Moving Pieces Across The Chessboard
Episode 16 of Alchemy of Souls starts with Jang-Uk and Mu-Deok making their pact, as we saw at the end of yesterday’s chapter. After the pair dance around their true feelings, Jang-Uk suddenly snaps out of this as he mentions how Master Lee’s dog happens to be Gwigu and that, in turn, could mean that Lee knows Mu-Deok is actually Naksu. Yesterday’s episode ended with Jang-Uk and Mu-Deok making a pact. This led to Jang-Uk realizing that Master Lee’s dog is Gwigu - which could mean that Lee knows about Mu-Deok’s true identity as Naksu. ..
Jinyowon requests the help of Songrim in standing together as an alliance to weed out the Soul Shifters. Jin Ho-Gyeong is not happy about this and calls out Lee as a thief. Gwigu stirs and begins growling, presenting himself and pouncing toward Cho-Yeon.
Gwigu senses that Cho-Yeon is using sorcery against him, and he decides to take action. He jumps in and kills the dog instantly, preventing it from sensing Cho-Yeon’s sorcery. Now, Gwigu can sense Cho-Yeon’s sorcery and it is linking back to the needle prick from Woo-Tak a few episodes back.
Wuth Gwigu dead, Mu-Deok wonders just why the dog didn’t bark and jump at her while they were out of the city.
The group of people discuss what’s going on here. Park Jin implores Ho-Gyeong not to trust Jin Mu, pointing out that Bu-Yeon is not coming back. Not only that, but Cho-Yeon is told to wed the Crown Prince. She refuses though, clinging to Dang-Gu and defiantly telling them all that she’s going to marry “the one she loves”. The meeting ends.
Elsewhere, the Queen works to spin her venomous web of deceit, telling the King that the only reason the King’s Star was mentioned is so Songrim can work to dethrone the King. The Crown Prince doesn’t agree but this is quickly drowned out by the King’s paranoia that Jang Gang’s prophecy, which looks like it could come true, could come true. Jin Mu is determined to use this to his advantage, wanting to make Jang-Uk an enemy to the state.
Lee indirectly hands over Naksu’s sword to Jang-Uk, telling him to look after it. He also brings along the message that if anyone tries to use the sword they must be killed. If Jang-Uk fails then he could die too. After handing it over, Jang-Uk tells Mu-Deok that if she is to brandish that sword, that she do so against him first. ..
Kim takes in Dang-Gu and Cho-Yeon and looks after them. Park Jin does not like the idea of the pair marrying but Kim is far more open about this.
Park Jin, trying to steer the conversation towards love, asks Kim what qualities she looks for in a partner. Kim responds by mentioning Park Jin’s good looks. Park Jin is crushed when he realizes what Kim was actually saying. She was referring to him and not Lee. This is classic case of misunderstanding! ..
Yul looks over the bodies and listens silently as Sang-Ho decides to get Mu-Deok involved in the investigation. Of course, Yul knows that this isn’t the same Mu-Deok. It also doesn’t help that the situation involving the Soul Shifters is still prevalent across Songrim too.
Jang-Uk realizes that Yul is losing sleep because he’s connected to Mu-Deok. That night, he questions a drunk Yul about how he’s feigning ignorance but the guy is too drunk and half-asleep and doesn’t reply.
The morning after the party, Mu-Deok and Jang-Uk realize that there is someone higher up than Jin Mu pulling the strings. Given what Eunuch Kim said to them in the observation room, it would seem that this person is Shaman Choi. Could this be who the queen has currently Soul Shifted to? And if so, is the real Queen dead? Well, not exactly. ..
The Seo family has a Lantern of Life that is lit up at Seoho Fortress. This is powered by the energy of their soul. This way, those up at the fortress can instantly see who is alive and who’s dead. So if the queen did die, they would know because of that lantern. If Park Jin and the others can figure this out for certain, this could be just what they need to get the upper-hand over Jin Mu and Cheonbugwan.
The Queen is barely alive, but the lantern still burns.
Jang-Uk sets out to find the oldest shaman in Gaeman Village. There are many shamans and mages living there, and Jang-Uk is looking for the one who knows the truth about the world. Shaman Bong is the oldest of them all.
Jang-Uk is eager to learn more about the Eunuch Kim, but the Crown Prince is more interested in finding out what Jang-Uk knows about his family. The two men are able to communicate with one another, but they are still at a loss for information.
Speaking of struggling, Dang-Gu struggles to sign a document from Cho-Yeon’s family, telling him never to see his lover again. Cho-Yeon admits she was annoyed at first and wants to see him too, eventually resulting in the pair screwing up the letter and deciding to defy their elders. Maidservant Kim sees this from afar and grins.
As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Mu-Deok may in fact be the long lost daughter of their family - the real Bu-Yeon. It seems that way, as details about her cut on her arm and blindfold with the Jinyowon crest hint at this. We’ll see but it definitely seems that way.
The Crown Prince and Jang-Uk question Shaman Bong about the infamous Choi. Apparently she was well versed in her sorcery specializing in hexes.
On the day that sorcerers were being hunted down by the Cheonbugwan, one woman jumped into a fire and seemingly died. Some say she died, but others believe she survived with bad burns on her. Now, the burn theory makes sense given we’ve seen a burned woman earlier in the episode. So in reality, all of this points toward Shaman Choi being the Queen. ..
That night, Jin Mu shows up with So-I, now ready to infiltrate Jinyowon and fulfil her task. When Ho-Gyeong notices the girl, she checks all the marks and believes this is Bu-Yeon.
As Bu-Yeon has the blood of Jinyowon flowing through her, she can move the doors. As Mu-Deok reaches out, the doors open… but Mu-Deok ends up suffering from a big headache as a result. It happens every time she shows up at Jinyowon and isn’t quite sure why.
As the episode ends, we cut back to Jang-Uk one more time as he’s followed by a cloaked figure walking through the streets. Sensing him there, he draws his sword and demands to know who he is. It’s Jang Gang! Father and son are reunited! But all of this leaves things hanging precariously on a knife-edge for the next chapter.
The Episode Review
Alchemy of Souls returns with another banger of an episode, mixing in some big reveals with more romance, humour and drama. The return of Fluffy (aka. Gwigu) is certainly welcome, even if it does end in disaster through seeing this poor dog meet an untimely end. You will be missed!
The classic case of misunderstandings pops up again, both in sinister terms (So-I infiltrating Jonyowon at the end) and romantically (Park Jin and Maidservant Kim). There’s certainly a good balance to all of this and it’s helped considerably by the lore and unique narrative with this magic-wielding series.
This show is definitely unique. There are a lot of similarities to other Korean period dramas, but this one leans more towards Avatar and Arthdal Chronicles, like some sort of shiny hybrid of the two. It’s picking the best elements of both series, which makes it really stand out. ..
The big reveal in this episode is that Mu-Deok, Bu-Yeon’s older sister, is the one who is really behind all of this. It seems that she and her family have been planning this reunion for a while and it could happen soon. Meanwhile, Jang Gang and Jang-Uk are both very close to each other and their meeting could be very interesting.
Alchemy of Souls has been a great watch and the next episode is looking like a must-watch!
