Notable Actors/Actresses
First joint post by the two of us! We discussed and chose all the ridiculous ideas/theories that we wanted to share with all of you, and ta-da, this post is born! Using blue-green to represent our thoughts as a combination of our two usual colours xD.
Warning: The rest of the post is basically filled with spoilers and giant brain holes! Proceed at your own risk!
Table of Contents
Signature LinesThemes
Romance
Ending Theories
Extra Goodies/Details
Humor from the Chinese Communities
Behind the ScenesLunar New Year Bonus
Officer Zhang:
你是之前就有這種症狀還是今天才有的Did you have this condition before or did it start today?
(T/N: Officer Zhang is politely asking how long Li Shi Qing’s been crazy, with the implicit assumption that she is crazy). This line is also super popular on the Reset threads on douban now, it’s usually the top reply to any (crazy) fan theories hahaha…
Li Shi Qing:
我一开始也以为是我疯了，可是我问过医生了。她说我脑子没事。I thought I was crazy too, but I asked the doctor already. She said my brain was fine!
Is this a nod to Sheldon’s iconic line in Big Bang Theory?
Calm Lady (when asked what’s in the pot):
肉
Police Chief:
准备药检！Prep them for the medical examination.
Lu Di:
卢-猫之使者，哮喘征服者，被光选中-笛Lu – The Apostle of Cats, The Asthma Conqueror, and The One Chosen By the Lights – Di.
Medicine Lady:
别怕，我这里什么药都有！Don’t be scared. I have all sorts of medicine.
I feel that this is the strongest theme in the show, even though it was never mentioned explicitly. When our leads were looking for the bomber, they started off by suspecting Mask Guy (Lu Di) and Suitcase Guy (Lao Jiao). Why? Simply because they looked the most suspicious. But as show progresses, these two turn out to be the nicest and most helpful- Lu Di, who trusts them unconditionally and doesn’t hesitate to help and Lao Jiao, who was willing to offer sanitary pads to Li Shi Qing even though he has next to nothing himself… Similarly, Nervous Guy, who they suspected because of his criminal priors, was the first to voluntarily help out and try to wrestle the knife from Calm Lady’s hands.
In contrast, it was the Calm Lady (I know right, what an apt moniker) and the Bus Driver (that our duo never even suspected) who was responsible for this explosion.
In a broader view, it can also be said that the theme applies to both Wang Meng Meng and Liu Yao. Everyone online was so quick to judge Wang Meng Meng to be insane/deserving of death because she tried to grab the steering wheel. Similarly, the online courtroom was so quick to condemn Liu Yao for not saying anything on the spot and stopping this tragedy. If only people learnt to be less hasty in their judgment and condemnation, perhaps this tragedy would never have come to pass. There is a really apt chinese saying for this phenomenon, 站着说话不腰疼 (It doesn't hurt your waist when you talk (and give instructions to the person working)). It basically means it's easy for people to criticize from the sidelines, but they don't understand the situation until they've experienced it themselves.
In fact, Show even emphasizes the point to us time and again through Officer Zhang and Police Chief. When the anxious junior officers preemptively pronounce our leads guilty, they repeatedly tell them to not be hasty in their judgment and keep an open mind.
Bystander Effect
I think that this is a huge issue worldwide, not just in China. There are real cases of this worldwide and the phenomenon is well-studied (Bystander effect and Diffusion of responsibility). Coincidentally (and depressingly), this popped up on my news feed today T_T. The situation in China is exacerbated by the lack of faith in the justice system. I don’t know whether China is indeed more corrupt, has worse witness protection, etc, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the strong public perception that the system doesn’t work. To make matters worse, cases such as Peng Yu gets pushed into the spotlight and further deters bystanders from helping by suggesting that helping is a sign of guilt. This is why we end up with tragedies like the death of Wang Yue.
In the drama, the most obvious example of this was Liu Yao, and her conversation with her mum. She was scared into silence because she did not have faith that the justice system would be able to protect her sufficiently. But it wasn’t just her. What about everyone else on the bus who saw Wang Meng Meng being molested? What about everyone else on the bus when Li Shi Qing claimed to be molested? What about everyone else when Calm Lady brandished a knife and killed Li Shi Qing?
In a way, the bus is the perfect place to illustrate the bystander effect. It’s an enclosed space forcing everyone into close proximity, but no-one cares about anyone else. Perhaps the key to unlock the time loop was to turn every single passenger into active helpers. The ending had every bus passenger take on an active role in helping Li Shi Qing to stop the explosion. No one was a bystander anymore.
