#zhirwin

From the moment Zhilan walked into that room and looked at Kerwin with this expression of pure shock and regret, I was entirely on board. It was such a subtle moment, but Yvonne really sold it for me. In that one look, we got to see the vulnerable side to her that she's so far only shown with Kerwin.

And then on Kerwin's end, I like that it wasn't this clear cut ‘he's angry with her and wants revenge’, but it also wasn't like he just completely turned to jelly and begged her to come back to him or whatever. It's interesting that more than being angry at her for trying to kill him, he was hurt that she didn't trust him enough. And then even after their fight, Zhilan still cared that he's seemingly back with his father and in a position where he's neglected and put down constantly.

While I do think that it was a bit unrealistic to have them fight it out for a bit and then be fine with each other afterwards, I think it's meant to show that betrayal and hurt feelings aside, the fact is that they still love each other they're still essentially on the same side of this, they still both want to bring Russell down. It's also pretty significant that Kerwin literally says that despite everything, Zhilan showed him how terrible his father really is and inspired him to try to take him down from the inside.

That said, it definitely made sense that they didn't leave together in the end. It's realistic that even though things are 'cool' between them and they're technically on the same side, not all is forgive and they both need to move forward on their own first.

Something else that was really interesting about this episode was Kerwin's interaction with Nicky and Henry and how they immediately called him on wanting to get revenge on his dad as soon as Zhilan's (supposed) death was mentioned (and that he didn't deny it). idk, exactly what this means, but it just felt kind of validating that Zhilan and Kerwin's relationship is given that much weight in-universe.

It is a bit of a stereotype, at least in American media, that villains have British accents, but I think the decision about Zhilan's accent, was much more thoughtful. You can kind of imagine her being this Chinese girl from a small town, who ends up moving up in society as an adult and working and living this very cosmopolitan life in all these major cities across the sinosphere (including places like Singapore and Hong Kong, which still have traces of influence left from being colonized by the British), so of course, she needs to talk the talk and acquire a more 'upper class' accent that's close to RP so that she can fit in with her new peers.

Kerwin's accent, too, I think is a great choice. I could imagine him having a similar background to Ludi, who was born in China and went to boarding school in Australia throughout his younger years before settling in Canada (his natural accent is more North American, for the record).

First off, I know I predicted it in my very first post about them, but seeing my favorite evil power couple go down like that was just too painful. And maybe it's the fangirl in me, but I'm kind of hoping there's a possibility that Kerwin made it out alive after all (we didn't get any shots of his dead body, so...for now, in my headcanon, Zhilan couldn't bring herself to really do it and just subconsciously left him with a just surface wound and then ran away...or something and he'll be back next episode with a vengeance).

But anyway, as sad as this was, I think it really drives home the concept of Zhilan and Nicky as foils for each other. Throughout the season, we've seen Zhilan constantly one step ahead of Nicky, besting her at every turn, but this part shows that while Nicky is at such a disadvantage in so many aspect (fighting skills, specialized knowledge, funds, etc.), one thing that she does have over Zhilan, and probably the the thing that's going to ultimately win it for her, is the fact that she has such a strong support system.

Zhilan and Nicky are both, in their own ways, trying to save the world (with a side order of personal vengeance). The difference between them, of course, is that Zhilan's willing to kill people, even those she loves, in service of this goal whereas Nicky absolutely is not and I don't think it's as simple as 'one of them is purely good and the other is purely evil'.

Nicky's surrounded not just by allies, but by people who really love her unconditionally and in so many different ways. Sure, she and her family have had conflicts and they've kept secrets from each other, but they're always there for her. It's no question that they'll always have her back. Zhilan has no one. She's been betrayed so many times before, and she's been alone for so long that even when true love and loyalty are right there staring her in the face, reassuring her (after he'd done everything he could've to prove his love), she can't bring herself to believe it and risk getting hurt again. In her mind, the only way she'll ever be safe from betrayal and heartbreak is if she's alone. That's tragic.

I think the highlight of this episode, for me, was seeing Nicky and Zhilan on screen together. They don't interact often, but when they do, sparks fly! There's so much sexual tension there.

It was also cool to see how well they worked together. I mean, Zhilan blackmailed her into it, but after a while it was easy to forget that fact because their teamwork felt so natural.

While I did want to see Russell Tan play a bigger role in this episode, I understand why they kept the focus on the Nicky vs. Zhilan conflict. Like I mentioned before, these characters are both heroes of their own stories and the duality they represent is at the core of this season.

