The Outsiders: episode 4 meta and pictures
I have finished episode 4 of The Outsiders. I have never seen a Taiwanese series (not even Meteor Garden) that has appealed to me so much, that moved me so crazily, except for Mars. Unless it spectacularly derails later, this is going into my top 5 dramas period.
It's so delicately right. Never over the top or draggy or anything but perfect.
This is one of the most amazing OTPs I've ever seen: they are utterly impossible and they know it, and the world knows it, but they keep being pulled to each other over and over again, like magnets. And you sense the doom that will inevitably come and just...oh MAN.
Behind the cut is my picspam/review of the ep. It's sort of meta with illustrations :)
Enter at your own risk because the pretty just might kill you.
I just love this shot. It's exam time and Yu Hao is so exhausted from racing and what not, he is just sleeping.
He does eventually attempt to take the exam, but due to a series of bad luck things, is falsely accused of cheating. And the thing that I love so much is twofold. One is that the meek, polite, good-girl Yu Yen busts her way into the Principal's office and will not budge, stands her grounds against the Principal, against her father, against everything, defending Ah Hao. And two? When Ah Hao sees Yu Yen is getting in trouble, he...admits to cheating. Even though he didn't do it, and was hotly defending himself just moments before, and even though it means expulsion and the end. *dies*
During exam:
With father and principal:
The two guys defending their friend:
During the 'investigation'
Oh, OH OH. This scene turned me into a human-shaped mushball. After his expulsion (for her sake! This drama establishes again and again that Yu Hao has no self of self-preservation or even common sense when it comes to Yu Yen. Maybe because he feels she is so out of his reach so he doesn't want her to be 'sullied' by him so whenever any trouble happens for her, he feels like he must fix now. Not to make her in any way less by association with him. She is the one pure, good thing in his grotty life.
And after all that, after she stood up for him, and he got himself expelled to protect her, they walk like this in the corridor, with her father watching and he won't look at her and all he is thinking 'don't look at me me. I don't want to cause you any more trouble' (and he is the one who got expelled!)
*dies*
And she is totally depressed and derailed because he still won't talk to her, obviously, and I love how she is a little down but there is no over-the-top weeping. And I am getting to like the 'Other Girl' who is crushing on Ah Hao. She is straightforward and tells Yu Yen she now likes her because she stood up for her guy and now that she knows Ah Hao has a woman, she'll leave him alone. Awesomeness:
Yu Yen melancholy:
Yu Yen almost knocked down accidentally by some rude person because she is in a daze (she is beautiful!)
Yu Yen on her bed:
Other girl:
But, try as he may, he cannot stay away from her. My favorite scene of the episode follows. It's his birthday which he forgot about utterly. And his friends remind him and give him a colored egg (it's apparently a custom to break it on the head of the bday person. Interesting. In Russia the custom is to pull the ears of the bday person their age+one). And even though he is supposed to be participating in some race, he just leaves and sneaks and leaves the egg for her. I don't think he ever expected her to come out/find it. It's just she was the person he wanted to share it with whichever way he could. But she is so attuned to noises because it might be him, that she hears. And comes out. You know, no matter what, every meeting of theirs is as if they'd never been apart at all.
I love the symbolism of the bars. Yeah, not super-subtle but I don't care.
And then he tells her it's his birthday, like a little kid needing an excuse:
So she takes the egg (yessss, hand touching!) and performs the 'ceremony:'
I love it when she is the one who makes the first moves. She is the one who asks him to take her on a ride. She is the one who later initiates physical contact. I think it's because he is so protective of her, so sees her as fragile. He has her on a scary pedestal, doesn't he? It's like all the tenderness and gentleness he had but never could express is poured into one person now.
Looking at the view:
The thing is, their different lives and upbringing are so evident. Her sheltered sweet life made her an idealistic optimist. She believes in the possibilities, in the bright world out there, in triumph of hope. His life of hard knocks OTOH made him a lot more pessimistic. He does not believe their worlds can meet at all, he doesn't hope the way she does. He can't afford the luxury. So this night is last time they meet, according to him. How many times has he made that resolution? I think part of the reason he can't let go is because he doesn't have other good things in his life, at all. I find it sad when she says he must make a bday wish and he says he doesn't have any and she says he has to have one and it will come true. She is so fierce in trying to convince him good things exist, and he says he wishes then that she always be as happy and pure as when he first met her.
That's why as much as he is trying to free her:
He can't because he is so happy with her:
And OMG OMG. He gives her his necklace, the one he always wears. And tells her he will never forget her and there is touching omg omg omg:
But she says it's his birthday so why is he the one giving her a present and she says she has one for him and OMG OMG OMG. Tiptoes. And being the first to make the move OMG OMG OMG:
And of course, nothing is without its price. After their innocent night together, her parents find out about her being away, and it's the first time Yu Yen gets hit. Ah Hao's selfless wish that she always be pure and happy the way she was when he first met her is impossible, isn't it? Just by loving him, she is learning about pain and unfairness:
Yelled at:
After being slapped:
And at the end of ep, things get even further derailed. Yu Yen's parents are sending her out of the country and she asks Danzi to tell Ah Hao to come to school at a particular time as it's the only time she is unguarded, but he finds out too late and ohhhh...I see angst.
