Love & Destiny 三生三世宸汐缘 - Episode 2 (Recap)

kakashi: We're still in the set-up phase of course, but we're also getting a better feel for the main characters. Also, what the heck happened during that battle at Mount whatshisname?
JoAnne: I am not certain, but it feels like maybe GoW is feeling ashamed, or guilty, or at least regretful.
Or he just has acid reflux. Happens. 
Bunny: I never seen reflux look so hot.

Episode 2

The God of War (lemme call him GoW from now on) (oh, I thought you already were! Ohhh, was I?) walks away from the Emperor's Hall. He already seems melancholic, but then he has a flashback to the eve of the great battle and his brief exchange with a soldier named Yuan Zhen (glad you clarified the name, I think he may important). Wanna bet he died and GoW feels guilty about it? He is even more depressed afterwards, but doesn't get to sulk alone - Ling Xi comes running after him and drowns him in excited chatter. She's a fangirl! (I relate!) And she's really cute in her excitement to be able to serve under him.  
Yes but if it goes on for any longer it will be annoying.
Their interaction!! He's a total ice block (literally) and she's like a little squirrel ready to talk his ear off. Just what someone needs after waking up from a coma right?? Oh how I love beginnings...

He walks away without paying her any attention and eventually, they got to a gorgeous place (Floating Cloud Palace) - wow, this alone is enough, MARRY ME! (of course he can't be a bum, that'd go against all the rules in drama universe) Opening the door is a student of his, Thirteenth (Shi San, previously Shi Shan), real name Mo Jiang. Mo Jiang is female now, but used to be male, leading to a short moment of confusion. Mo Jiang is an extremely loyal person though. S/he waited for 50,000 years, certain the GoW would eventually return, and cleaned every day. That makes Floating Cloud Palace officially cleaner than my house!
Or any other, including my own! Apart from the dialogue that actually clued me in, I had noticed that Shi San takes up space in a very masculine way and wondered why that was - it's not awkward or overdone, but it's easy to see.
Great point, Jo! I wasn't too clear about this tidbit until near the end of this episode, but the actress totally nailed the body language and pointed me in that direction.

The GoW puts Mo Jiang in charge of Ling Xi since she just an "unruly" lower realm fairy with no clue about manners. He informs them that he has come to recover and wants no visitors. Jiu Cheng seems particularly attached to a tree in the courtyard (that hasn't grown in his absence). I hope Ling Xi doesn't touch it like she touched the other tree?
No green thumb, that one.
She should just refrain from touching anything. Except GoW that is...

Oh no, I feel so sorry for him... Once alone, he steps outside to pay his respects to 100,000 dead soldiers from the war. And then, he has the strangest flashback / memory... during which he kills Celestials as well as Demons and seems to be possessed by some evil black smoke. Hmmmmm.
That's a heavy burden, indeed.
That black smoke looks to be some sort of miasma that may have possessed the celestial soldiers (it hovers over each one of them) so maybe it's not the GoW who was possessed, but his own men, who he had to kill off?

Ling Xi moves in after receiving a crystal on a string from her father (he says it's "very important" she wears it at all times). Are we really going to skip over that hilarious conversation between her and her dad?? The man suggested that the GoW was gonna jump her bones! I nearly died... We learn from the transgender merperson (that's what s/he is) that GoW doesn't like anybody entering his bedchambers. Ling Xi also gets told about who lives where in the Heavens and a gazillion rules. She's frustrated that there are so many and she can basically only bow her head to everyone and say nothing. This is not the freedom she hoped to gain from leaving her father's orchard. 
A merperson? I missed that part! Where's the tail?
Cultivated away. I know this from the wiki description... 
Yeah, I definitely didn't catch the merperson part! Also, how cute is NiNi in these scenes? It's the first time I haven't cringed watching an actress act childish.

Visitors come! Oh, it's Yun Feng and he brings them maids? More women for the GoW, hehe. Yun Feng also brings two officers to visit, Han Zhang and Kai Yang. They served under the GoW during the war so I guess the "no visitors" rule doesn't apply to them. Yup, so we get confirmation, Yuan Zheng perished and so did someone called Zhu Xie. Yuan Zheng's position has been taken up by his sister Yuan Tong whereas Zhu Xie's entire family was wiped out. Poor GoW. That last bit hits him hard.
Ummm...jokes will resume in Episode 3, dear readers. We hope. How can I make up stuff about a harem when it's followed so closely by news of an entire family disappearing?
(Sorry, I'm not as moral as you) How much do we wanna bet this sister Yuan Tong person is gonna latch on like a leech later? 

