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25. Thoughts and feelings on the ending
The answer to this is two-fold. Would I have loved it if they'd defeated Ye Zun with minimum collateral damage and not a single sacrifice, and the story ended with, "Then the SID and the Black-Cloaked Envoy overhauled the whole political structure of Dixing, renegotiated the Treaty, worked towards dispelling anti-Dixingren/Yashouren attitudes among Haixingren (and vice versa) and worked towards creating a world where all three species could live and let live in relative harmony"? Hell, yes! Do I think it was feasible for the show writers to have pulled that off if they'd really wanted to? Also yes. However...
I personally haven't been able to come up with a plausible fix-it scenario, and the existing attempts in fic, while ingenious enough, are a bit too focused on "forgiving and reforming Ye Zun" to be entirely to my taste. Shen Wei had been trying to talk to his brother for decades and he wouldn't even tell him why he hated him; what makes it more likely that he'll listen now, when he's finally broken free and so close to attaining his revenge? I don't believe that he'll be any more (and not less) inclined to see sense once Zhao Yunlan becomes involved, because those two hated each other since the moment they first met, and changing that is way too out-of-character for both of them. Another thing is that - all logic aside - I'm not so forgiving I'd want to see the guy who murdered my favourite character, indirectly caused the death of my second-favourite (though hardly for lack of trying to do it directly) and caused so much misery to so many others just...be let off the hook that easily. (I can never hold a grudge in real life, but have no such problem when it comes to fiction, haha.)
All in all, despite its flaws, I still loved the canon ending. I loved how selfless and so, so brave Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan were, how they both made comparable sacrifices in line with the duties they'd sworn themselves to, even how they echoed each others' last words (and such epic ones, at that). I loved how Shen Wei offered Ye Zun peace at the end, despite everything he took from him; not because I think Ye Zun deserved it, but because it proved to us how different the two brothers are: Ye Zun resented Shen Wei for a perceived insult, while Shen Wei had it in him to forgive Ye Zun for an actual one. And to top it all off, we got the pendant scene and the epilogue, both of which were amazingly acted and heartbreakingly beautiful.
I loved that we got to see how the SID and even Dixing was doing so well one year later: Zhu Hong rocking the house as Chief Elder, Li Qian climbing the ladder at the Ministry with Guo Ying as Minister (and LOL @ ex-Minister Gao, forced to be subordinate to his own former subordinate!), Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng going strong and Guo Changcheng now much more confident about his place in the SID, An Bai free of that god-awful throne, Dixing having its own sun and the whole place looking much more cheerful for it... The only people who actually seemed sad were Da Qing and Lin Jing, since they're the ones who lost the most personally (and who, ironically, are my two favourite non-Yunlan SID members - it's disturbing how accustomed I am to my favourite characters never being allowed happiness, and not just in Guardian!), but that was okay, at least as a reminder that not everything is cream-and-roses at the end of a war.
The separation of Dixing from Haixing struck me as a bit odd at first, but it did make sense in its own way. For one, there's no longer an Envoy or a Guardian to keep the peace, so what would happen if the portals just stayed open like they'd always been? (I'd say the really puzzling thing is how the SID is not only still around but has also gained more members, when it should either have been dissolved or only the current members kept on as a show of gratitude for their services. I don't think the writers thought that bit through at all.) For another, according to the novel the original function of the Guardian Lantern is to stabilise the two realms and stop Hell from corrupting the human world by separating them from each other, with Kunlun being the original wick... Which explains a hell of a lot about what happened in the drama finale, when you give it half a thought! Unfortunately, the drama itself doesn't explain any of this, which again: poor planning.
My sister says she, personally, resents how the minor characters/couples got to live happily in a world built on the major characters'/couples' sacrifices, and while that's certainly fair enough, I prefer to see it this way: what would have been the point of everything Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan and all the others who gave their lives to defend against Ye Zun's insanity did, if their people weren't happy with the results? For the sake of those who died, more than anything, I want those they left behind to move on and build a great future for themselves, in Haixing and Dixing both. And the show did give us that, along with hope for Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's future as well, so at the end of the day, I'd label the finale "quite satisfactory."
The answer to this is two-fold. Would I have loved it if they'd defeated Ye Zun with minimum collateral damage and not a single sacrifice, and the story ended with, "Then the SID and the Black-Cloaked Envoy overhauled the whole political structure of Dixing, renegotiated the Treaty, worked towards dispelling anti-Dixingren/Yashouren attitudes among Haixingren (and vice versa) and worked towards creating a world where all three species could live and let live in relative harmony"? Hell, yes! Do I think it was feasible for the show writers to have pulled that off if they'd really wanted to? Also yes. However...
I personally haven't been able to come up with a plausible fix-it scenario, and the existing attempts in fic, while ingenious enough, are a bit too focused on "forgiving and reforming Ye Zun" to be entirely to my taste. Shen Wei had been trying to talk to his brother for decades and he wouldn't even tell him why he hated him; what makes it more likely that he'll listen now, when he's finally broken free and so close to attaining his revenge? I don't believe that he'll be any more (and not less) inclined to see sense once Zhao Yunlan becomes involved, because those two hated each other since the moment they first met, and changing that is way too out-of-character for both of them. Another thing is that - all logic aside - I'm not so forgiving I'd want to see the guy who murdered my favourite character, indirectly caused the death of my second-favourite (though hardly for lack of trying to do it directly) and caused so much misery to so many others just...be let off the hook that easily. (I can never hold a grudge in real life, but have no such problem when it comes to fiction, haha.)
