*Episode premise spoilers.*
We’re in the endgame now. Like The Duke of Mount Deer, this show makes for an odd viewing experience. Because, while watching one episode a week makes it stretch out quite a long time, things move so fast within the actual story. So it kind of feels like I’ve been at this show forever, while also feeling like, “How are we almost at the end already?”
Zhang Wuji has found Xie Xun and confronts the Shaolin monks that are holding him prisoner. As he tries to rescue his godfather, he also attempts to repair more of the fractures between the sects.
Although Zhao Min appears in this episode, she’s not nearly as much of a focus as she has been lately. Instead, it’s a lot more about the Ming/Shaolin conflicts, the captured Xie Xun, and the treacherous monk Cheng Kun. Which works for me—this is a show with so many moving parts, and whenever you dwell heavily on one plot for too long, the others inevitably take a backseat. So it’s good to mix things up.
I enjoy how Xie Xun has basically two modes: unstoppable badass who will absolutely wreck all your shit, and regretful old man brimming with self-sacrifice. He’s ready to throw down anytime, anywhere, and being blind and having lived alone on a deserted island for like a decade doesn’t slow him down in the slightest. And yet, he’ll pull the “you have to go on without me, promise you won’t come back for me” card at the drop of a hat, complete with sad violins. Love it!
Here, Zhang Wuji comes face-to-face with his goal of the last several episodes: finding and rescuing Xie Xun. But I appreciate that he doesn’t come in hot and scorched-earth and “let my godfather go or else!” Instead of spoiling for a fight, he tries to reason with Shaolin sect, warning them about Cheng Kun and telling them the history he learned behind the root of their conflicts.
This is a frequent move for him. In an odd way, it reminds me a little of Kipo and the Wonderbeasts. Even though Zhang Wuji and Kipo are wildly different in temperament and personality, this is something they have in common. When everyone around them says, “We have to fight!” and, “It’s do or die!” they consistently say, “Let’s talk.” “Let’s work it out.” “If you just listen, maybe you’ll make a different choice.”
It's an interesting quality for the lead of a martial arts show, or a post-apocalyptic action/adventure show, to have. In Zhang Wuji’s case, he very much has the skills he needs to take out practically any enemy, but he often only uses them to hold his opponent off while he tries to reason with them. In this episode, as he appeals to the Shaolin monks, he says, “Masters, I know I only have a slight chance of leaving this place alive. But I won’t die peacefully unless I tell you everything.” That’s something that’s very commendable about him, and it’s a trait that could easily feel hokey, but Tony Leung Chiu-wai makes it feel honest.
