I took @GB’s advice and watched this cdrama while I was on a 15-hour flight. I’ll list all the time loops and answer some of the questions posed here.

Reset: Open Thread

This is an ambitious project. I’ll see how far I can go with it.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

The story begins in media res. We hear our heroine Li Shiqing (SQ) on the phone with the police.

“I want to report a case. There’s a bomb on Bus 45. They’re about to cross the bridge now. The license plate number is A77651. Please stop this bus, there are other passengers on board. I just got off, but there are still passengers and the bomb is on the bus, too. Ahhh…There are around seven or eight passengers, but I’m not sure. Please block off the vehicle, time’s running out. My name is Li Shiqing. Please contact this phone number.”

We won’t know till later in the series that this phone call of hers takes place in one of time loops, and the scene we just watched (or heard, for that matter) is merely a preview. That’s how this series is structured. Each episode (except for Ep 13, IIRC) begins with a preview or prologue spotlighting the backstory of a character to be featured in the episode.

Naturally, Episode 1 is about the female protagonist SQ.

In this episode, she recounts to the lead investigator how she happened to be the only survivor of the explosion. At first, she struggles to make sense of her jumbled memories, calling it, “a dream within a dream.” It’s actually the lead investigator, Zhang Cheng, who tells her that she’s in a “loop” after listening to her sixth iteration of the events.

A. Thus, in Episode 1, we get the first six time loops.

Time Loop 1

The beginning of SQ’s day is important because she mentions seemingly unimportant details that will prove significant in the future. Like, she met her advisor, Teacher Wu, on her way out of the campus, and she was familiar with the driver of Bus 45. It becomes clear to me that SQ is trapped in the time loop because she’s the missing link. She connects Teacher Wu, the driver, and the driver’s deceased daughter Mengmeng.

She boards the bus and, because it’s fairly crowded, she takes the open seat beside a sleeping boy in the back of the bus. She falls asleep as she customarily does and only awakens to the loud ringtone of “Pachelbel’s Canon in D” playing. Then, she sees bright light and feels burning pain. She doesn’t know yet that she just survived a bomb blast. Afterwards, she can’t see anything, and she feels light as if she’s floating.

Time of explosion: 1:45pm
Location of explosion: On the bridge
Cause of explosion: The bomb was detonated by a timer at the appointed time.
Time SQ woke up: 1:45pm

Time Loop 2

In the next time loop, she wakes up again to find herself still on the bus. This is when she gets the idea that perhaps she’s dreaming. However, she feels a terrible headache as if she hit her head. She takes out her phone to check her face but sees no bruises. In this loop, she has ample time to observe her surroundings. She notices the bright sun outside the bus, the few passengers left on the bus, the boy sleeping beside her. But then, she hears the ringtone again and feels the blast. She becomes aware that she just experienced an explosion.

Note: The fact that she was able to check out her situation before the ringtone implies that she woke up earlier than she did in the first time loop.

Time of explosion: 1:45pm
Location of explosion: On the bridge
Cause of explosion: The bomb was detonated by a timer at the appointed time.
Time SQ woke up: 1:44pm

Time Loop 3

On the third loop, she tries to exit the bus by the back door, then from the front. She’s stopped by two men. At this time, the bus is crossing the bridge. She doesn’t mention hearing any ringtone.

Note: It’s possible that the bomb could have been detonated manually by the bomber as SQ’s creating a ruckus. The bomber probably feared that SQ’s fuss could mess up their plan.

Time Loop 4

She grabs the hammer and sets off the alarm. Then, the bus blows up. Again, she doesn’t mention any ringtone.

Note: Again, I’ll assume that the bomb was detonated manually because of the ruckus she was creating. It’s possible however that the bomb detonated before reaching the bridge and before the set time.

Time Loop 5

Because of previous failed attempts, this time she gives up on the idea of forcing her way out of the bus. But when she awakens, she accidentally jolts the boy beside her and wakes him up, too. The boy, Xiao Heyun, notices her sweating profusely so he ransacks his backpack for tissue. When he accidentally elbows her in the chest, he apologizes red-faced, but she ignores him. She runs to the bus driver, feigning a heart ailment and pleading to be driven to the nearest hospital. The driver asks if she can bear it for a little while because the nearest medical center is across the bridge. Xiao Heyun (XH) offers to get off the bus with her and wait for an ambulance. A female passenger comes up and offers some her heart pills from her medicine stash in her bag.

Because of SQ’s medical emergency, the driver speeds up after the green light, hits a delivery scooter running the red light, over-corrects, and collides with an oil tanker. The collision causes the explosion.

Note: this is the first time the explosion is caused by a collision instead of a bomb.

Time of explosion: Unknown
Location of explosion: At the intersection before the bridge
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident; collision with an oil tanker.
Time SQ woke up: Unknown, but this time HX woke up with her.

