[Drama 2022] Alchemy Of Souls: Light and Shadow ✴ 반환

[frozentundra]

I really like the way JSM brought Mudeok to life, and I will certainly miss her a lot. I think we all have different possible solutions to finding a way to keep her, and they're mostly based in simply liking the way she's played Mudeok and the chemistry she's created with each of the other characters. It will be hard to see that go.

 

As far as any Yul-Naksu ship (regardless of actors), I think Yul finally conceded defeat in this one. (Sorry, please don't throw tomatoes!) He told Naksu to go to Jang Uk. I think he found his closure already. (Maybe he can find new love in season 2?) Meanwhile Naksu finally acknowledged that yes, she remembered Yul. She was nice to him, but it wasn't his life she was rushing to save. It was Uk's. She is only interested in Uk.

 

Uk loves Naksu, regardless of what body she's in. He doesn't know Buyeon at all. Even if there is a love triangle between two bodies, and Buyeon secretly has a crush on Uk, he doesn't even know she exists, much less is in love with her. It's interesting to think that probably if the soul shifting had never happened in the first place, he still would have ended up with her, as their fathers were besties.

 

It does sound like either the Uk/Mudeok plot will be completely finished by the end of ep 20, OR they will revive Naksu's original burnt body somehow and she'll return to it. (Probably the latter.) I really think it will be tricky to convince the audience to make that jump, but for the sake of the drama (and also the actress who must follow), I hope they can pull it off. I haven't seen the original actress in anything yet, so I'm just hoping she is good at picking up from another actress and keeping it believable and emotionally consistent.

 

I've really loved this drama despite some jumpy pacing, and am hoping that it ends well (and doesn't pull a 2521 at the end). I'll still tune in for season 2 (but please don't break my heart, drama!)

[LeftCoastOppa]

While I'm still hoping the story of our OTP ends in Part 1, "if" it doesn't, the pieces we already have may provide some direction ...

 

- Yul's cryptic request of Mu Deok to help bring someone to Fortress Seo is most likely her original body

 

- Wedding preparations ... whether for Bu Yeon(naksu) or Cho Yeon ... its gonna be a tragedy if the love story isn't ending in Part 1

 

 

In episode 19 we're led to believe the baddies are vanquished - Yul and Naksu travel to Fortress Seo, where she tells Yul she will not return to her original body. With her powers restored via the Ice Stone, and Jang Uk beside her, she is no longer the assassin Naksu - Mu Deok is revealed/accepted to be "the" real Bu Yeon - Begin wedding plans

 

In episode 20 we get all the feel good finale type scenes ... Park Jin & Maidservant Kim finally and TRULY confess to one another ... Bu Yeon & Cho Yeon sister bonding ... Dang Gu & Jang Uk getting wedding day jitters ... big family celebrations planned with the Crown Prince using all his planning skills to lead and direct ... number of seats, table arrangements  etc ...

 

However, the baddies are not dead -

 

Mu Deok/Bu Yeon/Naksu will be "killed" at her/the wedding - repeat storm/thunder/lightning from episode 17&18 - the episode ends with dark clouds overshadowing all - Jang Uk on his knees, holding the body of Mu Deok, screaming as the scene fades to black - blackness fades in to a dimly lit chamber at Fortress Seo, slowly moving in on Naksu's body. Her eyes snap open, fiercely blazing a brilliant blue, and a barely audible whisper... "Jang Uk" - Roll Credits ... the December wait begins

 

 

Part 2 - the script is flipped, Jang Uk is enraged and out for blood, and its Naksu ( who he now doesn't know/recognize in her old body ) who will be burdened with trying to stop him/ convince him that he is not whats consuming him, and will be trying to keep him from falling to darkness - she'll be forced to face her own words as Jang Uk now agrees Love is a poison, and it'll be Naksu who will be pleading with him that he wasn't wrong before - she was

 

Add - More Yul nonsense - Lady Heo jealousy - Park Jin face offs - show the Crown Prince the satchel at least once ...

 

Sorry, 10 episodes isn't enough ... (sigh)

[partyon]

2 hours ago, maribella said:

You aren't giving up aren't you?

 

Never!

 

 

@K-dramafan22 Let's keep our hopes up for Original Naksu and Yul.

