Episodic Thoughts: “Three Kingdoms RPG” (Episode 22)

Three Kingdoms RPG <回到三國>
TVB Series 2012

Cast: Kenneth Ma, Raymond Lam, Tavia Yeung, Sharon Chan, Ruco Chan, Kaki Leung, Joseph Lee, Savio Tsang, Jimmy Au, Law Lok Lam, and Ha Yu.

Disclaimer

This is a watch as I write episodic thoughts and some information may not be accurate since this is memory based. Certain dialogue is reproduced with some creative license adopted. I apologise if there is any mistake. All opinion remains my own.

EPISODE 22

“Adviser Zhuge, before I leave can I ask a favour? … Can you do that chok face you always used to do whenever you really miss me?”

This episode tops all other series in terms of stupid plot development. With 3 episodes to go before the end I understand the series needs a huge push, a dramatic end and to answer the question Yuet Ying gave ZGL; would he betray a friend? But what a stupid way to go to answer that question and to develop the romance angle between Song Yau and Shun. I felt cheated. The series may have been silly at times, maybe at times insanely improbable or an insult to Zhou Yu and ZGL’s fans but this episode is just plain stupid. So stupid I feel you and I will have a solution to ZGL’s problem that ZGL himself, as this episode not just demonstrate BUT proves he is totally and absolutely inept. Thank you TVB for destroying every fibre, fabric and illusion that we all may once have of ZGL because seriously, he is seriously dumb. Thank you TVB for completely destroying ZGL in the eyes of the viewers. The dumbed down version of ZGL is complete, in this episode.

Recap.

Shun leads the entire troupe of people to the burial site, the box is found, opens the box and inside is… voodoo stuff, literary with a person made of grass and stuff. Shun is shocked. I wasn’t. Back with Sun Quan, Zhou Yu explains he put those stuff in that box and buried it like some superstitious practice for prayers purposes, so that they will win Battle at Red Cliff. Oh, I thought battle still on? I swear life looks peachy out there, no idea 1 million men may descend onto Dong Wu and kill the place. And then reports arrive to say some villagers saw Deng Song being swept away by high tide and Zhou Yu says “With General Deng dead, who will command Liyang?” and Sun Quan quickly says “I hereby appoint Deng Xi as the new commander in Liyang. I offer my condolences and I shall ensure General Deng is given proper funeral and respect paid as always” and Deng Xi thanks them and rushes off to try and find his father’s body which Zhou Yu offers men to do so.

Later alone, Zhou Yu says “Wan Shun has defamed my good name!” and Shun says “You knew I will be there, you took the things out!!!” and ZGL says “Wan Shun! You have wronged Commander Zhou! Say you’re sorry, now!” and Shun refuses and Zhou Yu says “You have defamed me! You have caused me much injustice and caused chaos amongst my men! You must be punished for disturbing the peace! My lord, Wan Shun must be punished!” and Sun Quan agrees as Lau Bei says “My Lord, please forgive Wan Shun” as Zhou Yu says “My lord, to restore peace and my men’s faith in me, Wan Shun must be executed!” and Sun Quan nods after a little bit of deliberation in his mind probably and Lau Bei shocked and Shun shocked and ZGL says to Shun “Wan Shun! You indeed have wronged Commander Zhou and must be punished!!” and Lau Bei took the cue and says angrily “King of Wu, Wan Shun is my assistant. Only I have the right to punish him for insulting Commander Zhou. Guards, hold Wan Shun down now!” and he took some big stick and started to beat Shun’s buttocks harshly and Shun cries out in pain and Lau Bei shouts “King of Wu, if you do not ask me to stop, I will not stop!! I will continue beating Wan Shun!!” and he goes on until Sun Quan says “Stop! Stop! Enough!” and that was that.

Lau Bei and ZGL alone and Lau Bei says “Luckily you told Commander Zhou to move the body, knowing Wan Shun’s persistence in this, if not Wan Shun would have caused the breakdown of this alliance and shall be punished by death” and ZGL says “Luckily my lord took the cue and beat him harshly” and Lau Bei regretfully says “I may have beaten him too harshly” but ZGL agrees if he had not, Shun would have been executed. Lau Bei says “I hope Wan Shun understands our predicament and why we had to what what we had to do, this is the only way to safeguard his life” and ZGL says “Which is why we must never tell him the truth. Let him think it is his fault, he caused the problem, so that he will remember that always and stay out of trouble” and Lau Bei says “Yes I agree”

SAY WHAT?! Never mind, more classic stupidity coming up.

