The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 18 Review: Jinshi Is Getting Scary

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 18 Review: The 18th episode of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 or The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 (薬屋のひとりごと 第2期) showcased a more serious side of Jinshi. Let us see how this episode turned out.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 17 Recap

Here we see Jinshi searching for Maomao, beginning his inquiry with Lady Gyokuyou and her attendants. However, they’re just as clueless about her whereabouts, offering no useful leads. Determined to uncover the truth, Jinshi eventually visits Luomen, Maomao’s adoptive father, who is already aware of her sudden disappearance. Rather than reacting with alarm, Luomen calmly assesses the situation, suspecting that Maomao may have left behind some kind of clue.

Meanwhile, it’s revealed that Maomao cleverly concealed a vital piece of information about her abduction. She used alcohol to write a hidden message on paper, which she tucked inside a tree trunk along with some catnip. Her hope was that the scent would attract the cat named Maomao, potentially guiding Jinshi and Luomen to the note. However, the writing was so ambiguous that it sparked multiple interpretations.

The breakthrough comes when one of Lady Gyokuyou’s maids mentions the name Shisui. This instantly catches Jinshi’s attention, making him suspect that this enigmatic maid could be connected to Maomao’s disappearance.

Later in the episode, we see Maomao finding out about the relationship between Shisui and Suiren. Here, it becomes evident that Suiren isn’t as innocent as she appeared. She has been aware of the events all along and is, in fact, complicit in the scheme.

The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 Episode 18 Review

This episode starts on a serious note as Lady Gyokuyou has finally gone into labour, and Maomao’s father, Luomen, is actually helping her with her pregnancy. Jinshi is there to see her condition, as her pregnancy is pretty challenging at this stage. But here, we also get to know that it has been 10 days since Maomao first vanished, and Jinshi is not happy that he cannot locate her. However, he gets information about how the missing eunuch Tian used to visit the grave site of the former emperor’s bedmates.

There, Jinshi finds Shenlu, who becomes absolutely shocked when Jinshi talks to her in a very gentlemanly manner. His voice and appearance apparently made her remember the former emperor, and she quickly asked him why is he acting like a eunuch when he was not one. This makes Jinshi release her for a second, and she drinks poison.

This incident disturbs Jinshi greatly, who always thought he was an illegitimate child of the empress. And that’s why he tried to avoid his duties as a crown prince. But now that he realises that he looks like the former emperor, he decides to take things into his own hands and not be a bystander anymore.

He then very skillfully managed to connect the dots and realise that Shishou and his family might be the ones behind this entire elaborate plan. Thus, to get more information, he rushes to Loulan’s palace, and here, he does get his answers as he finds Loulan looking different from her usual self.

Verdict

This episode was definitely really good as it showcased a new side of Jinshi that we have not seen before. He has always been soft-spoken and calm, but now that Maomao is gone, we are seeing the regal side of him. His actions prove that Jinshi will soon come out of his facade as a eunuch and take centre stage in the effort to locate Maomao.

Must Read: Read all our The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 reviews here.