Episode 25: Teetering Dangerously On the Precipice of Actual Feelings Being Spoken

[wshaffer]

 Zhanalytics

Brooding Stares: 11

Intense Eye Contact: 5

Facial Twitch: 0

Fist Clench: 0

 

In Lotus Pier, Wei Wuxian is dispensing workout advice when Jin Fancypants shows up. Awkwardness ensues. 

 

"Young Master Jin came in person to deliver something as little as an invitation." Wei Wuxian, don't fuck this up for Yanli. 

 

Eeee! Jin Zixuan is so happy when Yanli agrees to come along on the hunt. I might be prepared to forgive him. Wei Wuxian is not prepared.  

 

And now we will have an archery contest. 

 

I cannot explain why I am so incredibly irritated by Jin Guangyao's stupid hat. I mean, stupid hats are practically de rigeur in Chinese historical drama, but no one else here is sporting them. 

 

Oh, but Jin Guangyao wants to make the archery contest extra spicy by putting a bunch of Wen captives in front of the targets. Is there some kind of conservation of assholery at work in the cultivation world that demands that, having ousted the Wen Clan from Nightless City, the Jin Clan must now take over as the worlds biggest bullies? At what point does someone stand up and say "WTF, dudes?"

 

Jin Fancypants, is, of course, a superb archer. 

 

"Lan Zhan, can I borrow your headband?" Bro, not in public!

 

So, Wei Wuxian is going to do it blindfolded, with a fistfull of arrows and hit all the targets on the bullseye. Jin Gaungyao looks displeased that his carefully arranged set piece to show the superiority of the Jin clan has been disrupted. Wear stupid hats, win stupid prizes, bro. 

 

Lan Zhan's all "So, hey, I wanted to play you my new music score." Oh, I remember what Lan Zhan reminds me of. When I was in my last year of middle school, it was the thing for a while for folks to throw huge birthday parties where they invited the entire class. At one of these parties, I picked up an acoustic guitar that someone had lying around and began playing the opening chords of "Under the Milky Way" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWxJEIz7sSA), which was a big hit at the time. Suddenly, I had a little gaggle of people surrounding me, listening to me play. I suddenly had this weird super power where I could command attention as long as I was holding a guitar. So, you know, I did what any shy, introverted, slightly insecure teenager would do in that situation: I learned to play every song on that album. Anyhow, to make a long story short, it turns out that you can't actually seduce people merely by application of the borrowed sexiness of Australian Dreampop, but no one will ever blame you for trying. 

 

"I once took you as my life confidant."

"I still am."

We teeter dangerously on the precipice of actual feelings being spoken. So of course, Jin Zixuan and Yanli come along. 

 

The Stature Measuring Snake.  I feel like that was more impressive in the original Mandarin. Also, totally conquerable by the application of platform heels. I am really enjoying Jin Zixuan clearly trying to impress Yanli with his mighty hunter-ness. 

 

"What's the fun in hunting if no one gets hurt?" Oh, Jin Zixuan, every time I start to think that I like you, you demonstrate that you are, in fact, a Jin. 

 

Lady Jin is here to sort everyone out. 

 

I have not heard this much carping about unjustified rewards for flute playing since Jethro Tull beat out Metallica for the Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance. 

 

Oh, Yanli is laying the smackdown on Zixun! (I'll admit, I laughed when Wei Wuxian asked him, "Who are you?" because I had forgotten his name as well. I just think of him as The Brattiest Jin.)

 

Lady Jin clearly doesn't like Jin Guangyao's stupid hat either. I like Lady Jin. 

 

Jin Zixuan looks so sulky. This episode is really reminding me that these guys are teenagers. 

 

Oh, everyone shows up just in time to hear Zixuan confess that he likes Yanli. So he runs off. 

 

Jiang Cheng arrives late and misses out on the satisfaction of seeing someone flirt more awkwardly than he does. 

 

Muffin Clan are gossiping about Wei Wuxian. Jin Guangyao has been talking, I see. 

 

Meanwhile, in Lanling city: It's Wen Qing!!! Wei Wuxian doesn't notice, though. Until one of the Jin Clan shoves her over. 

Comments

[teleidoplex]

Oh man, that stupid hat is so iconic. I think in the original his mom told him growing up that someday he'd be important and have a hat like that? It's just like... representing everything his mom told him he would earn/deserve, and he HAS to wear it, or all her sacrifices were for nothing. Like a security blanket for his head.

Boy... has issues. I mean... not like anyone else in this show doesn't. The whole thing is a meditation on everything that goes wrong when you've got shitty or absent parents.

Ahahaha. I love the image of Lan Zhan as an ickle Wendy playing one song at parties cause he can.

Anyways, you've hit one of my favorite bits of meta, the translation of zhiji. I think Netflix really drops the ball on this one. Usually, it's translated as 'soulmate', which is better, but it's actually more like...

You know what, I'mma just link you to this meta discussion, which goes into it in so much better depth than I could: https://hunxi-guilai.tumblr.com/post/612161034673946624/all-right-guys-lets-have-a-conversation-about

And finally... it's really weird when you think about the ages of the WWX/LWJ generation, because they're pretty much the same age at the start as the Juniors (Sizhuan, Jingyi, etc.) And that's just... ::cries::