*WARNING* SPOILERS FOR ALCHEMY OF SOULS PART 1 and 2!* All images belong to tvN and Netflix.
Preface
The New Year is officially here and we are in the penultimate week of this show! Unfortunately the New Year comes with ‘back to work’ so this is quite a few days late – but fortunately week 7 and 8 delivered what I thought were the snappiest episodes of the series so far.
Week 4 | Episode 7 & 8
31st Dec - 1st January 2022/3
I have been saying a lot that I wanted things to pick up, and episode 7 and 8 delivered!
Yul didn't die!
I will say that over the course of this series I have felt fairly disconnected from Yul. His character arc to me has not gone under drastic evolution and his characterisation by Minhyun has been fairly one dimensional. However this does suit Yul in a way being the most stoic of the Four Seasons.
At the end of last week, Yul’s life hung in the balance. But fear not! Episode 7 picked up where episode 6 left off and stomped on the accelerator. As swiftly as Jang Uk rescued Yul from the Cheonbugwan guards, Yul is resuscitated after some Jin family manouevering by Jang Uk, the firedbird that is ever present in the background and the help of Crown Prince Won and Bu-Yeon. The pace that this was done at was almost whiplash in comparison to the past few weeks and I couldn’t help but wonder whether the Hong sisters were about to throw a metaphorical grenade into the mix for our leads, descending the drama into madness 3 episodes from home.
But no, this was a swift conclusion tied up in a bow that in the end lacked any real tension because Dramaland dictates that Yul wouldn’t die. If I suspend my disbelief at this rapid reversal and hijinks convenient plot, I give credit that this set up some things and gives way to a domino affect that leads to episode 8’s conclusion.
In other news we learn from the sequence that Prince Won knows who the turtle shaman is now, Jang Uk uses the Songrim secret room as his personal bank vault, Dang-Gu and Cho-Yeon are resolutely back together in the steamiest of ways (!?) and that the one casualty from all this is So-Yi who is holding Yul’s umbrella to the end.
So-Yi deserved better, so RIP to one of the most interesting characters on the show.
Yun-Ok, are you okay?
It feels fitting that the go to makjang action of throwing a glass of something over someone this season goes to the resident ‘bitter twisted female’ character that has so far served no purpose to the plot apart from act jealous and be a thorn in the side. RIP to well rounded female characterisation of one of the few female characters left on the show.
Yun-Ok this weeks acts with all the embitterment of a woman scorned when she… hasn’t. She reads Yul’s letter despite it not being her right, and takes matters into her own hands, despite it not being her right. When Yun-Ok was introduced in Part 1, I thought she could have an interesting part to play. To my disappointment she has been relegated to a side character that grates along with her ladies maid. There is very little time left to see any meaningful character development, and right now I am not sure I want to see it shoe-horned by the Hong sisters. I’d rather Yun-Ok stay as a conventional salty character than earn a development that she has so far not worked for.
It is all credit to the actress though for imbuing Yun-Ok with a deep pit of jealousy and loathing for Bu-Yeon when the script does not give her a lot of work.
For all of Yun-Ok’s terrible decisions, she does however bring Jang Uk and Naksu one step closer together…
Jang Uk and Cho Yeong (again)
Ah these two. After this week I am not sure I see anything but a tragic ending for these two, but my fingers stay crossed that a happy ending will prevail.
After the two finally accept each other at the end of episode 7, episode 8 brings about a rapid shift of events and the end of a dominoes collapse. We find out that the story of Bu-Yeon’s soul still being there is true and Naksu finally realises who she is on her visit to Dangghanyok, knowing too that she has little time left. Being the noble idiot (and understandably so), Naksu leaves Jang Uk in an emotionally charged scene that had me feeling out of all sorts. How cruel to Jang Uk after achieving peace and contentment for it to be ripped away in the span of an hour!
At this point the episode is begging for the truth to be revealed to Jang Uk before the final week showdown and at the end of the episode we FINALLY get Jang Uk noticing the blue ‘flowers’ in her eyes!!! Although the question of, how did Jang Uk get into that Cheonbugwan prison was the first on my mind, the relief that we finally get the shoe drop was immense.
Roll on next week, lets see how these two get their way out of this!
My other highlights and thoughts
- I am 100% convinced that Won is being a double agent for Jang Uk, especially after the encounter about the gold plaques and the revelation to Won that Jang Uk is actually the Kings son (isn’t it unreal, one of the biggest secrets from Part 1 is dropped twofold in very short, casual scenes to the most important people in Part 2? Also the fact that I was reminded of who DIDN’T yet know?). That aside, throughout both sides it has been hard to convince me that Won is capable of evil and his development reflects that. Honestly, if it does turn out that Won is conspiring against Jin Mu, it is not much of a plot twist. If it turns out that Won actually has turned to the dark side, then WTF. There has been no inkling at all of this throughout Part 2.
- This fire bird plot is very straightforward and all I hope is Jin Mu’s downfall at the end. While watching this, both parents (who watched Part 1) had the same question: “He’s still in this!?”. That sums up what I think of this character and related plots. Lack of real character depth and lack of real plot tension.
- The Cheonbugwan prison addition is most random and most utterly Alchemy. I love Naksu stepping up and owning her right now, to Ho-Gyeong and Jin Mu being the badass she is even without control over her powers. But it is a shift into the next gear this addition that I love the most.
- The return of the turtle! Jin Mu went from hated to most hated when he got rid of the turtle. But he has crawled back onto our screens, about 5x bigger when we last saw him. Magical turtles, amirite?
My unanswered questions - answered!
Were any of my unanswered questions answered?
- Will Seo Yul live? A: Yes. In a matter of a half hour and firmly shoved under the plot carpet to make way for the more pressing parts of the plot (sorry Yul!).
My unanswered questions
- Will this drama have a happy ending? (peeks from behind fingers)
Final thoughts
Episode 8 finally gave me what I wanted and I am here for the final week to unravel the crashing realisations unveiled during this episode!
Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow – Episode 7 & 8 | starfromouterspace’s K-Drama Thoughts
Things are starting to push forward in the plot – what were this weeks major talking points?
Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow – Episode 5 & 6 | starfromouterspace’s K-Drama Thoughts
Things are starting to push forward in the plot – what were this weeks major talking points?
Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow – Episode 3 & 4 | starfromouterspace’s K-Drama Thoughts
Did week 2 live up to the first two episodes? (I need more Jang Uk and Bu-Yeon!)
Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow – Episode 1 & 2 | starfromouterspace’s K-Drama Thoughts
Alchemy of Souls is back for Part 2 ! But is it any good?