Early Access: Reset E4 (Patreon)

E4. For a show that's centered around a time loop, our story manages to consistently go off in new and fresh directions, while still adhering to the rules that it sets for itself, and this thrills me greatly.

Even though it makes perfect sense that the time loop would, at some point, start early enough to allow Shiqing and Heyun to disembark at a bus-stop, rather than have to find a way to get off the bus while the bus was en-route between bus-stops, I still felt a thrill of surprise, when it happened.

Heh. Perhaps this is just me being a time loop noob; it literally somehow didn't occur to me, even though it makes complete sense.

How interesting, that Heyun is dead asleep for some time, before he wakes up in the time loop. It makes me wonder if this just means that he'd fallen asleep later than Shiqing, in the previous time loop, and therefore this is just him being later to re-enter the time loop?

If this is correct, then does it mean that if Heyun had managed to stay awake for longer, in the previous time loop, where he'd been in custody, then Shiqing would have only had a sleeping Heyun with her, through the entirety of her bus ride in the next time loop..? 🤔

Regardless, I'm glad that Heyun does wake up, and that he and Shiqing do come to an upgraded sort of understanding, where he apologizes for having doubted her before, and Shiqing also acknowledges that she has her issues as well.

With this, it feels like their connection is growing and maturing, a little bit, which promises to be helpful, if they need to work together, to overcome this time loop. And they do manage to figure out an important bit of information; that the bomber is on the bus, and is one of the passengers (masked dude in the black outfit looks highly suspicious to me right now).

The main conflict occurs after they get off the bus, however.

I actually find it really interesting to explore the difference in thinking, between Shiqing and Heyun.

From Shiqing's point of view, she has a duty to call the police, because for all they know, this could be their last chance to save the other passengers on the bus. She doesn't hesitate at all, to make that call, once she gets off the bus, even though she doesn't actually have a plan, in terms of how to convince the police of the truth of her statement.

On the other hand, Heyun's perspective, is that they don't actually need to get involved, because there's no way that the police would believe their testimonies about the time loop.

"We don't know where the bomb is, we don't know who will cause it to go off. How can we explain to the police? Are you saying it's the loop again? If we can't explain properly, how can we explain to the police to help with their investigation?

But you can't save people using only your heart. We have to use logic too. And why should we save them? In a lot of the loops, we were one of the bodies. If the people in the bus are meant to die, then this is a chance for us to escape. It's the heavens helping us. We have to take this chance. We are not the murderers. Because of the people in the bus, we don't have to... feel guilt about it.

Kindness is not a cheap virtue, you need to match it with ability. Or else we just add to the mess."

Shiqing is pure, unadulterated good intentions, with few thoughts of how to actually deal with the situation, while Heyun is much more of a thinker - maybe a bit of an overthinker, even - and his instinct is to analyze their position in the situation, and think about their best, most logical course of action.

The thing is, both of them have valid points, in this debate. Shiqing isn't wrong to instinctively want to save the other people on the bus, but Heyun does have a point as well, that their options are very limited, in terms of what they can do, and how they can help.

In fact, I feel like Heyun might simply be an honest voice, speaking out what many of us might feel, in his shoes:

"Those passengers don't know a single thing. Death is just a moment in time for them. They won't even experience pain. But what about us? We have to fight against fear. Is there anything wrong with being afraid of death? Isn't it human nature to be drawn towards safety and to stay away from danger? I can't be as kindhearted as you, so does that make me wicked?"

That last bit, about it being human nature to be drawn towards safety, and to stay away from danger, really resonates with me, in the sense that, if I were to find myself in this situation, I can't be so sure that I'd be quick to call the police, like Shiqing, if I know that calling the police is only going to land me in the interrogation room for hours, in front of a group of disbelieving officers.

I do appreciate that Heyun isn't a bad person at all. He's just honest about his fears and worries. And it's clear that even though he barely knows Shiqing, right now, she qualifies as one of his worries too.

After she leaves with the police officers, Heyun can barely function, even though he has every opportunity to attend that business meeting, to pitch his game to investors. I also appreciate that given time to ponder over Shiqing's words, Heyun appears to come around to her point of view as well. At least, he looks like he's becoming more bothered by his conscience, as time passes.

Also, that little nugget of conversation between Heyun and his partner Liu Peng, makes me wonder if the violence in his video game has something to do with this explosive time loop that he finds himself in..? It's a bit of a stretch, sure, but right now I'm willing to entertain just about any possibility.

What a poignant little nugget of backstory, that the reason Captain Zhang's right hand is weak, is because he'd gotten hurt saving Detective Jiang, back when Detective Jiang had been out on the field, for the first time, and had made the rookie mistake of spooking the suspect.

That's really adds a layer of pathos to the development, this episode, that Detective Jiang dies in the bus explosion. He's someone whom Captain Zhang's sacrificed part of his own wellbeing for, and now, he's gone.

Well, he's gone in this time loop, at least, and could be saved in the next one, but still, the sense of finality still comes through. And, it occurs to me that Detective Jiang is just young, rash and impatient, and perhaps just hasn't grown into more mellow shoes yet.

I do like how Shiqing somehow manages to pique Captain Zhang's curiosity, each time she meets him in a time loop. I also like that the way she gains his attention, is through her sincerity, rather than through a more calculated means. This episode, her concern for his safety, and the safety of Detective Jiang, is the thing that makes him sit up and pause. Perhaps Captain Zhang could be a key help to Shiqing and Heyun after all.

On a side note, I also just wanted to say that I am very much enjoying Director Du. She's so quietly measured, yet so sharp, in her observations and instructions. I like how steady and unruffled she is, even when Heyun and Shiqing keep talking about time loops.

I do love that last scene, where Heyun calls Shiqing, and gets put on speaker phone.

I love that these two have now spent enough time together, to actually understand each other so well, to be able to speak in code.

When Shiqing acts as if they're ex-lovers who've broken up, Heyun understands without having to be told, that she's staying true to her earlier promise, not to implicate him. And, when Heyun tells her that they should both get some sleep, and that things will be better once they sleep, Shiqing immediately understands the implications too.

Ahhh! He's telling her that he'll meet her in the next time loop, isn't he? He's telling her that he'll help her, and that together they'll figure it out, isn't he?? Not gonna lie; I'm unreasonably excited by this. 🤩

Next episode notes will be out on: Monday, 21 Feb 2022!