The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 3 is packed differently this week and highlights three things: the range of Maomao’s perception, the sinister intentions inside the inner palace, and poisonous mushrooms. What’s great about this episode is that it’s the first time this season that we get to see Maomao work on a case, which quite nostalgically demonstrates everything that we’ve come to love about The Apothecary Diaries. Because beneath the beautiful garden also lies the grisly dirt, and we’ve got the perfect eccentric cat-like girl to tell us all about it.
Following the Scent of Poisonous Mushrooms
The episode starts with Jinshi sharing his plans to start a school inside the school palace. Mamao thinks this is a great idea and even adds her own input. I adore this power couple and how good a pairing Maomao and Jinshi are. Neither of them is a damsel in distress, they’re both incredibly smart and capable people.
For instance, this episode shows how Jinshi has great ideas while Maomao brings in the perspective he often overlooks. This is a nice development in the story, but my excitement is short-lived because I found myself laughing over Jinshi and Gaoshun’s reaction to Maomao’s lack of disgust.
The way Maomao often pieces things together is beautifully executed within the story. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 3 is another good example, so this is another fun chapter to unpack. The main plot of the episode comes into play at the first mention of a missing palace woman named Tao. Later, Jinshi orders Maomao to clean up the poisonous mushrooms in the northern forest, which Maomao happily fulfills. She notices a foul stench (which Shusui mentioned) from the ground that explains the abundance of mushrooms.
Back at the Jade Pavillion, Hongniang brings Maomao to Concubine Jin’s funeral, who was apparently a difficult and jealous consort. They eventually witness Son, a disgraced concubine, who also has the same rashes as the ladies-in-waiting and the deceased Jin.
At this point, Maomao realizes the true intention of Jinshi’s request. Although they said that Jin died from the same poison she used to harm other consorts, Maomao deduces that her “death-by-food-poisoning” was a lie and that it was in fact, caused by the direct application of an extremely poisonous mushroom (the Poison Fire Coral).
It becomes ominously obvious that there is more to her death, but as always, Maomao isn’t willing to share it until she gets concrete proof. With Gaoshun’s help, Maomao uncovers the last piece of the puzzle– the true corpse of Jin, buried right under where the mushrooms sprouted.
The Suspenseful Twists and Turns
In her inner monologue, she deduces that the jealous Jin died from an incident involving Tao. To cover it up, Jin’s servants conspire to have Tao act as a body double, but as Tao’s marriage plans become more serious, she is ultimately poisoned by the servants who feared exposure. And as Maomao narrated, this is only her conjecture; the higher-ups would handle the rest.
After the fascinating twists and turns of the episode, the mystery is finally solved. I especially enjoyed all the clues in between and how even the smallest moments of this episode add to the overall lore of The Apothecary Diaries. For instance, Jinshi and the Emperor working to educate and improve the lives of palace women; Gyokuyo’s fascination with watching Jinshi and Maomao interact; Xialoan beginning to teach other laundry servants, and so on.
On the other side, we have the boundless petty ways of the women in the rear palace and to what extent one uses such deadly poison toward another person. Although honest, Hongniang’s thoughts of how Jin’s death was the best outcome in protecting Gyokuyo’s safety are messed up. Even Jinshi has to suspect the apothecary once in a while, too.
Besides the great writing in The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 3, it also has the best comedic timing and chibi drawings. You see, the episode humorously ends with Maomao gushing over her curiosity about the “corpse fungus.” Jinshi is weirded out and asks Gaoshun to confiscate the mushrooms, leaving behind a cute sulking Maomao. I also really loved the voice acting in this episode and seeing Maomao with her hair down!
An Interesting Piece to the Puzzle
Overall, the episode reminds us of the darker life inside the rear palace. The chapter still leaves some things unanswered, but it isn’t anything we’re not used to anymore. The Apothecary Diaries has previously presented mysteries with the most unexpected connections that circle around to paint the bigger picture. This time, we got to see the chaos among the lower servants and consorts, but what will it be next time?
Every episode provides a clue of uncovering the schemes against Gyokuyo and Jinshi, or if not, perhaps just a small delightful chapter until they fall into place—piece by piece, bit by bit, moments that contribute, little details that take part. If anything, it’s done a good job of keeping us in suspense, interested and entertained, and truly, we’re all just here having fun watching Maomao figure things out.
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The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix (in Asia)
© Natsu Hyuga/Imagika Foss/”The Apothecary Diaries” Production Committee
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