Kan massages Shun’s shoulders as Shun angrily says “I thought they were my friend. But in times of trouble, not only did they not plead for me, even Lau Bei beats me so harshly! He used his full force on me!! What sort of friends are they?!” and Kan says “You must understand, there wasn’t much they can do. You are charged with disturbing the peace of the military, it is punishable by death, consider yourself lucky” as Shun refuses to believe that and then he thinks further and says “That Zhou Yu knows. He knows. But so strange, how did that body became those voodoo stuff? … Wait.. Kan how heavy you think those voodoo stuff are?” and Kan ventured a number and Shun says “Exactly. It wasn’t even heavy and if those were the stuff I saw, then why would Zhou Yu need himself and his assistant to carry that box and they were sweating profusely? It looked very heavy. No… he switched the things, he switched the body with those things. I will investigate, I will use… DNA! I will use my wit and my intelligence. I will expose Zhou Yu for who he really is!!”

Pause.

First of all, this time he can’t blame Zhou Yu because it was Sun Quan who killed Deng Song. Secondly, at that moment I pitied Shun for being such an idiot but he didn’t know the full facts. For that I blame ZGL. More on that later.

Continue.

So Shun pays a maid to steal what Zhou Yu wore that night. He pays her a lot but then he is surrounded by guards and Zhou Yu appears and says “So, you still intent on defaming me and now planting evidence?! I shall insist on your death this time!!” and again Shun is before a very serious looking Sun Quan, panicking Lau Bei, somewhat panicking ZGL and a very angry Zhou Yu. Shun says defiantly “There would have been blood on your clothes if you have murdered and carried the body of General Deng! I will get to the bottom of this!” and Zhou Yu challenges Shun and says “Fine. Look at the clothes shall we?”… “See! No blood at all!” and Shun shouts “You must have cleaned them!!” as Zhou Yu says “And even if there were blood, how are you going to test it? How will you know it was General Deng’s blood and that someone didn’t frame me for his murder? The fact is Wan Shun, you have continued to defame me again and again and now accusing me of a crime that does not exist!” and Shun persists “By why was the box so light will require 2 men to carry it? Why?!” and Zhou Yu says “Because I have a bad back, after falling from a horse. Even my lordship knows that!” and Sun Quan says “Yes, it is true” and Zhou Yu says “My lord, Wan Shun speaks in strange tongue and throws untrue accusations at me! He must be punished!!”

ZGL, Lau Bei, Sun Quan and Zhou Yu discussing Wan Shun’s fate as he is somewhere else and Zhou Yu simply say “Wan Shun must die!!” and Sun Quan says “I agree. I have no wish to see his face ever again” and ZGL says “King of Wu, since you only wish for him to disappear from your sight, I have a solution. I will have him banished from Dong Wu, even Jingzhou, you will never see him for as long as you shall live” and Lau Bei agrees though Zhou Yu doesn’t as I think Lau Bei says “Why destroy our alliance over this disagreement? We want Shun to live. Banishing him will be the best option” and Sun Quan says “Fine. As long as he doesn’t appear before me ever again”.

Shun walked in to see ZGL and Lau Bei I think was there also and Shun says meekly “So what fate awaits me?” and ZGL says “You are to pack your belongings and leave Jing Zhou and Dong Wu forever” and Shun in shock says “But… why? This does not justify banishing me forever! I mean, I know what I did was not right but banishing me? Did you two not plead for me? I mean you’re supposed to be my friends! I never expected to come to 3 kingdoms period but when I did, and I settled down, I see you two as my friends, my family. What sort of a family that does not plead for the other?!” and ZGL says “I see you as my family too Wan Shun. But there isn’t much we can do!” as Shun says “But…this is too harsh!” as Lau Bei says “You have offended Sun Quan too. Not just Zhou Yu. Banishing you will save your life” and Shun shouts “I thought you two are my friends! You two betrayed me!!” and ZGL calmly says “You can still go to Yizhou, live the rest of your life in retirement in comfort. Pack your bags Wan Shun, go” and Shun says “You two are not my friends!! You’re all so heartless. It was just a small mistake, one small mistake!! You all don’t care about me anymore!!” and he runs away. ZGL and Lau Bei looks regretful.

