*Spoilers for episode 24.*
Tony Leung Chiu-wai is featured less in this episode than probably any other since he first popped up in the last shot of episode 12. It’s the sort of episode where he bookends it, mainly appearing at the start and at the end, while other plots get fleshed out in the middle.
In the last episode, Zhang Wuji confronted Zhao Min about getting the Jade Fracture Healing Ornament, the only substance that could hope to heal his two paralyzed uncles. Both of them are now slowly beginning to mend, but Miss Zhao’s forces have taken the rest of his uncles. Wuji swears that he’ll find them, and he and Ming Sect begin their search while they rally the rest of their warriors for a massive sit-down. We delve more deeply into Miss Zhao’s scheming, seeing what she’s accomplished thus far and meeting some of her co-conspirators.
Even though I spent most of that summary on Zhang Wuji and Ming, we do follow Zhao Min and her men for the majority of the episode. So far, we’ve largely seen her command in drag, only wearing women’s clothes in private encounters with Wuji, but here we see that she holds just as much respect with her warriors regardless of how she’s dressed. We get some more villainsplaining from her, and we meet her family, a development that definitely interests me.
We also see some of the fruits of Zhao Min’s efforts—namely, we catch up with some of the warriors from different sects who’ve gone missing. We see how much she’s been able to achieve in the span of just a few episodes. Time is wonky on this show, so I don’t know exactly how long it’s been within the series, but for someone who burst onto the scene brand-new a handful of episodes ago, she and her forces have gotten a lot done.
Again, Zhang Wuji mainly bookends the episode. He’s also accomplished a lot in a short time, though of a very different nature. When he was a child, True Master Zhang said it would be better for Wuji to die than join a Demon Sect. But now, he’s managed to bring harmony between Wudang and Ming, and the two sects unite in an important way in this episode.
Even though Zhang Wuji doesn’t have a ton of screentime this episode, it’s significant that his two main plot concerns involve these two sects: the search for his Wudang uncles and the plans for a gathering of all Ming disciples in Butterfly Valley, where he studied under Dr. Hu. The martial arts world draws strong divisions, but Wujii won’t go along with these old enmities. To be clear, he’s not a pushover, and he’ll kill when it’s necessary. But he’d much rather extend an invitation to a rival sect than challenge them.
Leung conveys this quiet, kind brand of leadership well. While Zhang Wuji doesn’t have the same soft-spoken magnetism of some of his later, more well-known roles, you can still understand why he draws others to him. It’s not just his superior fighting skills—it’s his humility and the consideration he shows to others, whether or not they’re meant to be his “enemies.”
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