The Apothecary Diaries 1x18 "Lakan" - reaction & review
Added 2024-09-04 14:12:57 +0000 UTCGoogle Drive link listed below description!
Hey everyone! Here it is - my reaction to episode 18 of The Apothecary Diaries! OMG!!!! I WAS RIIIIIIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it, yet I kinda can! So wait, like EVERYONE knows about this now? He knows, Jinshi knows, Maomao knows?! She was NOT happy about the thought of seeing him again, DANG :P Also, the story of Maomao's mom is tragic, and even more tragic that she couldn't give her daughter any love or anything a mother should provide. Yet Maomao still goes and takes care of her :( Dang you guys!! And just what's going on with this person we keep meeting at the garden?! Can't wait for more! Great ep! Enjoy! ~ MH
Google Drive Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cnpb5MFTUYIxXz9_UddkeJK4xfC_A4Vg/view?usp=sharing
Comments
Oohhh ok got it!
Melissa Moore
2024-10-01 13:45:06 +0000 UTCMaomao going with Jinshi to that place was never part of the plan. Goashan came up with the idea of sending Maomao with Jinshi when he brought it up.
JAMES D'ALESSANDRO
2024-10-01 12:22:31 +0000 UTCYeah I think it will get clearer soon! She definitely knows but just plays it all so close to the vest! It is sad isn't it? Yeah something's definitely going on with the girl!!!
Melissa Moore
2024-09-08 19:24:13 +0000 UTCInteresting. A lot of stuff I feel is being implied/said/done but I’m not sure I’m piecing together the pieces. I can’t see whatever it is that’s being foreshadowed here. Man so she knows! And apparently doesn’t mind. Or I should say just continues on with her days like nothings happened. Just continues to pick up herbs. Very interesting and kind of saddening to think about what that likely means. And this girl who keeps popping up. She seems smart. Frightened here. I’m really starting to get curious with whatever that’s about. 👀
Manny
2024-09-07 11:43:58 +0000 UTCYeah she got that one wrong despite how it looked! Ohhhh is that why he wouldn't respond! Yeah that's how I feel, like I don't have all the pieces yet. Ohhh I think I did miss the part where they said she was too far gone by the time Maomao's dad got to her. Yeah their history seems a bit seedy :/ That's an interesting way to look at it with the dynamic between Lakan and Jinshi! I feel so bad for Maomao, she's definitely empathetic. I feel bad for her dad too! I guess we'll be doing some weeding over the next few weeks then lol!!
Melissa Moore
2024-09-06 15:16:15 +0000 UTCHi Spadeas! :) Ohhhh ok, not sure why I thought I had put that together then lol. Hahaha I love how irresistible Jinshi in makeup is, at least the three people in that room could contain themselves :P LOL so glad Basen got some chicken! OHHHH I think I know the scene in the opening you're talking about now! I can totally see how Maomao's mom was probably close / kind of a mentor or big sis to the other girls. Meimei is such a real one to keep Lakan away from Maomao. Yikes, Lakan really came for that long trying to buy her.....Granny might be a little greedy but she was good not to let that happen! OMG the jumpscare was so pause-worthy lol! Ok cool, thanks for clarifying the timeline! I had sorta put that together by the end, but wasn't sure. That's so sad :( I can't wait to get answers!! OMG, I'm excited and scared for the next eps!!
Melissa Moore
2024-09-06 15:09:28 +0000 UTCHey Leonie!! Lol he is quite gorgeous, who knew he meant he wanted the same kind of makeup she does to herself! LOL the Maomao makeup tutorial was great! And yeah, he looks more average but honestly still pretty good haha. Wasn't their stroll so cute?! Yeah, it's pretty obvious (at least in hindsight for me lol) why Jinshi would wanna go there now. Makes sense that having a baby would de-value a courtesan :( YAY thank you for the shoulder pats lol! Definitely they were connected, for me it was the line about wanting to do something to the girl that made me think "oh no....what it"! Yeah Lakan seems like he knows way too much! Poor Maomao! Ooooh I didn't notice her looking at her fingers, thanks for pointing it out! I'm glad we'll get answers soon! Yeah something is definitely up with Suirei! I can't wait for next week!!!!!
