So, about Zhao Xinci

[branchandroot]

Okay, the last round of this was huge fun and I’m about to be locked in “leadership institute” for eight freaking hours, so let’s talk about Zhao Xinci.

Spoilers for the end of the show, of course.

My take: Zhao Xinci is not a brilliant man. He’s dedicated to his job, but he’s not a brilliant investigator. Instead, he’s methodical and devoted to evidence and logic, and gets results because what he does have is the ability to lock down his emotional response. We’re talking “I want to grow up to be a Vulcan, oh look I did it” levels, here. He’s methodical and careful, but not very flexible, witness every interaction he has with his son. He also seems deeply dedicated to process and procedure, witness /both/ his interactions with his son and his statement that he doesn’t care if SID is in the right, he can’t let them flout the Ministry’s orders. That’s some pretty steep levels of devotion to the chain of command.

And yet, very soon after that above statement, we see him do a complete 180 and participate (apparently willingly, given Zhang Shi’s comments about partnership and it having been a long time) in knocking out the Minister, imprisoning the Minister in his office, and taking over the Ministry basically by coup. Oh, and fighting for the salvation of Dixingren, the people he’s hated unrelentingly for years and years.

And that’s where I finally snap. The rest of his sometimes uneven characterization and motivation I can wave off as Zhang Shi. But this, when they are allegedly working together consciously? *bangs head on desk*

So I’m left with the conclusion that Zhang Shi is actually still leaning very hard on Zhao Xinci, through the end, and just doing it more subtly than taking him over.

Thoughts?

Comments

[ranalore]

While I could buy him staging a coup at the Ministry if he felt Gao had violated either part of "law and order" (and it's been a while since I watched those eps, but I want to say he made a few indications that Gao was edging toward the line of violating "order," just like the SID had violated "law"), I too couldn't buy him helping to fight for the Dixingren without being strongly influenced by Zhang Shi. But then, I've never been inclined to take Zhang Shi at face value, which affects my reading. I mean, he's clearly not ambitious in the way Ye Zun is, but he's got an agenda that prioritizes finding a replacement wick for the Guardian Lantern, for one, and which never quite comes clear otherwise. And I think he presents himself as able to influence Zhao Xinci in a particular way, and suggests their partnership, but I think his ability to influence works on a more subconscious level than ZXC knows or can counteract. I think Zhang Shi may not like to do it that way, perhaps it involves more dark energy use and means ZXC's condition deteriorates faster, but certainly circumstances are dire enough in those last few episodes to warrant the risk.

[branchandroot]

Zhang Shi is a character that just begs to be made something of, and zhe mostly gets used as a plot lever. Ugh.