Episode 33: My Emotions, Like Wei Wuxian After Falling Off the Cliff, Are in Freefall

[wshaffer]

 Zhanalytics

Brooding Stares: 20

Intense Eye Contact: 2 

Facial Twitch: 1

Fist Clench: 

 

Yeah, watching Yanli die isn't any easier in the recap. 

 

Now everyone is going to give Wei Wuxian a lecture on the battlefield, telling him this is what you get if you study wicked tricks. Jerks. Have some respect for Yanli, at least. 

 

Lan Zhan is cutting down everyone who's coming at him, and Zewu Jun is like, "Okay, bro, I guess we're doing this." 

 

I am still pained by how obvious it is the Wei Wuxian is not actually playing that flute. 

 

Lan Zhan gets slashed in the arm. Be careful, dude. I know you survive to the flash forward, but I'm not taking anything for granted right now. 

 

Now we get the keep-away scene with the Stygian tiger amulet from the beginning. 

 

Poor Jiang Cheng has not moved this whole time. He's just sitting there with Yanli. 

 

And now Wei Wuxian starts to fall. And Lan Zhan catches him. That is a good way for someone to tear their rotator cuff. 

 

Here comes the Angry Grape. And he shouts, "Wei Wuxian, go to hell!" and stabs the rock. Uh. Is this another fake out? 

 

And then, Wei Wuxian falls...

 

SIXTEEN YEARS LATER

Back in Cloud Recesses, Lan Zhan is playing music while Wei Wuxian is sleeping nearby. 

 

We get a brief recap of stuff that happened thirty episodes ago. 

 

"It's been sixteen years." Lan Zhan has a visible, "Oh shit, you're awake, now I might have to talk about things" reaction. 

 

"Did you really believe me back then?" Wow, we're cutting to the chase here. Are these two actually going to have a frank conversation? Lan Zhan doesn't answer that. Okay, there are limits to frank conversation. 

 

More flashbacks. 

 

And bunnies! I don't think those are the same bunnies you met before, Wei Wuxian. These are those bunnies' descendants, most likely. Although for all I know, they're cultivator bunnies, and they live to be a hundred years old, and can grow giant carrots by using the power of their golden core. 

 

I'm feeling a bit weirdly off balance here. 30 episodes of flashback is a lot, and then we jump from the absolute mayhem of that battle to being in Cloud Recesses.

 

Wei Wuxian surprises Lan Zhan bathing. Somewhere in the depths of AO3 headquarters, the alarm klaxon sounds. Lan Zhan has whip scars and it looks like he was branded? With Lady Wang's weird brand thing? How did that happen? There's no one from the Wen clan left. Although now I guess Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian have matching brands. Is that romantic or disturbing? Yes. 

 

"What have you done to deserve such severe punishment?" I'm guessing it had to do with supporting a certain Wei Wuxian. Lan Zhan isn't telling, though. 

 

It's Babyface and Jingyi again. <3 <3 <3 

 

Uh oh, the first class spiritual tool is acting up again. The sword from Mo Manor is causing havoc. Huh, and I guess Lan Qiren did survive to the flash forward. I wouldn't have bet on that. 

 

The Lan Clan master might be dying but it's concert time. Gawd, that flute really does sound awful. Even I can hear it this time. Clan Master Lan begs for it to stop. 

 

They subdue the sword.  

 

Babyface has figured out that the sword ghost is coming after the Lan clan. 

 

And Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian figure it out in the same moment: Xue Yang. 

 

In the Underworld chamber - it's a light saber? No, it's the sword ghost pointing to where it came from. 

 

So they go to Qinghe. And encounter a huckster selling unconvincing portraits of the Yiling patriarch. And Legolas shows up. And announces that he will wallop anyone who says the words "Wei Wuxian" in front of him. I can tell that this is the start of a beautiful relationship. 

 

And he has a puppy! Oh, I guess Wei Wuxian is still afraid of dogs. Off he goes...

 

Comments

[teleidoplex]

Okay, but what I want to know is, does LWJ still make little headbands for the bunnies? Cause I could see him and A-Yuan doing that. Zewu-Jun would totally help.

Anyways, I don't think the show ever actually explains LWJ's brand. Let me know if you want the DL.

I love how Jin Ling is like a caustic mixture of his snooty and socially awkward dad, and his perpetually angry and eye-rolling jiujiu (maternal uncle). He got like nothing of Yanli. I bet he can't even make soup.

But you're out of the woods of depressing knives and into the CSI: Jianghu portion of the show. Go you!