The Outsiders: episode 7
Oh.
OH.
Yes, I know I start most of my posts about this with that, but I can't help it.
This is amazing. Pitch-perfect and so on it hurts. If it wasn't for Mars, this would be my favorite drama, and the way it shapes up, Mars just might come off the pedestal *gasp* (I know, I know).
kitsune714 once said that in some ways the story reminds her of 'Paradise Lost' (not Milton's work but the concept) and I am beginning to see what she means. carviangeli, I agree that this story is, in some ways, Mars-like (though Yu Yen is sheltered and happy at the start, the opposite of Qi Luo) but in a very important way, it's its polar opposite. Where love heals and helps Ling and Qi Luo and enables them to start living normally, to hope, in The Outsiders, love is going to be Ah Hao and Yu Yen's downfall.
There is a lot of the boy still left in Ah Hao. He has a child's impetuosity, and passion and (in an odd way) fragile idealism. This whole-hearted dedication, this focus, this boyishness is irresistable. No wonder Yu Yen falls head over heels. But what that means is, that even though he is a street-tough kid and Yu Yen is a sheltered fairy tale princess, there are two innocents in that relationship, and they are in a world that is unkind to fairytales. In a way, it might have been safer for her to fall for the steady, rock-solid Danzi (who could take wonderful care of her), but of course, she never would have come out of her bubble for him, and he would have never noticed her if she hadn't stepped out of it already, for Ah Hao.
And there is the fact that I am a rabid Ah Hao/Yu Yen shipper :)
The thing is, being with Yu Yen makes Ah Hao incredibly vulnerable. He can deal with anything when it's directed at himself, but he has strong protectiveness towards his friends, and multiply that by a thousand for Yu Yen.
In a way, I am torn. I both adore the OTP and wish (for their sake) they never met. If they hadn't, Yu Yen would continue with her happy, privileged life, and play piano professionally and eventually marry someone suitable and have a placid life. And Ah Hao? Well, he might be a street rat, but he would have never joined the mob.
And that is the thing. He joins it to protect her (also, secondarily to enable her to have money) but the mere fact that she is a mobster's gf would bring her to attentions of people who shouldn't notice her. She is his weakness and thus can be exploited.
And she is so unworldly (as her being glad to get a job in a bar, and being mad for Ah Ha dragging her out, and not realizing girls there get raped or what not) she is so vulnerable. Argh. It's her innocence and trust that make Ah Hao love her so much and have him putting her on an impossible pedestal and make her so perfect and pure in his eyes and that can be problematic in and of itself (they live together but he still just tucks her in at night. It's incredibly sweet for him to be so patient but also says volumes about how the word for his feelings is very much 'adoration' in a literal sense).
But the thing is, you can't have one happy simple family life, and one mob life, and keep them separate. They are bound to cross. And he really isn't cut out for the mob, not yet (the sick look on his face when they join, the fear when they are ordered to kill someone (someone else does it at the last minute)) but it's going to get easier, isn't it?
He needs to believe he is doing it for something, for her. But he is afraid to tell her, afraid she will leave. And I love that when she finds out (Danzi tells her, because unlike Ah Hao he can think straight and knows it's better she is told than if she finds out otherwise) she does contemplate leaving and yet she ultimately does not, partially because Hong Do points out he did it for her.
They love each other. Madly. More than anything. But in The Outsiders world, it might not be enough.
Pictures:
Things are spiraling out of control:
And they have their first fight (about her wanting to work in a seedy bar. Being Ah Hao he puts foot in mouth etc etc):
But of course, no fight lasts for long with them:
Especially since awesome Danzi explains things. Seriously, he is a good friend to them both:
Ah Hao wants to make Yu Yen happy and would do anything for it, but his efforts just make her scared for him. Their selflessness is their weakness, which is tragic and ironic:
Oh Gosh. Now I die. Seriously, road to hell, you poor boy...Also, to keep with the theme of his having her on a pedestal, even though he is much taller than her, there are so many shots of him on his knees or crouching, looking up at her. (It's also very tender and immediate, his getting down to her level):
But yes, in his efforts, he is making her lose that very shine he wants to preserve. And he thinks he can preserve his soul in the mob and he is so naive. They are so young and earnest and guuuuh:
And yeah, off they go to join. NO!
And they are miserable throughout:
So his (and his friends') fate is sealed. In this shot, they are being admitted to the 'brotherhood' and I love how none of them are happy (even fun loving Ah Qi) but realize what it means. The end:
When she finds out he is in the mob, I love that she decides to leave:
And even more that she decides to stay, and omg, his face. He couldn't believe it. He is so terrified of losing her, isn't he?
That scene killed me. He comes back, with money etc and she is asleep waiting, and he wakes her up and is being so sweet (trying to make her world shiny again, I think) and tells her now they can buy a piano and she says she hates it (ohhhh, it kills me) because if it wasn't for it, he wouldn't have gone racing etc etc. And she storms out and he falls apart. Their paradise is self-destructing.
Ah Hao realizing that Danzi knows Yu Yen better than he does, in some ways. I love that he isn't jealous but sad, and it's so indicative of his headlong nature: he loves her madly but he is bad about the little details:
A guy who can say this with a straight face and mean it, is awesome:
Oh, the low level gangster who started the cycle:
YUM:
Girl friendship. Yay!
Heeee:
I love this shot:
This is cute too:
Hong Do is awesome:
OH.
