[ Episode Thirty-Six / Thirty-Seven ] [ Masterpost ]
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The grand finale! Featuring knives, tears, and pain.
Shen Wei has been captured by Ye Zun, who taunts him with Zhao Yunlan. Shen Wei immediately reacts.
"You're not allowed to touch him!"
Ye Zun doesn't understand why Shen Wei is doing this. But Shen Wei is resolute.
"My energy is black. My eyes, my hair, and even my soul are black. But the blood I bleed, just like theirs, is red."
While Shen Wei drifts in and out of consciousness, he murmurs Zhao Yunlan's name.
The Regent, being the weaselly coward that he is, hedges his bets and unties Shen Wei after having a chat with him.
The newly freed Shen Wei joins Zhao Yunlan in taking down one of his captors when Zhao Yunlan arrives in Dixing.
Zhao Yunlan is so distraught and worried to see Shen Wei hurt and bleeding.
They make their escape, holding hands grabbing onto each other's arms.
Ever since @unnaye pointed out that Shen Wei/Zhu Yilong almost reaches out to grab Zhao Yunlan/Bai Yu's hand and then pulls back at the last moment, I become mesmerized by that little motion every time I watch this scene.
Intensely concerned & protective Zhao Yunlan is the best Zhao Yunlan. He doesn't understand why Shen Wei isn't healing himself.
谁伤你一刀, 我必要他一命!
"Whoever hurt you, I will take his life!"
My translation actually doesn't fully capture the sheer intensity in this declaration. The underlying promise is: For that one cut 一刀 on you, I will take a life 一命 from him in return.
Shen Wei smiles and talks about exchanging his wounds & his hurts for everyone else's life. And Zhao Yunlan's heart is breaking.
Because it isn't an episode of Guardian without the two of them putting themselves in danger to protect the other person: Zhao Yunlan lures the patrols off to allow Shen Wei to escape their notice. He ends up being captured by Ye Zun.
Meanwhile, Shen Wei decides to summon his blade and make a last stand against the guards nearby. Unsurprisingly, he gets captured by Ye Zun as well.
Ye Zun can't understand why Shen Wei would share his life force with a mere human and weaken himself like that. Zhao Yunlan is barely holding it together after having this information confirmed.
Shen Wei smiles and recalls Kunlun's parting advice to him. He tells Zhao Yunlan that he has no regrets.
Ye Zun tortures Zhao Yunlan to try to obtain the whereabouts of the Guardian Lantern. Shen Wei struggles to get up despite his injuries when he sees this.
Shen Wei blocks Ye Zun's final hit on Zhao Yunlan.
The horror, heartbreak and helplessness on Zhao Yunlan's face ;_;
Although this angle didn't make it into the final cut, I have to give props to Zhu Yilong for scrapping an earlier take solely so he could do it over again EXCEPT WITH HAND-HOLDING THIS TIME.
😭😭😭 Same here, Zhao Yunlan. Same here.
The way Zhao Yunlan just slumps over at the end 😭. No, Shen Wei, smiling at him is *not* making it better.
Here, have a clip of Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan calling out for each other while tied up on their pillars 😭
Zhao Yunlan screams at Ye Zun to kill him 😭😭😭
Somehow, none of this stops Ye Zun from trying to convince Zhao Yunlan to work with him.
Demonstrating a stunning inability to read the room, Ye Zun arranges for a friendly drinking session, while Zhao Yunlan is ignoring him and numbing the pain with alcohol.
Continuing to not read the room, Ye Zun tells Zhao Yunlan that he finally understands what Shen Wei sees in him. Yes, the same Shen Wei he just brutally murdered in front of Zhao Yunlan.
Zhao Yunlan, when asked what he wants: I want you to die.
Ye Zun: *surprised pikachu face*
It's interesting to see Ye Zun failing to threaten or entice Zhao Yunlan, because he doesn't truly understand the love Zhao Yunlan has for Shen Wei or the principles that are important to both of them. All his observations are very surface level, with the empathy is missing.
Look at the rage and hatred coming off Zhao Yunlan in waves.
Aside: The contrast of the intense antagonism of previous scene against the playful teasing in this behind-the-scenes shenanigans is great.
Anyway, after his negotiations fail, Ye Zun flounces off dramatically. The Regent continues to be a weasel, and releases Zhao Yunlan while claiming to Ye Zun that it was done deliberately to lead them to the Guardian Lantern.
Dressed as the Black-Cloaked Envoy, Ye Zun finds Zhao Yunlan again. It occurs to me just how awful this must be for Zhao Yunlan, to see the identical image of Shen Wei while knowing that it's actually Shen Wei's murderer masquerading as him.
Once again, I'm blown away by how obvious Zhu Yilong makes it that this is Ye Zun, despite being dressed identically to Shen Wei and even wearing a mask & hood.
Zhao Yunlan catches Ye Zun monologuing and broadcasts it to everyone, throwing a snag into Ye Zun's plans.
Zhao Yunlan's second trick (with a bullet in the lantern) catches Ye Zun as well.
The rest of the SID arrive to fight Ye Zun.
Zhao Yunlan manages to weaken Ye Zun enough for Shen Wei to send everyone that Ye Zun has devoured outside.
This scene is so painful because Zhao Yunlan immediately starts looking for Shen Wei when he sees everyone else alive and well. For one brief moment, he starts hoping... but of course, Shen Wei isn't there. And you see the light go out in his eyes when the realization hits.
Zhao Yunlan notices something amiss with Ye Zun.
That heart-breaking smile on Zhao Yunlan's face when he realizes how long Shen Wei had been planning this sacrifice in order to take down Ye Zun ;_;
The twins have a long overdue talk about the source of Ye Zun's hatred and finally find reconciliation in death.
Before departing, Shen Wei hears Zhao Yunlan calling his name, and he drops his Necklace of Pining. Zhao Yunlan unwraps it to discover that Shen Wei has kept that lollipop wrapper as a memento for ten thousand years... Oh, Shen Wei.
One more look. One more smile...
Holding onto Shen Wei's necklace and the Guardian Lantern, Zhao Yunlan sacrifices himself to stabilize and bring sunlight to Dixing.
They get one final chance to talk.
Shen Wei: You're finally here.
Zhao Yunlan: You're leaving?
Shen Wei: Every life eventually fades away. At least our choice was meaningful.
Shen Wei: Let's make a bet.
Zhao Yunlan: What kind of bet?
Shen Wei: Let's bet that no matter how long it takes, no matter where we go, there will be a day when we meet again.
Zhao Yunlan takes the bet.
The very last time Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan smile at each other.
(Until they meet again.)
[ Episode Thirty-Six / Thirty-Seven ] [ Masterpost ]
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