Time Loop 6

I like that with each time loop, SQ learns from her previous mistakes and corrects her course of action. It is said that stupidity is making the same mistakes and expecting different results.

SQ startles HX awake. When HX rummages his sack, and elbows her again on the chest, SQ uses this opportunity to get off the bus. She accuses him of touching her and wants to haul him to the police station, but the next police station is across the bridge (again!). So, she demands to get off right away. The driver does as she asks and lets her off on the side of the road. Mr. Zhang questions her statement, however, as this isn’t standard protocol. The bus driver is trained to call the police, secure the doors and settle the situation at the next stop.

But SQ insists that’s what happened. She even dragged HX with her, thinking that she was at least able to save one person from the impending death. Instead, HX hailed a taxi and got caught anyway in the explosion. On her part, SQ is hit by another delivery scooter (they’re a street menace!) and is taken to the hospital where she’s interviewed by Mr. Zhang and the police.

Time of explosion: Unknown
Location of explosion: At the intersection before the bridge
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident; collision with an oil tanker.
Time SQ and HX woke up: Unknown

Note: HX is brought to the hospital with severe burns from the explosion. He doesn’t survive in this loop and dies in the hospital. To me, this is the reason his physical condition deteriorates as the time loops progress.

Look here: There are only two ways to reset in this drama — by explosion and by sleep. Although HX and SQ die every time the bus explodes, the explosion “resets” them so their deaths aren’t final. Then, whenever they escape the explosion, they can fall asleep, and their sleep “resets” them back in the same loop.

In the case of HX’s death in the hospital, the explosion fails to “reset” him as he survives the blast. When he flatlines in the hospital, he’s technically dead in the real world. However, his death is protracted – or delayed – because he’s “reset” and gets pulled back into the loop. Thus, his physical state becomes progressively worse with each loop because he’s living on borrowed time.

B. In Episode 2, we get four time loops.

The preview is all about HX’s reaction to his first meeting with SQ.

Time Loop 7

Now, it’s HX’s turn to be nonplused by the time loop. He clearly remembers what happened to him in Time Loop 6 (i.e., being called a pervert, getting off the bus with SQ, hailing a taxi, watching SQ disappear, the explosion, the ambulance ride, flatlining) so he’s shocked to find himself back on the bus with her. The dream is so realistic that he asks SQ if they’re meeting for the first time. His question alerts SQ that HX has entered the time loop with her.
He panics and tries to get off the bus. The other passengers stop and tackle him.

Note: I find it funny when SQ just sits down and braces herself for impact, knowing full well that she can do nothing to stop the explosion.

Time of explosion: So far, unknown
Location of explosion: At the intersection before the bridge
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident; collision with an oil tanker.
Time SQ and HX woke up: So far, unknown. Later, HX will be able to calculate this.

Time Loop 8

This is the funniest time loop. HX wakes up to find SQ waiting to pounce on him, “Do you believe me now? I didn’t lie to you. We are really in a loop. You got tackled right there! (pointing to the ground).” She warns him not to be impulsive, so he tries to unobtrusively get off the bus. When he can’t stand it no longer, he grabs the emergency hammer and smashes a window to get out. The passengers stop and tackle him again — this time, against the window. Lol.

SQ reasons with him that they can’t get off the bus that way. The other passenger thinks that they’re having a lover’s quarrel and urges HX that “love isn’t everything in life. There’s nothing more important than life.” Lol.

Her parting words before the explosion? Don’t be impulsive and listen to me next time.

Time of explosion: So far, unknown
Location of explosion: At the intersection before the bridge
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident; collision with an oil tanker.
Time SQ and HX woke up: So far, unknown. Later, HX will be able to calculate this.

Time Loop 9

Calmer now, HX helps SQ strategize their next move. Since they can’t get off the bus, they’ll prevent the traffic accident and the collision with the oil tanker instead. She approaches the driver, pretending to have a heart problem. He follows her lead, pretending to be her caring boyfriend. But the Medicine Lady steps up with her bagful of pills for SQ and an earful of nagging for HX to take care of his girlfriend’s health better.

They manage to avert the accident. They pat themselves on the back, thinking they’ve escaped the dreadful time loop. But as they cross the bridge, Pachelbel’s Canon in D begins playing again.

Time of explosion: 1:45pm
Location of explosion: On the bridge
Cause of explosion: A bomb was detonated by timer.
Time SQ and HX woke up: So far, unknown. Later, HX will figure it out.

Time Loop 10

Just to be clear: this is SQ’s 10th time loop and HX’s 5th. They both wake up at 1:36pm.

This time, SQ remembers the ringtone and realizes there’s a bomb inside the bus. They can avoid the collision by guiding the bus driver, but they cannot avoid the bomb explosion unless they get off the bus. So, they try the “pervert” ruse to escape the explosion. The bomb explodes at the intersection.

