Sam Wilson, Rileys Death, And PTSD (trigger Warning)

Sam Wilson, Riley’s Death, and PTSD (trigger warning)

One of the very clever things the filmmakers of Captain America: The Winter Soldier do occurs in this short conversation between Steve and Sam:

“You lose someone? "My wingman Riley, flying a night mission, standard PJ rescue op, nothing we hadn’t done a thousand times before, til an RPG knocked Riley’s dumb ass out of the sky. Nothing I could do, it’s like I was up there just to watch.”

Here we learn how Sam Wilson (like Steve Rogers) was forced to helplessly stand by and watch as he lost one of the people closest to him.  This scene is also meant to give the impression that Sam Wilson is a pilot, most likely a helicopter pilot.  It’s a nice subtle piece of misdirection on the filmmakers’ part. Steve’s dialogue later on affirms that he assumed wrongly because of it:

“I thought you said you were a pilot.” “I never said pilot.”

It’s not just the discussion of flying, of course, but the fact that Riley was taken out by an RPG which is basically the fate of every helicopter in every movie ever.  And it’s even more common in video games – taking out a helicopter with an RPG is a cliché at this point.

But in actuality, this is what Riley and Sam were operating:

That’s it.  It’s basically a backpack.  And Sam Wilson saw Riley take the full force of one of these:

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Asking on anon because I feel like maybe this is a stupid question - I'm sorry to ask! In CQL why does everyone turn against NHS? I assumed originally it is LWJ and WWX being protective of LXC because he's clearly all kinds of f-ed up by NHS tricking him into murdering his sworn brother JGY. But they imply NHS is the devil which seems harsh? JGY did all those things, NHS didn't make him and if I understand timeline wasn't even plotting at the time of most of them. Is NHS a villain? I'm confused!

Hi Anon! 

To answer that question I think it fundamentally boils down to 阴谋诡计 vs 正大光明. 

I don’t think everyone is turning “against” NHS - that would be misreading their last interaction. Their last interaction in front of the wall of discipline is a “masks off” moment, where all characters are more or less showing their hand and being on the same page with each other. NHS is no longer pretending to be the “i don’t know” sniffling, weak idiot, and Wei Wuxian makes it known that he knows NHS was the one behind the string of events starting from Wei Wuxian’s own resurrection. 

Even though NHS had good motivations for doing what he did, and even though he never tried to actively hurt anyone, he achieved his goal (avenging his brother) through  阴谋诡计.  What this means is that his methods were all shadowy, underhanded, based on subterfuge and misdirection. It is not as canon would call it the “bright, sunny path” or  正大光明. 

To avenge his brother he had lied to the people who would be his friends, Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, even Lan Xichen. He used the people around him like chess pieces, leading them down the route he laid for them until Jin Guangyao’s evil has been revealed. I think it is strongly implied that Mo Xuanyu’s self-sacrifice was in part because of Nie Huaisang’s influence/persuasion. He released Nie Mingjue’s saber spirit, causing the death of the Mo family. Yes the Mo family were a group of hateful characters, and none of us are all that sorry for them, but death is still death, murder is still murder. 

Yet while he wasplotting, he outwardly portrayed himself as this innocent, I know nothing, I’m harmless individual. 

In a way, Nie Huaisang walked his own single plank road. The difference between Wei Wuxian and Nie Huaisang is that while circumstances both forced them to do things they other wouldn’t do, Wei Wuxian never hid his true self from anyone. Never tried to be “kinder” than he really was. Nie Huaisang however wore a mask until the end. 

It is a cultural trope I think for drama characters to be wary of - if not actively dislike - the scheming individuals, even if their scheming is well intended. Because a scheme always has collaterals and the person who schemes often never has to bear consequences of their actions. Culturally, it is seen as not the righteous path. 

But as CQL demonstrated, those who take the righteous path are often idiots who end up dead so... I personally see nothing wrong with scheming to avenge one’s murdered brother. 

If NHS didn’t play the careful game that he did, he was never going to beat Jin Guangyao. Jin Guangyao is too smart and careful. If you wanna beat him, you’re gonna have to get on his level, and that’s what Nie Huaisang did. 

But do I understand why Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji are wary of NIe Huaisang? Uhm yeah, because here is a man with great intellect and depth and fortitude that he was able to fool the greatest villains and heroes of their generation. There is a certain cold ruthlessness to Nie Huasiang as well; he did not hesitate to use Lan Xichen to kill Jin Guangyao (his sworn brother and lover, I think they’re lovers, sue me). 

But LWJ and WWX understood why NHS did what he did, that’s why they didn’t confront him outright. There’s an unspoken understanding between them that they know each other’s true nature now, and for all the lies that led them to this point, it’s no wonder they can’t go back to the youths that they once were.  

“wei ying” 

“You were unsure which pain is worse—the shock of what happened or the ache of what never will.”

—Simon Van Booy

↳ Quote request by @consideringhobbits

| Requests Are Open! |

This entire scene in episode 19, I think reflects just how much Lan Wangji was worried about Wei Wuxian during his disappearance to the point that everyone knows.

The first stack of 3 swords are Sandu (Jiang Cheng’s), Suihua (Jin Zixuan’s) and Bichen. Jiang Cheng immediately picks up Sandu but Lan Wangji ignores Bichen to pick up Suibian instead, which was held by another disciple. Jiang Cheng as a relative of Wei Wuxian should have prerogative , but the disciple directly presents it to Lan Wangji, and Jiang Cheng just looks. Blink and you’ll miss it - you can see his eyes widen slightly as he took in the sight of Suibian, plus the Wuji/Wangxian instrumental playing in the background.

That last line he thinks, “Where are you?” is more significant in Chinese than the translation makes it out to be to me. “Where are you?” = “你在哪儿?” but what he thinks is “你到底在哪儿?”, which is more of a “Where in the world are you?” or “Where are you exactly?”, and sounds like he has already been to many places in constant search of Wei Wuxian. Plus the emotion you hear in the way it was said, you could feel worry in his voice.

Jumping back slightly to the part when they stormed the platform

It honestly feels like this is Lan Wangji losing some control of his usually composed self. That is A Look from Jiang Cheng to Lan Wangji, like he can’t fully believe The Hanguang Jun would act this way. Why did he and the other Gusu disciples arrive after Lan Wangji too? Was it merely for dramatic effect, or did Lan Wangji rush ahead so fast that they took awhile to catch up - even with that epic power walk entrance he made?

How worried was our pokerface extrodinnaire Lan Wangji for everyone to be able to pick up on it, even without brother-translator Lan Xichen? This entire expedition seemed like it was about getting the confiscated swords back, but it felt more about Wei Wuxian, as he was the foremost concern on Lan Wangji’s mind. The Wen soldier who badmouthed Wei Wuxian was strangled, his first question was “where’s Wei Ying”, and Wei Wuxian’s sword was the only one presented differently “this is Wei-gongzi’s sword”.

do you ever think about the fact that, when lan wangji brings wei wuxian to cloud recesses after he faints and after he hasn’t see him for 16 years, since he knows that wei wuxian is not possessing someone elses’s body, for all he knows he’s been alive and well for the past 16 years without telling him and doesn’t hold much affection for him anymore! 

that is why to lan wangji it is very important information the fact that wei wuxian has no idea where he was these past 16 years, because it also means that wei wuxian has not just decided to pretend he was dead for so long and not to be his friend anymore

and he believes that!

it’s not just a question of whether wei wuxian is telling the truth or not, there are also implications about whether wei wuxian intentionally decided not to be his friend anymore or not