Ice Fantasy 幻城 - Episode 21 (Recap)

kakashi: We spend most of this episode watching people fight over who should be the next Ice King. It's the first slightly boring episode of the entire drama. Shi is still beautiful. As is Kasuo. Less beautiful though: that ring Shi is holding in the picture below.
I like Shi's headpiece, though.  And the slightly pinky tone they give his outfit to highlight his dewy freshness.
That ring is pretty ugly. But Shi just takes my breath away.

Episode 21

We open with Yan Da unconscious in the snow. Ying Kong Shi! That's not nice!! She calls him a heartless jerk once she wakes up and is sad. I'm sad too. I don't think you'll ever get him, dear Fire Princess.
No, but she's not the sort to give up. And Shi got her out of the way of whatever is about to go down, as well as out of the way of the guardsmen, the Ice King, Lian Ji etc.
Still. He just dumped her in the snow. On a rock.
In Snow City, the guests have gathered for the banquet in celebration of the Ice Tribe victory. All the tribes swear an oath to be allies forever - and receive a snowflake flower to seal it. In case you might wonder why it's red: because the blood of the Ice King is in it. Oookay.
Healer Guy is all... umm, we try to keep blood inside the body...
Shi goes: I, too, have a gift for everyone! And claps his hands. Palace guards bring in ... a box full of explosives. The Fire Tribe was here! Thanks to Shi, all tinder have been located and the danger is averted. Kasuo (who is looking really good, by the way (because he's not crying)) is major proud of his brother, especially when he uses his magic to turn the tinder into fireworks outside the city. Many of the guests start saying how great Shi is. 
Yay, Shi!
Kasuo looks very fine, indeed.
As a reward, the Ice King grants Shi a wish. Ohhh, look at him:
He has moments where he looks like a brat. This is one of them.
Stunning.
Okay, and this is this beautiful man's wish: to be the successor for the throne. Several people in the room are shocked at this brazen behavior, but many also say out loud that yes, Shi should be king indeed. Of course, the Ice King (and the Ice Queen) say no way, but Shi holds a passionate speech about why he's the right one. Should not the most powerful of them be king? Haha, Kasuo totally agrees (as does Lian Ji, of course). Well, the Ice King realizes this won't be solved tonight and announces that the successor will be named another day.
Who names the king, though, him or the Seven Shits?
They advise. No king has ever not followed their advice, though.
Outside, the ugly Fire Prince hears everything. Man, he looks SO STUPID. And then, he runs into Yan Da, who has apparently come back. Before they can talk, he's kidnapped by the black smoke. Oups. Yes, just like that. Hahahaaa. That's him, up in the sky on the right. Good job, drama.
Why did the black smoke want this horrible kid? Anyway, I laughed at this.
Yeah, this part was funny. Especially when he's off screen and Yan Da is thinking or expositing or whatever she was doing, but off screen you hear all this grunting.
This is the Ice Queen's "I'm going to rip your head off"-face (by the way, my daughter is a huge fan of those rabbit-ear servants - she keeps saying that they must know everything that is going on behind the doors of the palace, but are too noble to tell anyone):

Agreed regarding those servants.
Ancestors of that hotel with the auction in Nine Gates.
It's Lian Ji's head she wants to rip and the Ice King she wants to see, but he is not seeing anyone and sends his two women away. Actually, the Mermaid Saint is with him and we learn that the Ice King thinks Shi is right, they need a powerful king, but powerful is not determined by magic powers alone. She's against Shi too, it seems. And both of them know... Shi isn't the Ice King's son at all.
So, why was he allowed to live all this time.
Because the Ice King isn't the massive tool he seems to be on occasion?

