#zhirwin

[smokeonshadows]

Finally caught up with Kung Fu! So I wasn't expecting Zhilan and Kerwin to actually meet this soon into the season and I'm not sure how I feel about it. My prediction going in was that Kerwin would spend at least half the season trying to track Zhilan down so that he could get revenge or tie up loose ends all while pining for her secretly until they finally meet again and have this big dramatic showdown. I kind of still want that because I'm a huge fan of angst and pining and lovers-to-enemies-who-still-love-each-other-but-won't-admit-it, but I do think that their interaction this episode made sense and was well-executed.

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.

Also, since it's looking like everyone's technically on Team Stop-Russell-Tan...does this mean Zhilan's going to team up with Nicky at some point this season?

[smokeonshadows]

Zhilan and Kerwin really are the ultimate girlboss/malewife pairing. This is very evident in their first scene in Attachment (1 x 11) when they break into the Tan vault. Like I said before, she's the brains and the muscle, and he's the backup, intel, and moral support. It was really endearing how worried Kerwin was for her (and how relieved he was when she made it out of there), especially because he's normally the overconfident (almost reckless) one. I think this is the first time they actually seemed like a real couple, not just allies with benefits.

[smokeonshadows]

Kind of a small thing, but I love Zhilan's accent. I was listening to some of Yvonne's interviews and heard her speak with her natural Canadian accent, which made me realize how the accent really changes everything. She even talks about it a little in this interview.

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).

I also kind of liked how they showed the way he talked to his father, with his father speaking to him in Mandarin, but Kerwin starting off in Mandarin and veering back into all English when he gets emotional. It's interesting because I think of all the younger cast members, Ludi's Mandarin is the best, so he easily could've done the whole dialogue in Mandarin. But then for the character, a possible explanation could be that Kerwin spent all of his formative years overseas, away from his family, in predominantly English-speaking spaces, so that's the language he's most comfortable in. This also doubles as an excuse/explanation for why Kerwin and Zhilan speak to each other exclusively in English despite both being native speakers of Mandarin.

[smokeonshadows]

Ooof, this one hurt, but there's SO MUCH to talk about!

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.

Seriously though, Zhilan is probably one of the best-written villains I've ever come across and I can't wait to see how this plays out. Based on this one interview with Yvonne Chapman, it kind of hints that she'll survive this season, so fingers crossed! My prediction is that Zhilan's going to try to get Nicky on her side, it doesn't work...until Mr. Tan shows up and is set up as the Season 2 villain. Like, maybe while Zhilan and Nicky are fighting, he gets control of the weapons and our girls have to team up to fight him.

[smokeonshadows]

That was such a great finale! I admit, I was skeptical going into Kung Fu (and I still find the dialogue and sfx a bit cringe sometimes), but now I'm sold! It's a show that really knows its strengths—the characters, the relationships, and the very talented cast (and their amazing chemistry with each other).

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).

I'm also very happy to see that my prediction about Kerwin came true! Ludi Lin was so good in this role and it would've been a waste to not keep the door open for him to come back. And also, more Kerwin most likely means more Zhilan.

[smokeonshadows]

I'm usually pretty skeptical when writers try to create a 'complex' villain. A lot of times they do too much to woobify them to the point where the villains are no longer villains, just poorly written heroes. So I really mean it when I say that the Kung Fu team did an amazing job of making Zhilan a sympathetic villain without excusing any of her bad deeds.

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?

But then, idk, there's something morbidly and perversely compelling about her believing so fervently in her cause that she was willing to sacrifice two people that she loved to it. I mean, yes, she's out for revenge, but I don't think she's doing it selfishly. I think that she knows that in order to take down Mr. Tan, she's going to have to destroy herself and because she knows that this goal is so much bigger than herself, that's the price she's willing to pay. That's pretty powerful.

[smokeonshadows]

I was pleasantly surprised at getting to see Kerwin go through an entire character arc in the span of this one episode, and it's especially interesting seeing the subtle but instrumental role that Zhilan plays in it and what this means for their relationship.

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.

It's not just in what Edgar tells us, it's how he and Kerwin interact with each other. Edgar talks down to him so casually and Kerwin very noticeably shifts from being the cool and (overly) confident man we've seen so far to being a reckless, pathetic boy who needed someone to clean up after his petty rebellions and who tried and failed again and again to win the approval of his father (the way he says "Edgar, what are you doing here?", he sounds exactly like a teenager getting cockblocked by his annoying know-it-all sibling). And the thing is, Kerwin slowly realizes this, too, which is why ultimately, he decides turn his back on his father and go all in with Zhilan.

