Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow – Episode 1 & 2 | starfromouterspace’s K-Drama Thoughts

*WARNING* SPOILERS FOR ALCHEMY OF SOULS PART 1 and 2!*

Preface

I’m back! It has been a while. To be honest, it has been a slow drama year for me, having only completed two. Unfortunately, nothing has really caught my attention! But one series that did? This summers fantasy-saeguk blockbuster, ‘Alchemy of Souls’. Although with modest TV ratings in South Korea, it was by far the highest fantasy drama in concept in years and it remains a popular drama domestically and internationally thanks to the series simulcasting on Netflix.

‘Alchemy of Souls’ is a drama written by the Hong sisters, set in the fictional kingdom of Daeho. There is magic, mages, gorgeous characters and of course skullduggery, corruption and ‘Alchemy of Souls’ – forbidden sorcery that involves the swapping of souls – often not asked for. The drama is characterised by extensive world building, a large cast of characters, beautiful set design, costume, make up and OST.

Part 1 ended with our leads ostensibly torn apart in the most tragic way possible.

On a cliffhanger we see Jang Uk (Lee Jae-Wook) ressurected and Mu-Deok/Naksu (Jung So-Min) jumping into the lake as she slowly petrified and being pulled out by mysterious people….. Not the happiest of endings for those who have sat and watched these characters for ten weeks. What do you mean this is how it ends?!

Luckily the run of this series was plagued by rumours that there would be a Part 2, so the heartbreak was never going to be final. This was swiftly confirmed by the drama writers (the Hong sisters) and tvN, with Part 2 scheduled for the end of 2022. The official name is ‘Alchemy of Souls 2: Light and Shadow’. Intriguing.

The day has come and this past weekend (10th-11th December 2022) the first two episodes of a ten episode run dropped on Netflix. And you bet I was straight on it to watch.

In the run up to the show there were many questions and sceptism about Part 2. How will the female lead actress change work? What will happen with the ice stone? How will everything be resolved in only ten episodes (half of the 20 episode run in Part 1)? In my opinion I felt that Part 1 had enough episode run to tell a complete story if it hadn’t dragged in the latter half of the series and I usually do not like multi-series K-Drama. However the Hong sisters have always established that 20 episodes was not enough to tell their story so I only hope that they have planned enough story to take us through the next few weeks.

In this series I will be writing my thoughts each week this drama releases episodes in a form of questions being answered and key talking points from the week. If you have not watched Part 1, I recommend you do so as I will not be recapping unless necessary. So, watch along with me and lets see where this takes us….

NB: This will also not be a recap of Part 2 and I will not be going too in depth into the plot unless necessary. If you would like to recap what happens each week, and also a recap what happened in Part 1, check out Dramabeans.

‘Alchemy of Souls’ Part 1 and Part 2 is and will be available on Netflix in the UK, with two episodes a week dropping on Saturday and Sunday at around 3pm GMT.

All images used in this post belong to tvN, Studio Dragon and Netflix.

Week 1 | Episode 1 & 2
10th-11th December 2022

In the weeks before Part 2 aired (where they dropped teaser after teaser and gorgeous poster after gorgeous poster (see below), it was confirmed that Part 2 would be set three!? whole years after the end of Part 1! What?! What do you mean there is time skip of three years? Adding this to the list of questions happened, here is what I thought about the show.

It feels like there hasn't been a break at all

The problem with having multiple parts of a show is that it can feel jarring to return to the world. I decided before starting Part 2 that I wouldn’t go back and read the recaps of Part 1 and just hope that my memory was enough.

However the return to Daeho and to our favourite characters was far smoother than I thought it could be. There is plenty of exposition littered in to gently remind the viewer of the lore, the setting and what had happened in Part 1.

It was a concern of mine to see how the three year time jump would be executed, especially given how Part 1 ended. However, the first two episodes served as set up that swiftly introduced this world three years into the future without being overwhelming. We spent the two episodes doing a fly by tour of all the main cast and supporting cast to allow us to check in to see where they were in the three years and what they are doing now.

I cannot think of a single OG character who I have not seen and it was a delight to see how their stories could unfold in the wider scheme!