Beautiful Yu Yen checking out of the school:
Here is Danzi telling Ah Hao:
Some miscellaneous shots:
The quiet, steady Danzi. I think he is falling for Yu Yen himself:
Two friends of Ah Hao studying:
The goofy friend:
Ah Hao pondering his future:
It's so delicately right. Never over the top or draggy or anything but perfect.
This is one of the most amazing OTPs I've ever seen: they are utterly impossible and they know it, and the world knows it, but they keep being pulled to each other over and over again, like magnets. And you sense the doom that will inevitably come and just...oh MAN.
Behind the cut is my picspam/review of the ep. It's sort of meta with illustrations :)
Enter at your own risk because the pretty just might kill you.
I just love this shot. It's exam time and Yu Hao is so exhausted from racing and what not, he is just sleeping.
He does eventually attempt to take the exam, but due to a series of bad luck things, is falsely accused of cheating. And the thing that I love so much is twofold. One is that the meek, polite, good-girl Yu Yen busts her way into the Principal's office and will not budge, stands her grounds against the Principal, against her father, against everything, defending Ah Hao. And two? When Ah Hao sees Yu Yen is getting in trouble, he...admits to cheating. Even though he didn't do it, and was hotly defending himself just moments before, and even though it means expulsion and the end. *dies*
During exam:
With father and principal:
The two guys defending their friend:
During the 'investigation'
Oh, OH OH. This scene turned me into a human-shaped mushball. After his expulsion (for her sake! This drama establishes again and again that Yu Hao has no self of self-preservation or even common sense when it comes to Yu Yen. Maybe because he feels she is so out of his reach so he doesn't want her to be 'sullied' by him so whenever any trouble happens for her, he feels like he must fix now. Not to make her in any way less by association with him. She is the one pure, good thing in his grotty life.
And after all that, after she stood up for him, and he got himself expelled to protect her, they walk like this in the corridor, with her father watching and he won't look at her and all he is thinking 'don't look at me me. I don't want to cause you any more trouble' (and he is the one who got expelled!)
*dies*
And she is totally depressed and derailed because he still won't talk to her, obviously, and I love how she is a little down but there is no over-the-top weeping. And I am getting to like the 'Other Girl' who is crushing on Ah Hao. She is straightforward and tells Yu Yen she now likes her because she stood up for her guy and now that she knows Ah Hao has a woman, she'll leave him alone. Awesomeness:
Yu Yen melancholy:
Yu Yen almost knocked down accidentally by some rude person because she is in a daze (she is beautiful!)
Yu Yen on her bed:
Other girl:
But, try as he may, he cannot stay away from her. My favorite scene of the episode follows. It's his birthday which he forgot about utterly. And his friends remind him and give him a colored egg (it's apparently a custom to break it on the head of the bday person. Interesting. In Russia the custom is to pull the ears of the bday person their age+one). And even though he is supposed to be participating in some race, he just leaves and sneaks and leaves the egg for her. I don't think he ever expected her to come out/find it. It's just she was the person he wanted to share it with whichever way he could. But she is so attuned to noises because it might be him, that she hears. And comes out. You know, no matter what, every meeting of theirs is as if they'd never been apart at all.
I love the symbolism of the bars. Yeah, not super-subtle but I don't care.
And then he tells her it's his birthday, like a little kid needing an excuse:
So she takes the egg (yessss, hand touching!) and performs the 'ceremony:'
I love it when she is the one who makes the first moves. She is the one who asks him to take her on a ride. She is the one who later initiates physical contact. I think it's because he is so protective of her, so sees her as fragile. He has her on a scary pedestal, doesn't he? It's like all the tenderness and gentleness he had but never could express is poured into one person now.
Looking at the view:
The thing is, their different lives and upbringing are so evident. Her sheltered sweet life made her an idealistic optimist. She believes in the possibilities, in the bright world out there, in triumph of hope. His life of hard knocks OTOH made him a lot more pessimistic. He does not believe their worlds can meet at all, he doesn't hope the way she does. He can't afford the luxury. So this night is last time they meet, according to him. How many times has he made that resolution? I think part of the reason he can't let go is because he doesn't have other good things in his life, at all. I find it sad when she says he must make a bday wish and he says he doesn't have any and she says he has to have one and it will come true. She is so fierce in trying to convince him good things exist, and he says he wishes then that she always be as happy and pure as when he first met her.
That's why as much as he is trying to free her:
He can't because he is so happy with her:
And OMG OMG. He gives her his necklace, the one he always wears. And tells her he will never forget her and there is touching omg omg omg:
But she says it's his birthday so why is he the one giving her a present and she says she has one for him and OMG OMG OMG. Tiptoes. And being the first to make the move OMG OMG OMG:
And of course, nothing is without its price. After their innocent night together, her parents find out about her being away, and it's the first time Yu Yen gets hit. Ah Hao's selfless wish that she always be pure and happy the way she was when he first met her is impossible, isn't it? Just by loving him, she is learning about pain and unfairness:
Yelled at:
After being slapped:
And at the end of ep, things get even further derailed. Yu Yen's parents are sending her out of the country and she asks Danzi to tell Ah Hao to come to school at a particular time as it's the only time she is unguarded, but he finds out too late and ohhhh...I see angst.
Beautiful Yu Yen checking out of the school:
Here is Danzi telling Ah Hao:
Some miscellaneous shots:
The quiet, steady Danzi. I think he is falling for Yu Yen himself:
Two friends of Ah Hao studying:
The goofy friend:
Ah Hao pondering his future: