[Recap/Review] The Untamed Episode 1

 

The Untamed: Episode 1

by junchan

Episode 1 Summary

 

The series opens with the news of the death of Wei Wuxian (Xiao Zhan), the Yiling Patriarch, at the hands of the Jiang Clan, Lan Clan, Jin Clan and Nie Clan. While many things are still unclear, Wei Wuxian was very unpopular as he betrayed the Jiang Clan which took him in. As the bloody Wei Wuxian stands on a cliff glowing red with magma, a battle rages on as men fight over the Stygian Tiger Amulet. Every man who managed to grasp it is cut done moments later by someone else as hundreds desperately fight for the amulet. Crying at the scene before him, he falls backwards off the cliff only to be grabbed by injured Lan Wangji (Wang Yibo). As Lan Wangji struggles to hold onto Wei Wuxian with his injured arm, Jiang Cheng (Wang Zhuocheng) arrives behind him, blood dripping off his sword. His face twisted with anger and grief, he stabs downward, sending Wei Wuxian falling off the cliff.

Sixteen years later, a class of white class of white robed men ask their teachers about the story of Wei Wuxian’s death. He reveals that Wei Wuxian definitely fell off the cliff but his body was never found and questions if the peace they’ve enjoyed for 16 years will be ruined by his return. As if on cue, the wind begins to blow and clouds cover the sun. A man stumbles down a road littered with dead leaves, chanting that “souls will come back”.

Meanwhile at the Mo’s Manor, Mo Xuanyu (Xiao Zhan again) sits in a pool of his own blood, surrounded by tailsams dangling from the ceiling. A voice in his head explains that he’s grown tired of “them” and has summoned Wei Wuxian to take revenge and kill them for him. As Wei Wuxian awakes to find himself in that body, he is kicked over by a group of men who have rushed into the room. As he lays confused on the ground, the young master of the house berates him, threatening to take his belongings.

It is revealed that this man is Mo Xuanyu’s cousin. Mo Xuanyu was a bastard who always wore a mask after coming back from the Jin Clan. Due to him being an illegitimate child, his cousin and aunt (mom’s sister) both treat him poorly, keeping him locked in a dirty room and abusing him. His arms are marked with three deep gashes, evidence of self harm. As Wei Wuxian tries to figure out more about Mo Xuanyu, the Lan Clan arrive to investigate something evil in the area.

The Lan Clan sits down with Master and Madam Mo and it is apparent the latter wears the pants in the relationship. As she tries to talk up her son in front of the cultivators, Wei Wuxian rushes in, imitating the insane Mo Xuanyu. He causes a scene as he demands that his cousin, Mo Ziyuan, return the things he had stolen. Wei Wuxian proceeds to provoke Mo Ziyuan, embarrassing the Mo family in front of the Lan cultivators and the general public. As he finally scampers of, the Lan clan warns the Mo clan not to go outside in the dark.

Furious, Mo Ziyuan stomps out, threatening revenge. Later that night he sneaks out of his room with a friend and ignorantly steals a Stygian Lure Flag from the cultivators without knowing its purpose. Meanwhile Wei Wuxian plays a beautiful song on a blade of grass as he thinks about a man in a white robe before being grabbed from his room by Master Mo and other men.

He is brought before a possessed Mo Ziyuan who is restrained by magical ropes conjured by the Lan cultivators. A frantic Madam Mo accuses Wei Wuxian of evil (it is revealed his father was also a cultivator) as the Lan cultivators are puzzled by what is happening. Suddenly Mo Ziyuan starts to convulse and his veins turn black. As one of the cultivators draws a character on Mo Ziyuan’s front, Wei Wuxian does so secretly on his back, rendering him unconscious. As the flag is found on Mo Ziyuan’s body, one of the gashes on Wei Wuxian’s arm closes.

Madam Mo continues to yell at everyone and her vicinity and Master Mo’s left arm mysteriously begins to quiver. (picture) He begins to act strangely and is escorted out by two men. Seconds later, they both go flying as Master Mo has also been possessed. The cultivators also manage to subdue his with rope but realize the situation is more dire than expected and summon Hanguan Jun (aka Lan Wangji). Flustered at the mention of his name Wei Wuxian tries in vain to stop them.

The cultivators move everyone in a pavillion for the time being. Wei Wuxian notes that the black marks on the possessed victims were due to the Stygian Tiger Amulet, which should’ve been destroyed. Suddenly one of the men awake after being thrown by Master Mo. The nails on his left hand have turned into long, black talons and his eyes are white. He takes a few swipes around the room before choking and killing himself. As the crowd of cultivators and servants look around in fear and confusion, the left hand of Madam Mo begins to ominously twitch.

Suddenly she bolts up and reaches towards the nearest cultivator who is pushed out of the way be the perceptive Wei Wuxian. The possessed Madam Mo engages in a fight where she has the upper hand (no pun intended). Wei Wuxian interferes subtly by controlling the corpses of Master Mo and a manservant and force them to fight her. Despite this, she is still winning.

As she reaches towards the cultivators, a blue force sends her flying backwards as a man dressed in white emerges from the sky. With the beautiful sounds of the guzheng, Hanguan Jun sends powerful waves of sound which incapacitate the possessed, saving the day. As he realizes the curse came from the Stygian Tiger Amulet, he believes that Wei Wuxian is still alive.

It then cuts to a mysterious stranger paying the teacher from the beginning for episode a solid gold piece for the story of Wei Wuxian, as Wei Wuxian himself walks away in the background with a new donkey friend. Ashe examines the cutes on his arm, he puzzles over the last person he must take revenge on for Mo Xuanyu

 

Analysis

It was initially difficult to get into this series as it was a bit confusing. The story is already in the middle stages but the beginning was still blurry and has yet to be told. Sorry this summary is long but there’s a lot of material being introduced and I’m a stickler for the details. This wasn’t necessarily the most intriguing first episode of a drama but I’ve heard really good things about this series so let’s see where this takes us!

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Comments

  • Delfin | Apr 22,2020

    EPISODE 2 PLEASEE

  • Ashe | May 5,2020

    Thank you for the explanation! I’ve just finished the first ep and was really confused, and needed some clarification. I’m excited to see where it all goes 🙂

  • GloomyShrooms | Dec 13,2020

    Thank you so much for this, I was really confused throughout watching this episode, but same as you I’ve heard good things so I wanted to get a grasp of what was going on without getting spoiled. I’m hoping the past events will be clarified in the episodes to come. Despite my confusion, I did enjoy this episode personally, pretty interesting characters that have been introduced.

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