Wu 1×05 Review: Episode 5

The others forget a key piece of the ritual to unseal the Six-Eared Macaque, putting Pete at risk again. The sealing of Qi Rong begins.

Now that the Six-Eared Macaque is unsealed and Pete is in control, he and Niran start talking about how they will use his power to find Qi Rong. But first, Niran insists that Pete rest. Unfortunately, Jia Hao forgot an integral part of the ritual: they needed to put a talisman on Pete while he slept, to prevent the demon from taking back control.

Just like in the previous episode, Nani’s acting in this scene was phenomenal. I haven’t been watching the behind-the-scenes, but I’m very curious how long he spent working on his movement, because he really did move like a monkey. Also, he is one of the few GMMTV actors whose fight scenes don’t look ridiculous. (Which isn’t to say I haven’t enjoyed the action scenes in previous series, but most of these guys are not action stars and it shows.) Considering that Pete is meant to be a former martial arts champion, that makes sense.

Can I just take a moment to praise Pete’s friends – Jack, Thua, and Tao? I did not expect these guys to be quite so ride-or-die for Pete. This was perhaps unfair of me, because I was basing this assumption on episode 1, where they had barely any interaction. But these three not only said yes to demon hunting, but they also ran after a possessed Pete at the risk of their own lives. And even though they’re given the worst jobs for the sealing ritual, they enthusiastically agree. You wish you had friends like these guys.

Niran has to act quickly to save Pete’s life. So, in a moment that everyone saw coming after that scene back in episode 3, Niran ends up performing the soul-binding ritual on himself and Pete. He uses the dolls that he was making for the engaged couple and ties himself and his energy to Pete. His energy will protect Pete without the need for a talisman, but it also binds their fates together. If Pete dies, Niran dies.

I want to know if they were destined for each other. They’ve tied their fates together to save Pete’s life (and I need to emphasize that this is insane on Niran’s part, as he’s only known Pete a few weeks at most), but were they supposed to meet? Was it destiny that Pete was gambling in that specific establishment when Niran went to destroy the yao? We may not ever get the answer to that question.

Fei explains everything to Pete when he wakes up, and she uses words that sound a lot like marriage vows. (At least, a lot like western marriage vows. I’m unfamiliar with marriage vows in other parts of the world.) The show chooses to use the visual of a golden thread tying Pete and Niran’s wrists together. I’m sure many of us in the audience immediately thought of the red thread of fate, which is a Taoist belief. (Many of us were probably also remembering the Wu pilot trailer, in which the thread featured prominently.)

This basically is like a marriage. And Happy Pride to us all, because these two are the most romantic couple I think I’ve seen in a while. I joked a lot, while I was watching High School Frenemy, that it was gayer than most of the gay shows I’ve seen, and Wu is following in that pattern. And this doesn’t even have to be read romantically, although I personally prefer to interpret it that way. Sky and Nani have so far played characters with a very intense connection, and the romance tends to bleed into that, even if it’s not intentional.

For example, the moment before they begin the ritual to seal Qi Rong, when Pete is worried for his own life. Despite not technically needing a talisman, Niran takes his amulet off and puts it around Pete’s neck. Then he grips Pete by the nape and reassures him that he will keep him safe.

Or Niran telling Fei, “Even heaven can’t stop two people falling in love,” as he makes the dolls that he ends up using for himself and Pete. Or Fei making it a point to tell Pete that she’s known Niran her whole life, and he would not do this for just anybody.

I think it’s interesting to feature the soul-binding ritual in the same episode where Fei explains her reasoning for working for the Prime Minister, even though it’s made her an outcast from the other Wu. She talks about wanting to make the world a better place for people like her, for people like them. You cannot convince me that she meant the Wu when this show has made it a point to say that Fei is trans.

And whether or not the show confirms it (which they won’t, that’s not the kind of show this is), I choose to take from that conversation that Niran is queer as well. Even though I assume that Fei’s “people like me” was about her being trans, and “people like us” was about the Wu. I think the best thing about shows like this is that it leaves this kind of stuff open to interpretation. It’s more fun that way.

Now that they don’t have to worry about the Six-Eared Macaque, Pete is able to use his super-hearing to find Qi Rong. I’ll be honest, I was not expecting them to try to defeat Qi Rong so soon. Yes, this show is only nine episodes, and we’re already halfway through, but I’m so used to GMMTV shows spending too much time on buildup and not enough on the climax.

The sealing ritual was intense. The visual of the group on the rooftop, with the storm clouds gathering, and Pete in front of everyone in chains, was impressive. Also, the use of fog as a way to separate, confuse, and manipulate them was rather spot-on imagery.

It seems that Qi Rong will be using people’s fears against them. I do worry for the Three Stooges (Thua, Tao, and Jack), who meet who they think is Pete (he’s not wearing Niran’s amulet!), while Pete is forced to face the Six-Eared Macaque again. Fei is confronted by phantom protestors, which makes me wonder if some part of her suspects that the Prime Minister is as corrupt as they are accusing. (He is.) Niran sees what I believe is the demon, only it turns into a butterfly, and only time will tell what that’s meant to represent.

But I’m most fascinated by what Tong sees in the fog. Essentially, he sees himself – or rather, the demon manifesting as a version of himself. Only he is dressed a little more traditionally feminine. Is this related to his history with Fei (could Tong also be trans?), or does it perhaps represent a past life?

Of course, the show can’t resist tossing in a bit of levity. I loved that Pete’s first instinct, upon finding out that he and Niran were basically married, was to ask about Niran’s money. I also love that an apparent side effect of the soul-binding ritual is that Pete sees Niran’s face everywhere. (Granted, this scene was much funnier when Cooking Crush did it, but it’s still funny.) Niran telling the group that they need to be “one soul” to successfully defeat Qi Rong, and Pete deciding that means “matching t-shirts” was perfection. (And insisting Niran take couple photos of them in the matching shirts… I can’t with these two.)

I can’t believe they left us in the middle of the ritual (during Pride Month???). I’ll be on the edge of my seat waiting for next week’s episode. What fears will Niran, Jia Hao, and Yok face? Are the Three Stooges OK? What is up with Tong?

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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