Yuet Ying with ZGL who looks mournful as Yuet Ying says “Husband, I heard about the banishment” as ZGL says “I consider myself his best friend but what sort of a friend am I not being able to help Wan Shun? I pride myself in being able to solve any problems but this one, I have no solution. Now with this banishment, it is for certain I will never see Wan Shun again in my lifetime” and Yuet Ying says “Husband, I do not know what happened but I can sense there is something you’re not telling me. For whatever your reasons may be, I believe Wan Shun will understand you have tried your best. I always believe it is fated that you two became best of friends and I believe it will be fated that you will surely meet again” and ZGL smiles at his wife.

Shun meets with ZGL and both says at the same time “I am sorry” as Shun says “I am truly sorry. I have thought about it the whole night and I realise I may be at fault too” as ZGL says “I am sorry I couldn’t help you much. But did you see why you’re wrong?” as Shun says “I may have offended that small minded jerk, but I only offended him alone. This punishment is too harsh for me. But I understand your predicament, and I have always see you as my family and I always will” and ZGL nods sadly.

Shun sees Kan who offers him half a pear when Shun tells Kan the bad news. Kan says “Never? I will never see you again, ever?” and Shun says sadly “Yes…” and Kan cries into Shun’s shoulder as Shun also turns misty eyed.

ZGL accompanies Shun out of Dong Wu and before they parted ways, ZGL tells Shun to take good care of himself as Shun intends to go to Yizhou and settle down and he asks “Are you angry with me?” as Shun sincerely says “No I am not. I may have been, a little but no… I am not angry anymore. I just don’t understand, I only offended Zhou Yu, why are you and master so afraid of him? What has he got over the 2 of you? Even Sun Quan wants me to leave. I don’t get why is everyone so scared stiff over that Zhou Yu?” as ZGL offers no answer and Shun sighs and says “Adviser Zhuge, before I leave can I ask a favour?” and ZGL puzzled as Shun says “Can you do that chok face you always used to do whenever you really miss me? Just one last time for memory sake?” as ZGL puzzled says “Chok face?” and ZGL smiles a little as Shun says “Yes that’s the handsome chok face I was talking about!” and ZGL smiles as Shun says “We will meet again, I have a feeling we will” as ZGL agrees and they say their good byes as Shun walks away and then Shun turns around and shouts “Adviser Zhuge, you will win the battle at the red cliff!!” as ZGL smiles “You are sure?” as Shun smiles “Yes you will! YOU WILL!!” and off he goes as ZGL looks on sadly.

Pause.

One of the most romantic scene in this series, seriously especially when Shun asks ZGL for the chok face whenever he misses Shun. I believe this is the true love pair, not Yuet Ying – ZGL, not Shun – Song Yau but ZGL and Shun. The dialogue exchange can be between a man and a woman and I was shouting KISS KISS KISS. They didn’t but I think they hugged. Can’t remember.

In this sort of final parting between ZGL and Shun, I can understand Shun’s anger. He can’t understand why he is banished when he made an accusation against Zhou Yu without actually knowing it was Sun Quan who wants him gone, not just Zhou Yu. He sees their relationship as an alliance, Sun Quan is not above Lau Bei or vice versa, but on equal footing but why Zhou Yu is dictating his fate and Lau Bei can’t fight Zhou Yu. Again Shun doesn’t realise it was Sun Quan who wants him gone. It goes beyond a spat between him and Zhou Yu.

And this is where the stupidity lies.

ZGL says he can’t solve this problem. He did not disclose to Shun the truth because.. why? I remember distinctly that he tells Shun everything, Shun tells him everything. The more Shun isn’t told the truth, the more he will persist in blaming Zhou Yu whom he is already prejudiced against. The simple solution is for ZGL to go “Shun, I tell you this, tell no one else” and just say it was Sun Quan who killed Deng Song and surely Shun for the sake of the alliance won’t go snooping around and telling everyone it was Sun Quan who did it. This will answer Yuet Ying’s question on ZGL’s trust in Shun because surely he must trust Shun but the fact he never told Shun means their friendship is superficial. If he has told Shun, all these problems will never arise. It is drama for drama sake when the solution was so damn simple. So this proves my theory ZGL is inept. Why? Every time in the past there is a problem, he has Shun and Yuet Ying figuring things out for him, hence the solution. But since he can’t tell Shun and can’t tell Yuet Ying, and Lau Bei is of no help, he needs to figure things out by himself and look at the mess he got Shun in! Yes Shun was at fault for defying orders but he did it thinking Zhou Yu wanted to harm ZGL and that Zhou Yu did a crime to a respected General that no one knew Sun Quan never liked. But ZGL didn’t help matters by not doing what is the most logical act; tell Shun. It will be that simple and he didn’t and so look at what mess ZGL himself created by being so darn inept. It was just such a stupid plot development just so that Shun will suffer some injustice, etc.

