it’s a Guardian day!

[marcicat]

Re-watched the web novelist episode last night. Things that confuse me:

*None of them have cases on their phones?!

*So, the web novelist — Zhu Jiu appears to have been manipulating the situation for some time, but for what purpose? Not that the deaths of some random people we never hear about again aren’t of course Very Bad, but it seems like a lot of work for minimal return in the ‘sow chaos’ master plan. Maybe he liked the story?

*Although! It looks like the same office in the writer’s flashback, so maybe the timeline is much shorter than I was imagining, and he actually inherited that ginormous house. Which would explain why he doesn’t have a job, maybe.

*BEARS. This scene was A+ family skype session, but also Shen Wei JUST said he was happy to help anytime, but then was all ‘oh, IDK, maybe it’s a bear.’ ??? Shouldn’t he at least have been moderately concerned as the Envoy that people were being frozen to death?

*Is Lin Jing every kind of scientist? He invents technological breakthroughs! He does forensic investigation! He does medical scans! He does soil composition studies! He makes popcorn! Like, I get that he takes a lot of naps at work, but I feel like “does all the science-related things” is actually pretty impressive.

*Seriously, though — no phone cases? How do they even tell their phones apart???????

Mirrored from The Marci Rating System.

Comments

[rheasilvia]

You notice such wonderful details! I had never thought to wonder about their lack of phone cases before. Perhaps they are not a thing in Haixing...? Or Chu Shuzhi has a pathological dislike of phone cases and everyone humors him? I feel like those are the two most obvious and likely options.

The BEARS are odd in so many ways. Because yes, he should have been concerned! But I guess he is too focussed on his weird flirting techniques?

Lin Jing is clearly not a forensic scientist, because his forensic procedure is catastrophic. I think the first time we see him collect evidence, he wipes his face with his gloves on, sneezes on the evidence, sits on the evidence, and so on. I am not surprised he turns out to be a wanton destroyer of evidence, too. It fits his profile.

Is he every other scientist? Perhaps! He's definitely a very gifted engineer with a strong physics and natural sciences background, at any rate.

[marcicat]

Re: phone cases -- yes, those are both excellent answers! :) Alternately (after thinking about this for far too long) I could see a bureaucratic reason -- like the SID budget won't cover cases, but will cover the cost of a replacement phone if one happens to be destroyed in the line of duty. (Zhu Jiu, naturally, would just think phone cases were beneath him.)