Episode 10: Psycho Killer, Qu'est-ce que c'est?

[wshaffer]

Zhanalytics
Brooding Stares: 3

Intense Eye Contact:3

Facial Twitch: 2

Fist Clench:

Bit of a Zhanalytics lite episode, as the camera spends way more time focused on Xue Yang, who perpetually looks like he's in on a joke that no one else knows about. And he kind of is. 

 

Oh, hi there, creepy dude on the roof! Oh, look, it's Xue Yang. 

 

Oh no, another flying guy in white shows up. Xiao Xingchen. He's been hunting Xue Yang. 

 

Wait, another dude shows up! It's Xiao Xingchen and his buddy Song Lan. And by buddy, I mean boyfriend. Obviously. 

 

"When it comes to being cheeky, no one can beat me." Xue Yang might give you a run for your money, Wei Wuxian. 

 

"Where do you think he would hide the Yin Iron?" Nature's pocket!

 

Xue Yang is still having entirely too much fun for a guy who's been captured and bound by five other guys. Maybe that's his thing. Remember, "I have no interest in dominating others"? He is kind of the definition of a bratty sub. 

 

Does Xiao Xingchen have a toothbrush stuck in his hairpiece? Alas, he and Song are like, "Yeah, we can't be arsed with this clan bullshit, so we'll just turn this obvious psychopath over to you and let you get on with stopping this clan that would clearly be entirely happy to murderate us all." Aren't they even going to leave behind a bat signal so that they can be summoned in a time of great need? 

 

Oh shit! Xiao Xingchen's master is Baoshan Sanren! And Xiao Xingchen is a surprise uncle. (Maybe not literally? I don't have a good feel for when uncle is a literal kinship term and when it's more of a term of respect.) Do we get to meet Baoshan Sanren? Please? Pretty please? (I need approximately 400% more badass women in this show. Preferably ones who aren't dead.)

 

The Unclean Realm actually looks rather tidy. 

 

Clan leader Nie is clearly as much of a badass as Nie Huaisang is...the opposite of a badass. Actually, I think I forgive Nie Huaisang now for being such a wimp. If your older brother is that, the only sane thing to do is not even compete. There's no winning that game. 

 

Oooh. Meng Yao don't get no respect from the captain of the guard. 

 

"Let's make the Yin Iron shard into a weapon!" Sure, Wei Wuxian, that couldn't possibly go wrong in any way. 

 

The Nie clan also practices the use of the sword as a ranged weapon. And the Wen clan. I suppose that when you can summon swords back to your hand it's slightly less impractical. Slightly. There's still aerodynamics to be considered.  

 

Clearly the make up convention for "this person is seriously injured" is a tiny little trickle of blood out of one corner of the mouth. 

 

I really did not expect Meng Yao to survive that stab wound. Especially without any indication that he's been given any sort of medical treatment? Although the delicate trickle of blood from the previous scene is gone, so maybe there was a missing scene where everybody got cleaned up and bandaged.