[rocher22]

- The CP and Naksu

''this is the right amount''...everything is clear there

 

- Yul and Naksu

1:58..for some reason I dont like that Yul let her go for the second time, that was sad.

Although that is the only right thing. Yul and Uk are the best friends. 

It seems to me that Uk is more jealous than Yul...

 

- Uk and Naksu

The CP and Yul were walking away from her..

2:08...only Uk without hesitation walks straight towards her

 

 

 

[frozentundra]

Think @LeftCoastOppamay have glommed onto the gist of season 2. 

 

They could all be getting ready for the wedding when Buyeon dies/Naksu soul shifts, and then everyone is sad, Uk has to go find her again (or thinks she's really dead)--then in season 2 you can have him find her again, develop a relationship using the new actress, everyone else thinks he's finally moved on from Mudeoki, only he knows that he's found Naksu again and it was always her all along. ?? 

 

What's still left to resolve? I came up with these things: 

 

--two souls/one body (Buyeon/Naksu)--I assume this will be addressed immediately in the next 2 episodes.

--Evil Jin Mu and foiling his plot

--whatever the story with Jang Gang is

--figuring out what to do with the ice stone

--Jin Mama--is she going to be evil?

--Park Jin and Maidservant Kim

--some use for the medical girl who was brought in to make yet another love triangle and who seems to have been abandoned

--whoever Yul was going to bring home (our guess is Naksu's somehow unburnt body?)

--Uk, please take Naksu to the top of that tree!

--CP needs to level up and become king and oust his creepy parentage (especially the one who is not actually his parent--so I guess we need to rescue the queen)

 

Anything else? On the one hand, I feel that some of these things could easily be wrapped up in 2 episodes. I don't want 10 episodes of filler. On the other hand, some of these things could take a long time (like if Naksu changes bodies, getting used to a whole new body. If she chose Uk over power, is her power done, then? Or does she still get to get it back once they are out of the ice stone and she is out of Buyeon's body?)

[LeftCoastOppa]

44 minutes ago, frozentundra said:

then in season 2 you can have him find her again, develop a relationship using the new actress, everyone else thinks he's finally moved on from Mudeoki, only he knows that he's found Naksu again and it was always her all along.

 

Agree with everything but this ...

 

We've spent 18-20 episodes watching Jang Uk stand and deliver his steadfast devotion to his Master and his love - If they're going to actually kill off Bu Yeon to bring back Naksu then I don't want to see another 10 episodes of Jang Uk being the foundation - Let him believe her to be dead, have at least 1 scene where she see's him and he walks right by her  ( remember, he's never seen Naksu )  Let her pursue him, let her be the relationships strength. No matter how much he loves Naksu, changing someones face/body isn't something that can be glossed over - If we're going down this rabbit hole make Naksu work for it this time.

[frozentundra]

18 minutes ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

 

Agree with everything but this ...

 

We've spent 18-20 episodes watching Jang Uk stand and deliver his steadfast devotion to his Master and his love - If they're going to actually kill off Bu Yeon to bring back Naksu then I don't want to see another 10 episodes of Jang Uk being the foundation - Let him believe her to be dead, have at least 1 scene where she see's him and he walks right by her  ( remember, he's never seen Naksu )  Let her pursue him, let her be the relationships strength. No matter how much he loves Naksu, changing someones face/body isn't something that can be glossed over - If we're going down this rabbit hole make Naksu work for it this time.

I could live with this.

[Dramafreak]

6 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

Part 2 - the script is flipped, Jang Uk is enraged and out for blood, and its Naksu ( who he now doesn't know/recognize in her old body ) who will be burdened with trying to stop him/ convince him that he is not whats consuming him, and will be trying to keep him from falling to darkness - she'll be forced to face her own words as Jang Uk now agrees Love is a poison, and it'll be Naksu who will be pleading with him that he wasn't wrong before - she was

 

Add - More Yul nonsense - Lady Heo jealousy - Park Jin face offs - show the Crown Prince the satchel at least once ...

 

I like this take
Also, add the use of Yin Yang by Uk and Naksu.
I would also add them fighting with Tansu with each other and against each other.
 

 

1 hour ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

We've spent 18-20 episodes watching Jang Uk stand and deliver his steadfast devotion to his Master and his love - If they're going to actually kill off Bu Yeon to bring back Naksu then I don't want to see another 10 episodes of Jang Uk being the foundation - Let him believe her to be dead, have at least 1 scene where she see's him and he walks right by her  ( remember, he's never seen Naksu )  Let her pursue him, let her be the relationships strength. No matter how much he loves Naksu, changing someones face/body isn't something that can be glossed over - If we're going down this rabbit hole make Naksu work for it this time.

 

I like this too but I read this somewhere and I agree: So if we assume that Naksu in MD's body was struggling with the love game and is like ten steps back for one forward -- if Uk takes one step back and doesn't love her "eternally" then will her trust not be broken! Logically and if we were consistent that would make sense. But we are in dramaland and anyways they like being inconsistent with the FL character so I like the anguish in your take

May UK not recognise her but may she save him and also chase him. But he recognises her through her eyes, and his EQ is higher so... I don't know. But I totally agree a body exchange is disconcerting even if he loves Naksu. He can read her but can he read her soul or her face or her face+mannerisms+character. A new body with make that difficult. Tomorrow is far and December is still further away

2 hours ago, frozentundra said:

Uk has to go find her again (or thinks she's really dead)--then in season 2 you can have him find her again,

I keep wondering how will they kill MD? And Uk's reaction? Then will he know that he needs to find her or will he think that she is gone for good? Will the audience know that Naksu is back in her body in episode 20 or Naksu is revealed only in 21? 

 

2 hours ago, frozentundra said:

What's still left to resolve? I came up with these things: 

 

They will make some of these give birth to new elements: Seo Yul's uncle!
Also what about Master Lee's story?
I also think we may have a time leap so CP becoming a King is possible.
I for one will be happy if they end the school set-up

[rocher22]

So, GJY is the FL in AoS S2...nice... 

Uk and Naksu (GJY)have a great chemistry based on the scene in the first episode.

But, I liked also the scenes between Yul and Naksu from the past. 

That will be interesting.

 

in the previous drama of these writers, the SL was captured as a firefly

In A Korean Odyssey, the ML was trapped by the bracelet.

Now, Naksu is also trapped in some way.  

I wonder if it will be the same in the S2   

 

 

 

 

[maribella]

I don't like all the killing off of BY so tamely when all of you had built her up as the all powerful priestess of the priestess lineage.

The very least they could do is to destroy half of the country as her power is unleashed. Then kill her or the born again assasin does it to save the country or the ferret girl happens to step on something that could kill BY in her haste to scurry away.

 

But of course, the more illogical, the more possible it is to end this confusing show.

2 hours ago, rocher22 said:

liked also the scenes between Yul and Naksu from the past. 

That will be interesting.

First love rarely ends up together in the kdramas that I had watched.

[sadthe1st]

im curious is the queen (shaman choi) going to do a massive soul shifting massacre tonight.. throwing out all the soul ejectors and creating havoc with her shrieks..

 

cr.: owner

[SleepyKitty]

Saturday is heeeereee (well at least in my half of the globe)

 

I'm at the stage where I have no more energy to speculate. Just ride-or-die-ing and enjoy the show I guess. I'm sad that this will be the last time we see mudeok-i. Jung so min did a really good job portraying three personas that i can distinguish who is who.

 

But, if mudeok-i is no longer going to be here, will the ukie-deokie OTP name change too?

[LeftCoastOppa]

3 hours ago, maribella said:

The very least they could do is to destroy half of the country as her power is unleashed.

 

Bu Yeon ... the nuclear option ... ?

 

 

 

 

A little too over-the-top for me, which is why I think it would fit a bit better if Bu Yeon departs on her own ( Master Lee's ominous "... those who leave will leave ..." speech )

[frozentundra]

4 hours ago, maribella said:

The very least they could do is to destroy half of the country as her power is unleashed. Then kill her or the born again assasin does it to save the country or the ferret girl happens to step on something that could kill BY in her haste to scurry away.

The ferret girl! i assume you mean fake Buyeon? Lol, great image.

 

Yes, the real Buyeon is supposed to be quite powerful,  she seems to have sealed away even Naksu's power. So you would think something big would go down if she died.