This loop is important for many reasons.

a. We learn that the phone call SQ made to the police occurred in this time loop. She calls them up at 1:38.

b. This is the first time that HX is interrogated by the police. He naively thinks that all they’ve got to do is tell the truth (i.e., that they’re trapped in a time loop), and they’ll be released from detention. SQ, on the other hand, is wary of the police given their skepticism of her time loop story in Time Loop #6.

c. SQ realizes belatedly that she reported a BOMB on the bus. She worries that since the bus collided with the tanker, the police won’t find any evidence of a bomb on board. But HX reassures her that the police will somehow find bomb residue when they investigate the accident scene.

d. We’re given a hint as to why HX is pulled into the loop. (Was it you, @grace, who asked this question before?) It’s because SQ chooses him. After witnessing the tragedy during her brief stay in the hospital, she intended to rescue as many people as she could from the impending disaster. But despite all the loops (10 so far), she only manages to get HX out.

HX: Why me?
SQ: Probably because…I tried so many times, and you were the only one who wanted to help in the way I wanted.

Remember? He’s the one who offered to get off the bus with her and wait for an ambulance. Also, he also follows her off the bus to accompany her to the police station, notwithstanding her intention to report him for perversion.

e. We’re given one possible explanation of the time loop. SQ observes the flock of birds circling in the skies and remembers seeing them while she was in the hospital. She feels that they are circling them.

SQ: Do you think maybe we are already dead? I heard a saying that when a person suffers a wrongful death, her soul is trapped at the place of his death. Then, he will keep repeating what he did before his death? Just like how we are. We are trapped on the bus and dying again and again.
HX: (not buying it) We are not quite the same. Think about it. We experienced things we didn’t experience before. And have you heard of another saying? After the ghost finds his replacement, he can leave the loop. You already found one.
SQ: (appalled at his insinuation) I didn’t. No. I didn’t want you to be my replacement.
HX: I don’t mean…
SQ: When I pulled you off the bus, I wanted to save as many people as possible.

I think HX is right. He and SQ aren’t dead yet so they aren’t trapped re-living their wrongful death. But someone who died before (i.e., the ghost/spirit/soul of Mengmeng, the driver’s daughter) needs to find a “replacement” so she can leave the loop herself. And by “replacement,” I don’t HX means a substitute. I think he meant someone who can ALTER the situation or change the events or solve the problem, so the ghost can finally go in peace.

f. While waiting for the police to find them, HX cracks the timeline. He discovers a pattern in their wake-up times. They seem to be waking up a minute earlier each time.

For the 10th Time Loop:
Time of explosion from the bus and oil tank collision: 1:42pm
Location of the explosion: at the intersection
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident. Collision with oil tank.
Time SQ and HX woke up: 1:36pm

For the 9th Time Loop:
Time of explosion: unknown
Location of the explosion: on the bridge
Cause of explosion: bomb set off by someone
Time SQ and HX woke up: 1:37pm, according to their calculation

For the 8th Time Loop:
Time of explosion: unknown
Location of the explosion: at the intersection
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident. Collision with oil tank.
Time SQ and HX woke up: 1:38pm

For the 7th Time Loop:
Time of explosion: unknown
Location of the explosion: at the intersection
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident. Collision with oil tank.
Time HX and SQ woke up: 1:39pm

For the 6th Time Loop:
Time of explosion: 1:42pm (SQ overheard the police chatter) The time is same as the 10th loop.
Explosion: at the intersection
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident. Collision with oil tank.
Time HX and SQ woke up: 1:40pm

For the 5th Time Loop:
Time of explosion: 1:42pm
Explosion: at the intersection
Cause of explosion: Traffic accident. Collision with oil tank.
Time SQ woke up: 1:41 (by HX’s deduction)

So far, they haven’t figured out they’re waking up earlier and what that means. They also don’t know much of SQ’s first time loop. This causes HX to doubt her. He thinks she’s hiding something from him.

g. From a game design perspective, HX thinks that they need to accomplish two tasks in order to escape the time loop: prevent the explosion and save all the people.

h. They exchange names. According to the translator’s note, both their names are from Liu Yuxi’s poem, “Autumn Song.” I find it funny that they’ve been through so much together without knowing each other’s names.

i. The interrogation proves SQ correct. The police find the “time loop” explanation delusional. When the bomb residue is found, they suspect that HX and SQ have a hand in it. HX emerges from this time loop looking worse for wear. They both fall asleep from exhaustion.

C. Episode 4 has a couple of time loops.

Time Loop 11

This is the shortest time loop so far, but they make a few discoveries.

First, from the previous time loop, they discover that when they sleep, they re-enter the loop. Second, they confirm from the police that there’s indeed a bomb on the bus.

