LOCH 2017 highlights for Eps 29-38

Huang Yaoshi (Michael Miu) as he learned Huang Rong had died (Ep 29)

LOCH 2017 has wrapped up this week for iQIYI (and - ahem - YouTube) viewers, and it was an enjoyable  ride. I will make my final impression post later, perhaps the end of next week (cos I have, you know, deadlines...). However, I finally made time to catch up with the rest of the episodes to properly write some comments. Cos I have no time for detailed comments, I will generally just write the contents and highlights of each episode. Episodes were downloaded from Wuxiarocks, so thanks a lot WR for uploading the episodes.

Ep 29

Content: GJ et al escaping WYHL’s boat; GJ et al arriving at the Niu Village, met Shagu and found the secret room inside Shagu’s house; HYS mourning HR; Lu Guanying meeting Cheng Yaojia; and GJHR eavesdropping WYHL’s plan on the Book of Wumu

HR, GJ, Hong Qigong and Old Imp Zhou Botong escaped from Wanyan Honglie’s ship with the help of the… shark… Then they went to the Niu Village to visit GJ’s hometown. There they met Shagu, who fought ZBT and hence made HR realise that Shagu had the Taohua Island kungfu. I like Li Yitong’s expression here when she tested Shagu, for a brief moment, I saw Susanna Auyeung there with her leers.

Meanwhile, HYS intercepted WYHL’s ship and jumped on board. HYS asked whether West Venom had seen HR; the latter said no. However, just as in the novel, one of the idiotic cronies of WYHL (Hou Tonghai) said that he saw some corpses floating at the sea three days prior; one of them was of a young girl. The characteristics made HYS believed that HR had died, hence he closed his eyes in grief. That stupid Hou Tonghai still goated HYS, which made the Taohua Master angry and threw him off the ship.

Take that!

Then we have Lu Guanying meeting Cheng Yaojia, while HRGJ eavesdropped into WHYL et al. conversation about the Book of Wumu.

The highlight of the episode for me was Michael’s HYS getting angry, and then turning to a silent sadness when he realised HR was gone. And the way he faced the wind, his cape blowing, as he recited a poem, was touchy…

And the poem was that of Cao Zijian (Three Kingdoms Period), as explained later by Yang Kang (Chapter 22):

Yang Kang explained, “What he sang was a poem written by Cao Zijian of the Three Kingdoms period. Cao Zijian composed two stanzas of lamentations because of his daughter’s death. In the poem he said how some people live until the hair on their heads had turned completely white, while some children died prematurely. He questioned why God was so unfair? He hated the fact that Heaven was so high and without stairs so that he could not ascend to God’s throne to cry out his complaints. He finally said that his grief was so deep that the day he would follow her to the grave would not be far away.”

By the way, when I was looking for the poem that HYS recited onboard his boat as he left WYHL's ship... I got another fact as well.

Book 2 LOCH Chapter 20:

Ouyang Feng fetched his snake staff and jumped over the burning mast. Hong Qigong immediately drew the bamboo stick from his waist and fended off the attack. They had been fighting ferociously barehanded before, so imagine how fierce the battle had become now that both were wielding weapons.

So Ouyang Feng indeed had a snake staff at his disposal. Not just a staff, but a snake-looking staff. And the series got that right.

Neat...

Ep 30

My favourite Ouyang Ke (Liu Zhiyang) in pain (Ep 30)

Contents: OYK giving YK the love potion to make MNC making love to YK, which YK didn’t use; Tolui, Jebe and HZ arriving at the Southern Song territory; HQG wanted to sneak into the Song Palace to eat his favourite meal, hence GJHR and ZBT accompanied him to the Palace for that; OYK’s worsening leg; GJHR vs YK for the Book of Wumu; YK injured GJ, MNC witnessed it all.

Highlight: OYK’s worsening condition. He was in such a pain without his painkillers that he tearfully bit Ouyang Feng’s shoulder to ease his pain. OYF didn’t do anything other than accepting the pain. That was really touchy. I love this devil father-son…

Oh, the fight between OYF and GJ inside the cave was really cool as well.

Ep 31

HR received the shock of her life when Shagu pulled out the dagger from GJ (Ep 31)

Content: HR healing GJ inside the secret room in Shagu’s house; MNC drowned herself into a river but got rescued by a villager; YK, OYF, OYK et al rested at Shagu’s house; Lu Guanying rescuing Cheng Yaojia; OYF chased ZBT around for info about Jiuyin Manual (I suppose to heal OYK?); HYS interrogated ZBT about GJ; Sun Bu’er was majorly vexed for her student was with LGY; YK’s cronies defeated SBR, LGY and CYJ.

Highlight: Definitely HR’s panicking and getting angry at Shagu for pulling out the dagger from GJ.