With a combined total runtime of nearly three hours across two episodes, it did not feel like it dragged. The pacing so far has felt slick and every moment has given something to the story – a job well done considering the ground they had to cover. This is reminiscent of the first few episodes of Part 1 which were the slickest of the lot, before it dragged in the latter quarter. Hopefully at half the number of episodes the drama will contain in this way to the end and not fizzle out.

The cinematography and visuals are just as stunning, perhaps even more so, than Part 1 so far. The continuation of Part 1’s OST is wonderfully used as is always a good way to tie the two Parts together.

The lack of awkwardness is also helped by an extensive teasing schedule and a rapid three month turnaround since Part 1.

Not as dark as I thought it would be...?

Again, given the teasers and the overall heartbreak that occurred in Part 1, I was bracing myself for a much darker Part 2. Instead, I was pleasanty suprised that the tone and mood of the show is consistent with Part 1, entwining darker plot points with light humour, but with a dash more sorrow that is instead present within our characters to show their maturity in the three years.

I particularly loved how this was characterised in Jin Cho-Yeon (Arin) and Park Dang-Gu (Yoo In-Soo). For them the costume and character design is gorgeous. For Jin-Choyeon, her hair is now much darker and her clothes are no longer the light airy pinks associated with her ‘spring’ persona from Part 1. Instead she is seen in darker purples and pinks that is representative of Jinyowon and the priestesses within. Even the way she talks and how she holds herself speaks of maturity. And also the trauma of watching your father killed in front of you and the discovery of your long lost elder sister.

While Park Dang-Gu, his hair (now the same colour as Cho-Yeons!) is cut shorter and his demeanour is matching now of his new position as the Leader of Songrim. And also the trauma of watching your future father in law get killed in front of you by someone you thought was a close friend, and then your betrothed locking themselves away for three years in Jinyowon without a whisper.

Daeho’s Four Seasons have been going through it, but apart from that, I like where this is going and relieved as well because I’m not sure if I could’ve handled it if it went full gothic fantasy. But whether this return to familiarity in tone is reserved for the first few episodes, we shall see.

The Elephant in the Room

By far the biggest question going into this was ‘how are they going to deal with the actress change?’.

In season 1, Jung So-min played Mu-Deok (Naksu’s soul with Jin Bu-Yeon’s (as we find out) body). Her journey as a ‘reformed’ assassin, Jang Uk’s master and eventual lover is one that many viewers loved and made the Part 1 finale all the more heartbreaking. Mu-Deok was characterised so wonderfully by Jung So-min that there was much alarm when early rumours about Part 2 included the fact that Jung So-Min was the only actor to not have also additionally signed for Part 2. There is speculation of why this was, from clashing projects, to contract and agency issues preventing her from continuing – or maybe this was the plan all along? But the questions remain:

What does this mean for Jang Uk and Naksu? Where is the story going to go from here!?

It was confirmed that Go Yoon Jung would be reprising her role of Naksu. She appeared as the actual Naksu (in person and in soul) in the first episode of Part 1 where she played the part of the kickass assassin delightfully well and went toe to toe with Park Jin on an icy lake.

But they burned her body in very public fashion early in Part 1! How does she regain her body?

And then there’s the even bigger question of:

What happens to Bu-Yeon!? As we find out in the latter stages of Part 1, the body Naksu’s soul enters is actually the long lost eldest daughter of Jinyowon, Jin Bu-Yeon. The very same daughter critical to a lot of Jin Mu’s shady plotting in Part 1.

So.... what did happen?

Well.

Turns out that the mysterious people pulling Mu-Deok/Bu-Yeon’s body out of the lake was Jinyowon. Jin Ho-Gyeong, (the leader of Jinyowon and Bu-Yeon’s and Cho-Yeon’s mother) in the final parts of Part 1 found out that Mu-Deok was Bu-Yeon (although with Naksu’s soul inhabiting it). It turns out that she wanted to save Bu-Yeon, which is not surprising given the lengths she went to in Part 1.

Although the body is petrified the body is still just alive, thanks to the fact that Bu-Yeon is an incredibly powerful priestess with Naksu’s powerful energy. Master ‘Hemp’ Lee is there with Jin Ho-Gyeong. Master Lee deduces that Naksu didn’t ‘shift’ souls. Instead, Naksu’s soul and energy is trapped by Bu-Yeon. Bu-Yeon’s soul still resides in the body, which explains the visions Mu-Deok saw – however Bu-Yeon’s soul is only existing by clinging onto Naksu’s powerful energy. Master Lee then offers Ho-Gyeong a choice. He can save the body if he taps into Naksu’s energy and uses that to heal the body. But that means destroying Bu-Yeon’s soul in the process and Ho-Gyeong will have to live with knowing that Bu-Yeon’s body, has Naksu’s soul. But doing nothing will destroy both the body and soul. What is Ho-Gyeong’s choice?

