✨Via (open comms)

Simon's heart dropped and his blood began to boil. Not supposed to be here? This was the only place he was supposed to be. Lying in the warm grass, holding you in his arms. How could you not want him here?

He'd been to hell and back just to be with you again. How could you push him away like this?

You gently reached, caressing his cheek. "Simon, please. I need you to go back now. I promise I'll see you soon."

Tears welled in Simon's eyes. For the first time in a long time, he begged. "Please, please baby. Let me stay. Please, I need you. Please," he sobbed. "Don't do this to me. Please, I need you. Please, love."

"I love you, Simon Riley"

Simon slowly opened his eyes. Your voice was still ringing in his ears yet here he was, back in the bathroom. The bathroom of the house you used to share. The bathroom where he took all those pills. The pills instead of a bullet because he still wanted to look nice for you. You always said how much you loved seeing his face.

The pill bottle is still there. The dust he never bothered to clean is still there. The hollow, pressing weight in his chest is still there. But something was different. His cheek was warm, the same cheek you touched. He could almost feel your skin against his.

Ok, I'm sneaking this post in between meetings but that's because I love being (partially?) right. With Ep. 17 we find our couple separated and how might you ask is that visually represented on screen?

After Fan Changyu leaves him, Xie Zheng is back in blue, no longer basking in the golden glow of the fire (and domestic life) he shared with her.

But I'm also frothing at the mouth from the double meaning in the symbolism here because while he might feel abandoned...

...that fire is still burning bright within her.

As we see from the next scene when they're gazing at each across the valley, Changyu clearly misses him and she only rejected his advances because of his let's say "aggressively" mixed messages.

Side Note: Love love love the symbolism of her only occupying one half of the marriage bed they would have shared together.

And of course all the close-up shots of objects that represent their time together like the family portrait and snowmen. (Changning's baby snowman, my heart!)

Every corner of the house reminds her of his absence, and when she realizes him giving her the arm guards as a gift is a figment of her imagination we see how large and empty the house is now that he's no longer besides her.

What a great use of an interior wide shot to emphasize the character's loneliness and unmet desires. The camera has lost its intimacy from previous episodes because her home no longer feels like a home without him.

So when Changyu is told that he's been conscripted, it makes sense that she immediately tries to chase him down to say goodbye and bring him supplies. (Imagine what someone like her must have traded in for that horse.)

Look at the Dutch angles and slow mo--she is distraught because she is still compelled to protect him at the first mention of danger no matter how angry and disappointed she might be in him.

Wei Yan was in love with a childhood friend and was supposed to marry her. She suddenly married into the palace as a consort (Novel: this was because her cousin, the empress, was losing power to another consort so they sent her a cousin to help). He never had an affair with her, but this is the only woman he ever loved.

Wei Yan and his brother-in-law, Xie Zheng's father, were friends with the crown prince. The crown prince already had a son, Qi Min, and because of this the line of succession goes Crown Prince - Qi Min - go back up the tree for other sons of the emperor. However, the emperor has been favouring another prince recently and he can always switch crown princes. So Wei Yan, when drunk, says, "Why not just replace the emperor?" This is treason, so bad idea.