Online Courtrooms
Drama lightly touches on this, and I have already written more than one essay on this, so I shall not delve too deeply into it. I just want to highlight how the internet makes things worse: 1) People tend to forget that there is a living being at the other end, reading their every word, 2) People feel empowered to cast judgements and make damning proclamations with zero repercussions since they are never held accountable and 3) They hide behind a veil of anonymity, so there is a natural tendency to portray oneself as a saint and hold the person in the spotlight to impossible standards. If you take away nothing else from this post, just remember this, “Be kind. You never know what sort of ripples a single word by you can set off”.
Violence is Never the Answer
Another major theme of the drama is the condemnation of retaliating against violence with violence (以暴制暴). As an overarching plot, Calm Lady and Bus Driver chose to retaliate by blowing up the bus (a violent act). As we clearly see, this is wrong, on so many levels.
But even if it’s really “justified” legally, does that mean we will be able to live with it? Drama spent 1.5 episodes on Xiao He Yun’s guilt for murder. Yes, he was doing so to save everyone. Yes, anyone with half a brain can see that it’s appropriate self-defense. But none of that matters to him. At the end of the day, he is still consumed with guilt. Rationally, he might be in the clear, but emotionally, will he ever be able to forgive himself? In retrospect, it now makes sense why drama spent 1.5 episodes on this. They wanted to drive home this message. This also reminds me of Curtain: Poirot’s Last Case by Agatha Christie (a highly recommended read).
Xiao He Yun’s game also faced multiple issues with regards to violence censorship, and initially he was insistent on keeping it, because he wanted to push the theme of suppressing violence with violence (以暴制暴). After he experiences the guilt of killing someone, he realizes that violence is never the answer and finally agrees to remove it from his game.
Lastly, if we subscribe to the “Wang Meng Meng’s time loop” theory, her retaliation against Xiao He Yun for stabbing her mum was also wrong, and in fact, it almost cost her everything. Xiao He Yun was so severely weakened in the last time loop that he took ages to wake up. If he had woken up even a second later, Calm Lady would have managed to wrestle the pot out of Lu Di’s hands!
A theme I liked in the drama is that our heroes don’t look like heroes. They’re your average citizens, flawed, imperfect, and just plain human. There’s Xiao He Yun, the four-eyes who isn’t that strong. There’s Li Shi Qing who is so emotionally driven that her logic is often clouded. Although Xiao He Yun is weak, he isn’t afraid to protect the person he loves. Although Li Shi Qing is rash, she learns and improves. Although average, these two have grown before our eyes.
It’s worth nothing, among the remaining six passengers, the first ones to help are Mask Guy and Suitcase Guy. One is the poorest in health and the other is the poorest financially, but these aren’t inhibiting factors. In fact it is precisely because of who they are, they wanted to help. Their reasons were naive and vain but what matters is they did it. What others aren’t likely to do, they stepped up.
Easter Eggs in the Romance
Their NamesXiao He Yun (肖鹤云) and Li Shi Qing's (李诗情) names are derived from the same poem (so romantic!).
Xiao He Yun used the first line to introduce himself (which explains Li Shi Qing’s surprised reaction to his name~ She was already having romantic thoughts). Interestingly, in the poem, it’s the crane (鹤) that inspires the poem (诗), but in reality, it’s Li Shi Qing who inspires Xiao He Yun to stand up and be a hero. A loop, wouldn’t you say?
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| Hmmmmmmmmmmmm |
Li Shi Qing walks into a river to stay awake, and nearly falls. The imagery is clear. She is falling into “the river of love” (坠入爱河, a Chinese saying).
Bai Jing Ting’s Polite Handshake Confessions
Bai Jing Ting recycles his line and action from You Are My Hero. Talk about loops. That’s not all to the parallels. Both times he was hospitalized! Apparently he also did a handshake confession in another drama (Rush to the Dead Summer).
Apparently, this is Zhao Jin Mai’s first on-screen kiss! Also, while a lot of viewers comment that the kiss/romance is unnecessary, I feel like it fits nicely into the drama. It’s not overwhelming, but instead adds a bit of sweetness into an otherwise tense and somber drama (kinda like how a bit of sweetness or acidity totally elevates a dish, 画龙点睛)
Given that this is a mystery/thriller drama, we can’t have the classic cdrama romantic wedding scenes. Instead, we get:
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| The not so coincidental "wedding" photo |
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| The not so coincidental walk down the aisle?! (Let’s ignore that we’re at a gravesite.) |
Douban Comments on the CP
When describing the couple, someone commented:
Love at first explosion (一炸钟情[A pun on Love at first sight (一见钟情)]
Another commenter replied:
What first explosion?
