I don't really like Lan Zhan in The Untamed
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but Lan Zhan kind of bothers me in the drama. He always seems bored and annoyed by everything, he never talks, he comes across as emotionless, and he only seems to care when something is related to Wei Wuxian, which is pretty selfish I think. I have trouble connecting to him.
For example, Lan Xichen has always been there for him, always supporting him no matter what, even when he had no reason to believe him or when protecting him could have put him in trouble. But has Lan Zhan ever done anything for his brother? No. He seems to care mostly about himself and Wei Ying. For instance, when everyone was against Wei Wuxian except for Lan Zhan, Lan Xichen helped by hiding him in the Cloud Recesses, even though he had no proof and no reason to believe that Wei Ying wasn’t evil (let me remind you that all the other clan leaders were against Wei Wuxian at that time, so Xichen could have easily gone along with them on this). But he took that risk, because he always trusted his brother.
But when the situation is reversed and it's Jin Guangyao who is accused of being evil, does Lan Zhan do anything to support his brother? No… he only stands by Wei Ying’s side, even though he himself has no proof against Meng Yao (in the end, it was proven that they were right about Meng Yao, but at the time, there was no way to be sure). Xichen could also have trusted Nie Mingjue over his brother when it came to Wei Ying (since Mingjue also believed Wei Wuxian was evil), but he didn’t. So, when it’s about Wei Ying, Lan Zhan is willing to believe he’s still a good person, but when it comes to other people like Meng Yao, he doesn’t even try to give them the benefit of the doubt (even though his only proof against him was what Wei Ying reported him, since he's the only one who used Empathy on Mingjue). I guess he’s blinded by his love for Wei Ying, but that’s pretty selfish.
Now, I want to say that I do like Lan Zhan in the donghua. He’s way more likable and seems less selfish and more focused on justice. He's actually one of my favourite characters. I don’t know about the novel, as I haven’t read it.
People hating Lan Xichen...
I also saw people saying they hate Lan Xichen, and I was shocked. How can you hate someone who has always been good to others?
People say he was too passive, but they forget that he’s a clan leader. He cannot do whatever he wants in his position; he has to put his clan’s safety first. What if he had publicly protected Wei Ying? He could have turned all the other clans against him and his own clan. (The Untamed clearly shows how dangerous public opinion can be.) It’s just like when the Jin clan wanted to kill the innocent Wen people—Xichen didn’t agree with it but couldn’t openly oppose the decision of the other clans. Also, Xichen did help a lot more compared to the other clan leaders. Wei Wuxian's own brother did nothing to help him. Huaisang, Wei Ying's former friend, did nothing either, and Mingjue was clearly against Wei Ying. Same with Jin Guangshan.
Then people say he was too naive. Maybe he was, but that’s because he believed there was good in everyone. That’s why he trusted Jin Guangyao, thinking he still had some good in him despite everything he had done. If Xichen hadn’t been like that, he would have thought Wei Wuxian was pure evil, just like the others did.
I also saw people complaining that Xichen didn’t protect his brother when Lan Qiren punished him for injuring thirty-three elders of the Gusu Lan clan. Well… The Gusu Lan clan has strict rules, and attacking clan elders—no matter the reason—shouldn’t go unpunished. The rules are absolute and apply to everyone, even Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen. Lan Xichen is someone who follows justice and tradition, so he was in a difficult position. Even though he loves his brother, he was raised to respect the discipline of the clan. Intervening would have been seen as disrespectful to his uncle and to the laws of Gusu Lan. Also, Lan Wangji himself probably wouldn’t have accepted his help. Lan Wangji is extremely rigid and committed to his own moral code. He chose to act, knowing full well that he would be punished. Even though he suffered, he accepted the consequences of his actions. And in the end, Lan Qiren holds too much authority. Lan Xichen has a lot of respect for his uncle, who acted as a parental figure after their parents died. He wouldn’t have dared to openly contradict him. However, he did support his brother afterward, helping him recover and always staying by his side. That’s just his way—he prefers to offer support in the shadows rather than openly defy the rules. In the end, Lan Xichen is a good person, but he also believes in order and discipline. He surely thought Lan Wangji had to take responsibility, even if it broke his heart. Also, he was raised by his uncle to respect the rules and was used to being punished himself, so I’m pretty sure he was scared to oppose his uncle.
That’s it! If you have a different opinion, I totally respect it. :) I just wanted to share mine!
