Early Access: The Untamed Ep. 50

I think maybe it wasn’t a fake out. Hear me out: WWX wants to go do the traveler, wanderer, rogue cultivator gay ghostbusters thing, but LWJ can’t go with him bc he’s the chief cultivator now and bc his big bro is dead inside and needs support. So WWX follows him to cloud recesses instead, but gets bored after a while and wants to go visit lotus pier (which is when they have the gut wrenching separation on the mountain). But then he misses LWJ a lot (lol and/or runs out of money) so he comes back to Gusu.

xiaokuer_anji

For anyone interested in fanvids, I refer you to my youtube playlist - it's under the same name - but if you watch nothing else, please watch the vids by cescedes - if you want your heart ripped out of your chest and stomped on, watch 'Lanterns lit' (it's also beautiful and really well-put together). For some more comfort, watch 畢生知己 (Bi shēng zhī jǐ), which WWX calls LWJ in the Phoenix mountain scene. Netflix translates it as lifelong confidant, other versions translate as 'soulmate', but as always, with Chinese, there's so many implications. zhī jǐ can mean to know oneself - so in this case, someone who is really intimate, who really knows you. Anyway, that's it, that's the vid. And it's fucking beautiful.

Gweniver Call

Also, there's a great analysis on https://untamedconnotations.tumblr.com/post/640425348051386368/heres-something-nuanced-that-people-might-miss-if of the way Nie Huaisang elaborately bows to them - this show!!! Re your other question, why did they separate - because Chinese censorship. It was the way the showrunners could get away with showing two men who were obviously and deeply in love without getting the show banned.

Gweniver Call

Also that ending still has me baffled.. like..why did they separate?

Leonardo Despacito

Okay but that scene at the end with Nie Huaisang, did you catch how they filmed that? When Wuxian was asking him about whether he wanted to be His Excellency? Gives me chills. He's literally saying "Are you going to fuck with my man? And if so, you know your fucking with me too right?" The director purposely shot that scene so that Wuxian was in front of Wanji, so that it showed that they were a pair now. And all matters pertaining to the past or future would involve the both of them. Its just..dear god no wonder this show completely blew everyone's minds in China!

Leonardo Despacito

Amazing reaction. I am here for this!

cinder

I adore NHS too. I think in a modern AU he’s the guy in high school with a 3.45 average who can raise it anytime to get his older brother to get him a car. I may or may not have that half written, but it’s up for adoption.

cinder

Lovely last Reaction!!! Yeah the ending makes much more sense in the novel, they ha to trick the censors a bit, but still, the FEELS. Also poor Xichen, everyone gets a happy ending except for him

Anna Lena Ciplajevs

I got as emotional as you did, partly because of this damn show and partly because this is your reaction to the last episode, but still looking forward to your other reactions and esp the untamed related stuff. I started watching your reaction when you were at about ep 7, and what a journey! Another video that I have long wanted to recommend is this seven minute song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHKTjz54rRw This song was made long before the Untamed by the book fans, but another famous content creator from China edited an Untamed version of it. It basically covered major character in the show and it was well-known in the Chinese fandom. I felt that it might be somehow less known here, and I hope the patreon family would enjoy this.

goldmund

This episode made Nie Huaisang my favourite character after Wangxian. Looking back, and rewatching the show, there's so many hints of him as someone who was not only hiding a lot of intelligence, but also as him being the man behind the scenes moving the strings. Ji Li is a fantastic actor. In terms of his motive, it was definitely revenge. The movie Fatal Journey goes into a lot more detail into his relationship with Nie Mingjue and Huaisang’s motive for what happened in the show. In my opinion, that's why the conversation at the end happens. I think Wuxian was trying to see whether Huaisang was interested in using his manipulations to attain more power, whether they had another potential power hungry villain in their hands. But Huaisang makes it very clear that he doesn't care about that. He would mind his business and look after his own, but if someone were to mess with him he would do whatever he has to do. This is an unpopular opinion but, while I don't think Huaisang had necessarily planned to use Xichen to kill Meng Yao and it was more a matter of seizing his chance at that moment, I can see why he wouldn't mind for this to happen. Xichen and Mingjue were sworn brothers, and even friends before that, so maybe Huaisang saw it as justice for him to help him avenge da-ge. Was it ok? No, but ultimately he knew that if Meng Yao didn't die at the temple, Xichen was going to take him back to Gusu and keep him there, so he had to act. Obviously this is subjective, but I sympathise a lot more with Huaisang's motivations than Meng Yao's. He wasn't interested in power or glory, he didn't gain anything from his actions. He was never interested in anything other than painting his fans and reading poetry and catching birds. And yet he did everything that he did out of love for a brother who had loved him and protected. That's why I absolutely love my little know-nothing gremlin.

Oh God, I forgot that Yao asked Xichen to stay and die with him, and when Xichen was going to, Yao pushed him out. He just wanted to know if Xichen would. That broke my heart. I don't care much for Yao, but I always believed he loved Xichen. Then the Best Boy scene made me cry. Then the nice fake out. I always imagine Wanji stopping and going 'what the hell am I doing? I waited 13 years, why the hell would I wait more?!' Wei Yings beautiful smile at the end was the prefect place to end the show.

