Sunday, April 14, 2013

Three Kingdoms Episode 41

Zhou Yu welcomes to two supposed defectors and gives them posts in his navy.  Zhuge Liang and Lu Su already suspect the two Cai brothers are spies but that's okay. Spies can be useful depending on how you use them. 

Zhou Yu's generals are getting restless and losing faith in him. The army has been sitting around doing nothing. They're eager for battle! Zhou Yu is pushed to order one of the old veterans, Huang Gai, to be punished for running his mouth. To give the old goat credit he never stops yelling and cursing at Zhou Yu during the entire beating.

Lu Su takes Zhuge Liang to task for not speaking up to try and save Huang Gai. Big Fan explains he didn't dare interfere with Zhou Yu's scheme. Oh, I see now. 

Cao Cao receives a message from Huang Gai saying that since he's been humiliated and beaten he will turn traitor and come over to the other side. Furthermore there's a secret message from the Cai brothers talking about how the old generals are offended by the treatment of Huang Gai. Cao Cao sends orders to his spies to secretly make contact with some of the generals who are thinking of turning on Zhou Yu.

Cao Cao goes to check out his CGI navy and he's quite impressed. This calls for a feast! Cao Cao is feeling pretty mellow as he recounts all the people he's trampled over during the show. He goes outside to give a toast to his men and to dramatically recite a poem.

Elsewhere, Zhou Yu and his wife Xiao Qiao are enjoying the moonlight. A breeze comes up and suddenly Zhou Yu gasps and falls unconscious, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. What the hell? Lu Su rushes to his master's side. Zhou Yu asks Lu Su not to tell anyone about his illness or morale will falter. 

Outside the tent Xiao Qiao tells Lu Su how the doctors can't figure out what this sudden illness is. She's never known her husband to be this way before. Lu Su goes to ask Zhuge Liang if he'll take a look at Zhou Yu and see if he can diagnose what's wrong. When he learns about the wind coming in from the northwest right before Zhou Yu collapsed, Zhuge Liang starts to think he's figured it out. 

It's all psychosomatic. Zhou Yu was planning to burn Cao Cao's ships, yet when he saw the wind's direction had changed, Zhou Yu realized his own ships would be the ones in danger of burning. The stress was too much and it got to him. Zhuge Liang calculates to cure Zhou Yu by pretending he has the power to change the wind's direction. It takes mind games to cure mind games. 

So now we get an elaborate ritual scene. Zhou Yu, looking and acting like he feels a lot better and more confident, starts handing out orders to his generals. It's time for action! But just in case, Zhou Yu orders Lu Meng to go to the altar where Zhuge Liang is doing his voodoo. If the wind doesn't change as promised, then execute Big Fan. Lu Meng asks what if he gets to the altar and the wind does change? Then kill him anyway; we won't need him anymore!

You're a class act, Zhou Yu.

Knowing what a nutcase her husband is, Xiao Qiao gets to the altar first to pick Zhuge Liang up and hide him in her carriage from Lu Meng. She drops Zhuge Liang off at the riverside where he catches a small boat and finally gets the hell out of there.

Back at camp Zhou Yu knows his wife helped his greatest enemy to escape. Zhou Yu has to hold himself back from doing physical harm to Xiao Qiao as he orders her to leave and never come back.

Class act to the end, Zhou Yu.

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