Although the current mysteries are all but solved, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episodes 4 and 5 kicked off with the introduction of a new task at hand. The foreign envoys that appeared in the season premiere have arrived and have asked the Emperor for an odd request – to meet the rumored otherworldly beauty of the Moon Spirit.
It’s an interesting turn of events because it’s not anything poison-related, but instead, something that (once again) shifts our focus towards the responsibilities that Jinshi has inside the rear palace, including granting the Emperor’s guest’s wishes. It’s also intriguing to see how he tries to handle it in secrecy. To have Gaoshun seek advice from Maomao through a vague mystery only proves that something could be brewing. He is calculating carefully; do these envoys pose a threat, or are they friendly?
Although we’re still not out of the woods with that one, The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episodes 4-5 left us with one of the most entertaining moments with our two main leads. I’m always delighted to see Maomao in different outfits, so you can just imagine my giddy excitement to see Jinshi, our beautiful eunuch, transform into the otherworldly moon fairy.
The Meaning of the Mirror Chapter Explained
Before all else, let’s dive into the main theme of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 4 – “Mirrors.” This is especially interesting because the opening theme also has this theme with the concubines and the envoys. Anyway, the episode begins with each of the high-ranking concubines receiving expensive mirrors from the foreign envoys. Maomao starts to obsessively admire its impressive quality, but before she can manage to make her business plan, Gaoshun arrives looking for the apothecary.
The case goes like this: a rich man’s overprotected identical twin daughters are confined to their room and strictly guarded. However, the younger twin becomes pregnant. Maomao crosses out any psychological cause and later, deduces that the younger twin is able to secretly escape using an optical illusion via strategically placed mirrors. Of course, Maomao suspects this “case” is hiding an even deeper secret.
To be honest, this chapter in the original material always confused me! This pattern of unsolved mysteries has been around in the series; it’s up to you to connect the dots if you’d like. A timely example of this right now is that while not directly mentioned, if you get all the clues together, you’d get that the granny of Verdigris is truly Maomao’s biological grandmother (which explains why she took care of Fengxian all this time). In the mirror chapter’s case, the anime makes its intent much clearer.
Why did Gaoshun seek Maomao for advice on a mystery like this? It could have been a riddle that the foreign envoys offered the Emperor. It could also have been, perhaps, this short scene where one of the foreign envoys was in a meeting with Prime Minister Shishou, the father of Loulan.
The Identity of the Moon Spirit
The plot twist of Episode 4 is us discovering that the granny of Verdigris House was, in actuality, the stunning beauty who danced under the moonlight and was later on called the Moon Spirit. Who could have known that the beautiful woman who shed tears of pearls is now an old woman hungry for money? Although Maomao and Jinshi found the identity of the woman from 50 years ago, the problem now is finding a woman with the same height and ethereal beauty to impress the foreign envoys.
Jinshi also notes that their request is also a diplomatic issue since the envoys influence the vital trade routes to the Li country. Maomao tries to think of a solution, but a plan springs to mind when her eyes fall on the otherworldly beauty seated before her.
The Uneventful Banquet
While Maomao contemplates how myths take shape, I can’t help but also think about how ordinary things captured in extraordinary sceneries transform into memorable moments. That’s exactly how the “Moon Goddess” story came to be, after all. All that Maomao needs to do is to recreate that.
Building toward the banquet day, the first half of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 5 shows a few interesting scenes. One of them is how Maomao discovers these unique and glowing moths from the enthusiastic Shisui (another oddball like Maomao), while the other is about how the school inside the inner palace is already starting. The way Maomao sees this stirs some feelings – a meaningful and hopeful change is happening right before her eyes.
On the night of the banquet, we finally get to officially meet the foreign envoys who are “identical” cousins. It becomes obvious to Maomao how prideful and confident they both are of their beauty. Ayla, in particular, approaches the Emperor boldly in hopes of having his company. For the rest of us who are slow on the uptake, Maomao narrates the envoys’ ulterior political motives – to establish a favorable relationship with the Emperor and his younger brother.
In fact, this short scene says a lot of things about the ways inside the palace: the Emperor with his powerful and commanding aura, the covered faces of the high-ranking consorts, and the men who entered the rear palace. The latter implies the dwindling number of eunuchs, a plot that is actually related in the later part of the episode. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 seems to be going all out for all its plot-relevant schemes and mysteries, which is really thrilling.