She saves Bu-Yeon’s body and Master Lee explains that because she has been healed with Naksu’s powerful energy, her face will slowly start to resemble Naksu because the body and energy must match to avoid running wild(?)

Bu-Yeon/Naksu has no memory from before she is ‘ill’ and her divine powers, along with Naksu’s energy is all but gone. But the caveat is that since Naksu’s memory and Bu-Yeon’s divine power don’t conflict, if one returns, so does the other. With Ho-Gyeong now in the predicament of her daughter being Naksu (essentially) but lacking the divine power required of an heiress to somewhere as powerful as Jinyowon….. and if the divine power returns, her daughter would likely leave….. the only solution to Ho-Gyeong is to lock her up and that is where Part 2 opens, meeting Bu-Yeon/Naksu after three years in solitary.

That’s a lot to take in. ,

Ho-Gyeong will do anything for Bu-Yeon

Ho-Gyeong is desperate enough to hold onto Bu-Yeon’s body, but we find out it is only with the intention for Bu-Yeon to get married secretly and to sire a daughter and she would be the heiress to Jinyowon. And she would be locked up in Jinyowon forever. Were she to fail, or to sire a son… well – Ho-Gyeong is clear in that she would let her die.

Master Lee is not happy when he hears this (and I do not blame him).

Ho-Gyeong is one of the most interesting characters on this show because it is both profoundly dark and twisted, but her pain comes from that of a mother who wanted her eldest daughter to return. Park Eun-Hye brings that conflict in her portrayal of Ho-Gyeong and no scene captures that as well as in episode 2, where she slaps Bu-Yeon only to end up embracing her.

This is of course all set up for the reunion of Bu-Yeon/Naksu and Jang Uk.

Bu-yeon/Naksu X Jang Uk... is the ship still afloat?

It would not be Naksu and Jang Uk if their reunion did not have ulterior motives running underneath it. After all, that is what underpinned their relationship in Part 1 – using their wit to outsmart each but knowing the other is doing it.

Jung So-Min and Lee Jae-Wook had a brilliant rapport with each other so it was interesting to see how Go Yoon-Jung’s characterisation of Naksu (with amnesia and no power) would interact with Jang Uk. So far its been brilliant. The two mesh well with each other and Naksu is not afraid to be assertive as much as Jang Uk, despite his presumed exterior is still kind and takes it all (surprisingly) well in his stride. I mean she asked him to throw plates into the wall and to marry her after one meeting!

The two already have common ground, which is their shared history, but its repackaged in a way that you can still feel the empathy from both sides.

You can see traces of Mu-Deok, the sharp thinking, the wit, the pride and strength to save herself within Bu-Yeon – but with a lightness. It makes you wonder, that now Naksu cannot remember her traumatic past and how it had hardened her into a feared assassin, the amnesia and weight off her shoulders gives us the Naksu in her purest form, or the Naksu she could’ve been had she not met Jin Mu or when she accepted living as Mu-Deok being married to Jang Uk, before the finale.

Bu-Yeons/Naksus wardrobe also reflects this. So far it is all made up of light Jinyowon pinks and whites – in contrast to Mu-Deoks customary purples and blues (like Jang Uks), but in line with what we see Mu-Deok wearing at the end of Part 1 when they thought they would be happy.

Naksu and Jang Uk’s plot set up in the end is highly reminiscent of the set up in Part 1. They need each other for something. Naksu needs Jang Uk to marry her so she can escape Jinyowon and avoid becoming a ‘mule’ for a child, while Jang Uk….. needs someone with divine powers to remove the ice stone from him (more on that later). All of this with Jang Uk thinking more like when we first met Mu-Deok in Part 1 and vice versa. You can’t help thinking how these two are so inextricably linked that they would always need each other in a way. Yes, thats plot. But its poetic plot and I love how entwined and ironic it is. You fall in love with the soul, not the face, and thats eternal.

