#lee still understands how messed up that relationship is cuz that's the whole point of their relationship

[iwasbored777]

They asked Lee Majdoub what he thinks of Stobotnik vs what Stone thinks of it and this man chose violence omg the more I read the more painful it gets

[razberryyum]

The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 6, Part 2 of 2

(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed)

[covers MDZS chapter 18 and a bit of chaps 56 and 66]

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

Continued from Part 1:

Again, bless Big Bro Xichen for being such a diligent matchmaker for his little brother and suggesting the cold springs to Wei Ying. I think I just about freaked out the first time I saw the bathing scene: not having read the novel yet at the time, I was totally caught off guard by it and I just couldn’t believe what was happening. Of course now, in retrospect, it’s really pretty tame, considering they were supposed to be naked (BLESS the donghua for keeping that detail in). However, what the drama lacked in nudity it definitely more than made up for in character development and relationship building by adding the subsequent sequence in the cave. Aside from the cute marriage reference (kneeling and bowing before ancestor), ALL of Lan Zhan’s fears for Wei Ying were basically BORN in that cave, thanks to Lan Yi and Xue Chonghai’s backstories involving the yin metal (which was also an invention of the show since in the book it was only the Stygian Tiger Seal). He probably regarded their unfortunate fates as cautionary tales at first, but then as soon as he thought Wei Ying was treading their same path to darkness, their stories instantly became all too real possibilities for Wei Ying’s future.   Just thinking about how afraid Lan Zhan must’ve been for Wei Ying makes my heart hurt, and what makes things worse is that in the end, he shared a more similar fate with Xue Chonghai than Lan Yi. Even though she spent the rest of her life and beyond essentially imprisoned in the cave, at least her passing was a more peaceful one and the legacy she left behind was more respectable. Unlike Xue Chonghai, who basically died a villain, which is pretty much how the cultivation world viewed Wei Ying when he died. I can’t stop thinking about how much Lan Zhan probably tortured himself emotionally during the 16 years after Wei Ying’s death, no doubt ceaselessly blaming himself for not doing enough to save Wei Ying. The fact that he was already presented with these two examples of what could happen to those overpowered by the yin metals so early on in their relationship probably only served to further exacerbate his sense of guilt during that decade and half.  

Really, thank God Wei Ying came back. I sometimes think of the alternative and the notion is just so bleak to me that I actually start tearing up. In fact, I’m tearing up now since the thought is crossing my mind again. Damn, I need to talk about happier things pronto.

I think if Wei Ying never came along, Lan Zhan probably would’ve happily spent the rest of this life as a bachelor since, according to his own words, he shuns physical contact with others and isn’t too keen on getting married anyway.  The funny thing is, I don’t really think of Lan Zhan as being gay in the traditional sense either because I simply can’t see him being attracted to anyone else other than Wei Ying.  He’s really just Wei Ying-sexual as far as I’m concerned. And it’s not because I’m just being a romantic, but it’s more like, I don’t see Lan Zhan as the type of person who would want to get close to anyone or even feels like he needs to be close to anyone. His familial relationships with his uncle and brother would’ve been sufficient for him; he probably considers social relationships with outsiders more of a nuisance. While he’s courteous enough to others when he needs to be, I think that’s due to upbringing rather than actual concern. And yet, despite Lan Zhan’s nature, Wei Ying still found a way to permanently wedge himself into his life and get close to him. I really appreciate the time and care the live action took to show us just how Wei Ying did that by creating events like their drunkapades from the night before and now their shared experience in the cave. In the novel it was definitely more subtle.  

I mean, do I really need to say anything about this other than I love? Especially how the camera kept on focusing on the ribbon, as if they were worried we would forget about it if they cut away too soon. Of course it’s utterly sweet of Lan Zhan to so quickly and easily give up his ribbon to protect Wei Ying. He didn’t even think twice, despite how significant the ribbon is to him. I still don’t think this is the point where he fell in love yet, but at least he’s starting to care enough about the other man to not want him to perish by Chord Assassination.

Wei Ying was definitely happy about it, look at that big smile.   

Meanwhile, other ships were launching

I seriously cannot believe that Jin Zixuan still wanted to call off the wedding to Shijie after they shared THIS totally romantic moment. He was obviously a little smitten already, so what the hell was he thinking? Shijie is so beautiful and sweet and just awesome. Should’ve been love at first sight, and yet he still had the heart to try to dump her after this. Dumbass.

I pretty much was on board with this ship as soon as Lan Yi mentioned Baoshan Sanren and their close relationship. Seeing them together only further reinforced my commitment. Of course I find it utterly sad that they didn’t have a happy ending together, though I do wonder why Baoshan Sanren didn’t try to seek out Lan Yi again afterwards. Was she just so disappointed in Lan Yi for not heeding her warning that she simply didn’t want to ever see her again? That’s equally heart-breaking. Or maybe, by the time she decided to turn back and help Lan Yi, it was already too late: her corporeal form had already dissipated because of the Yin metal and she was nothing but a spirit trapped in that cave. Perhaps that’s why Baoshan decided to become a hermit and wander the world alone. That’s somehow even worst. Truly, they are what Lan Zhan and Wei Ying could’ve been if Lan Zhan had given up on him as soon as he acquired his powers at the Burial Mounds. I wish we could get some kind of prequel for Lan Yi and Baoshan Sanren, like as a special, since there is definitely a moving love story to be found there, despite its sad ending. It would have to be created from nothing of course, since Lan Yi was little more than a quick name-drop in the novel. But since I love Lan Yi because she’s portrayed by Carman Lee and the actress who plays Baoshan Sanren (Liu Ting Yu) is also beautiful…

…I wanted to see more of them. Especially during the more glorious times of their careers. Hell, a whole series can be made just centered around Lan Yi alone, and how she, as the first and only female sect leader in the Gusu Lan Sect, rose to her position and the many obstacles she had to face on the way up and even afterwards, before the whole Yin metal mess even came into her life. Of course Wei Ying and Lan Zhan wouldn’t be a part of the story at all, which is a shame but understandable, but I still wish we could have that series.

Questions I still Have (mostly nitpicky crap cuz I’m annoying that way)

Is that a submarine I see on the bottom there?  Or maybe it’s just a bubble maker. But seriously, what pulled Lan Zhan and Wei Ying underwater? Was it just currents? Magic? Cuz it was shot like some kind of sea monster violently tugged them underneath.

I honestly still don’t understand the geography of the cold springs. Can a mostly dry cave (save for a knee level pool) exist under the water like that? Especially when it looks to be on a lower level than the bottom of the spring? Feels…impossible. Is it all because of magic?

Only that one bunny at the top got the protective Gusu Lan head ribbon; didn’t the other bunnies beneath it deserve the same protection? Poor things.   

Overall Episode Rating: 9 Lil Apples out of 10