Flypsyde

Actually, Shi De showed up at Shu Yi's home unannounced and expected to be listened to, then arrogantly told Yi that the real problem was that he hadn't had a good meal and began cooking in Yi's kitchen after repeatedly being told to get the hell out. I really dislike his character at this point. Horrible person.

BINGO!

I think he was asking him to bottom. Yes, it's that stupid top/bottom BL trope once again. What century is this? And naturally Shi De reacts as if bottoming would be the worst possible thing one could do, but he's willing to do so to win Shu Yi back. Which means he disrespects Shu Yi for being the bottom. That whole concept is SO overused and archaic in BLs.

That post explained nothing and offered no rationale for his character's horrible behaviors. I haven't seen any sign of remorse, only arrogance and insulting actions from Shi De. Also, I do not care for the idea that one has to go to social media posts from actors in a show to make sense of what one is seeing on the screen. Shouldn't what is presented there speak for itself and stand on its own?

Is that one company director or whatever, who sits on chairs like a monkey and acts in other peculiar ways supposed to be autistic? Or is it just an annoying characterization of someone who is quirky?

That occurred to me too during that scene. So you're saying the subs don't convey what the character was actually saying? I DO hate how so many BLs obsess over the top/bottom thing in a way that's demeaning to the character defined as the bottom. We have Shi De saying he'll do ANYTHING to get Shu Yi back, even bottoming if that's what it takes (because that's the worst possible thing in the world to do, as we know, not to mention that without bottoms there would be no tops). What century is this? It's such a heterosexual framework to impose on a gay relationship, which is bad on its own because it also demeans women as the "passive," "receptive," "weaker" of the two partners.

Do you work for the production company?

Could you help me out since you seem to know? WHY did SD avoid SY's messages? I saw no explanation that made sense. What? He's too busy for a text? This is the man he loves, supposedly, and he can't be bothered to freaking send a text??

So why, all of a sudden, after running into Shy Yi though work, does Shi De IMMEDIATELY pursue him again and act as if he has any right to be given the benefit of the doubt? Isn't he unworthy anymore? Just stupid. Bizarre character behavior with zero exposition to put it in context. It sounds like the explanations for this "lack of communication" are going to be hackneyed and silly.

I agree about the acting, intensity, emotion, chemistry, etc. but if it is all in service of a story that is insulting to its audience, what good is it. The core of the show is rotten.

But it's not surprising at all given the high standard set by the first season, followed by this shit show full of ridiculous unexplained cliche BL plot lines and schizophrenic characters. I haven't seen anyone here ask that every question be answered in the first episode; that would be boring. But what is put on the screen has to make sense or feel coherent and none of this does, which is why people are reacting so strongly.

I pretty much disagree with every point you made, but even if I agreed, part of the horror here is just the terrible plot and writing. If you are going to write a six-season series about lack of communication in the age of the Internet, cell phones, land lines, mail, social media, jet planes and on and on, you better have a damn good explanation for that lack. And so far this show has offered nothing but lame mutterings about how they sort of gradually stopped communicating for no LOGICAL reason and then suddenly it's been five years. And this after being madly and joyfully in love when Shi De left for the U.S. Please.

I don't care if the writers somehow manage to explain the multiple inexplicable story lines in this series without looking like complete idiots, I already have been so put off by the plot's blatant, insulting manipulation of its audience that I have lost a great deal of respect for the makers of this series. Pretty sure there will be a bad taste left in my mouth regardless of how things are revealed.

Because S1 was so very good all-round and I thoroughly enjoyed the acting, writing, direction, and pretty much everything about it (and I'm a hard-to-please BL fan), I was anticipating the same quality in S2. The show drew me in and made me care so much about the characters and their story that I feel doubly betrayed. I don't think I have ever experienced such a visceral hatred for a fictional character comparable to my feelings toward Shi De. The arrogance, presumption, lack of remorse, lack of respect, lack of decency, insulting behavior and all-round douchery displayed by this person in this episode was breath-taking. "Hi. I've been gone from your life for five years with no explanation or communication whatsoever, though there are many ways I could have reached out to you. I loved you and made you love me, then I left and never came back but hey, whatever. I expect you to listen to my lame-ass excuses and do so RIGHT NOW, and take me back as your man." Stupid, lazy writing.

When Shi De showed up at Shu Yi's house unannounced and arrogantly told Shu Yi that the real problem was that he hadn't had a good meal, then started cooking in the kitchen as though he owned it, the gut-level repulsion I felt was intense. Which is natural, since Shi De in the first season is now the polar opposite of this dirt bag in the second. That's what I mean about audience manipulation; a character who once was one thing is now another for no discernible reason other than that they can do it and know it will elicit a strong reaction from the viewers.

I will watch the rest of the series because I'm too invested not to. And I'm curious in a cynical way to see how low the writers of this shit-show will stoop to explain away all the stupidity on display here. Whatever it is, I guarantee it will have been done before. Manipulative, hateful father? Seen it. Blackmail? Been there. Ghosting a lover so they can have a "better" life without you? Done that. Mother getting deathly ill or dying and being swamped with expenses? Old news. Step-dad being an asshole, blah, blah, blah? There is no realistic explanation that erases the existence of the Internet, phone-lines, satellites, jet-liners, snail mail, mutual friends, messengers, etc., any of which would have been an easy means of contact.

I'm just sick. The first season was a gem. This one is a turd.