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extrapenguinSecond-last episode recap! Dear readers, I can't believe it's (almost) over.
Let's start with some names! Lin Jiu (Lin #9) is Lin Qi, I believe? Unless Lin #7 turned up. Yuanshi's two younger bros are called Yuanjin and Yuanjou.
Then we move on to the tragic stuff. Before Yuanqi's rebellion, Yuanshi was growing up to be a decent enough ruler – like, sure, there was still some stuff he didn't quite get, but he's almost getting it.
Anru's plotline was perhaps the saddest. Min'er told her that Madam Qi was staying there, and she ... didn't tell Feizhan, but rather threatened to tell Feizhan, so of course she'd never get the opportunity. Yuanqi burned Madam Qi (and all Wei Zheng's ship plans!! HDU! unforgivable!!!) in front of her. That, again, was more of a threat disguised as a comfort than an actual comfort. Or does Yuanqi truly think that he's comforting Anru? Anyway, Anru sends Min'er away (yay!) and then gets dragged around into the palace by Yuanqi, and delivers an excellent condemnation of Yuanqi when he's sitting on the throne and she's all alone, small in the giant hall. And when she runs out of words to say, she commits suicide to say "fuck you" one last time. (Then again, in her role, what else could she do? She was a traitor's wife; her neck was on the chopping block already.)
Yuanqi's Spring Hunt plans were very reasonable, but the Empress canceled them, lol. The bits where he, He Cheng, and Di Ming execute their rebellion were very effective, as was Yue Yinchuan going D: in the middle of all of it. Yuanqi is quite bloodthirsty, but seems to be desperate for praise and acknowledgement? His smeans of interaction with family has also changed; first he's spent every interaction with Anru looking creepy and insencere, now he's forced Yuanshi into what is guaranteed to be the most awkward cousins-drinking-together family bonding tableau ever.
That scene with Yuanqi, He Cheng, and Di Ming walking into the palace hall with Yuanshi, the Empress, and the rest of the Imperial relations was very A+. Di Ming got to get his revenge against the Empress, and she got to go out with at least a modicum of dignity (after Yuanshi slapped her on the nose with "if Changlin was here, this would never have happened"). Di Ming has spared quite a lot of people that Yuanqi would have executed, and some of the acting/scene/whatever decisions almost make it seem like he's considering it a job well done now he's had his revenge and will betray Yuanqi. Interesting.
Yue Yinchuan started out wearing his very good dejected face, got tossed into a pile of flaming shit, and is doing his best. I like him! The scene where Yuanshi handed him the Son of Heaven Treasure was excellently acted. What most lifted my heart, though, was the scene where Yue tries to dismiss his soldiers, but they all go "nope, we're sticking with you". The scenes with Pingjing regathering theChiyan Changlin army, as well. All the people who're loyal to him and what he has done! This is how to make me cry.
Seems like the role of women is much more limited now – in NIF, we had Nihuang and Xia Dong running around, in addition to the Imperial Consorts, but now we only see Lin Xi (doing essentially what Consort Jing would've been doing in her youth) and a bunch of Consorts, and no women with public-facing roles. There also seems to be no role for Meng Qianxue to occupy, even with all her martial arts skills and loyalty to Da Liang, other than staying at home raising Ce'er. (Whether she'd want a post is another matter, but compare the lack of offers to the also widowed Xia Dong.)
I expect that we'll get an epic Pingjing-Yuanqi duel, Di Ming will decide that he's actually not that into killing Yuanshi OR he'll fight Feizhan at the same time. I hope Yuanshi, Pingjing, and Feizhan will live. Pingjing will probably get some sort of non-Jinling official post as a general of the northern border, I suppose, and have an oddball relationship with Lin Xi. I don't really see how he could completely let go of Da Liang and live Lin Xi's life, and I don't see him wanting anything too permanent or stationary, but some sort of post that makes life with Lin Xi possible, yes. Alternatively, he gets stuck as Emperor of Da Liang, but I don't think that'll happen. He's more likely to play kingmaker.
Let's start with some names! Lin Jiu (Lin #9) is Lin Qi, I believe? Unless Lin #7 turned up. Yuanshi's two younger bros are called Yuanjin and Yuanjou.
Then we move on to the tragic stuff. Before Yuanqi's rebellion, Yuanshi was growing up to be a decent enough ruler – like, sure, there was still some stuff he didn't quite get, but he's almost getting it.
Anru's plotline was perhaps the saddest. Min'er told her that Madam Qi was staying there, and she ... didn't tell Feizhan, but rather threatened to tell Feizhan, so of course she'd never get the opportunity. Yuanqi burned Madam Qi (and all Wei Zheng's ship plans!! HDU! unforgivable!!!) in front of her. That, again, was more of a threat disguised as a comfort than an actual comfort. Or does Yuanqi truly think that he's comforting Anru? Anyway, Anru sends Min'er away (yay!) and then gets dragged around into the palace by Yuanqi, and delivers an excellent condemnation of Yuanqi when he's sitting on the throne and she's all alone, small in the giant hall. And when she runs out of words to say, she commits suicide to say "fuck you" one last time. (Then again, in her role, what else could she do? She was a traitor's wife; her neck was on the chopping block already.)
