The Final Fight
Jin-Mu is questioning whether Uk is being taught spells by anyone, as he doesn’t seem to be. However, she’s confident that Uk can handle himself and that he knows how to use his magic. Jin-Mu isn’t sure if she’s right, but decides to take the opportunity to ask Seo Yul about it.
Uk is a powerful and unpredictable individual who could cause great harm if he were not kept under control. This is something that Park Jin is very concerned about, as Uk’s incredible power and talent has allowed him to learn Chisu and catch the fabled golden fish, just as Hemp Lee said. ..
The Crown Prince of Mu-Deok is pushing for a mage opponent to be defeated, and because of this, Cha Beom steps down from his role as the head of the royal guard. Yul is given the task of leading the royal guard in order to defeat the mage.
Yul is in a good position to benefit from this, and having given the Crown Prince his word, we catch up to the moments from last episode.
Yul and Jang-Uk square off, with Uk much improved after mastering the Chisu technique. The duel goes back and forth, with goosebump-inducing orchestral music in the background. Honestly, it’s like a boss fight in a Final Fantasy game at this point.
Yul knocks down Jang-Uk and watches as he flies across the floor. Although he loses, mastering Chisu has dwarfed the achievement of winning the duel. At least for now anyway. Of course, this also means that Mu-Deok now serves Yul, rather than Jang-Uk.
Yeom is pleased to see the progress that Jang-Uk has made since he was injured. Mu-Deok learns about Yul’s duel and how she will be able to help him when the time comes. Jang-Uk has also agreed to allow Mu-Deok to visit him at any time. Not only that, but Yul has given her promise to help him when the time comes for him to leave for Seoho Fortress.
The love triangle between Park-Jin, Hemp Master Lee, and Maidservant Kim continues as Park-Jin realizes who is trying to win the woman over.
Park Jin is shocked when he learns that Kim has been meeting with Lee and that they have been dating for quite some time. He is also going to root for Lee and Kim to get together, which shocks him. The latter soon realizes that Lee and Kim have been meeting for quite some time now. “He must have been the one who gave her the wildflowers too,” Park Jin says sadly, and walks away.
Jang-Uk and Dang-Gu arrive to see Mu-Deok, concerned that she may not be getting along okay with her new master. Looking up though, he notices Mu-Deok and Yul together, with the latter brandishing a new bird whistle. He watches in despair as the two bond.
Meanwhile, King Go Soon decides to invite Hemp Master Lee to his chambers in order to ease his worries about whether there is a Soul Shifter nearby. ..
Jinyowon, a nearby town, is still looking for Jin Ho-Gyeong’s daughter, Cho-Yeon. Despite so many people showing up, Cho-Yeon is starting to lose faith. Unfortunately, Cho-yeon lets her guard down outside and she ends up pricked by Jin Woo-Tak. He clearly has a nefarious scheme in mind. ..
Park Jin continues to grow suspicious of Mu-Deok ad in the end, tasks Sang-Ho with looking into her background. Given the vague details around Jang-Uk meeting Mu-Deok, he wants to get to the bottom of this once and for all. ..
So-I is on the run from two loan sharks after she tricked them out of money. Jin-Mu is with her, but So-I can’t help but watch in horror as the two women she tricked are brought out and fed to a Soul Shifter in hiding.
As the corpses petrify and turn black, Jin-Mu uses this as a lesson to keep her in line – and get rid of anyone who may recognize So-I.
In the wake of this, there’s some pretty funny drama involving Mu-Deok and the Crown Prince. Earlier in the episode, he challenges Mu-Deok’s dedication to Uk and throws the jade stone in a pool outside. She keeps a poker face until later on when she fishes it out in the middle of the night.
When Mu-Deok re-joins the Crown Prince, the pair verbally spar over the importance of this stone. In the end, Mu-Deok keeps hold of it and refuses to give it back. ..
Just then, a couple of mages arrive and start to berate her. The Crown Prince offers up a trinket that will stop anyone from badmouthing her before she leaves. Noticing ink on one of the men’s shoulders, he gives him some advice about using white rice to get rid of it. That is, of course, a throwback to the Songrim exam!
After a touch of jealousy, Jang-Uk throws Mu-Deok completely off-guard and kisses her, deciding to go for the “pretty woman” after all. Mu-Deok ends up running off after, but she does show the jade stone to him, seemingly solidifying their feelings for one another.
Mu-Deok soon runs into Park-Jin though, who questions her history, including lying about being blind. She manages to hold her own in the face of strong questioning, with Mu-Deok’s guardian standing by her side. He encourages Mu-Deok to head by the Ferry Inn. Before he goes, he mentions So-I arriving, which throws Mu-Deok off her game.
Mu-Deok walks into Ferry Inn and finds a man on the floor with his throat slit. Park Jin, who had just arrived, immediately believes that Mu-Deok is responsible and attacks her. ..
Master Lee Cheol arrives before Go Soon, accompanied by Yeol, Dang-Gu and Jang-Uk, where he tells them all he can recognize Soul Shifters… and he’s the Shifter. Jang-Uk realizes, with horror, that he knew Mu-Deok was a shifter from the very beginning.
The Episode Review
We’re left with a cliffhanger as we wait for an entire week to find out what happens next in Alchemy of Souls.
The first half of the double bill is a bit more lighthearted and comedic, with some great performances from the cast. However, the second half is much more serious and intense, with some big revelations and shocking turns. So far, it’s been a great way to keep us hooked and interested in what’s going to happen next. ..
Alchemy of Souls has been a great watch and this episode manages to build some great ties between the Crown Prince and Mu-Deok, whilst simultaneously progressing the potential romance for Jang-Uk and Mu-Deok. The kiss was certainly unexpected and it made for one of the better moments of the entire show.
The Crown Prince and Jang-Uk have had a wild ride so far. It seems like the triangle involving the Crown Prince is just there to develop the latter’s character. In reality, the vibe between Jang-Uk and Mu-Deok is giving off the intent that the writers are going all-in on this romance now. The pair have great chemistry on screen and with a second season already greenlit, it would seem like we’ve got plenty more twists and turns in their romance to come.
The next episode of “The Good Place” is not to be missed, as the showrunners tease a big reveal.