The plot can also arrive at the same conclusion by showing Shun knows the truth but yet he is still being banished, so as to heighten the injustice by Shun knowing he is being blamed, he is the scapegoat and ZGL chooses to preserve the alliance than to help his friend. Wouldn’t that be even more dramatic and more logical?

I have always hoped Shun will be driven away to join Cao Cao as I always thought he is Sima Yi. But looking at things, I doubt 3 episodes can show all that. Theory now is Sima Yi will be Shun’s child with Song Yau which is ridiculous. Isn’t the timeline all wrong?

I would have hoped this series will from the start pit Shun against ZGL as best friends disguise as nemesis or whatever but this series never went that road. In fact the parting was cordial, Shun knows he was wrong but doesn’t understand the harshness of his sentence. Well, he did accuse a prominent commander of killing someone, that in itself is punishable by death. I don’t get what he doesn’t get. Anyway this series decides to dumb itself down to a level even toddlers will say “ZGL can just tell Shun the truth!” which to me is a logical and smart solution.

I don’t get why this series is so eager to turn stupid. Why WHY?!

Sigh… so darn stupid…

More so I feel a slight injustice for Shun and respects his loyalty towards ZGL even till the end.

Continue.

Shun goes towards Yizhou whilst Zhou Yu orders his assistant to send men to kill Shun and bring back his head. Assistant says Sun Quan lets him live but Zhou Yu says “I know what master wants but can’t say. He wants Wan Shun dead. He will not be assured until Wan Shun is dead. And since master can’t do what his heart wants to do, I as his servant shall do his bidding for him. After all, Wan Shun is just a fly to be squashed. He is not important”.

Ok, now Zhou Yu is being small minded jerk but he may be right about what Sun Quan actually wants.

Shun resting and eating, from a plate!!! So chok eh? Anyway men arrive led by a general and saw Shun as in painting and says “KILL HIM!!” and Shun runs, dodges, falls down cliff, basically having the worst time of his life when he ran into a temple and hid behind the I think Buddha statue when the assassins arrive and lo and behold, there it is, the romance development for Shun as there is Song Yau! Yeah, he basically ran into the same temple Song Yau is staying with Lau Bei’s wife and son with some guards and other maids. They all said they saw no fugitive as general reveals Shun is being arrested for selling confidential secrets of state and Song Yau saw Shun behind the statue and confirms with the guard that they didn’t see any fugitive and so the assassins left. Later Song Yau carried an injured Shun to her room and hid him. As she tends to his injuries, he looks at her and says “Song Yau, we haven’t seen each other for a very long time” as Song Yau agrees and Shun looks hard at her and says weekly, “Why is it that every time I am in trouble you’re there to help me?” and Song Yau just go about her things as she tells him to rest on her bed as he says “I don’t think both of us alone in your room is appropriate” … wow so modest all of a sudden…”I better leave” as Song Yau says “Don’t be ridiculous. No one will know and you’re injured. Come…” and so as he sleeps, he also wakes and sleeps and wakes and sleeps and in between can see Song Yau sewing. When he finally awakens, he is treated to a bowl of delicious porridge and he remembers she once cook him porridge too as he smiles and says “This is delicious” as Song Yau says “It is just a bowl of ordinary porridge” but Shun is happy and he is given a new shoe as Song Yau admits she made him a new one and Shun is very touched. He looks at Song Yau and says “Song Yau, I have never met a girl as nice as you are, not even at my hometown. You are really nice, you have been good to me, I… I…” and then a knock on the door.

Just then we see the assassins say they have searched everywhere but Pak Lin Temple and the general says “We have commander Zhou’s instruction to find that Sima Shun, no matter what. Let’s search the temple”.

