Lady Liberty Episode 30

The ties that bind

Mei and Bei seem to really be making a go of it. The heart wants what the heart wants. But while this feels inevitable, it’s not ringing true for me in spite of her insistence of going through with it. It just doesn’t feel like even a chance of a true happy ending. He’s wanting her to be his plus one at a wedding to introduce her to his friends and has agreed to meet her mother. She came at him in righteous indignation and while I loathe her tyrant routine over Mei, I could only applaud her contempt of Bei. He deserved every bit of it. She has every right to be disappointed in Mei’s choice, but to threaten suicide if they marry is over the top. This new form of blackmail is far more than repugnant, it’s the only guilt level she can subject Mei to that could keep her suppressed. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around her determination to follow through with Bei. Prior marriage aside this man manipulated her as deliberately and as obscenely as her mother does. Why is this her choice for freedom? She is as masochistic as Zhao in her choice for a spouse. Neither ring true for even a remote chance of true happiness. I did like that he threatened to sue the mom if she continued to abuse Mei, but her threat of suicide is hard to work around. Part of me wishes she would have told her to go ahead so she can’t continue to ruin her life, but the end result is the guilt would take over where the abuse left off. Her mom knows this and thinks she has won. Gu Yan is nursing his wounds and unhappy in HeHan’s trappings tho the game vibe is actually kinda cool. Zhao introduces him to Ling and they have chilling smiles while they remind him his home and his friend’s expansion are dependent on his performance. He has one day to think through the contract they want him to sign. He is reminded of Lin’s warning that once his performance dropped Zhao would go elsewhere. Holding on and supporting through the drops was not her style. Lin was always the best choice as mentor because she understood the realities of inspiration and output. Where she failed in equal measure was being the boss. She is just very bad at it. GuYan sees two hellhounds before him waiting to take him to hell. He has already signed away his soul and now he’s tasting the ash of the prizes he was offered in exchange. This is where Ling deserves the wife his betrothal price bought. They really are bookends — one hellfire and one brimstone. Lin has also sold her soul for a very cheap price to try to save her company. She has a very obliging author with a very crappy book and it unfortunately is the best of the lot after GuYan. He Han strongly advises against this and sees it as tossing her effort and money away on a lost cause. She asks him if he would consider starting something new with her and he just can’t. This time it is not about working with her, he just really is currently emptied out in the creative dept and has no inspiration at all for trying a new series. Lin collapses when getting her new author coffee and HeHan finds her crashed at her desk. What he does is tutor the author as much as he can and leaves a manuscript ready for her to edit and update. He truly loves her and this was just a sweet under current of support for her even while realizing they are both putting lipstick on a pig and seeing if any will consider it anyways. He did an excellent job making your head hurt with his while he fought off a migraine trying to get through this mediocre attempt at a book. It is sad when the willingness is there but the talent is not. I enjoyed the sweet exchange between him and his favorite convenient store manager. I will hate it when he sells his store but glad he reunites with his son. That ledger of alcohol free days is a beautiful gesture. They really didn’t need a mournful Cai in the background lamenting his tenderness towards Lin. It might be an epiphany for her, but nothing has changed. She just finally sees the reality that has always been with her rose colored idol worshipping glasses off. She should be embarrassed she was so far from reality rather than think she has anything real to mourn. There were no what ifs or might have beens. She was never part of the equation at all. The only good part is she finally realizes it. Maybe we will finally see the grown up Cai that isn’t an annoying HeHan worshipper at the expense of real life. If she was set up this way for viewer sympathy, she’s not getting it from me. She will finally stop annoying me with her childish fan act and be the bright driven editor she was always supposed to be. Mei recognizes the signs because she always does. Lin sees it as an idol crush and doesn’t take it seriously. This again is why she’s a better mentor than boss. She never really sees what’s right in front of her. GuYan has learned dark ways from Zhao well…he bypasses gray to go to black saying he will sign the contract if new author makes no traction. Zhao goes with giving hope so the higher they think they are the harder they fall. I want to see all of them fall with Fan going first. I still find him more vile than Zhao’s tactics because he makes sure to profit from all of them. HeHan is selling classes online ironically with Mimi’s help. She looks and acts like a grownup now and I’m hoping Cai will soon follow suit. Zhao is secretly doing IVF and will get Ling’s sympathy long enough to get pregnant. He just won’t realize until too late what her agenda really was. This episode was lots of yin yang pull and they keep swirling. I just wish they were more equal strength. GuYan will come to regret his scorched earth approach but he refuses to suffer alone and wants to take Lin with him. Misery after all likes company.

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