It’s a good thing though that Aylin convinces Ayla to be respectful and return to the carriage because that would have been a messy situation. Even Hongniang was pretty triggered by it! Meanwhile, Maomao prepares for showtime. I also would like to mention how Gaoshun is somehow the quiet MVP of the series.
Jinshi as the Otherworldly Moon Fairy
Unimpressed by the banquet, the cousins ride their carriage in the dark. Maomao, who is too cute with her pretty make-up and hanfu, leads the mysterious figure to where the carriage is. As soon as the black cloth is pulled and the glowing moths are released, the quiet of the full moon scenery instantly transforms into magic.
The envoys are too shocked for words. It is without a doubt that Jinshi as the Moon Fairy is absolute perfection with his radiant glow, mesmerizing beauty, and a dance that touches the divine – the moment is simply beyond anything ordinary.
The sequence of visuals is a thrill to watch, and it’s also a nice parallel to Maomao’s send-off dance back in Episode 24 (hats off to the animation staff, as always). To be honest, though, I was super giddy watching this scene – half of me was emotionally crying about how good it was, while the other was dying of second-hand embarrassment. I was in denial that Jinshi didn’t look that awkward, but when Granny’s moon dance appeared on screen, I was completely convinced.
When the Moon Fairy disappears into the night, the envoys, who are now somewhat humbled, demand to know what just happened. Maomao hushes them, points at the moon, and then drops one of the coolest one-liners in the series. Although “Selene” (Greek personification of the moon) is the name used in the manga adaptation, the anime references “Diana” (Roman mythology), the Goddess of the hunt and the moon. Either way, it’s an incredible way to close the show.
What follows is my favorite part of the episode. It’s funny to see Jinshi so uncomfortable and inconvenienced, especially when he starts acting childish about it (the manga’s chibi drawings are cute, please check it out). Jinshi pouting while demanding Maomao to dry his hair is a comic relief that warms my heart.
Not only does it remind us of the bits of almost-romantic interactions we’ve come to love in this series (especially the outer palace days), but also a bit about Jinshi’s current attachment to his relationship with Maomao. She complains about him, but they are really quite the extraordinary pair. From their silly bickering to their awesome moments – I fangirl for my JinMao power couple. I really, really, really do.
The Clinic Inside the Rear Palace
After a precious Xiaolan goes off to school and a very helpful recap of all the events of The Apothecary Diaries, Maomao makes an intriguing discovery — a clinic exists inside the rear palace. She visits this place when Ailan leaves to stay the night there. It’s clean, tidy, and a healthy place for recuperation. So why were we told that the medical situation inside the rear palace was a mess?
Well, the narrator (Maomao) apparently missed it during her tour because all this time, the older lady servants were at this perfectly functional clinic. The problem, however, is that only men were allowed to make medicine. This clears up the question of why Guen, AKA the Quack Doctor, was never fired – because there were no other eunuch physicians available. Jinshi also mentions how he has to figure out how to bring more medical staff without them becoming eunuchs.
It also puts out the fact that Maomao has actually been making medicine illegally. Guen is aware of his shortcomings as a physician of the rear palace, so he lets Maomao help him inside the medical office. This secret is seemingly backed by Jinshi, Gyokuyou, and maybe even the Emperor himself.
This plot development is a bit surprising at this point in the story, so it makes it all the more unsettling. Of course, Jinshi warns her to be careful and stay hidden. The plot instantly reacts because the lady in the clinic recognizes the smell of medicine from Maomao.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 4 and 5 Wrap-up
This moon goddess arc is probably one of my favorite parts of the series so far. The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episodes 4 and 5 were simply iconic and memorable. It has an entertaining combination of character interactions, comedic moments, and the most interesting and thrilling developments of the season so far.
The plot hasn’t revealed itself yet but with only five episodes in, we’ve already had so many things going on! The slow burn of this “laying the groundwork” is frustrating, but damn, it is also just as exciting to see.
If you enjoyed the latest episode, you can vote for it on our weekly polls!
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 is streaming on Crunchyroll and Netflix (in Asia)
© Natsu Hyuga/Imagika Foss/”The Apothecary Diaries” Production Committee
Participate In Discussions