My thoughts on episode 7, as always just my interpretations, I have not read the novel.
Episode starting with the butterfly metaphor, which represents Niran. Niran who does not know who he truly is, what he’s really meant for. He’s lost his direction in life and is stuck between dream and reality, unable to differentiate between the two.
Niran’s the butterfly, running away from himself, stuck in a loop of chasing and running away.
Pete had asked Niran if he has any dreams, any hopes for his life, but Niran was unable to answer. It’s now Pete that has a direction for his life, who before Niran, saw nothing for himself.
But Niran asks for Pete’s help in finding what he should do, is it because Pete is now the direction of his life? Or someone who provides him courage? I think Pete going into the realm with this type of courage speaks a lot to the type of bond they have built over this time.
And Pete enters that world knowing he may be consumed by it to bring Niran back. Pete doesn’t really understand what he’s up against, he wasn’t raised in this world. He’s walking into the unknown with nothing more than his care and stubbornness.
The first thing Pete is faced with is being reunited with his family, the thing he longs for the most, what he lost and will never be able to experience again except for in this realm. A reality where he made his family happily, achieved his goals, and still has them.
The pain of having to leave that, even if it’s fake, would hurt terribly.
There’s something more important he must do, he chooses his new path in life, to leave his past and pain behind.
He has chosen Niran.
When Pete first finds Niran, he finds him stubbornly chasing the dream of becoming Wu. The thing Niran as an adult has struggled with the most, the feeling of not being Wu, the belief that he’s undeserving of the title of Wu.
Niran walks in circles, unable to get any closer. Haunted by his dreams and unable to achieve them. Cursed to never become Wu, never show his grandfather he was wrong.
There’s so much tied to Niran wanting to be Wu and never feeling like he can reach that dream. Even when he’s older, he feels so undeserving of it that in this world he follows the path to become Wu over and over.
The next thing Pete finds is Niran facing is his biggest defeat, his biggest failure. The Yao he could not defeat, what caused him to become an outcast among the Wu. Trying again and again to change the course of what happened. It’s something that even after all these years follows him, makes him feel like he’ll never be able to come back from it. It’s not just himself calling himself a failure, nor the other Wu but his grandfathers voice too.
The next Niran he finds, doesn’t believe himself to be vital or important. He believes he’s something that can be left behind and there will be no consequence. There’s others that can do what he can, so what use is he?
He’s willing to be consumed, he has no drive, no will to find a reason to go on.
Nothing matters now, he just wants to rest, to sit for a while and let it go. Let the pressure and expectations float away.
Trapped again in the mirrors, faced with himself and his greatest failure—himself.
Niran is the only one trapping himself here, he’s completely unable to see outside of his own fears.
But Niran would rather be consumed in that moment, the pain and shame too much.
Pete begging so desperately for the one who gave him direction to come back with him. To live whatever type of life he wants if he will just come back.
And Niran can’t quite see a way through, at least not the Niran that was in the current world, but an earlier version of him, with more hope and will to live and the assurance of a supportive partner like Pete by his side, walking with him.
And finally, Niran chooses to come back, to live, to fight, to stay by Pete’s side.
#WUTheSeriesEP7