Ep 32

The sad, contemplating HYS (Ep 32)

Content: HYS rescued SBR, LGY and CYJ; HYS found out that Shagu (and CYJ) were the daughters of his expelled students; HYS played a matchmaker for Lu and Cheng; HYS joined OYF to chase ZBT again; YK found out MNC was rescued from her suicide, and she was pregnant; Qiu Qianren lied to Quanzhen that HYS murdered ZBT; Mei Chaofeng entered Shagu’s house while Quanzhen was prepping to battle HYS.

Highlight: I love how Michael showed HYS’s regrets as he saw his students’ offsprings, and how he missed HR as he watched Lu and Cheng falling in love.

Also, it it seems YK-MNC finally made love after YK told MNC he got a love potion in Ep 30 (but won’t use it on her) because in Ep 32 we found MNC to be pregnant.

Ep 33

HYS and Mei Chaofeng during her last moments (Ep 33)

Content: Quanzhen vs MCF; Quanzhen vs HYS; the death of MCF; MNC emerged from comma, learned she was with YK’s child, and overheard the conversation between YK and WYHL about the Book of Wumu etc; after being rescued by Lu and Cheng, OYK immobilized them; OYK found out the secret chamber, got defeated by HR; MNC came into the house and was immobilized by OYK.

Highlight: the Quanzhen vs HYS and the death of MCF.

Ep 34

Ouyang Ke's last indulgent moment before he died (Ep 34)

Content: YK killing OYK using GJ’s dagger; OYF mourning OYK; OYF thought GJ killed OYK; Shagu gave YK HR’s Dog-Beating Staff; YK planning to usurp Kaypang; the Six Freaks vs HYS, GJ intervened, HYS curing GJ; HR showing HYS the treasures that his student Lingfeng had kept for him; HR giving GJ a painting from the treasure cove; HR found out that YK had her Dog-beating Staff; HYS instructing HR to get the staff back from YK and then return to Peach Blossom Island with GJ (HYS even smirked to HR afterwards!); GJ rescued Huazheng et al from Qiu Qianzhang (Qiu Qianren’s twin).

Ouyang Feng mourning his illegitimate son (Ep 34)

Highlight: Definitely OYF mourning OYK, and the fact that I can’t see Liu Zhiyang’s OYK anymore… HYS mourning his student Lingfeng and the latter’s dedication to the teacher was also touchy.

Ep 35

GJHR met Leader Lu (Ep 35)

Content: GJ broke up with HR to fulfil his promise to Huazheng; GJHR still went to retrieve the Kaypang staff; GJHR found a secret map within GJ’s painting directing them to the location of the Book of Wumu; YK secured his position in Kaypang; GJHR met Leader Lu of Kaypang; GJHR were hypnotized and captured by another Kaypang leader.

Highlight: None for me, but I hope to make a post specific about food in LOCH 2017 cos they look SO GOOD!

Ep 36

Content: YK found the map for the Wumu Yishu; OYF accepted YK as his student; OYF confronted GJHR about the murder of OYK, HR said the murderer was YK but OYF didn’t buy it; MNC trying to rescue GJHR by tipping Leader Lu; the Kaypang conference where GJHR were going to be killed.

Highlight: the Kaypang conference.

Ep 37

HR's victorious smirk (against a Kaypang leader, not vs YK), Ep 37

Content: GJ mastering Quanzhen’s the Seven Stars Formation; HR defeating YK; YK escaped and brought his dad et al to Iron Palm Peak (Qiu Qianren’s mountain) to retrieve Wumu Yishu; GJHR also cracked down the Wumu code and went to Iron Palm Peak; GHJR sneaked into the Iron Palm sect.

Highlight: definitely HR vs YK during the Kaypang conference, although GJ vs the bad beggars was also amazing.

Ep 38

YK begged WYHL not to kill MNC (Ep 38)

Content: MNC met GJHR in Iron Palm Sect and spilled YK’s plan to them; YK and MNC got married, more to divert QQR’s attention to the wedding while YK’s cronies entered the Iron Palm sacred cave; MNC tried to poison WYHL but the latter already knew it hence she failed; YK had to leave the poisoned MNC to handle GJHR (cos WYHL promised YK that MNC would live and YK would continue marry MNC if he got Wumu Yishu); HR was hit by the real QQR.

Highlight: the wedding of YK-MNC. Wkeej from SPCNet asked me to make a comparison image between the 1983 and 2017 wedding, and here it is:

It’s obvious that the 1983 wedding (Ep 35 LOCH 1983) was merrier and devoid of a political agenda than the 2017 wedding. In 1983, Yeung Hong married Mok Nimchi despite Yuen-ngan Hung Lit’s objection. In lieu of the Jin Prince, Mui Chiufung (Mei Chaofeng, Bonnie Wong) was the elder and witness. I love the 1983’s MCF smile here…