#i also wish this was on viki cause i could edit and fix these subtitles SO fast

[mejomonster]

I'm overwhelmed. Justice in the dark ep 2:

I need to find downloads of the eps. Does anyone have anywhere they know of I could download? I need to backup this show.

The scenes of Fei Du (pei su) as a child are SO good. So good. So fitting of the book. So heavy emotionally it makes me feel like Fei Du is similar to the Protagonist in Flower of Evil. Such a Korean drama style emotional horror tone to it, which is heavy and intimate in a way I didn't expect to run into.

The way light is used for Luo in Pei Sus flashbacks - the light that rushes in to hold him, to hide the death from his eyes, that pulls him out of the dark house (prison) and into the light outside (freedom). The person who stands in the light of his flashbacks, the person he looks to for help as his dad holds him and drags him back into the dark of the house. His eyes saying: help me. Believe me. Luos expression saying he'd do anything to save the kid, wants to do anything to help Pei Su. The scene in the police room where pei su is so angry, and you know Luo reached the limit of what he could legally do to help pei su, and it broke both of them in that room. And ever since they've been fractured and reactive. Just ALL the visuals of those scenes were so perfectly done, so that the themes of the story hit visually and create the entire experience. It was so so cool to see the book moments like that visually.

The scene right after. With Luo in the light and warmth, pei su in the dark and white cool tones in the dark house with the flowers showing he's still trapped in the past. Luo is in the warmth, the present, but he's looking at the present documents (of the case) and connected to all his past cases through that, he's trapped in the past too but seeking a path forward into the future, and he's the light that can help pei su move forward too. I loved the comparison of them as warmth and cold, passion and thought. The yin yang kind of comparison, the opposites, the way they're the focus point of the entire 7 years together ans even though Tao was there he's a side piece of it, the witness to Luo trying to save Pei Su and failing, of them revolving around each other connected ever since that event. Absolutely amazing to see that visual. I loved it so much

Funner smaller notes: Luo with a black cat, stubble, and a blue walled apartment screams Zhao Yunlan and I suspect those were intentional references.

The city and car chases actually look good, which I'm happy for. In contrast the mansion and police office look more fantasy like a xianxia cgi set, and i personally like it because it gives this sort of a quality like we are seeing these very Important Locations for Pei Su as if through his eyes of what they symbolize - the manor is cold, dark, dead, looming too tall, oppressive, covered in shadows. The seat of justice where Luo works has open windows that are beautiful and let in the light, but it also looms and has its shadows occasionally, it's failings where it falls short, where it's a part of the machine that hurts others and fails to allow good to happen (like Luo unable to save pei su from his father). With Luos own home being warm and cozy, and the outside environments and offices being the most safe and bright and open (things Pei Su associates with seeing Luo - outside his hhouse, outside in the city, in the office of Luo and Tao). For me this choice of either less realism or specific places to save budget lol, is a good one

so COOL to hear Pei Sus English Song he likes to listen to instead of imagining it

I love that Pei Su is the protagonist, and portrayed in this way like you don't know if he's a murderer or not if you haven't read the book. Again it reminds me of how Flower of Evil started, which is an ambiguous take for a protagonist I did NOT expect to be given but I love a lot

This adaptation is SO much better than I expected it to be. Its so cool seeing scenes from the book play out

I love the aesthetic of the show it reminds me of Under the Skin which I had desperately hoped for

I love Tao Rans casting he's perfect he's exactly what I imagined when I read and it's just reminding me how dearly I love him.

I actually do like Luos actor now that I'm seeing him act. Visually he's not what I expected but honestly I couldn't even fancast for him I had such a specific mental visual. But the actual acting of the guy? He's doing exactly the kind of personality I expected. I love his acting, especially when he looks at Pei Su in the flashbacks like he wants to save him so much, help, and just Can't.

I love the Tao/luo/pei interactions. They're just how i pictured them. Luo/pei are too snippy to have flirty chemistry super early on, and both fighting for Tao to back them up and be Theirs and pick Their side. But all 3 are very familiar. <3

I love. I love. I need to back this show up.