The Untamed– It surprised me … the relationship that brought on the most tears was this one, of the ‘brothers’ that were & what they could have been. Loved how their arc ended. So contented!
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    Just tagging a few Untamed Beanies.
    @linda-palapala @trinpie @kimbapnoona, @shach, @marites59, @stpauligurl , @strawberry, @gadis @larelle79 @mayhemf @outofthisworld

    Now that I’m bothering to re-watch with slowdown and with repeats on scenes, I’m seeing stuff I never did before. Unexpectedly, to me, I loved the brothers’ reunion and all the emotions that played across their faces, so much more than I thought I ever would.

    Seeing them together, finally talking, finally apologising, forgiving and accepting their past and moving on, warmed my heart so much more than I was prepared for.

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      It was so heartwarming to watch this moment unfolded. They both needed it. Aww man now I wanna rewatch this episode. Haha

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      I agree with you @growingbeautifully – the relationship between the brothers was always the hardest to watch just because WWX couldn’t tell his brother what he’d done and how it hurt him when JC blamed him for so much.
      And it was so frustrating that JC couldn’t get over his own insecurities….

      But at the end when he tossed the flute. Yes that was a powerful scene and I’m getting there on my second watch and like others am seeing more the second time around.

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      I can’t say that Jiang Cheng and WWX’s relationship made me cry. I remember being annoyed by JC even when I rewatched it.

      I can understand why he is who he is but I also believe he could have supported WWX instead of suspecting him and standing against him. Part of the fault lies with WWX. Apart from teasing and joking, WWX never sat down and had a heart to heart chat with JC.

      I had post something similar about WWX and JC’s relationship in my earlier post. Some beanies explained it quite succinctly – they are brothers. It’s totally believable that the two people who love each other cannot communicate properly.

      WWX’s behaviour and actions led not just his enemies to accuse him but also people like Jiang Cheng to doubt him. Even Lan Wangji had his struggles. It’s just that he chose to believe in WWX.

      The thing I dislike about Jiang Cheng is how his insecurity and pride always got the better than him. I almost couldn’t believe that he had actually love his brother so much that he sacrificed himself. In the end, he had lived even more miserably than WWX. I am glad they had closure because these two love each other more than themselves.

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        The other character who’s also partly at fault is JC’s dad. He gave WWX much more attention than his own son. JC was already competitive by nature, but dad’s open partiality for the WWX made matters worse. Unfortunately, not only was WWX the child of the woman that JC’s dad had liked, he was also all round better than JC at everything. JC never felt good enough to get his dad’s approval while WWX was around.

        JC’s mother didn’t help any by harping on the differences in treatment between the 2 boys. JC being JC just wasn’t strong enough to surmount the negative that surrounded him.

        But what was interesting in that last conversation he had with WWX, was that he mentioned twice that WWX had promised to be his deputy, but had betrayed that promise. That, more than the other sore points, seemed to be the issue he really had with WWX. WWX had blithely been the one to first suggest and promise to support JC in his struggle to rebuild the Jiang Sect, but he had never been there for JC at the crucial times. He had instead embarrassed JC and inadvertently humiliated JC by never giving him much face in public. That promise should never have been made. It was doomed from the start.

        Maybe JC had set much more store on that promise than we know. He was lacking in confidence and might have been depending on WWX to be there for him. What was worse was that in JC’s eyes, WWX had given more priority to the Wens and LWJ than to the Jiangs. He saw it as betrayal and the cause of the death of his family.

        It’s true that he should have known WWX better, and to have trusted him more. He should have not been one of the party in the seige on the Burial Mounds. But his bitterness at so much loss, his desire for revenge and the easiness of seeing WWX as the obvious target got the better of him.

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          WWX is the one who has great perspective of his position in Jiang’s household. I can’t remember which scene but I recalled that he knew that Dad was particularly harsh on JC because he is the son and successor to the Jiang sect leadership. Something which either JC didn’t really see or dismissed.

          Time and again, it’s is clear that WWX is the more talented, more charismatic and more popular one. Can’t blame JC for having his life long low esteem because he’s always been compared unfavourably to WWX. This was picked by up astute enemies like JGY.