Next, the Ice King goes to speak to the Seven Saints (it is weird to call them that when they're only five!) and reassures them he will make sure that Kasuo ends up on the throne. Okay, this is getting repetitive. And we get it. You all want Kasuo on the throne, because Shi isn't even of the Ice King's blood.
Mermaid Saint has a word with Lian Ji that evening too and tells her a) the Ice King knows and b) she should know the Fire King never loved her - he was only after her Teardrop Charm. Why? Because he wanted to find the entrance to Sacred Snow Mountain.Why? To get the Veiled Lotus. Wait ... is this the first time we hear of the thing? I honestly don't remember. In case we do, Veiled Lotus = super important. Anyway, Lian Ji is in denial.
It was funny that in this place full of fantastical things, Lian Ji calls the Veiled Lotus a myth.
Didn't the king and his dad talk about it?
Next, we see how Shi strokes his sword.
He needs to work on his technique.
That won't get you very far, Shi.
Lan Shang comes in and is annoying. The gist of the discussion is this: Shi tells her to give up on Kasuo and if she absolutely wants to be queen, he will marry her. No, she does not want to be queen, she wants Kasuo!
She is really desperate considering she's the top of the line princess in this world.
She's just irritating and I want her to go away.
oh yes, and we love you!

Hearts and Hearts and Hearts!
The Ice King tells Kasuo he will ban Li Luo forever if he ever publicly gives up on the thrones again. Kasuo, careful, he means it!
The only person I totally feel sorry for is Li Luo.
Well, Kasuo won't give in that easily and he invites Li Luo to join him for a date at the ice lake. He wants her to teach him how to fish. OMG looks how cute he is.
He is, indeed. Shi is stunning, but I prefer Kasuo's looks. Until he cries, that is.
He tells her he does not want to be king, he wants to live in the mortal realm. He is so hopeful... but it makes her cry. Him having no powers, him talking about his mortal life. But then she runs with it and tells him she'd come looking for him, they'd have drinks on the roof, fly kites... they could fish together and then sell their catch on the market. And he ... he pulls out a ring from his robes and gathers courage to tell her that he wants to marry her...
Hasn't he already asked her to marry him before this?
This story is really only about 10 episodes long.
... but before he can say anything, someone (well, not hard to guess who: Lian Ji!) nearby cuts her hand, deliberately, I should add, and the sword fairies inside of him go berserk. Li Luo, the brave woman, talks to the sword fairies and tells them to back down, but he attacks her. TT_______TT
Luckily, Qin Chu is nearby and manages to save her. When Kasuo realizes what he has done, he is absolutely heartbroken. He cannot control himself and has no right to be with Li Luo, he thinks, and throws the ring away.
He kinda has a point. I mean what's he going to do, keep her pregnant all the time so that she's safe? Never go near the kitchen?
Shi has witnessed it all (and I think he calmed the fairies by swinging around the Deicide) and he is not at all happy about his mother's meddling. He threatens to destroy her plans and then goes and retrieves the ring from the lake.
They're at an impasse then, because Lian Ji needs Shi to be king, and Shi needs to be king to get Kasuo's powers back and free from kinging.
Shi looks so cool.
Cut to Shuo Gang, who has been transported somewhere into the mountains from where he cannot escape. Hahaaaaa. Yan Da keeps her brother's abduction from the weak Fire King, even though he suspects something is wrong.
Yan Da is the only one of her siblings who can fly. She can also go invisible. She also does not make stupid mistakes (she got caught on purpose in the last episode). We really do not need these dumbass Fire Princes.
In the Ice City, Kasuo tells Shi that he does not blame him for anything - he should be at ease. They smile at each other ... and then, their father plus a large entourage comes in. Oh, is it time to announce the successor? It is! But instead of saying whom he wants, he has a task for them: Whoever comes up with a solution to repair the ice sheath will be the King. Alright! They're ready! And both of them say what needs to be done first at the same time: remove the "Holy Flame".
And they smile at each other because Twu Wuv and all that.
Hahahahahahahahhaaha

Comments

Awww, the brothers continue to be cute. I like how Kasuo is all "let him be king" and how he is concerned his brother might be under too much pressure. I know we're hating the Ice King and I do! But I do see that he simply never even tried to escape his "destiny" and that he would never ever allow his son to escape his. He does not know any better, the idiot. Good on Kasuo for trying to rebel and marry Li Luo. Damn shame about those evil fairies inside of you.
There's got to be a way to put those faeries back in the sword.  (That sounds weird. Why does that sound weird?)
It sounds weird because it is weird. You're talking about putting fairies into a sword. It should sound weird.