Yes, I know I start most of my posts about this with that, but I can't help it.
This is amazing. Pitch-perfect and so on it hurts. If it wasn't for Mars, this would be my favorite drama, and the way it shapes up, Mars just might come off the pedestal *gasp* (I know, I know).
kitsune714 once said that in some ways the story reminds her of 'Paradise Lost' (not Milton's work but the concept) and I am beginning to see what she means. carviangeli, I agree that this story is, in some ways, Mars-like (though Yu Yen is sheltered and happy at the start, the opposite of Qi Luo) but in a very important way, it's its polar opposite. Where love heals and helps Ling and Qi Luo and enables them to start living normally, to hope, in The Outsiders, love is going to be Ah Hao and Yu Yen's downfall.
There is a lot of the boy still left in Ah Hao. He has a child's impetuosity, and passion and (in an odd way) fragile idealism. This whole-hearted dedication, this focus, this boyishness is irresistable. No wonder Yu Yen falls head over heels. But what that means is, that even though he is a street-tough kid and Yu Yen is a sheltered fairy tale princess, there are two innocents in that relationship, and they are in a world that is unkind to fairytales. In a way, it might have been safer for her to fall for the steady, rock-solid Danzi (who could take wonderful care of her), but of course, she never would have come out of her bubble for him, and he would have never noticed her if she hadn't stepped out of it already, for Ah Hao.
And there is the fact that I am a rabid Ah Hao/Yu Yen shipper :)
The thing is, being with Yu Yen makes Ah Hao incredibly vulnerable. He can deal with anything when it's directed at himself, but he has strong protectiveness towards his friends, and multiply that by a thousand for Yu Yen.
In a way, I am torn. I both adore the OTP and wish (for their sake) they never met. If they hadn't, Yu Yen would continue with her happy, privileged life, and play piano professionally and eventually marry someone suitable and have a placid life. And Ah Hao? Well, he might be a street rat, but he would have never joined the mob.
And that is the thing. He joins it to protect her (also, secondarily to enable her to have money) but the mere fact that she is a mobster's gf would bring her to attentions of people who shouldn't notice her. She is his weakness and thus can be exploited.
And she is so unworldly (as her being glad to get a job in a bar, and being mad for Ah Ha dragging her out, and not realizing girls there get raped or what not) she is so vulnerable. Argh. It's her innocence and trust that make Ah Hao love her so much and have him putting her on an impossible pedestal and make her so perfect and pure in his eyes and that can be problematic in and of itself (they live together but he still just tucks her in at night. It's incredibly sweet for him to be so patient but also says volumes about how the word for his feelings is very much 'adoration' in a literal sense).
But the thing is, you can't have one happy simple family life, and one mob life, and keep them separate. They are bound to cross. And he really isn't cut out for the mob, not yet (the sick look on his face when they join, the fear when they are ordered to kill someone (someone else does it at the last minute)) but it's going to get easier, isn't it?
He needs to believe he is doing it for something, for her. But he is afraid to tell her, afraid she will leave. And I love that when she finds out (Danzi tells her, because unlike Ah Hao he can think straight and knows it's better she is told than if she finds out otherwise) she does contemplate leaving and yet she ultimately does not, partially because Hong Do points out he did it for her.
They love each other. Madly. More than anything. But in The Outsiders world, it might not be enough.
Pictures:
Things are spiraling out of control:
And they have their first fight (about her wanting to work in a seedy bar. Being Ah Hao he puts foot in mouth etc etc):
But of course, no fight lasts for long with them:
Especially since awesome Danzi explains things. Seriously, he is a good friend to them both:
Ah Hao wants to make Yu Yen happy and would do anything for it, but his efforts just make her scared for him. Their selflessness is their weakness, which is tragic and ironic:
Oh Gosh. Now I die. Seriously, road to hell, you poor boy...Also, to keep with the theme of his having her on a pedestal, even though he is much taller than her, there are so many shots of him on his knees or crouching, looking up at her. (It's also very tender and immediate, his getting down to her level):
But yes, in his efforts, he is making her lose that very shine he wants to preserve. And he thinks he can preserve his soul in the mob and he is so naive. They are so young and earnest and guuuuh:
And yeah, off they go to join. NO!
And they are miserable throughout:
So his (and his friends') fate is sealed. In this shot, they are being admitted to the 'brotherhood' and I love how none of them are happy (even fun loving Ah Qi) but realize what it means. The end:
When she finds out he is in the mob, I love that she decides to leave:
And even more that she decides to stay, and omg, his face. He couldn't believe it. He is so terrified of losing her, isn't he?
That scene killed me. He comes back, with money etc and she is asleep waiting, and he wakes her up and is being so sweet (trying to make her world shiny again, I think) and tells her now they can buy a piano and she says she hates it (ohhhh, it kills me) because if it wasn't for it, he wouldn't have gone racing etc etc. And she storms out and he falls apart. Their paradise is self-destructing.
Ah Hao realizing that Danzi knows Yu Yen better than he does, in some ways. I love that he isn't jealous but sad, and it's so indicative of his headlong nature: he loves her madly but he is bad about the little details:
A guy who can say this with a straight face and mean it, is awesome:
Oh, the low level gangster who started the cycle:
YUM:
Girl friendship. Yay!
Heeee:
I love this shot:
This is cute too:
Hong Do is awesome: