The Apothecary Diaries Season 2

Episode 35

Jinshi has been patient. He's clearly been keeping something about his identity under wraps (something that we viewers can absolutely guess), and it's just as plain that he's been feeling worse and worse about keeping it from Maomao. In part that's because he's been making at least a token attempt at stifling his feelings for her, potentially for her safety; her observation that he always just calls her “apothecary” rather than by name can be read as his attempt to keep her at a distance, no matter how artificial. But he's been doing a really poor job of hiding his feelings, as both Gaoshun's continued mild exasperation and Gyokuyou's increasingly pointed teasing show. He's reached the point where it's simply no longer feasible to keep the truth(s) hidden.

Of course, Jinshi would probably prefer that Maomao be more interested in what he's hiding. She's certainly shown curiosity about him (and the potential to regrow bits she believes him to be missing), but not nearly as much curiosity as she's displayed for the various poisons and mysteries in the inner court. So if he wants to make the sort of progress the empress dowager and the emperor have been hinting at, he's going to have to make a bold move, so bold that Maomao can't ignore it.

Or maybe “can't miss it” is the better way to put it; I don't think Maomao is deliberately “ignoring” Jinshi. As the one person oblivious to his feelings for her, it becomes time for us to consider whether she might be aromantic. If you're not interested in romance for yourself, it's incredibly easy to not see the signs, and Maomao has proven time and again that she's not all that keen on starting any sort of romantic relationship. While we could attribute that to her upbringing (she's seen sex and love be two completely separate things at Verdigris House), it does feel like it goes deeper than that. It's a nice twist on an old anime trope that she doesn't freak out that Jinshi “kissed” her when he was reviving her from near-drowning, but given the trope's prevalence in anime, I don't think we can just write it off as Maomao's medical knowledge at play. (Although that's part of it.)

In any event, there's almost no way Maomao could miss that Jinshi is a much more important person than she's been assuming. Granted, at the banquet in season one she recognized that he was seated with a high-ranking group, so it's not a surprise to her to see him sitting in the most honored position at the hunt. She's more concerned about him overheating and dehydrating, but she still does make note of where he's seated. Add in the way he covers his face and the assassination attempt (via the unusual method of pistol), and it's hard to miss that he's more than just a random pretty eunuch. She may be used to people trying to slip him aphrodisiacs, but this is taking things a lot farther.

He's also making it harder for her to ignore his feelings. Bringing Maomao along on the hunt in the first place indicates his preference for her. It also creates an opportunity for him to tell her the truth. As the freak strategist's daughter, she's highly placed enough that the emperor has indicated he wouldn't object to Jinshi marrying her, even if she neither acts like nor wants to be a noble. But before that offer can even be placed on the table, Jinshi has to break through her patented wall of density. That's likely what's behind his actions at the end of this episode – he's getting desperate to tell her who he is and what he's not missing, and physical action seems like his best bet. Is it a good look for him? Not at all; he's clearly not thinking about how Maomao feels or pesky things like “consent.” But if you've been waiting for the romance plot to come to a head, this is still your moment.

They've got a bit of time before Lihaku's dog-charge responds to Maomao's whistle. Can Jinshi reveal the truth before that time is up? Now that the frog has helped him to get Maomao in a vulnerable position, I daresay we're about to find out.

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