American Perspectives: Power, Classism, and Mental Toughness Princess Agents Ep. 10-12 Reaction

Image obtained from Pinterest

I'm going to start this off by saying that I still think Yuwen Yue is a jerk.  Stop playing psychological games with Chu Qiao, please.  Granted, this could also be cultural differences at play, and I do indeed respect that.  Yes, I understand that he covered for her during the lakeside investigation, but was it really all that necessary to make Chu Qiao fearful to the point of putting herself at risk?  It just makes him look like he enjoys freaking her out.  In spite of him being such a jerk, I'm glad Chu Qiao doesn't get worn down by his antics.  There are many women out there who would, and that's why his actions really don't sit well with me.  I like how Chu Qiao is mentally tough.  We need more women characters who model that kind of behavior because unfortunately: Monkey see, Monkey do.  You see a character on TV being rewarded and being popular for acting a certain way, thousands of people are going to emulate that.  Especially if it already fits smoothly with what is socially acceptable.  I have been informed that Yuwen Yue does indeed get better.  I certainly hope so because there isn't much to balance him out at the moment, but I know he probably won't be dying a fiery, fiery death.

Then we have the issue of the Emperor playing the same kinds of games as Yuwen Yue, and for most people, it's much easier to see the Emperor as being very insidious, while simultaneously rationalizing Yuwen Yue's behavior.  In this case, the Emperor's game pieces are Yuwen Yue and Yuwen Huai.  He pits them against each other in order to avoid any monopolized power within one family, as that would most certainly undermine his own.  It reminds me of how Yuwen Yue manipulates situations involving Chu Qiao.  Supposedly, it's to help her, but he approaches it in such a messed up way.

Yuwen Huai

And, as I mentioned in my last entry regarding "Princess Agents," the death of Jin Zhu certainly wasn't the last of her problems regarding girl bullying.  It has also been hinted at in these episodes that she was also a pawn being exploited by Yuwen Yue and company, so we'll see how this all plays out.  Now, Chu Qiao has to deal with the jealous princess due to Yan Xun's interest in her.

Yan Xun

I like that Chu Qiao was able to defend herself while blindfolded, and that she saved her sisters from some men who intended to sexually assault them.  We should definitely model women helping women, especially in situations involving sexual assault.  In the United States, especially, it is more common for other women to say various things about how the victim brought it upon herself.  The theme of classism in this instance comes into play because the sisters' slave status makes the assault permissible. One of the assailants slices Xiabo's face, which is what makes her decide to return to the manor as a slave because "If a woman doesn't have a pretty face, will she have a future?" 

When Chu Qiao is being chased by an assassin, I like how she and Yan Xun save each other. He helps her climb out of the hunter's trap, and she in turn pulls him out herself.  I like how he's kind of always there in the background to keep others from bothering her too much.

We're starting to find out more about Chu Qiao's identity, and I anticipate things are going to get much more interesting!