          Yes, WWX promised to be JC’s deputy but I wished JC could look at the bigger picture and stop being entirely self focused. JC never saw the injustice done to the Wens or Gusu Sect. WWX didn’t do it because he love them more than his family. He did what he did because he could never tolerate injustice or let the weak suffer, even if they weren’t his family. This is where Lan Wangji differs. I think Lan Wangji liked WWX because he saw a truly righteous person with a good heart beneath all the fast and trash talking persona.

          Yes, WWX was to be blamed for some of the unfortunate events even though he was a direct cause. I just wish JC had more trust, think more clearly and discern for himself instead of being swayed by popular opinion and accusations.

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          Never saw how “strict” or harsh the dad was to Jiang Cheng in the novel. He never scolded/punished JC for hanging out with WWX or being a partner-in-crime. He never pushed JC to be anything against his will. Being married to the often sour unpleasant Madam Yu, it’s not surprising Dad would prefer a happy, playful WWX. He was much more lenient and tolerant compare to a stereotypical father in that age.

          I feel the one of the reasons that JC felt so betrayed by WWX not keeping his promise was the “deputy” part. Everyone who knew WWX should know he would be terrible working in an administrative position. However, even in name only, JC would be WWX’s superior/boss.

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        I cannot help but to compare Jiang Cheng’s and Lan Wangji’s love for WWX. They both are haughty characters that are deeply in love with WWX… but their approach to love is very similar to their dads… One can sacrifice all his reputations and principles with no regret while the other struggles between his love vs. principles, responsibilities & duties (as a clan leader), ambitious, and his own insecurities etc…

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          That is true @persianrose.
          Taking this thought to the Jiang Cheng and Wen Qing arc … My heart ached, knowing that Jiang Cheng admired Wen Qing, and that he could never acknowledge that openly. He could not surmount his position and responsibility as Sect Leader, or his need to uphold appearances and at least not be ostracised by the other Sects. He couldn’t follow his heart. He couldn’t and didn’t try that hard to save Wen Qing. Although not shown in the drama, he probably had deep regret over Wen Qing’s death and he remained alone even more than a decade later. Finding out that she had been the one to give him his 2nd chance with WWX’s golden core must have gutted him, because he had not appreciated her worth and goodness fully, and because she had saved his self-worth.

          However, even if he was not a person who needed to maintain his ‘face’, I feel that he really did not have a choice as a Sect Leader, unless he wanted to have all the other Sects as his ‘enemies’ by protecting a member of the Wen family.

          In the same way, if only he had protected WWX before WWX became public enemy number 1, his Sect might have been the one that the other families might have been wary of. With powerful WWX with him, he’d have some sway, but at the same time, it would chaff at him that his power was 2nd hand, only of significance, because the other Sects feared WWX rather than him.

          When WWX became the public enemy, JC also couldn’t take him back. As the one responsible for other members in his Sect, JC couldn’t throw caution to the winds and just accept WWX and antagonise all the other clans. It was both against his nature to be soft to WWX and it was a risk for his Sect.

          LWJ being the younger brother, and with still an uncle as head of the Lan Sect, had somewhat less responsibility. He could go back home and get punishment as an individual. Unlike JC, his actions to protect WWX would not backfire on his Sect, just only on himself.

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      Btw, thank you for posting the screenshot of JC’s face. I missed that too!

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      I made a very similar post on this exact thing when I did my rewatch:

      http://www.dramabeans.com/members/trinpie/activity/893697/

      I was surprised how much their reunion affected me on my 2nd watch. Especially since I’ve never been a fan of JC.

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    is this a chinese one?
    why are these characters so ugly

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      You think they are unattractive?

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      Do you find the characters ugly or the actors? Since they aren’t wearing monkey suits, I can only infer that you mean the actors.

      Beauty is subjective but still, I won’t call someone who has recently topped Asia’s Most Handsome Faces In Asia 2019 ugly.

      We can argue that this kind of ranking is influenced largely by popularity but even if we go by that, a man whose looks is ‘subjective’ at best can’t just be ranked a freaking number one.

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