Melissa Moore
2024-09-06 15:06:09 +0000 UTCMaomao kind of misinterpreted Jinshi’s intentions at the inn - as he was appearing to be there to enjoy some “company”, but it seems he was actually doing the thing he said he was in the first place. Also I didn’t mention this earlier but Jinshi was not responding to her in disguise at first because she made the mistake of calling him master. And, I suppose we should get to the bomb drop, but do keep in mind a couple things here - you’re putting a lot of the pieces in frame but you’re missing some - you don’t have the full picture here yet. Obviously the annex is hiding a courtesan who’s so far gone the only thing anyone can do is give her Luomen’s treatment, which isn’t really doing much. Keep in mind it was mentioned that he wasn’t able to treat the symptoms of syphilis until they were too far along for her. Also, the Verdigris House hasn’t always operated as a place of renown for lack of a better word - it has a history that isn’t exactly putting it in the best light. The old lady keeps trying to convince Maomao to be a courtesan so she can earn more money, but the real interesting thing is the exchange between Jinshi and Lakan - Lakan is clearly quite high ranked but even he knows he’s not in Jinshi’s class, something the younger man takes notice of - and it seems he was trying to work a way to pull Maomao out of her predicament, but Jinshi’s come along and one upped him in that category. As for Maomao, she doesn’t think much about love or such things, but she probably makes up for it with her empathy, something she got from her dad - he apparently lost his manhood because of the previous emperor’s mother and his ability to study abroad. But that’s probably piling too much info on. Just remember, you’ve got a decent amount of the picture but it ain’t complete yet. Just like the unofficial herb garden. There’s a few more weeds to pull out. :)
Tyler Stobbe
2024-09-05 06:07:57 +0000 UTCHello Melissa, as depicted and quoted throughout the course of this series, Jinshi is a “beautiful” man. Goes without saying, why Maomao was quite shaken when she heard Jinshi saying do me a makeup lol. Though what we’re talking about isn’t some makeup to transcend his beauty to whole new levels, but is a makeup to help him look like a commoner. Pretty sure Maomao was really enjoying this makeup tutorial with her homemade beauty aids, I mean see what she did to his face once lol, but okay, she somehow managed to make him look like an average commoner… to some extent, I mean he has a very handsome face, so it would never be that extreme but still. Was looking forward to this… Jinshi and Maomao’s little stroll in the city. Seeing her being the oujosama and Jinshi her servant was sort of fun lol. Though Jinshi went there for a reason, which is quite easy to guess after all his meetings with Lakan, seeing Maomao kind of reserved enough while walking with Jinshi… though just when it came to talking, kind of just shows she really wanted to go home quickly lol. Anyways, Maomao you had it wrong when you assumed why Jinshi wanted to visit Hanamachi, but leaving that aside, Jinshi asked what he wanted to... ... the way to lower the price of a courtesan, and that is quite easy to guess, I mean if they get pregnant, they practically become worthless. I'm very proud of myself that you found out that Lakan is Maomao's father. *gives a pat on the shoulder. I mean, it was a bit obvious that he was somehow connected to Maomao and her mother. We saw that in episode 16. As mentioned in the other comments, Lakhan would like to buy Maomao out of the brothel and have her for himself. That actually sounds pretty creepy and his whole demeanor in general doesn't particularly inspire trust. He also knows things that nobody should know, especially when it comes to Jinshi, which of course makes him a very dangerous opponent for him. You've already found out a bit about her past in Maomao's dream, that she experienced a trauma as a baby. You will find out later what else is going on. There were already a few details beforehand, similar to the fact that Maumao has often looked at her little index finger in the episodes. I think it was episode 3 and another one. And in this episode the focus was on her hand again. Keep that in mind for the future episodes. All the questions you're asking yourself now will be answered very soon. And the mystery surrounding Suirei won't remain a mystery for much longer either. She really is a very mysterious woman and it seems as if she is up to something. You'll soon find out exactly what. I'm really looking forward to To next week, as the episodes really are one of the best from this season.
Leonie2003
2024-09-04 20:56:42 +0000 UTCHi Hime :) It's not the same story that Maomao told and that of her mother, because the one she told about the sleepwalker, she ended up bought, which is not the case of her mother since she is always hidden by the brothel. The scene of Jinshi made up as a woman always makes me laugh, because only the three people in the room can resist his charm and apart from Maomao, it's mainly because the other two have been taking care of him since he was very young ^^. Without realizing it, Jinshi in Jinka is the most natural we have seen. He does not play Jinshi, but is more himself this time. Poor Basen, forced to follow both of them, luckily he takes revenge on the chicken lol. You can see Maomao's mother playing Go in the opening, but without the scene in this episode, you wouldn't have known. That's what she was doing, laying out black and white pieces on her bed in the annex. Meimei calls Maomao's mother "big sister", with that you can guess that Maomao's mother was what Meimei is to Maomao, a woman who took care of her. Meimei also knows that Lakan is Maomao's father and entertains him when he comes to prevent Maomao from being bought, but there's more, you'll see. It is implied that Lakan visited the brothel for at least ten years, hoping to buy Maomao, but that the matron never wanted to sell her. At least to Lakan, since she has been trying to make her a courtesan for quite some time to repay her "debt" as has been said in the past. The debt obviously being the cost of Maomao's mother. I warned you about the jumpscare and it's clear that you needed to press pause, but it was worth it, even if it's a heartbreaker, seeing Maomao like that is more powerful than a thousand words. For the timeline, Maomao's mother got pregnant, losing her "value", she was forced to sell her body and that's how she got sick. But rest assured, you will have all the answers before the end of the season, prepare yourself in advance. For the next two episodes, I know in advance that the 19th will hurt you, but that the 20th could comfort you a little or at least, put a smile back on your face.
Spadeas
2024-09-04 16:35:40 +0000 UTC