Yun Feng laters lets us know that he was the one who put Jiu Cheng's soulless body into that ice cave at their Shifu's behest. That Shifu sealed himself in a cave to cultivate after hearing of the GoW demise. GoW also voices a fear to his junior: that the woman who awakened him may very well also be able to awaken the Demon Lord... that's why he wanted her near, to investigate her strange powers (that he suspects are a Demon's).

So here's the thing: for all we know, ANYONE venturing into that cave could have woken him up.  He doesn't know, no one was ever allowed to enter! (he does though cause Yun Feng tells him) Also, it could just have been a coincidence.  Let's not immediately jump to demon-raising suspicions.

Yes, but I'm sure a bunch of people have tried to wake him up BEFORE they actually stuck him in that ice cave.

The God of Lightning gets incited by two of his subordinates to move against Ling Xi and "interrogate" her - they find her closeness to that cute monster from last episode very suspicious. They bring her to some platform and hit her with a Celestial lightning whip that reminds me of a lightsaber with erection problems. I admit I squeed a little when Jiu Cheng appears in a cloud of smoke to save her though it's completely unromantic. He's such a stick in the mud. He's got his own problems, don't bully my bb!! (yes, I'm already at that stage)
GoL has his panties in a bunch because he didn't get to become GoW.  GoW is coming to terms with being the universe's greatest mass murderer so I'd say he has an excuse.
I'm confused how they just waltzed into to GoW's palace and abducted her here to be whipped so easily.

She hears from Qing Yao (her female Doctor friend) who treats her wounds afterwards that the GoW is in pretty bad shape himself. Snooping around is a bit dangerous though because as soon as she enters his bedroom, his sword comes flying straight for her face. So he's pretty serious about not wanting anyone in there :D He is impressed she didn't try to dodge though. Her answer to why she didn't seems honest and is cute: she was just sure he wouldn't hurt her after going through the trouble of saving her. She is very endearing with her frankness.
Come on. Ducking should be instinctive unless you train not to duck. Did she train? We've noticed she has excellent fighting skills. Why is that exactly?

He tells her she has ten days to find that longevity charm she took from his hand in the ice chamber (since she claims she's lost it) - or else he will have her transferred to the God of Lightning's palace. She hasn't lost it at all, the little liar! We see her looking at it afterwards. She just doesn't want to give it back.
And why is that, do you think?
Hahaha she is totally a little liar and he called her out for it! I love that.

After Jiu Chen orders 13th to keep an eye on Ling Xi at all times, things get a little uncomfortable for her. The merperson snores - and has a huge trident that protects her even in her sleep. When Ling Xi mopes outside about being mistreated by the suspicious Jiu Chen she realizes something is not right... frost spreads everywhere! GoW has another dream/memory of the battle while he meditates, only this time, he is up against Yuan Zheng and kills him... and then everybody, 100,000 soldiers. The cold in his body takes over.
So the guilt makes him freeze over? Poor guy.

Ling Xi finds him frosted, but manages to thaw him once again by pouring almost all her cultivation into him. Completely exhausted, she collapses into his lap just as he opens his eyes.
This should be interesting.
I ship I ship I ship. That last part, NiNi's facial expressions are so tender, my heart...

Comments

Ling Xi is growing on me fast, I'm so happy about it! I feared she'd be too timid and too pure (and hence annoying and boring), but she fully knows what she's doing and I find her neither. Her father warns her that Jiu Cheng is a young, virile man who has been forced into 50,000 years of celibacy and her grin just widens at that, hahaha. She wants to live life!
Nothing I like better than a grumpy man finding himself falling for someone. Let's get to it!
Oh, she totally has a huge ass crush, even though she grumbles about him. 

I know some people complained about lacking chemistry between the leads... but I think the "thawing" of him wouldn't work as well if they had sizzling chemistry from the get-go. He is known for his dull personality (at least according to Ling Xi's father) and besides, is wrapped up in so much guilt, he has eyes for nobody right now. It struck me as funny that this aloof, cold High Good seems so very human to me - he has such a sad presence on screen I want to hug him and tell him it'll be alright eventually.
He is so buried under the weight of what he did that I'm actually surprised he can function at all.
Like any good slow burn, they have to have their stiff and awkward moments in the beginning. But actually the chemistry is quite present to me. It's subtle, but it's there. Not like we haven't seen this trope about a million times -- cold and withdrawn male lead falls head over heels for bubbly, ray of sunshine female lead who turns his world upside down, but I think they'll put a nice spin on it.

We haven't met all the characters yet of course. The Yuan-sister is probably going to be an important character, they talked quite a bit about her in this episode. I hope she doesn't have a crush on GoW (we don't want another Sujin!).
Pretty sure you're hoping in vain, but she IS about to get married so maybe it won't be too bad.