Painted Skin II: The Resurrection

In which I watch Painted Skin II: The Resurrection, and marvel at how MUCH they managed to get past the censors pic.twitter.com/2Gzm44uPtK

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Dramatis personae: This is Xiaowei, a fox demon, who was imprisoned under ice for hundreds of years for breaking demon law during the events of the first Painted Skin film pic.twitter.com/BSjDkg0yMq

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Her goal is to become human, which can only happen (1) if a human voluntarily offers their heart to her (2) during a solar eclipse

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

This is Princess Jing, whose heart is magically hot. She has a facial disfigurement (hence the mask) as a result of a teenage encounter with a bear pic.twitter.com/8aoIQExWAZ

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

This is General Huo Xin, the nominal male love interest who I suspect was put in mainly to placate the censors. We're supposed to believe that Princess Jing is in love with him pic.twitter.com/BvbqkNRwzx

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

This is Que'er (yes), a bird demon who releases Xiaowei from her ice prison and becomes her sidekick pic.twitter.com/0tdLosN63M

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Within the first twelve minutes of the film, Xiaowei has been offered a still-beating heart yanked out of a man's chest by Que'er and been rescued by a very dashing Princess Jing pic.twitter.com/IIzWbeuw0T

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

They arrive at White City, the border town which Huo Xin is guarding. He rejects Princess Jing for about the nth time, and she throws herself into a lake from a clifftop Wei Wuxian-style...

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

...only to be rescued by Xiaowei, who in the process reveals her true form pic.twitter.com/zQqDsITAIM

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Post-rescue, Princess Jing wakes up to find Xiaowei sleeping next to her (as one does) pic.twitter.com/xehHiyhKDe

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Xiaowei persuades Princess Jing that Huo Xin will never love her because of her disfigurement, and convinces Princess Jing they should switch bodies ('skins') temporarily. This is obviously the kind of conversation to be had at VERY close quarters pic.twitter.com/oh3hAb0mam

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

The skin switch requires both of them to be immersed nude in a bathing pool, because of course. Xiaowei shifts into her true demon form and we get some full-on Dream of the Fisherman's Wife STUFF going on pic.twitter.com/70WKboOOnc

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

This is how the film chooses to let us know that the switch has been successful pic.twitter.com/FdDXDVTg9Y

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Xiaowei, who clearly understands the importance of aftercare, tends to Princess Jing post-transformation pic.twitter.com/TKu0HVRdbr

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Wearing Xiaowei's skin, Princess Jing successfully seduces Huo Xin, a thing which she is Not Pleased about. Once they're back in their respective bodies, Xiaowei suggests that they make the switch permanent: her body for Princess Jing's heart (I MEAN) pic.twitter.com/YBCvyziyGw

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Princess Jing refuses, until she finds Xiaowei literally freezing over, the demon ice prison having caught up with her. She throws her arms around Xiaowei and uses the warmth of her magically fiery heart to melt the ice (you can't get more Symbolic than that) pic.twitter.com/XDGEt3QnTA

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

I should mention that at this point, Princess Jing has promised to marry the prince of the neighbouring Tianlang kingdom, which is portrayed very upsettingly using every single 'barbaric' trope (so cn for that)

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

The two of them have yet another heartfelt conversation at very close quarters pic.twitter.com/8ZUDTFRUjf

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Finally, Princess Jing agrees that she'll willingly give her heart to Xiaowei. Once human, Xiaowei will take her place at the wedding. Having lost her heart, Princess Jing will become a demon, risking the same fate as Xiaowei

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

This is the dialogue by which the film chooses to convey the above, by the way pic.twitter.com/TovWXuwcEu

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

The permanent switch, of course, also happens in the bathing pool. Princess Jing's expression as Xiaowei plunges a hand into her heart is ... something pic.twitter.com/ow4IqQLurl

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

I'm very sure there's a completely platonic and cishet explanation for this shot pic.twitter.com/HAC0EJr46u

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Xiaowei (now looking like Princess Jing) is taken to the Tianlang kingdom, where (shocker) she learns that they want to rip out her (i.e. Princess Jing's) heart and use it to revive their dead prince, i.e. the guy Que'er killed in the first scene

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Princess Jing, meanwhile, is finding it very difficult to resist the demonic taste for human hearts, not to mention that the demonic ice has caught up with her and is leaching her of all her energy

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Long story short, Huo Xin discovers the truth, there's some angst, and the two of them ride out with the White City garrison to find Xiaowei and get Princess Jing's heart back before the transformation becomes irrevocable

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

There's an overly long battle scene where our heroes prevail (despite using bow and arrow as close quarters weapons, which I CANNOT), although it takes a heroic sacrifice from Que'er to seal their victory

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

By this point, Princess Jing has basically become an ice sculpture. Huo Xin asks Xiaowei to return her heart, offering his own instead. Xiaowei ignores him; all her attention is on Princess Jing pic.twitter.com/ejIXj9HOoM

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

Some unexplained (and poorly CG'd) magic happens pic.twitter.com/WzbM3AUngt

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

When the light disperses, only Princess Jing (back in her original body) is there. Xiaowei is nowhere to be seen. Princess Jing rides off into the sunset with Huo Xin. THE END

Or is it?

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

It's NOT. Because we learn from the demon hunter comic relief sidekick that Xiaowei isn't gone. Instead, SHE HAS FUSED TOGETHER WITH PRINCESS JING pic.twitter.com/KkpT6sidIa

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021

THEY'RE GOING TO BE TOGETHER UNTIL THE END OF PRINCESS JING'S LIFE 😭😭😭

I don't care what anybody says, the sapphic love story is CANON

— douqi (@DouQi7s) March 30, 2021