.

Nobody in this show appears to get good parenting. Except maybe Lan Sizhui, although I need to see more of him and how he interacts with LWJ to get a clearer picture of whether he got any good parental influences. I suspect he might be the least damaged of any of them, which is impressive considering his origins.

This episode had so many feelings. There was Jiang Cheng, there was Jin Ling, there was WWX being self-sacrificing (again) and taking on Jin Ling's curse, which will clearly have no bad consequences at all OMG WWX STOP THAT.

And there was every single interaction with WWX and LWJ, which kept shifting me from laughter to hearts-eyes and sometimes to sadness.

I was texting dying whale noises at hockeybosh when WWX was being chased by Fairy early in the episode. WWX called out for LWJ to save him! LWJ made a heroic entrance to...rescue him from a very cute dog.

WWX hid behind LWJ at even the sound of a dog and clung on "just in case" for a lot longer than necessary.

WWX revealed a tragic childhood backstory about dogs. Dying whale noises turned into crying emojis.

SHOW, YOU ARE VERY DIFFICULT AND TRAUMATIC FOR ME AT TIMES.

The scenes in the temple-slash-tomb-thing were so great. Figuring things out together! WWX intensely watching LWJ do guqin magic and needing to hop up next to the guqin for very important reasons! WWX just casually picking up LWJ's sword and getting no objections! It was so wholesome and platonic! :D

And then they left and split up to do things separately, which made sense but was also clearly a TERRIBLE PLAN and needs to be resolved in the next episode. WWX is not safe on his own and clearly needs LWJ around at all times to keep him from doing incredibly brave and dangerous things. Or at lease ensure he has someone to help, so it's less likely to result in a second death.

I just have so many feelings, but they're happier feelings than they were before so that's not so bad.

Comments

[soupytwist]

LWJ just instantly being like, "Of course I will raise my sleeve to protect you from the cute dog, Wei Ying", it's adorable! They love each other so much and LWJ does not care who knows it.

Jiang Cheng is VERY SAD AND ANGRY and it breaks my heart! He's doing himself no favours but he's had such a hard time! (And I think he's completely torn about whether he should have killed WWX: the bit of him that sounds like Madam Yu is all "you suck JC, you should have killed him and you couldn't even do that"; the other bit of him is telling him off cause he didn't save WWX, either.)

[selenay]

They love each other so much and LWJ does not care who knows it.

I'm very happy about this, obviously :D

(And I think he's completely torn about whether he should have killed WWX: the bit of him that sounds like Madam Yu is all "you suck JC, you should have killed him and you couldn't even do that"; the other bit of him is telling him off cause he didn't save WWX, either.)

He definitely has a loud Madam Yu voice in there, castigating him for all the ways he failed and all the things he hasn't done that she would have done.

And yes, there's guilt there because he couldn't save WWX, which isn't helping the confused angry mess in his head.

I suspect there might be a very quiet Yanli voice somewhere, but everything else is drowning it out and perhaps he also doesn't want to think about what his sister would have done?