The Apothecary Diaries, episode 43

Rating: A-

No matter her situation, Maomao can’t stop being Maomao.

The narrator spoke to this at the end of episode 1, and we’ve seen countless examples of it over the course of the series, but nowhere is that statement more true than in this episode. Though not treated as a hostage, that’s what Maomao ostensibly is in the fox village, and that should urge caution upon her; indeed, most of the time she sticks to that. However, that doesn’t completely stop her curiosity from getting the better of her on two occasions, and at least one of those instances looks like it could have bigger consequences.

The first, of course, is with the “resurrection” drug. We all knew that it was just a matter of time until Maomao couldn’t restrain herself anymore about asking about it, but the suddenness with which Maomao exploded on Suirei uncharacteristically caught the latter off guard. Interestingly, Suirei, while not exactly enthusiastic about answering Maomao’s questions, didn’t seem averse to it, either. Shisui is stretching to say that Maomao and Suirei gt along, but I do have to wonder if these two might have gotten along under different circumstances. They’re both sharp, studious, and thorough.

Sadly, that’s not a long-term option here. Maomao’s other bit of curiosity isn’t even aimed at a major discovery: just trying to puzzle out why one wheat field is underperforming compared to others. But that leads to accidentally discovering that this village is where those mysterious firearms are being assembled. Given the actions Suirei has taken and the attempt on Jinshi’s life with those same firearms, the only reasonable conclusion is that the village is either arming itself for a rebellion or supporting one, and Maomao is highly unlikely to want to go along with that.

The “why” is still a big question here, especially since Shisui is still treating Maomao like her BFF. The episode does give us some clues on that: the village was became home to some refugees from the west, who interbred with the locals over time. This is the same “west” that the Royal Mother came from, and so a fair number of these people also have the color-blind issue that the Royal Mother had. This means Loulan’s father almost certainly has close relations with these people (as if we needed any more proof of that). This raises the possibility that the western influence has waned over the decades and some are seeking to reestablish it, but that feels too simple. There’s a lot more still to be revealed here, especially since none of that even hints at why Maomao was taken as a hostage. Is the intent, perhaps, to use her to draw certain individuals out?

All that aside, the part of the episode involving the festival was my favorite part. The details here are so well-though-out that I have to think they’re based on some actual traditions, and the symbolism of the masks (and whether they burn or sink) adds a lot of additional depth, too. The whole thing also gave the impression of dropping all sorts of little hints. with the camera pausing meaningfully on Shisui numerous times. A later scene where Shisui gives Maomao her hairpin also can be interpreted as loaded; back during the garden party, hairpins are practically a courting mechanism, so this could be seen as Shisui laying personal claim to Maomao. Doubtless this is going to come up again.

The episode ends on a seemingly-dire note, but the Next Episode preview assures that nothing too bad is going to come from it; perhaps this Shenmei won’t appreciate how big a deal it is that Maomao has found out about the guns. Whatever the case may be on that, I look forward to a return to having Jinshi and Maomao both in the same episode (if not necessarily the same location) again.