It's Love at Tenth Explosion (十炸钟情)!
Hahahahahahaha
Another apt description of the couple:
李诗情是他的良心，肖鹤云是她的盔甲Li Shi Qing is his conscience, Xiao He Yun is her armour.
She convinced him to save the passengers when he wanted to run away. He lunged at the knife for her, despite being weaker than literally anyone else on the bus. Truly, a match made in heaven!
Now, as a general rule, I only ship couples in the show. But for once, I’m going to break my own rule, not just because the two of them are cute together, but more importantly, because the two of them are hilarious together.
In the 会火 interview series, there is a segment where the guest asks a question and flips to a random page in the book of answers. Last year, when Bai Jing Ting was interviewed for You Are My Hero, he asked: “Will I find love?” and the book replied: “无谓地徘徊 (Wandering around aimlessly)”. Poor Bai Bai T_T…This became a humor point, so when his buddies came for their interviews, they also asked about Bai Jing Ting’s love life. Jam Hsiao (萧敬腾) got the answer “明天再来试试 (Please try again tomorrow)” and Jing Bo Ran (井柏然) got the answer “发挥你的想象力 (Try your hardest to imagine!)” Poor Bai Jing Ting’s love life isn’t looking good. Also, with friends like this, who needs enemies?
This year, when Bai Jing Ting came on the interview, he again, asked about his love life. This time… he got the answer “别再犹豫了 (Stop hesitating!)” HMMMMMM, what is there to hesitate about? Wink Wink Nudge Nudge xD
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| Looks like my luck is turning around! |
Behind the Scenes
1) The two leads were joking around and were shocked by a sudden thunder. The cast joked that Bai Jing Ting must have said something that angered the heavens. So he immediately yelled out “Zhao Jin Mai is the most beautiful woman!” with no hesitation.
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| Look at how happy Zhao Jin Mai looks XD |
2) Bai Jing Ting protecting Zhao Jin Mai from a stray swinging camera. Then he told her she owed him a big favour for saving her life. (Typical Bai Jing Ting.) Also, in olden times, one common way for a woman to repay a man for saving her life is to marry him (救命之恩，愿以身相许回报)
Ending Theories
Officer Zhang might have been in a time loop at the very end
- Officer Zhang didn't send the police to the bus station because he knew from the previous loop that the driver will speed past the stop if he encounters anything suspicious.
- He asked Xiao He Yun “How did you know my number?” But in this time loop.... It was Li Shi Qing who called Officer Zhang, so why does he think Xiao He Yun knows his number? It was only in the penultimate loop that Xiao He Yun called Officer Zhang.
- He approached them outside the station, rather than questioning them inside. Maybe he wanted to probe them about the loop without being monitored/overheard by his colleagues?
- If he also experienced the time loop and suspected that our couple are in the time loop, that explains why our couple was let off so easily this time round.
- As he was asking them, he also walked a loop around them. A subtle hint maybe?
- He didn’t get a chance to interact with our leads in the penultimate loop, so he cannot know for sure that they also experienced the loop. Hence, he could not ask them explicitly, since he might risk appearing crazy and end up losing his job.
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| Loopity loop loop XD |
Wang Meng Meng is controlling the time loop
- There’s too many similarities between Wang Meng Meng and Li Shi Qing for it all to be coincidental. They’re the same age (20yo), from the same city, attend the same university, have the same teacher, and are in the same program (counselor). They even dress in the same colours and carry a similar sling bag! Li Shi Qing also tried to give Bus Driver a pair of gloves, a privilege usually reserved for his daughter.
- Perhaps Wang Meng Meng chose Li Shi Qing to represent her and save her parents. At the same time, perhaps it’s also a way for Wang Meng Meng to escape her “death” loop via Li Shi Qing. Li Shi Qing mobilizing the passengers to help would have been something that Wang Meng Meng wished she could have done 5 years ago.
- In Ep2, Li Shi Qing commented on the birds that seem like they’re flying around her in loops. She also said this: “I’ve heard the saying that if a person dies in vain then his/her soul is stuck in the place of death, repeatedly living its death, just like how we’re stuck on the bus dying again and again.” Is this referring to Wang Meng Meng?