Yuanqi's Spring Hunt plans were very reasonable, but the Empress canceled them, lol. The bits where he, He Cheng, and Di Ming execute their rebellion were very effective, as was Yue Yinchuan going D: in the middle of all of it. Yuanqi is quite bloodthirsty, but seems to be desperate for praise and acknowledgement? His smeans of interaction with family has also changed; first he's spent every interaction with Anru looking creepy and insencere, now he's forced Yuanshi into what is guaranteed to be the most awkward cousins-drinking-together family bonding tableau ever.
That scene with Yuanqi, He Cheng, and Di Ming walking into the palace hall with Yuanshi, the Empress, and the rest of the Imperial relations was very A+. Di Ming got to get his revenge against the Empress, and she got to go out with at least a modicum of dignity (after Yuanshi slapped her on the nose with "if Changlin was here, this would never have happened"). Di Ming has spared quite a lot of people that Yuanqi would have executed, and some of the acting/scene/whatever decisions almost make it seem like he's considering it a job well done now he's had his revenge and will betray Yuanqi. Interesting.
Yue Yinchuan started out wearing his very good dejected face, got tossed into a pile of flaming shit, and is doing his best. I like him! The scene where Yuanshi handed him the Son of Heaven Treasure was excellently acted. What most lifted my heart, though, was the scene where Yue tries to dismiss his soldiers, but they all go "nope, we're sticking with you". The scenes with Pingjing regathering the
Seems like the role of women is much more limited now – in NIF, we had Nihuang and Xia Dong running around, in addition to the Imperial Consorts, but now we only see Lin Xi (doing essentially what Consort Jing would've been doing in her youth) and a bunch of Consorts, and no women with public-facing roles. There also seems to be no role for Meng Qianxue to occupy, even with all her martial arts skills and loyalty to Da Liang, other than staying at home raising Ce'er. (Whether she'd want a post is another matter, but compare the lack of offers to the also widowed Xia Dong.)
I expect that we'll get an epic Pingjing-Yuanqi duel, Di Ming will decide that he's actually not that into killing Yuanshi OR he'll fight Feizhan at the same time. I hope Yuanshi, Pingjing, and Feizhan will live. Pingjing will probably get some sort of non-Jinling official post as a general of the northern border, I suppose, and have an oddball relationship with Lin Xi. I don't really see how he could completely let go of Da Liang and live Lin Xi's life, and I don't see him wanting anything too permanent or stationary, but some sort of post that makes life with Lin Xi possible, yes. Alternatively, he gets stuck as Emperor of Da Liang, but I don't think that'll happen. He's more likely to play kingmaker.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-08 21:27 (UTC)I'm sorry I won't be able to catch up by the time the season ends :( DD was busy, and on top of that in a week I'm going on vacation, so it'll be a while.
Just, overall, so I know what to look forward to: did you like the second part? More/less than the first half?
no subject
Date: 2018-02-09 10:40 (UTC)I think I liked the second part just a bit more than the first, mainly because it was thematically/content-wise more RTMI. The final episodes have been excellently done so far.
no subject
Date: 2018-02-13 17:20 (UTC)Too impatient to watch the last two episodes to leave more comments about these rn, they were very good :)
no subject
Date: 2018-02-13 18:02 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-02-13 19:45 (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-02-13 19:56 (UTC)I liked the way the Empress Dowager went out. Consistent with her storyline, everything for her son. Di Ming got his revenge too, in a very public and bloody way. Poor Yuanshi.
You're right, compared with NIF the women don't really have big roles. The Empress, but no other Consorts; Lin Xi, who iirc is only ever addressed as Miss and not Doctor; Qianxue, who despite being a capable martial artist was basically there to be Pingzhang's wife and then retreated entirely to raise Ce'er; Anru, who basically personified that wives are tied to their husbands... Nobody like Nihuang and Xia Dong. Madam Qi comes closest as an assassin and spy. Shame.
Pingjing gathering the Changlin army <3
Travel times, what travel times.General Yue and his men were also great.no subject
Date: 2018-02-14 12:32 (UTC)And even Madam Qi is doing things only at Mozi's bidding! The whole setting seems to have taken a turn towards "historical realism" wrt women's roles, which I wasn't really into. Even if the original was a bit of a sausage fest (and I am still annoyed at how we started off with Xia Dong and Nihuang being very shippable and then just ... they never interacted onscreen again), NIF 2 was even more so. Meh. (It, too, has its good bits, but it'd have been better as an original, unrelated property, imo.)