Alchemy of Souls Season 1
Episode No 16 Recap And Review
Episode 16 of Alchemy of Souls begins with Jang-Uk and Mu-Deok making a deal, as we saw at the end of yesterday’s chapter. After the pair dance around their true feelings, Jang-Uk realizes that Master Lee’s dog is Gwigu, which in turn could mean that Lee knows Mu-Deok is actually Naksu.
Meanwhile, Songrim asks for Jinyowon’s help in standing together as an alliance to defeat the Soul Changers. Jin Ho-Gyeong is not happy about this and calls Lee a thief. Gwigu stirs and starts growling, introducing himself and lunging at Cho-Yeon.
Ho-Gyeong jumps in and kills the mutt instantly. Now, the dog can actually sense the magic used against Cho-Yeon, which is of course linked to the needle sting from Woo-Tak a few episodes back. Cho-Yeon throws a curveball and claims that she really did practice magic a while back – a Lover’s charm to be exact. This is what Gwigu felt.
When Gwi-gu dies, Mu-deok wonders why the dog didn’t bark and jump on him when he was out of town.
The rest of the group – Jinowon and Songrim – get together and discuss what’s going on here. Park Jin asks Ho-Gyeong not to trust Jin Mu, hinting that Bu-Yeon won’t be coming back. Not only that, Cho-Yeon is told to marry the crown prince. She refuses, clings to Dang-gu, and boldly tells them that she will marry “the one she loves”. The meeting ends.
Elsewhere, the Queen works to spin her web of poisonous intrigue, telling the King that the only reason the King’s Star is celebrated is because Songrim can work to dethrone the King. The Crown Prince disagrees, but this is quickly drowned out by the King’s paranoia that Jang Gang’s prophecy might come true. Jin Mu is determined to use this to his advantage, he wants to make Jang-uk an enemy of the state.
Lee indirectly hands over Naksoo’s sword to Jang-wook and tells him to look after it. He also announces that anyone who tries to use the sword must be killed. If Jang-Uk fails, he might as well die. After handing it over, Jang-uk tells Mu-deok that if he’s going to swing the sword, he’ll do it against him first.
Servant Kim receives and looks after Dang-gu and Cho-yeon. Park Jin doesn’t like the idea of the couple getting married, but Kim is more open about it.
Turning to the realm of love, Park Jin tries to reveal what Kim is looking for in a future partner. Park Jin hangs on her every word, but is crushed when she says she should be pretty. He thinks he’s referring to Lee. Actually, Kim is actually talking about Park Jin, so it’s a classic case of misunderstanding!
Yul looks at the bodies and listens in silence as Sang-Ho decides to bring Mu-Deok into the investigation. Of course, Yul knows it’s not the same Mu-Deok. It doesn’t help that the situation with Soul Changers is still prevalent in Songrim as well.
This causes Yul to lose sleep, as Jang-Uk realizes that she is having an affair with Mu-Deok. That night, he questions a drunken Yul about how he’s pretending to be ignorant, but the boy is too drunk and half-asleep to answer.
In the morning, Mu-deok and Jang-uk realize that someone higher up than Jin-mu is pulling the strings. Given what Eunuch Kim told them in the observation room, it appears that this person is Shaman Choi. Could this be who the queen’s Spirit is currently passing to? If so, is the real Queen dead? Well, not exactly.
Now each member of the Seo family has a Lantern of Life burning in Seoho Castle. It comes from the energy of their soul. That way, those in the castle can immediately see who is alive and who is dead. So if the queen were to die, they would be able to see that lantern. If Park Jin and the others can figure this out, it might just be what they need to gain the upper hand over Jin Mu and Cheonbugwan.
The thing is, the Queen is alive, but just barely. The Soul he became was corrupted and badly burned. His breathing is labored and he might pass out at any moment. However, this is still enough to light the flashlight.
Jang-Uk heads to Gaeman Village to try and find out the truth. All kinds of shamans and sorcerers live there, and Jang-Uk is looking for the oldest one. Shaman Bong.
When he arrives, Jang-Uk encounters the Crown Prince of all men! Both of them were taken to this village from scraps of clues about Eunuch Kim. All the way to this, the couple has a hard time sharing information with each other.
Speaking of struggle, Dang-Gu struggles to get Cho-Yeon’s family to sign a document telling her not to see her lover again. Cho-Yeon admits that she was upset at first and wanted to see him too, eventually the pair broke up the letter and decided to defy their elders. Maid Kim sees this from a distance and smiles.
As for Mu-Deok, some interesting details about him are revealed through So-I. A similar cut on her arm and a veil with the Jinyowon crest on it suggest that she may actually be her family’s long-lost daughter. Bu-Yeon. We’ll see, but it sure looks like it.
Apparently he was well versed in magic that specialized in hexes.
One day, he was thrown into the fire and seemed to die when the sorcerers from Cheonbugwan came out of the back and stopped the sorcery. While some say he died, others think he survived with bad burns on him. Now, since we saw a woman burned earlier in the episode, the burning theory makes sense. So, in reality, all of this points to the Queen being Shaman Choi.
That night, Jin Mu appears with So-I, now ready to infiltrate Jinowon and complete his mission. When Ho-Gyeong sees the girl, he checks all the signs and believes it is Bu-Yeon.
With Jinyowoo’s blood flowing through him, he can also move doors. The doors open as Bu-Yeon stretches out… but Mu-Deok ends up suffering from a massive headache. This happens every time he appears in Jinyowon and he doesn’t quite know why.
As the episode comes to a close, we’re back to Jang-Uk once again as he follows a cloaked figure walking the streets. Sensing him there, he draws his sword and demands to know who he is. It’s Jang Gang! Father and son reunited! But all of this leaves things on a knife edge for the next chapter in jeopardy.
Episode Review
Alchemy of Souls is back with another episode that mixes more romance, humor and drama with some big revelations. The return of Fluffy (aka. Gwigoo) is certainly welcome, even if it ends in disaster by seeing this poor dog meet an untimely end. You will be missed!
The classic case of misunderstanding resurfaces, both in a bad way (I finally infiltrated Jonyowon) and a romantic one (Park Jin and maid Kim). Of course, there’s a good balance to all of this, and with this magical series, the lore and unique narrative helped it significantly.
And unique is probably the best word to describe this show. There are some similarities to other Korean period dramas, but this one is closer to Avatar and Arthdal Chronicles, picking up the best elements of both series.
All roads lead to Mu-Deok becoming Bu-Yeon, and it looks like his family reunion may be happening soon, when Jang Gang and Jang-Wook together arrange a very interesting reunion between the couple.
Either way, Alchemy of Souls was a great watch and the next episode will be a must watch!