The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Episode 28

There is more than one meaning to this week's episode title. “Mirror” is used in three ways, as a matter of fact, ranging from literal to symbolic, with one usage coming squarely in between. As a fan of language, I really enjoy it. The most obvious mirror is the actual one that the emperor gifted to all four of his consorts – purchased at great cost, because they're made of glass. Although the earliest glass mirror I could find mentioned in research is 8,000 years old, made of volcanic glass in Anatolia, using reflective, clear glass like we see in Gyokuyou's pavilion wasn't common until much more recently (in historical terms) and the more common type of mirror was made of polished metal, typically copper – which we can see when Maomao fetches a mirror to show Gaoshun. I have to hand it to The Apothecary Diaries: it's really obvious that Maomao's little mirror isn't made of glass by the color and quality of the reflection, making it apparent just how special Gyokuyou's mirror is.

But Maomao's mirror proves her point, which is the answer to a riddle Gaoshun posed her about how one of two nearly-identical sisters who were locked up and watched over could have become pregnant. Although it's presented as purely a puzzle, it's hard to think that this question won't come back to haunt Maomao in some significant way later on. Gaoshun and Jinshi rarely just randomly ask Maomao for her advice, and I suspect that the riddle may have something to do with the envoys from the west – who are, we learn, the two blonde women we've been seeing in the opening theme: mirror images of each other. In fact, prior to the reveal, it was easy to think that they were, in fact, one woman, because the imagery in the opening theme is all about smoke and mirrors. Using Escher-like configurations, the pictures tease us into thinking everything is just a reflection. Surely, this indicates that the envoys looking alike are more significant than they seem to be.

This series has never shied away from the idea of tricks and visual deceptions. Maomao's painted-on freckles are her disguise to make herself look less appealing to men, while the courtesans she grew up among used similar enhancements to make themselves more alluring. Misperceptions give way to rumors of ghosts, and Jinshi's beauty seems destined to make him a shoo-in for the “Moon Fairy” role next week. Of course, that's also because he's the requisite 175 cm tall (about 5'7”), but right now, I suspect he's not all that pleased with how pretty he is, especially if Maomao is only noticing it for the purposes of fooling the envoys. But the larger thematic angle is what we should be keeping in mind, if only because it's been so prevalent in the series. And surely the entire opening theme wouldn't be built around it for no reason…

Although this is primarily a set up episode where we're getting information that will be useful or important later, it's still giving us a lot to work with and enjoy. That new consort is still looking remarkably suspicious, especially since we see her with a foreign woman – or at least a woman in Western clothes – at the end of the episode. I still don't quite trust Shusui, the insect enthusiast. That glowing moth also feels suspicious because, as far as I know, that's not a naturally occurring phenomenon. While elements of this series dabble in the fantastic, it's not really a fantasy story by genre. But maybe the most important takeaway is that even when it's not doing a whole lot or following a storyline with an end-of-episode payoff, The Apothecary Diaries is still incredibly interesting and enjoyable. If that's not a solid mark of quality, I don't know what is.

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