Rhast

*whispers* For as much as I love Xiyao and would have loved for them to run off to Dongying to live out their gay little lives together, I gotta say that Liu Haikuan really sells that "Lan Xichen is dead inside" look. And Zhu Zanjin! God he really acted his heart out in these last episodes. Numerous essays have been written on their last scene alone, and if I think about it for more than a minute I might end up crying (again). a;lsadka;lga AND! Did you notice the last Wangxian/Xiyao parallel? LWJ looks back and sees WWX, who looks back at him. LXC looks back and sees... the destroyed temple. Sure do love pain!! LSZ revealing that he's A-Yuan to WWX is :))))))))))))) fine, that's fine, I didn't tear up or anything. And, well, you saw how fast WWX and LWJ pivoted from regular eye sex to gay dads eye sex. :D Beautiful~ The only thing I didn't like about the ending sequence is the NHS scene. Tho I think I'm in the minority for that? I liked it better than the Japan edit. Anyway, disliking the NHS scene wasn't so much for NHS himself (who, while I understand and sympathize with his quest for vengeance, tricked the love of my life into killing the other love of my life, who is also the love of his life, and so for this reason he is disinvited from all my future holiday get-togethers). More so for the fact that we have this long Wangxian goodbye and suddenly... there's NHS. I get that the scene itself is valuable, but... ehhhh... I wish it could have been sequenced a little better in that regard. ALSO, HEY, TIME TO SHOUT ABOUT JIANG CHENG. DID YOU ENJOY THE FACT THAT WHEN WEI WUXIAN WENT OUT TO GET SUPPLIES AFTER THE LOTUS PIER MASSACRE, THE ONLY REASON WHY HE DIDN'T GET CAUGHT BY THE WEN SOLDIERS IS BECAUSE JIANG CHENG SACRIFICED HIMSELF INSTEAD? WHICH LED WEN ZHULIU TO MELT HIS CORE, WHICH LED TO WEI WUXIAN GIVING HIS CORE TO JIANG CHENG, THUS SACRIFICING HIMSELF RIGHT BACK? DID YOU ENJOY THAT? DID YOU ENJOY THE MUTUAL SACRIFICE THESE TWO BONEHEADS COMMITTED FOR EACH OTHER?? DID YOU ENJOY THE FACT THAT THE SERIES ENDS WITH NO RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THEM??? THANK GOD FOR FANFICTION BECAUSE I AM READY TO LOSE MY FUCKING VOICE OVER IT!!! Ahem. Overall, I've thoroughly enjoyed your reactions, and I look forward to seeing more in the future! And hey, please remember to take care of *yourself*. 💜

Wayra Elladae

WANGXIAN MARRIED WITH A SON!!!!

Kookiestop

Hmmmm~ Time to rewatch all of your Untamed reactions. Yay!!

Pepe-G

Have you by chance watched the Japan edit? They reordered the scenes, and suddenly it makes so much more sense. https://untamedconnotations.tumblr.com/post/620687066191331328/for-those-who-watched-the-untamed-on-youtube-and

boldly hold

I have a playlist which I watch every now and then, made up of my favourite videos: here's the link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5HhxLo2Quz9pqaAt8Q1kPkU-93vZE0SD (or just find my youtube channel, it's under the same name). Some are better than others - anything by Cescedes is going to be phenomenal, and there's a Xue Yang one to a remix of Bad Guy which is pretty good also. Anyway, happy watching.

Gweniver Call

me seeing you cry at wen ning & sizhui bowing goodbye to the gay dads, knowing that the bullshit 'we must go our separate paths for now' moment is only seconds away: 🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃 this episode is So Much. so much. usually in my many rewatches i actually stop short of like the last three, esp this one, because god. imagine going through this every time hahaha i loved jin ling so much in this ep. taking fairy away from wuxian, and stubbornly trying to talk some sense into his stupid uncle. i also loved ouyang zizhen being like the only one who frets over wuxian like "oh my god your neck!! it looks like someone tried to garrote you!! which is bad!" the ending has its charm, but like the double fake outs of the separation get a bit more tolerable in the alt ending, which is why i recommend it! <3

Can I be the first to say how weird the structure of this episode is? The Special Edition ends in a better place, but is even more effed up, structurally. But let's have a look at this: 1. Resolution of GuanYin temple stuff. 2. Revelation of Sizhui (brb sobbing) 3. You're not coming with me? Ok then. Followed by: 4. Inexplicable return to Gusu to shoot a music video 5.Supremely awkward conversation with Huaisang 6. WWX leaves and says Au Revoir to LWJ 7. WWX is playing the flute, hears LWJ's voice saying Wei Ying, turns around and smiles, as Xiao Zahn was instructed by the directors, "as if your light has returned to you." From behind the scenes footage, we know that Wang Yibo was actually in that scene, even though we never see Lan WangJi, so in theory he didn't need to be there. Well, that's one way of giving the finger to the censors! I approve (the editing is still messed up tho).

Gweniver Call

We really run the full spectrum of emotions in this episode, yep! And I teared up right along with you when A-Yuan revealed his identity to Wei Wuxian

Bethany R

I rushed home just so I could watch this.

Pepe-G

I have so many things to do right now, but I'll watch this glorious reaction as soon as possible!! I know it's going to be amazing!! *** I felt just as overwhelmed as you did the first time I watched ep 50. It was a whole trip and it took me a couple of days to recover. I also screamed something like "you tricked me, you bastards!!" when it was over. I think this was the episode that had me crying from beginning to end, with a tiny pause in waterworks caused by NHS scene. Everything that's unclear gets clearer with the other formats, specially the books. I sure hope to see all the future reactions for Untamed-adjacent material and any series you might recat in the future. Thank you so much for everything, Brittany!! This experience with all of you has been so important!! I'll be waiting for the next livestreams to see you all!! And if anyone has fic or vids recs, please send them my way!! *** Links patreon family might enjoy: "The First Siege - Safe & Sound" (A-Yuan's story) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o8EPeuZInc This is a spoiler-y one if you haven't read the book or listened to the audio drama before, but it's so well done and I really like the artist's style (I almost died... please, go watch it if you can). This is "Drunk Lan Wangji Bathtub scene" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVb3SKtwI4E

Lenne