The Apothecary Diaries, episode 42

Rating: A-

On a couple of occasions in this series’ run, we’ve had episodes where Jinshi was either functionally or completely absent. However, this episode is, I believe, the first one where Maomao has nothing more than a cameo appearance. Remarkably, that doesn’t weaken the series one bit because it still has Jinshi, and he’s a compelling enough character to nearly be able to carry a series on his own. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that most of the episode is one massive, intricate game of connect-the-dots on little clues scattered throughout the series (though primarily this season), complete with a startling twist and a strong, shocking implication on the true identity of one of this season’s staple characters. Altogether, it makes for an excellent, thought-provoking episode.

One of the predominant recurring themes of the second season has been the devastating long-term impact of the previous Emperor’s pedophilia. Anshi’s veritable rape of the previous Emperor to become pregnant with her second child may well have limited the number of victims, but plenty of damage had already been done, as seen all too clearly with Shenlu in episode 40. The Emperor’s young victims were never allowed to leave the court, and so they went on to become the clinic workers, organize ghost-telling get-togethers, and even eventually die without ever leaving the Rear Palace. Trapped as they were, their resentment could only fester, and bad things happen when such resentment festers for decades. And when such individuals cross paths with others with serious reasons to carry grudges against the Imperial family, real trouble brews.

In this case, the other branch of the story concerns the tale told on a couple of occasions a few episodes back about the scandal involving the court doctor who got the attendant of a concubine pregnant, the affair which directly led to the Rear Palace being staffed by eunuchs. We knew at the time that the baby left the Rear Palace with the doctor but the concubine didn’t. The fate of that baby was left a mystery, but the strong implication now is that the baby grew up to become Suirei. Since her mother was stuck in the Rear Palace until she – the woman who organized the ghost stories – died last year, Suirei’s presence before the grave a few episodes back now makes sense, as does why she might be looking to kill an Imperial. Whether Jinshi is the brother of the Emperor or his son probably doesn’t matter; he’s still related to the awful previous Emperor (and his mother), who caused so much grief. And apparently, Jinshi even looks a lot like the previous Emperor at the same age, too, enough so to induce trauma in Shenlu (one of the very few to know both the previous Emperor in his younger years and Jinshi) when Jinshi puts on his “pretty eunuch” act. That’s a pretty damn chilling bit of irony, and Jinshi’s stunned reaction indicates that it’s definitely not lost on him.

But that’s not the only factor here. The concubine Suirei’s mother served went on to become Shishou’s wife and, thus, Loulan’s mother. Jinshi discovering the imposter posing as Loulan in Garnet Pavilion, and the report that Loulan has left with no intent to return, indicates that all her heavy make-up and odd behavior was just a ruse to set up the circumstances allowing for an imposter – and gee, haven’t we already seen a scenario about an imposter for a concubine already this season? More importantly, the timing of Loulan’s disappearance here is way too suspicious. Couple that with with matching hair and eye color, how we’ve never heard Loulan’s voice (she doesn’t even have a voice actress assigned), and Maomao’s observations that Shisui sometimes acts like a different person and it all points to one thing: Shisui is Loulan. After all, it’s not like the series hasn’t already established how a woman can completely transform through dress and make-up. . .

The obvious question now is about how long Loulan has been using imposters. Assuming I’m right about the deduction above, clearly she’s been doing it long enough to go gallivanting around as Shisui, but it could be even longer than that? The little tidbit in the first season about how Loulan seemed like a different person every time the Emperor visited now might have a lot more significance to it.

Regardless, this isn’t even the full picture. Someone – probably Shishou – has been conducting subtle price manipulations to fund something, and likely that has something to do with the fox village. Clearly, we still haven’t seen the full extent of the plot yet. But hey, that gives the series an excuse to finally formally introduce Lakan’s adopted son, who seems to be Lakan’s successor in more ways than one.

Whew! Been a while since I’ve found the week-to-week plotting of a series so intensely juicy. Next episode looks like it’s returning to the fox village and Maomao, so that should fill in further gaps. Can’t wait!