We see throughout these scenes that Kerwin's come to care a lot not only about Zhilan, but about what she thinks of him. When Edgar's talking about how he was able to track them down because Kerwin had reached out to him about the Myanmar site, we get this great nonverbal exchange between Zhilan and Kerwin. She's staring daggers at him, pissed because it's such an obviously stupid mistake that jeopardized everything, and he's so embarrassed that he can't even look directly at her anymore. As Edgar keeps going on about how messy and inconsistent Kerwin's always been, he gets visibly uncomfortable at being exposed like this in front of Zhilan. But then when Edgar quips that Zhilan seems to have had a fantastic influence on him, we can kind of see something click in Kerwin's expression, like he's realizing exactly how true that is.

And then in direct contrast to all of Kerwin's interactions with Edgar, we have Zhilan and Edgar's interactions (which, very importantly, Kerwin is also witnessing). She's strong, fearless, and unwavering the entire time, but the most impactful part of this (wrt Kerwin, at least) is that when she's faced with approval from Kerwin's father (when Edgar says that Mr. Tan would be interested in allying with her), she flat out rejects it. His father's approval is the thing that Kerwin has been wanting for his entire life, he sees Zhilan getting that approval without even trying and she completely brushes it off like it's the dirt on the bottom of her expensive shoes. Unfortunately, we don't see his reaction to this, but I can't imagine it not having an impact on him.

And then comes the moment of truth. I think some might interpret this scene as showing how he's under Zhilan's spell and he can't see that she's using him, but I think this is actually more about him coming to terms with himself. Edgar dangles the carrot of his father's approval in front of him and instead of looking hopeful or satisfied, Kerwin looks...like he's wearing a suit that doesn't fit him anymore. Basically, he realizes who he is and who he can be when he's with Zhilan and he can't bear to go back to being his father's son again.

Then we get the big fight scene, which shows another interesting contrast. Whereas this was Kerwin's first time killing anyone and he's clearly fucked up about it, Zhilan takes out three guys without thinking twice. The expression she has when she's looking at Kerwin and kind of watching him still processing what he just did, it's hard to read. I think she's surprised that he's taking it so hard until she realizes that it's his first kill and then she's...kind of touched? But also feels some sort of responsibility for this guy losing his innocence?

In the final scene, this may be a reach, but I think this was really well-designed to show the change in Kerwin and the completion of his arc. When Zhilan hands him a drink (it's usually the other way around), he sets it aside and immediately turns his attention to their next steps. This is in direct contrast to their first scene in the episode where he refuses to let go of even the smallest drop of wine while encouraging Zhilan to let loose. He's not the billionaire playboy anymore, he's whoever he needs to be in order to get the job done. I think Zhilan sensed this shift in him too, at least subconsciously and that's why she kisses him. She realizes that he really is all in with her.

As with all of their interactions, this one walks a fine line. If you look at it from one angle, they're getting closer to each other and solidifying their bond, but from another angle, it could also look like they're just manipulating each other (Zhilan's lovebombing him or he's playing the long game and planning to betray her at the last minute). Call me a romantic, but I really think they genuinely do care for each other. I mean, I'm never 100% on what's going on with Zhilan, but at least on Kerwin's end, his reaction to killing Edgar was genuine and it wouldn't make sense for him to kill Edgar in the first place if he was planning a betrayal because the guy offered him the perfect out.

Anyway, other things I really liked about Zhirwin in this episode:

Kerwin's styling is much better. He looks a little less put together and a little more realistic.

Both Ludi and Yvonne pulled off some of their best acting yet this episode, especially with a lot of the nonverbal stuff (Yvonne did a really great job in showing how anguished Zhilan was when Kerwin showed Edgar the weapons and she thought that all her hard work would be for nothing).

[smokeonshadows]

Yvonne Chapman's so good at microexpressions, man. I was rewatching some of her scenes from Isolation (1x09) and the moment when Kerwin proposes his plan of going to Myanmar to steal the ax really caught my attention.

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.

This all actually makes me really wish we got to see how they pulled off the Myanmar trip, because we kind of go straight from this moment (when Zhilan sees Kerwin as nothing more than a poor fool who can be useful to her) to them in the ending montage where Zhilan starts to look conflicted when literally caught between Kerwin and the weapons. And then we have everything that happens in 1x10 that brings them closer together and she really starts to look like she cares for him.

[smokeonshadows]

I don’t really watch Kung Fu (I just keep it on in the background to support my people while I wait for Nancy Drew)…but I’ve been rewatching that Zhilan x Kerwin car scene throughout the day nonstop like a loser!

Nothing explicitly sexy happens, but they’re just both so attractive and the chemistry is so good, I’m surprised the windows didn’t immediately steam up.

Like their little exchange about friendship–the way she leans in, puts on this air of vulnerability and looks up at him innocently but in kind of a mocking way, the way he immediately picks up on that sarcasm and is amused by it enough to want to hear her out. It’s all kind of mesmerizing how well they play off each other.

I’ve been a Zhicky shipper (because villain x hero ships are kind of my thing), but bisexual!Zhilan was always my headcanon so I’m all for this ‘erotically charged partnership’.