- Xiao He Yun’s health worsens with each loop but it’s a phenomenon that started after he killed Calm Lady. If Wang Meng Meng is controlling the time loops to protect her parents, she might have perceived Xiao He Yun as a threat. Perhaps she weakened him to prevent him from overpowering and killing her mum again.
- Bus Driver’s dream of Wang Meng Meng telling them to live is perhaps a message from Wang Meng Meng, trying to get him to abandon the plan before resorting to the time loop.
- Calm Lady’s hallucinations at the police station I could be Wang Meng Meng reaching out to her mum and asking for help to clear her name.
- In the last episode, Calm Lady saw a vision of her daughter smiling. Is she finally at peace now that her name is cleared and her parents are rescued?
- In the same episode, Wang Meng Meng is in new clothes. Is her “death” loop over? Is this her 开端? Her “restart”?
- To wrap it all up, the last scene was Xiao He Yun and Li Shi Qing visiting Wang Meng Meng’s grave. Are they visiting her to thank her for the time loop and saving them? Or are they there to report their success and let her know that she can finally rest in peace?
Their Phone Numbers
The phone number of both leads were revealed in the course of the show. Searching both numbers on Wechat (China's messaging apps) shows that they are both registered numbers!!!
Xiao He Yun’s phone number: 13859917715
Li Shi Qing’s phone number: 13959288109
(A tiny leap of logic xD)
The chinese pronunciation for Route 45, 四十五路 (si shi wu lu) sounds like a chinese saying 四舍五入 (si she wu ru). Literally, it’s a formula for rounding numbers, translating as "Discard if it's a 4, Increase if it's a 5". But if we think about it, it also shows us the razor thin margins between two drastically different outcomes. A simple addition of 1 changes a discard to an increase. Perhaps this is a commentary on the drama, and life as well. If a single person had stood up for Wang Meng Meng on the bus or if Liu Yao had come forward earlier, this tragedy might not have occured. If a single person on the time loop bus had not helped and chose to just watch, the bomb would probably have gone off. If they had to do one more time loop, would Xiao He Yun still wake up? Of course, need I say more about the razor thin margins by which Officer Zhang threw the bomb off the bridge?
Alternatively, if we were to just read the numbers individually, it can also sound like: 是我 (It’s me) or 死我 (Death (to) me). Perhaps, the first interpretation was meant to hint to us that the bus driver was one of the bombers! It’s basically a confession! The second interpretation feels like a bit more of a stretch, since 54 would have been better for that purpose.
Can You Find More 45's?
Did you know the knife that Calm Lady used was a ruler that she sharpened. The numbers left on the ruler-knife happen to be 4 and 5. (Don’t know why she doesn’t have a regular knife though. In the book, she uses a normal knife.)
The Number 25
The number 25 keeps recurring in and out of the drama. There were a total of 25 time loops in the entire drama. The drama also ended on 25th Jan. Xiao He Yun is 25 years old. In his prison dream (Ep 10), his prison number is 0025. But what does that number mean?
Timed to Perfection
During the last episode, the last bomb, Xiao He Yun looked at his phone and it was 13:44:13. If you timed it, the bomb goes off precisely at 13:45.
Hints on the Criminals
1) Even before the first scene starts, drama has already identified the criminals. The show’s chinese name《开端》can be expanded like this:
开巴士的，端锅的
The one driving the bus, the one carrying the pot.
*shocked*
2) Calm Lady was only revealed as the bomber in Ep 8, but even before then, there were countless hints to her involvement, ranging from her annoyance at any delays to her stark lack of interactions with any passengers. The camera focus also often highlighted her expressions. But perhaps the most obvious clue was shown to us in Ep 1, except almost no-one realized it…
As the police survey the wreckage, notice how the overall structure of the bus remains intact, just burnt. However, there is clearly a lot more damage in the red circled area, with the metal sheet peeling outwards, suggesting the source of the explosion was just behind that sheet. Guess who was sitting there, with a suspicious object under her legs? Yup, it’s Calm Lady. (Drama’s attention to detail is truly astounding.)
Daddy Itachi Lu
Lu Di’s (Mask Guy) father cosplays as Itachi. Not only is Daddy Lu super cute in that get-up, there are a lot of similarities between the two! In Naruto, Itachi hid a lot of secrets to protect his kid brother. Similarly, Daddy Lu also hid a lot of Lu Di's secrets to protect his kid! If that's intentional, what is Mummy Lu cosplaying as?
Loops, Loops and More Loops!
The first time both of them got off the bus (Ep 3), they climbed this structure that's basically endless loops! Such an apt structure! It also perfectly symbolizes how our two leads are going round and round the same timepoint.