All in all, despite its flaws, I still loved the canon ending. I loved how selfless and so, so brave Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan were, how they both made comparable sacrifices in line with the duties they'd sworn themselves to, even how they echoed each others' last words (and such epic ones, at that). I loved how Shen Wei offered Ye Zun peace at the end, despite everything he took from him; not because I think Ye Zun deserved it, but because it proved to us how different the two brothers are: Ye Zun resented Shen Wei for a perceived insult, while Shen Wei had it in him to forgive Ye Zun for an actual one. And to top it all off, we got the pendant scene and the epilogue, both of which were amazingly acted and heartbreakingly beautiful.
I loved that we got to see how the SID and even Dixing was doing so well one year later: Zhu Hong rocking the house as Chief Elder, Li Qian climbing the ladder at the Ministry with Guo Ying as Minister (and LOL @ ex-Minister Gao, forced to be subordinate to his own former subordinate!), Chu Shuzhi and Guo Changcheng going strong and Guo Changcheng now much more confident about his place in the SID, An Bai free of that god-awful throne, Dixing having its own sun and the whole place looking much more cheerful for it... The only people who actually seemed sad were Da Qing and Lin Jing, since they're the ones who lost the most personally (and who, ironically, are my two favourite non-Yunlan SID members - it's disturbing how accustomed I am to my favourite characters never being allowed happiness, and not just in Guardian!), but that was okay, at least as a reminder that not everything is cream-and-roses at the end of a war.
The separation of Dixing from Haixing struck me as a bit odd at first, but it did make sense in its own way. For one, there's no longer an Envoy or a Guardian to keep the peace, so what would happen if the portals just stayed open like they'd always been? (I'd say the really puzzling thing is how the SID is not only still around but has also gained more members, when it should either have been dissolved or only the current members kept on as a show of gratitude for their services. I don't think the writers thought that bit through at all.) For another, according to the novel the original function of the Guardian Lantern is to stabilise the two realms and stop Hell from corrupting the human world by separating them from each other, with Kunlun being the original wick... Which explains a hell of a lot about what happened in the drama finale, when you give it half a thought! Unfortunately, the drama itself doesn't explain any of this, which again: poor planning.
My sister says she, personally, resents how the minor characters/couples got to live happily in a world built on the major characters'/couples' sacrifices, and while that's certainly fair enough, I prefer to see it this way: what would have been the point of everything Shen Wei, Zhao Yunlan and all the others who gave their lives to defend against Ye Zun's insanity did, if their people weren't happy with the results? For the sake of those who died, more than anything, I want those they left behind to move on and build a great future for themselves, in Haixing and Dixing both. And the show did give us that, along with hope for Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan's future as well, so at the end of the day, I'd label the finale "quite satisfactory."
no subject
Date: 2019-09-27 06:56 pm (UTC)From:Yeah, I'm completely with you on that. I just don't buy anything that treats the whole conflict as stupid and easily avoidable, and I don't think there's anything anyone could have said to Ye Zun that Ye Zun would actually have believed, not until the very end, after he'd already lost. I mean, I'm sure there are stories that could get him to that point in other ways, but it would take a hell of a lot of work.
(I like Ye Zun myself, so I'd totally be here for that!)
My sister says she, personally, resents how the minor characters/couples got to live happily in a world built on the major characters'/couples' sacrifices
That's a strange POV to me! I'm with you - the whole point of their sacrifice is that everyone else gets to reap the benefits. If that didn't happen the whole thing would feel futile and pointless. As it is, it's so satisfying because they're doing the right thing, and it WORKS, so it's a triumph in the end.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 07:01 am (UTC)From:Oh, whoops! I know Ye Zun is a fan favourite, so my somewhat harsh views on him are probably doing me no favours in the fandom, lol. As I mentioned in my Day 14 post, I also like him, but only as a villain, and I've never been interested in de-villanising my bad guys. (The phrase "love to hate" is certainly applicable, there!) Though now that I think about it, if he could have been brought down without killing him, Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan wouldn't have had to die... Hmm... I might yet be brought around to the notion, then!
That's a strange POV to me!
Ahaha, yeah, my sister is an intelligent kid, but she's also 16, so she tends to be a lot more impulsive about these things. Probably why we get along so well despite a 12-year age gap: she's smart enough to keep up, but she brings the emotion and I bring the logic, so our discussions (whether about RL or fiction) help us both see new perspectives.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-28 06:13 pm (UTC)From:No worries. I often like villain characters, and redemption arcs are one of my favourite things, but I know they're not to everyone's tastes. And I really appreciate that in this fandom, no one gets nasty about people having different preferences. It's really fun being able to talk to everyone, no matter what their preferences, without anyone taking disagreements for personal slights. :)