Their contrast in clothing at the end of episode 2 – Jang Uk in ‘shadow’ and Naksu in ‘light’ hammers home the official series title and really makes you think how far we have come from the beginning of Part 1.

Intentional? Probably. Do I love it? Yes I do. Tragic? Yes. The fact that Jang-Uk is so heartbroken and he never got to marry Mu-Deok, but now he has, only so she can remove the ice stone so he can die, so she is basically killing him twice, BUT HE DOESN’T KNOW IT!? The levels to this!

The chemistry is there, they can drink the hardest of liquor together, the set up is all neatly wrapped in ribbon, they frankly look hot together and the stakes have been raised. What’s not to love?

The tortured hero

You would be forgiven for thinking, from the teasers and the photos, that Jang Uk has become a vigilante, on the run, and is being hunted down by the Kingdom.

I thought that and I am 100% wrong. Instead we have the same Jang Uk as in Part 1 (sarcastic and witty)… but as with all the Four Seasons, more mature and to a point with the same ironclad streak of determination that Naksu had. His wardrobe is pure blacks and greys compared to his Part 1 vibrant blues. All the airs and graces have been dropped.

He is now exceptionally powerful and the opening scenes of episode 1 demonstrate how far his magic has come in three years, now with the ice stones power, and its at times like this where you would think Naksu would’ve been so proud of him in her own bullish way.

Jang Uk spends his time hunting down rampant soul shifters on ‘order from the Royal Family’ (which we find out isn’t true and is just the continual facade to make Won (the Crown Prince) seem to be born under the King’s Star). There’s some politics wrapped up in this that I will not go into here.

But the long and short is that Jang Uk is the same but he is feared – by choice it seems. His relationships with his friends is strained, he is heartbroken (quite literally), he is haunted by wraiths who want the ice stone and he chained to it with the promise he will not use it for personal gain. Often we see him drinking hard liquor to cope, all while he carries Naksu’s sword around with him. But underneath everything that everyone says about him, he still has a heart of gold, even if the best cold-hearted assassin did train him.

This leads to two of my favourite scenes from this week.

Make me cry, make me laugh

Both of these scenes involve a conversation between Park Jin (Yoo Jun-Sang) and Jang Uk.

Near the end of episode 1, we hear Jang-Uk asking Park Jin that if there were someone with divine powers could they remove the ice stone from him. Park Jin counters that the ice stone is the reason he is alive and if he were to take it out, he would die:

Park Jin – ‘Do you think removing the ice stone will mend your wounded heart?’

Park Jin – ‘If you do, you will die.’

Jang Uk – ‘At least, I will lift the weight off my shoulders and finally be at peace.’

*with ‘Love Letter (with you) by BIG Naughty in the background*

This conversation really stuck with me as it was the viewers hear directly from Jang Uk about the pain he is in and what he is going through, not merely as rumour and gossip from other characters throughout the episode. It also really struck me how the relationship between Park Jin and Jang Uk is closer than ever and how Jang Uk can be honest with his views, with Park Jin just listening despite how emotinal you can see it makes them both. Combined with the best song from the OST, this made for emotional viewing.

On the flipside is a scene near the end of episode 2, where in a scene filled with wry banter about the impossibility of red bean meju despite Park Jin’s attempts, he so very casually drops in:

Park Jin – ‘Why did you kidnap the priestess of Jinyowon on the day of her wedding?’

Jang Uk – ‘She was pretty. I was mesmerised by her beauty’

Park Jin -‘Were you going to ask that beautiful woman to take out the ice stone for you?’

*Jang Uk’s eyes show that he know he has been rumbled*

Park Jin – ‘You punk! You should marry someone you wish to spend your life with, not someone who will take your life away.’

Jang Uk -‘Do not worry, she ran away.’

Park Jin – ‘Alright’

Something about this scene really tickled me. Was it the fact that Park Jin is 100% unfazed and figured it out, probably when he heard Bu-Yeon had been taken? The fact that he has put up with so much of Jang Uk’s shit that he does not question any of it or even scolds him? The brilliant delivery of this conversation by the actors? Probably all of the above.

