Category: The Apothecary Diaries
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The Apothecary Diaries S2 Ep 30: The Crystal Pavilion, for the Third Time
‘Each small bottle may not be considered poisonous, but if you mix them together, what may happen?’ – Maomao I always love the episodes that focus on the women of the inner palace and their dynamics and this one is no exception. Taking a bit of a break from the…
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The Apothecary Diaries S2- Ep 28 (Mirrors) & Ep 29 (Moon Fairy)
‘Rumors tend to spread rapidly. The further and wider they spread, the more they deviate from the truth. At times, rumors cease to remain mere rumors… legends and myths may be somewhat similar in that regard.’ – Maomao These two episodes are focused on the theme of subterfuge or how…
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The Apothecary Diaries S2- Ep 27: Corpse Fungus
‘This is the rear palace, a garden where 2000 women stir and scheme.’ – Maomao This episode follows more of a case of the week structure, focusing on the detah of a mid-level concubine called Lady Jin, apparently from food poisoning. In parallel, an attendant, Tao, who was due to…
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The Apothecary Diaries S2- Ep 26: Caravan
‘Poison in small amounts can also be medicine.’ – Maomao The caravan is coming to town… or rather to the rear palace and its causing flutters of excitement throughout. It is also an interesting way to contrast the sheltered, albeit luxurious life of the rear palace residents to civilians outside.…
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The Apothecary Diaries S2- Ep 25: Maomao and Maomao
Welcome back to The Apothecary Diaries. Full disclosure – I haven’t finished Season 1 yet so I may miss out on a few details. If so, I will try and come back and update it as I get done with Season 1 in parallel. This is a fairly quiet start…
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The Apothecary Diaries – Ep 4: The Threat
Episode 4 transports Maomao to a new setting – the palace of one of the rival concubines Lihua. Connecting back to episode 1 where the two royal children were ill, Lihua is still ailing after the death of her son. The emperor tasks Maomao with treating her illness since nothing…
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The Apothecary Diaries – Ep 2: Chilly Apothecary
Episode 2 and the plot thickens. Well… not really that much. This still feels very much like a set up episode with the actual mystery of the week briefly alluded to in the beginning and then swiftly resolved midway through the episode. However, the episode does take you deeper into…
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The Apothecary Diaries – Ep 1: Maomao
The Apothecary Diaries is based on a Japanese light novel series set in a fictional realm inspired by imperial China. It tells the adventures of a young woman, Maomao, training as an apothecary, who ends up in the royal palace and how she unwillingly becomes enmeshed in the affairs of…