Meanwhile a knock on the door and maid says to Song Yau those pesky assassins are here again. Shun panics.

General says he is under orders to search the temple and chief guard says this temple houses the wife of Lau Bei, they can’t go in and General insists and wife of Lau Bei appears and harshly says “You are disrespecting this temple, the people in it and me by your noise” as General insist he must search whilst wife says no other men in the temple and General shows them a pair of torn shoes and wife says her husband’s worn shoes and general says Lau Bei so respected won’t wear such a shoe and wife says husband is kind and very thrifty and.. ok, just know that in the end the general thinks either wife is being difficult or she is protecting Shun and so insisted he must search even if he offends Lau Bei’s wife and so he walks past wife which his men.

Wow, no one respects Lau Bei at all.

Song Yau takes Shun through some secret passage way and out to some wilderness area as Song Yau points to Shun where to go but Shun says he doesn’t know the way and Song Yau agrees to take him until the road is clear. As Song Yau leads the way, Shun looks at Song Yau’s shadow and smilingly tries to put his hands on her shoulder and when it rains, he holds her hands and runs fast to avoid the rain and as they stand waiting for the rain to stop, he is still holding her hands when Song Yau pulls away her hands as Shun says “Song Yau, I need to tell you something..” as Song Yau avoids him as she says “Oh it stops raining. We must hurry” and so they walk again until they reach a stairs as Song Yau says “You follow this road, this will lead you to Yizhou” as Shun says “Once we part ways today, I don’t know when we will see each other again…” as Song Yau says “I must go back before the day turns to night, if not Madam will miss me. Good bye” and she leaves, all the while avoiding his gaze as Shun says good bye and slowly walks away and then he remembers what she did for him and how he hurt her heart and suddenly he realises one simple truth that is predestined even before the 1st episode was broadcast. He turns around and slow mo runs towards Song Yau shouting “Song Yau!! Song Yau!! SONG YAU!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?! SONG YAU, I LOVE YOU!! I LOVE YOU!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME SONG YAU!!!!” but Song Yau who can certainly walk very fast is nowhere to be seen.

Sigh… in 1 day he realises he loves her. Of course he has always loved her, just that he doesn’t know. We know because from episode 1 until now, only Tavia Yeung in the female interest role. If someone equally as well known appears, maybe you can say you’re shocked at this confession. But my feeling is ZGL is his true love. The things he says to ZGL is just too romantic for words, as they look at one another with affection.

Apart from the sheer stupidity of ZGL’s non-plan that causes Shun to be banished, basically the love story here is a bit sort of kinda romantic. No, I mean Shun and Song Yau! But I feel the development is too late and too abrupt and in the end I simply didn’t care.

Performance wise, poor Tavia stuck with a character so unimportant that it doesn’t matter she has been missing the last episode, no one notices and no one cares. But kudos to her for her consistency in this episode in the sense she avoids looking at Kenneth directly in the eyes. Song Yau is still hurt but more importantly she doesn’t know Shun is already in love with her. Anyway I am just not into this pairing. I feel it is like a foregone conclusion which to me is boring.

Oh and to answer Yuet Ying’s question what will ZGL do if one day Lau Bei orders him to betray a friend? Such as Shun. Answer?

1. Lau Bei never orders ZGL

2. Lau Bei never orders anyone

3. no one has ordered ZGL to betray a friend, Shun included as the “orderer” and the “orderee”

4. if the situation in tonight’e episode is the example of Yuet Ying’s question, then clearly someone did not understand Yuet Ying’s very clear question.

5. ZGL will never intentionally betray Shun out of the evilness of his heart, he will intentionally betray Shun by coming up unintentionally with a solution that even toddlers will go “No no no” because the simplest most logical answer is before his eyes and yet ZGL just complicates things.

So to answer Yuet Ying’s question.. what was the question again?!

This Episodic Thoughts was written by Funn Lim, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com, and was originally posted at http://3kingdomsrpg.blogspot.com. 

Read more Episodic Thoughts for “Three Kingdoms RPG”!

• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 1
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 2
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 3
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 4 
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 5
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 6
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 7 
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 8 
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 9 
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 10
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 11
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 12
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 13
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 14
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 15
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 16
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 17
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 18
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 19
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 20
• Three Kingdoms RPG: Episode 21