While a real relationship might allow us to see a different facet of her character, I think what’s probably going to happen is: Zhilan and Kerwin team up, it turns into a fwb situation, he catches feelings, she betrays him, and if he survives it he might team up with Nicky&Co but then double crosses them at the last minute.

I mean, Zhilan already knows what buttons to push with him- she low key negged him in their very first meeting and that’s what sealed the deal, so he was doomed from the start.

Anyway, Zhilan is so hot I want to cry and I can’t wait to simp vicariously through whoever they pair her up with.

[smokeonshadows]

I forgot to mention how perfect the first Zhirwin scene in 1x09 is.

First off, the soundtrack works so well. The song is Dictator by REI AMI, which starts off as a song all about a woman being powerful and in control, but then halfway through it turns into a vulnerable ballad about being hurt...which is exactly what Zhilan's story is about, and that duality in her is clearly at play in this scene.

I was surprised by the sense of intimacy in the way they touch each other here. They're both half naked, it's definitely a sensual, post-coital setup, but the way they're touching is less about lust and more about comfort (both giving comfort to and taking comfort in each other). They're already so soft and familiar with each other. It's surprising because both of them, especially Zhilan, thus far were shown to be untrusting and almost unfeeling.

And I liked how the end of the scene (when Kerwin dodges her questions) shows that he isn't some idiot who's going into this relationship recklessly underestimating her. He knows that she's trying to steer the conversation to get information out of him, and he doesn't fall for it.

[smokeonshadows]

There wasn't much Zhirwin this week, so I'll just keep going on about 1 x 10.

Zhilan's feelings for Kerwin are still a bit of a mystery, but I can't help but think that she was really touched that he–a soft-handed, relatively innocent daddy's boy–killed someone he cared about to save her. Like, when faced with the very real possibility of finally winning his father's approval provided that he sacrifice Zhilan, he chose her. I mean, yeah, I still think that he mostly did it to stand up for himself, but I also think that Zhilan's life being threatened was what really forced him to take a stance.

I'm sure that Zhilan knew that she wouldn't die at Kerwin's hands (tbh, I was more worried for Kerwin's life), but she was 100% certain that he'd do anything for his father's approval (in fact, it was what she'd been leaning on to manipulate him this entire time). And that's not even mentioning Zhilan's anxiety/trauma wrt betrayal. Her life has been so defined by it that I feel like she was kind of expecting Kerwin to turn on her, too, at some point. So the fact that he didn't means something. He exceeded her expectations after she'd been disappointed by the people in her life so many times before.

As for Kerwin, I think that even if his feelings for Zhilan weren't all that strong before, killing Edgar (and then Zhilan subsequently comforting him about it) probably sealed the deal for him. This was his first time killing a person. Not only that, but he killed someone he knew and cared about for a very long time. In order to deal with whatever cognitive dissonance that must be going on in him in the aftermath, he kind of has to rationalize it all by telling himself that he didn't just do it on impulse or out of his own selfish need to prove himself, he did it for love.

And, I mean, he's not wrong. She may not have actually believed in him before, but she at least acted like she did (something that probably no one else has ever done with him before), and because of that, he rose to the occasion. And as we saw at the end of the episode, that all serves to bring them closer together.

It's a very interesting, very twisted feedback loop.

[smokeonshadows]

Firstly—GET IT, NICKY! It's about time!

Secondly, something must be wrong with me because I can't seem to not think of Kung Fu as Zhilan's show as much as Nicky's (probably moreso), lol (but really though, I firmly believe this is a credit to the writers, not a shortcoming!) As much as I love Nicky, I was rooting for the villain the entire time! I just really wanted to see her succeed and get all the weapons. Like, I know Zhilan has killed multiple people and she's about to unleash a terrible force onto the world, but I just can't bring myself to want to see her brought to justice for any of it.

Man, I'm going to be inconsolable if Zhirwin don't make it out of this alive (and come back in season 2).

We don't get to see many intimate Zhirwin moments this episode, but we do get to see them in action as a team, which is pretty cool. Zhilan is clearly running this show (as she should). She's the brains and the muscle, and Kerwin's there for backup, Tan intel, and moral support. They seem to have a good rhythm going. Most of all, though, is that they look very good together! The escalator shot was a little over the top, but I just love the shot of them hanging up the new weapons that they acquired from the Tan vault and they're just standing there looking at these weapons like they're proud parents watching their adorable kids grow up. It's kind of charming.

I still wish this season was just a little bit longer so we could've seen the Myanmar raid and have it so that they're not just grabbing up these weapons up one after another without facing any sort of opposition.

I feel like we're probably going to see Mr. Tan some time in the next two episodes. Maybe he turns out to be the big bad and we'll see Zhilan and Nicky have to team up against him? The Zhicky shipper in me still has hope!