My other highlights and thoughts

Naksu’s vanity is still there and I am all here for it!
The chicken craving!
Joo-Wol’s opportunity to recount the eligible bachelors of Daeho a la The Four Seasons of Daeho to Naksu (again!) is lovely touch.
Park Dang-Gu is being a badass as the Songrim Leader.
Park Dang-Gu and Jin Cho-Yeon still love each other AND YOU CANNOT PERSUADE ME OTHERWISE. Dang-gu was sloshed and down and ready to kidnap Cho-Yeon from her alleged wedding, and Cho-Yeon’s longing looks has it sealed for me. They better find their way back to each other and carry out with their cute plan to unite Songrim and Jinyowon and their children be the heirs/heiresses to both.
I can’t believe Jin Mu is still around, is Gwangju and whispering into the ear of the Royal Family. Mu-Deok and Jang Uk did not go through all they did for this to happen!!
Park Jin is living his best relaxed life, no longer leader of Songrim, ready to destroy everyones palettes with his cooking.
Still ship Maidservant Kim and Park Jin though I hope they can finally be together – while Park Jin shows he is just as clueless as ever!
The reunion of Dang-Gu, Seo Yul and Jang Uk is quintessential Alchemy and we love to see their bromance coming back from the dead. I maintain the fact that the strongest parts of the show are when we focus on the characters.
Speaking of Seo Yul…… he is still in pain from that magical worm that So-Yi put in him. And speaking of So-Yi we saw her too all glammed up!?
Seo Yul is still the awkward pure hearted prince that he is, someone protect him please. That conversation between Naksu and him? Poor boy, he’s getting eaten alive.
Lady Heo is still around and still fancies Jang Uk! Please gal, you’re going to have to let that go…
It was clarified why Mu-Deok’s soul shift sign was in her eyes not on her shoulder – she didn’t ‘shift’ souls, her soul was trapped with Bu-Yeon’s in the same body (or at least that’s how I saw that explained).
Jang Uk’s and Bu-Yeon’s first encounter and plate wall.

My unanswered questions

How is So-Yi now so refined and able to afford what she is wearing?! What part will she play in the show?
With next weeks teasers…. are we in for love square part 2?
How will Seo-Yul feel about Naksu? Given the peace he came to at the end of Part 1, I hope that we can see his character develop in other ways.
Jin Mu recognises Naksu’s face…. which begs the question, was Naksu so notorious and good at hiding who she is (makes sense since no-one knew who she was) that no one knows her real appearance? Jin Mu scares me and the sooner he is taken down, the better for my nerves.
Will they ever revisit Naksu’s tree… ?
What are the rocks that Jang Uk keeps visiting? I think I’m missing something. Is that the place where Mu-Deok stabbed him?
I wonder how Naksu will feel when she comes to knowing her energy is gone…. but she’ll have divine powers?
Were those priestess guards around Jinyowon always there…?

Final thoughts

A whole lot more I liked than disliked!

Some things are tied up a bit too neatly, such as the Bu-Yeon/Naksu situation, dispensing with Bu-Yeon’s soul and that problem and the appearance change between the actresses in one fell swoop. Neatly done? Yes. A bit depressing that we don’t get to see more of this badass Bu-Yeon soul we saw in Mu-Deoks vision? Yes. Consistent with the lore about shifting souls? Maybe? Is Master Lee the ‘deus ex machina’? Maybe. But I find that it is easier to not dwell on it to just enjoy it. I have questions but I will wait in due course to see if they get answered.

Overall, I am pumped and ready for this series and I am so far impressed with the acting and production. I am also enjoying the characterisation and the quick introduction of the main plot points which sets up for many possibilities that will keep viewers guessing, and ultimately coming back just to see what happens.

A strong opening weekend, the vibe from these first two episodes is a sense of ‘return’. We are set up in a way that is heartbreakingly familiar Part 1 and we will have to wait and see how repetitive it could be from Part 1 and 2. However I wait with anxiety because if we are looking at similar plot points…. there are only eight episodes left compared to the mammoth ‘would be 18 left’ of Part 1.

That’s only four weeks left to give all the Four Seasons happy endings, Jang Uk and Naksu a non-deathy resolution and at least one or two episodes of matrimonial fluff including but not limited to: a trip up Naksu’s tree (not a euphemism), cool sword duels together and some badass magic stuff as the most powerful duo in the Kingdom.

Its not to much to ask.

Hong sisters, I will trust in you.