That’s not the only loop that appeared in the show!
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| Loops on the bus! |
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| Lu Di’s hat also has a loop symbol! |
Other Assorted Easter Eggs
1) Teacher Wu made an appearance in Ep1. Her character introduction in the last two episodes wasn’t all that random.
2) Li Shi Qing sat in the exact same seat as Liu Yao. The regret from Liu Yao who couldn’t do anything from that spot remains. Five years later, it’s Li Shi Qing who fills in that seat, doing everything right everyone, and clearing the wronged death of Wang Meng Meng.
3) The statues in Ep9 are all strategically placed to either stare at Xiao He Yun or Li Shi Qing. This is the scene after Xiao He Yun “killed” Calm Lady. As if he’s not feeling guilty enough….
Some Light Humour (from Chinese Communities)
The biggest spoiler was casting Huang Jue as the bus driver.
Huang Jue is a well known actor, so the audience immediately knew the bus driver was somehow involved the moment he appeared on screen.
Answer: As a university student, she's too poor to pay for premium internet. She actually started downloading the image right at the start, the download was only complete after all the wrestling (A jab at how expensive and slow internet in China is. hahahaha....)
“Who’s the Murderer” Crosstalk
Who's the Murderer (a reality detective show that Bai Jing Ting also stars in) fans are super excited over the parallels between WTM and Reset. They refer to their discussion on the loop structure as the 第一次集中讨论 (First Discussion Session, a segment in WTM). They even have a suggestion for the show name 下不去的公交 (The Bus that (you) cannot get down (from)) as a parallel for 冲不上的云霄(The plane that cannot go up), a real WTM episode that Bai Jing Ting was in.
Zhao Jin Mai’s giant book of character notes
In a discussion with the director, Zhao Jin Mai pulls out this huge book, filled to the brim with handwritten notes on her character!!!! Truly a testament to how serious she is about acting.
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| Even the director is stunned by her detailed notes |
The discussion itself was also very interesting, they were discussing her expressions when waking up from the first 5 loops and how she thinks that she should be the most panicky on the 3rd and 4th loop. It’s amazing the amount of detail and effort being put into this, which had barely 5 minutes of screentime. I actually went back to watch and she indeed had slightly different actions/expressions when waking up for each loop, corresponding to her character’s feelings. Truly applauding the amount of effort and dedication here.
Actors commenting on Bai Jing Ting’s acting
Everyone was full of praise for Bai Jing Ting, about his acting, attitude and attention to details. The biggest highlight for me was the interview with Headphones Guy.
Headphones Guy: During the scenes where I wrestle and pin him to the ground, he suffered bruises to his arms and legs. And yet, the most common words he said to me were, “Let’s do it again!”, “I’m fine!” and “Use more force (on me)!”
After the shot, Zhao Jin Mai told the BTS cameraman that Bai Jing Ting suffered today and wanted to show his bruises to the camera, but Bai Jing Ting just said “I’m fine, it’s ok” and didn’t want to show his bruises. *clap clap*
Who’s The Director?
Bai Jing Ting has even higher expectations of himself than the director! During the filming of the above emotional scene (Ep 9), the director was satisfied with the take and wanted to move on, but Bai Jing Ting says he can do better. He kept trying and got frustrated because he feels that he can do better, so much so that even the director tries to comfort him and says that the shot is already very good. Truly the hallmark of a good actor.
Bus Driver has high expectations for himself too. During the filming of the scene Calm Lady was hitting him (Ep14), he acted again and again until he was satisfied with his own reaction.
“Who’s the Murderer” Experience Coming in Handy
When the directors were trying to structure the discussion and how to best illustrate it, they felt that the whole sequence was very messy and unclear. So…. they called Bai Jing Ting for help! Bai Jing Ting, with his years of “Who’s The Murderer” experience, streamlined the entire conversation and drew out the chart! No wonder I felt the whole explanation blurb was super reminiscent of Bai Jing Ting on Who’s the Murderer!
From the Livestream
Watch it here. They played an emoji game. Try it for yourself! Guess the meaning of these emojis: 🔥🤯🍗🌰
Answer:
Pinyin = shao/nao/tui/li
Translation = 燒脑腿栗 = Roast / Brain Explosion / (Chicken) Thigh / Chestnut)
Homophone = 燒脑推理 = Deductions (tuili) that make your brain explode (shaonao)
Did you catch the nod to TIC when Xiao He Yun said TIC’s iconic 一两句说不清楚?
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