The final fight between them was really well done in that it pretty concretely showed how even though Zhilan is also a 'chosen one' and even though she's smarter, physically stronger, and has more resources/fewer 'liabilities' than Nicky, she was never going to win this fight because she wasn't secure enough in her attachments to let go of her fear and pain, which meant that she was never going to offload Biange in order to use it against Nicky like Nicky did to her. Biange was all Zhilan had, she sacrificed two people (the only people) that she loved in order to get to it, so she was going to hold onto that power no matter what. Nicky, on the other hand, had her family and friends waiting for her. She didn't need that power to validate her life and choices.

Anyway, I think it was a fair ending for Zhilan. I'm glad she made it out alive because I love her and her story still has so much potential, but she did kill multiple people and it would feel cheap (and undo some of her character development) if she didn't have to face real consequences for her actions.

Not sure how I feel about Nicky's mystery cousin being setup as next season's villain (ngl, mainly because I really want Zhilan to come back and with Russell Tan in the mix, three season villains might be too much), but I'm kind of excited to see where it goes (it's also another opportunity for a Zhicky teamup to happen).

While I do have some issues with the execution of the Zhilan vs. Peiling conflict (her reason for killing Peiling still seemed a little flimsy), I do think that her backstory is still very sympathetic, her motivations were noble, and there was logic behind all of her decisions. Like, you can clearly see how her circumstances shaped her outlook and emotions, how her outlook and emotions shaped her motivations, and how her motivations shaped her actions.

Giving Zhilan a love interest and fully developing that relationship was really such a clever way of exploring her character. Instead of just giving us flashback after flashback, we actually get to see how her past has affected her present in a tangible way. I also appreciate that they took the time to make Kerwin a real character and not just a plot/narrative device. The writers really got us invested in their relationship and it paid off.

In less capable hands they would've just had her rinse and repeat the Professor Chau situation and had her be a straight up evil villain who uses people and discards them coldly. She would've been nothing more than Nicky's antagonist, but by showing her story parallel to Nicky's in all aspects (not just the weapons-finding part, but also the emotional relationship parts) we really see that she is the (anti)hero of her own story. Like, if you only watched Zhilan's scenes, you'd still get a pretty compelling and complete story (albeit, with a more tragic ending).

I also liked that the relationship wasn't framed as love being a redeeming quality that absolved her of all of her wrongdoings, nor was it framed as Zhilan not being able to love meant that she was evil. Instead, her interactions with Kerwin, everything she chose to divulge to him, and what she did to him in the end, it all gives us a glimpse into the complicated push and pull of Zhilan's desire for justice/revenge going up against her need for healing and connection.

And it really is complicated—she's not at all wrong for wanting to bring down the evil corporation that destroyed her family (and is on track to destroying the whole world), but at the same time, she can't be killing innocent people who happen to get in her way and still be the good guy in this situation, can she?

Kerwin starts out the episode in more of his usual pleasure-seeking playboy tendencies. He's enjoying some food and wine and tries to get Zhilan to put her work aside to have fun with him. It's only when Zhilan presses his buttons and hones in on his insecurity wrt his family that he rises to the occasion.

Their next scene introduces Edgar, who not only gives a glimpse into Kerwin's old life, but also presents a direct clash with who Kerwin is shaping up to be under Zhilan's influence.

Kerwin tells Zhilan that about his father's archeological dig site, he quips that he won't ask his father for help and steps past her. It's here that we get a closeup of Zhilan's face. She has a small smile and then briefly *rolls her eyes in contempt* before feigning ignorance in asking Kerwin what he's proposing. It's a blink-and-miss-it moment that's so brilliant in showing what Zhilan actually thinks of Kerwin, who he is to her thus far, and how she went about getting what she wanted in this episode.

Despite what she was demanding throughout this episode, I don't think Zhilan actually wanted Kerwin to ask his father for help on this (as noted in Choice (1x10), Kerwin contacting anyone to ask about the dig site would've been very suspicious and obviously stupid), she was just trying to bring up his daddy issues so she could push that button and get him to act on it. It's so simple and yet so masterful.

And it's also really interesting seeing how Kerwin's playing right into her hands. In this scene, he's at his most confident, he's so proud of himself for coming up with this plan, and he thinks that Zhilan cares about his feud with his father. Zhilan, on the other hand, is just watching eagerly for him to fall into her trap (you can see it in how carefully she's watching him as he starts to tell her what he knows) and kind of resents how she has to act like this was all his idea to begin with.