 

As to those who will leave will leave, etc, I am thinking of the moment in the trailer (for 19? 20? They don't seem to match the next episode all the time) when Mudeok tells UK to do what he needs to do. If he is to restore peace and balance, maybe he will use the stone somehow to return all souls to their proper bodies? (No idea how he would have the ability to do that, though. But maybe Dad does?) That would undo the power Jin Mu and Creepy Not-Queen are using, but also have a drastic effect on Naksu.

 

Well, we will find out in the next couple days if any of our theories stick. I just hope it makes sense and is in some way satisfying whatever happens.

[maribella]

1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

Yes, the real Buyeon is supposed to be quite powerful,  she seems to have sealed away even Naksu's power. So you would think something big would go down if she died.

Exactly. If it's just like turning off a machine... so much for all the claims of how powerful priestesses are. I want to see something spectacular.

 

1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

just hope it makes sense and is in some way satisfying whatever happens.

[backstreetboysfan]

 

Lee Jae Wook Draws His Sword Against His Father Joo Sang Wook In “Alchemy Of Souls”

Get ready for an epic face-off between Lee Jae Wook and Joo Sang Wook on the next episode of tvN’s “Alchemy of Souls”!

 

Penned by the famous screenwriting duo known as the Hong Sisters, “Alchemy of Souls” is a fantasy romance drama set in the fictional nation of Daeho, a country that does not exist in history or on maps. The drama tells the story of characters whose fates become twisted due to magic that swaps people’s souls.

 

Spoilers

On the previous episode of “Alchemy of Souls,” Jang Wook (Lee Jae Wook), Mu Deok (Jung So Min), Seo Youl (Minhyun), and crown prince Go Won (Shin Seung Ho) all found themselves trapped inside the ice stone.

 

In newly released stills from the drama’s upcoming episode, Jang Wook comes face to face with his father Jang Gang (Joo Sang Wook). As he draws Jang Gang’s own sword against him, an alarmed Jang Wook looks up at the swirling tempest of the ice stone in the sky. Meanwhile, Jang Gang has a fierce look of determination in his eyes, as if he has made up his mind about something.

 

 

The producers of “Alchemy of Souls” teased, “In order to put an end to the tribulations caused by the ice stone, Jang Wook and Jang Gang will come together for a final battle.”

 

“There will be unpredictable twists and an unprecedented whirlwind of plot developments,” they continued, “including the unrevealed history between Jang Gang and the ice stone, the secrets entangled with the ice stone, and the question of whether Jang Wook will be able to save the world.”

 

To find out what will unfold between Jang Wook and his father, tune in to the next episode of “Alchemy of Souls” on August 27 at 9:10 p.m. KST!

 

Lee Jae Wook Draws His Sword Against His Father Joo Sang Wook In “Alchemy Of Souls” | Soompi

[PororoQueen]

Actually I feel sorry for the Crown Prince, a Shaman read his life that he's won't be successful in politic, but CP will be doing well in business?. So here is a trivia for today;

 

Q: What kind of business our Crown Prince will do well in?

A: Laundry business!, especially the "Ink Stain" removal.

Cr: dropps.com

[TheQueenReturns]

13 hours ago, maribella said:

Exactly. If it's just like turning off a machine... so much for all the claims of how powerful priestesses are. I want to see something spectacular.

 

 

Ma'am, it is clear that these sisters have lost the plot, lost the characters, and have been bordering on stupid for a very long time. It's like they so afraid that their rookie male lead is not the breakout star that want him to be, and making my Oppa look raggedy to try to rookie male lead shine. The character is horrible and the acting from the so-called main lead is subpar. Now this cat raggedy character supposed to be some type of Jesus? Who he supposed to save? And then magically all this supposed genius is going to defeat his own father because he's the chosen one? This is even worse than The Golden Child movie that Eddie Murphy did in the 80s. They need to wrap this up and cancel that forsaken sequel

[LeftCoastOppa]

12 minutes ago, TheQueenReturns said:

This is even worse than The Golden Child movie that Eddie Murphy did in the 80s.

 

 

as bad as it was, this scenes still brings it ...

 

 

 

[maribella]

@TheQueenReturns now that you've mentioned it, it does look like they have turned your handsome oppa into an unwashed Obi Wan Kenobi. Nobody knows why.

I don't think they will fight, but the little issue of whether they are related is still not resolved.