And third, they learn that it’s not always smart to follow Capt Zhang. He asked SQ in the TL#10 why they didn’t alert the people on the bus about the presence of the bomb so they could evacuate everyone. But as soon as SQ attempts his suggestion in real time, the bomber detonates the bomb.

Note: It takes SQ a while to wake up HX, and he’s sweating instead of her. I think this is one of the early signs of HX’s physical deterioration.

Time Loop 12

This time loop is interesting because of the moral debate going on.

Once they awaken, they have to figure out who the bomber is among the 8 passengers. Because the bomb must be carried in a bag, they eliminate two passengers without bags: the Headphone Guy who previously tackled HX and the Youtuber Guy who gave them gratuitous love advice. They also cross out the Medicine Lady from the list because they already know the contents of her purse. They suspect it’s the Cat Boy who gets on board the bus at the Yanjiang East Road stop.

Because they wake up early, they can now get off the bus at Yanjiang East Road without issue. SQ once again calls the police to alert them about the bomb on the bus. HX thinks this is a foolhardy move because the police will search for them and haul them back to the precinct. Not only does he want to avoid undergoing another detention, he plans to use this time to investigate the situation and escape the time loop.

But all SQ can think of is saving lives. He calls her out for it, saying, “Kindness is not a cheap virtue. You need to match it with ability. Or else we just add to the mess.” In short, if you want to help others, use your brains, not just feelings.

But I also understand HX’s real motivation here. While SQ believes in being altruistic and self-sacrificing, HX believes in self-preservation. He also refuses to feel obligated to save everyone or feel guilty for walking away.

SQ: You are correct. It’s my fault for not thinking carefully. But I didn’t think so much at the time. All I wanted was to save them. When I was in the hospital, I witnessed the rescue. It was so tragic.
HX: Were you the only witness? I was in the ER, too. I know how it feels. [Duh! He died.] But you can’t save people using only your heart. We have to use logic, too. And why should we save them? In a lot of the loops, we were one of the bodies. If the people in the bus are meant to die, then this is a chance for us to escape. It’s the heavens helping us. We have to take this chance. We are not the murderers. Because of the people in the bus, we don’t have to…feel guilt about it.

As expected, the bus detonates on the bridge after a scuffle with the police and a few passengers. One of the police dies: the sidekick.

SQ decides to part ways with HX and turns herself in. Ugh! Her action again frustrates him because she doesn’t discuss it with him first. She likes to decide on things unilaterally. Me, I’m annoyed by her feeling of moral superiority aka noble idiocy.

SQ: If this is really the last time in the loop, then I will face the consequences of my
HX: It doesn’t matter whether this is the last loop or not.
SQ: If it’s not the last loop, that’s even better. Then, each time you’ll be able to successfully get off at your stop and go live your own normal life.

I do feel like throttling her. Her moral superiority makes her act irrationally. It’s her way or the highway. She judges HX harshly because she thinks she’s more virtuous, more martyr-like, and more selfless than him. (I’m rolling my eyes.)

HX: What normal life would be left? Every time I open my eyes, I’ll see you looking like you’re about to die. And then, you’re telling me to go attend a meeting regardless?
SQ: (dismissive) At least you won’t die from the explosion. That is better than those passengers who die on the bus.
HX: (sighing) Those passengers don’t know a single thing. Death is just a moment in time for them. They won’t even experience pain. But what about us? We have to fight against fear. Is there anything wrong with being afraid of death? Isn’t it human nature to be drawn towards safety and to stay away from danger? I can’t be as kindhearted as you, so I— so does that make me wicked?

Poor confused guy. He isn’t wicked. As Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “true courage is not the absence of fear but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” Of the two of them, I say HX is the true courageous one because he ends up fighting for her, despite his fear for his life.

SQ? She’s just being stupidly reckless. As she stalks away, he asks for his number.

HX: Wait a minute. Give me your phone number. In case there’s a problem.
SQ: I won’t have any problems.
HX: Your number!
SQ: (rattling off numbers)
HX: (smart enough to remember)

And HX’s right. Capt Zhang refuses to believe her story about the time loop and suspects her of being involved in the explosion. Moreover, she feels guilty that her phone call resulted in Capt. Zhang’s sidekick dying in the blast.

Fortunately, while she’s wallowing in self-recrimination, HX calls her up. Sensing trouble over at her side, he tells her to sleep over it, and things will get better. That’s her cue, of course, to “reset” and re-enter the loop.

Mulling over his words, she realizes how grateful she is for not being alone in the horrible time loop. She would have undoubtedly gone crazy if she was dealing with it all by herself.

She falls asleep from exhaustion again. He falls asleep after taking melatonin pills with white wine.

To be continued, hopefully, tomorrow….