The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Maomao Refuses to Play the Selfless Heroine

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 3 Review: This episode explores Maomao’s pragmatic nature and the harsh realities faced by ordinary people.

Akinori Fudesaka returns as the series director for The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 (薬屋のひとりごと 第3期, Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 3rd Season).

The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 Episode 3 Review

Maomao’s Latest Encounter Reveals a Harsh Reality in The Apothecary Diaries

We finally learn what the mysterious woman was feeding to the poor people in this story, and that culminates in a deadly situation for Maomao. In the first half of this episode, a harrowing father comes to our protagonist for her help. Apparently, his daughter has been poisoned, and he needs the apothecary’s help to heal her.

Here, we see a very sensible side of Maomao: instead of helping the patient right away, she asks for proper compensation for her work. The man becomes surprised because he thought he would be able to get her to help him for free. At least, Maomao’s foster father would have done that. However, Maomao is not like that. She was also written in a very realistic way, showcasing how money was indeed needed for everyone to survive, even Maomao.

The Apothecary Diaries Proves Maomao Is No Ordinary Female Protagonist

She finally agrees to help the man out in exchange for a contract promising payment later. I loved this section because it showcases how mature the storyline of The Apothecary Diaries is. It does not dive into known trajectories where the female protagonist would be shown as some goldhearted damsel who would help without thinking twice. No, Maomao is the pragmatic individual who understands life is not that easy to survive.

Maomao Quickly Uncovers the Cause of a Mysterious Illness

The way Maomao managed to identify the cause of the sickness among some individuals was impressive. She quickly realised what the situation was and even came up with a solution right away. However, from what was shown, it is to be expected that this case would have more layers later. It is very apparent that outside forces are working against the king and his administration. They want people of the nation to fall sick, and it might have something to do with the fall of the Shi clan.

Maomao Finds an Unusual Way to Save Two Sisters

In this episode, we again see a practical side of Maomao when she offers to sell the patient she saved; she knew very well that the girl would be worked to death later by her father. Thus, when her older sister comes to beg Maomao to save herself and her little sister, Maomao decides to help in an unconventional way. She offers the big sister a position in the Verdigris house as a courtesan. The big sister also agrees because she understands that at some point her father might sell her into prostitution anyway. Thus, she decides that she would rather take her fate in her own hands than let others, especially her deadbeat father, decide for her.

We do see Jinshi for a bit, but he did not interact with Maomao directly.  Hence, there was no romance insight for this episode; however, it seemed like he needed Maomao’s assistance desperately.

Final Verdict

This was a really interesting episode which dived more into the struggles of ordinary people in The Apothecary Diaries. It was less about the core characters and more about how the world functions here. Though I definitely missed interaction between Maomao and Jinshi, I enjoyed the plot a lot.

Watch The Apothecary Diaries Season 3 on Netflix. What’s your thought on the new season? Let us know in the comments below!