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

[SleepyKitty]

I feel like being transferred back to that one afternoon in highschool trying to understand my chemistry teacher explaining redox reaction when janguk and mudeok was discussing about tansu-ing out of the ice stone. Actually, the whole episode felt pretty much like that for me. I feel dumb and not even watching 18 episodes prior could prepare me for the mental toll to make it make sense....

 

Also what was that anticlimatic resolution? Like, no matter how much visual effect and grandeur bgm can not disguise how the whole thing ended with a huge WTF? Just like that?

 

I guess we oversighted the actual biggest hurdle they have to overcome; it's not shaman choi but the crown prince??? Please, don't tell me they're going to repeat what happened to naksu in the whole ep 18 towards the crown prince??

 

Idk guys. I can't form any single coherrent opinion that can describe my feelings after watching ep 19. Not even the tiny bit of fluff at the end could cushion those big blow of madness that just happened.

 

Maybe i need to sleep on it.

[Dramafreak]

56 minutes ago, frozentundra said:

It does seem a bit of a jump, lol. Hopefully it does not ultimately have negative consequences for Yul? That would be rather nasty. 

lose end for season two?

@LeftCoastOppa: so is the So-i + Yul ship sailing now? Or should we fix Yul with Medicine Master's Grand-daughter? Or will return of Naksu have Yul opening his heart again?

 

I wonder what all will happen in 10 episodes as I thought today they didn't really resolve anything (much) but got into pre-emptive celebrations. So-i lives, Shaman Choi's toy lives?, Jin Mu lives, Weird King lives.

 

Is Jang Uk the only one who is supposed to lose everything? Master Lee said, King Star is a burden and so does that mean Uk loses everything and starts from level 0 again?

CP and Uk's relation has now changed. So episode 17's press release is valid now

4 minutes ago, SleepyKitty said:

Also what was that anticlimatic resolution? Like, no matter how much visual effect and grandeur bgm can not disguise how the whole thing ended with a huge WTF? Just like that?

 

Haha!

 

I love this.

 

Basically love wins it all (only for now) but villains continue to live.
Tomorrow Uk loses it all: power, teacher, lover & will most probably become a criminal for aiding an assassin. 

I am wondering if they have enough material & whether they have divided it well.

7 minutes ago, SleepyKitty said:

Please, don't tell me they're going to repeat what happened to naksu in the whole ep 18 towards the crown prince??

what do you mean? please explain.

7 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

After watching episode 4, I'm getting the real crazy idea that the stated in-story rumor just might be true - Park Jin may indeed be Jang Uk's real father. He had the affair with Do-Hwa before either the King or Jang Gang.

 

Wow!

And Dangu did say: uncle you sure that you don't have an illegitimate child somewhere! A joke in HS dramas shouldn't be taken as a joke only!

1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

And so I feel that a lot will come out about Buyeon in ep 20.

There is more to her? Can we just get her to her end & move on in the story.

 

I really am short on patience with creators when they are illogical. She is still in someone else's body and they still haven't figured out how did she suck another person's energy (episode 12) yet they are like we can live ordinarily?

 

Uk you can't forget Jin Mu as more than anyone you know how evil he is!

Btw why does Jin Mu never try AoS on himself?

1 hour ago, K-dramafan22 said:

And igniting the wrong light in the CP is not going down well with me too....turning him into a villain??  NO!!   

Tell me about it. Ep9: CP said I won't spare you MD & MD said I won't grudge dying with your sword... so time has come MD. Gambare.

[marrez1]

1 hour ago, frozentundra said:

I was wondering how blood transfusions worked in this ancient fantasy world. I guess it's by worm.

 

I don't think it makes Yul in love with Soyi, though. However, it was useful that she saved his life. (Where did she go, by the way??)

 

I would guess that Buyeon does not survive (since JSM is not in season 2), but I don't know if she's dead yet. The trailer hints that there is more to be resolved with the 2 souls/1 body issue. My prediction is that before the wedding can happen, Naksu's soul gets taken out of Buyeon's body, leaving us in a large cliffhanger, and more to work out before they can ultimately tie off that plotline. And so I feel that a lot will come out about Buyeon in ep 20.

I wonder if after this blood transfusions by worm, Yul would not be in danger? it seems to me that Jin Mu had said something in this direction, I do not remember any more well

For So-i , pretty sure she is in part 2, anyway, there are still things about her to learn

I don't think it was a goodbye by MudeoK/Nasku and Yul, love triangle is also in part 2, i bet

[rocat]

our hero with the King’s Star, back to where he began

 

the insecure CP listening to the tattling of the Jin Mu devil to turn against me - after I served him the hero seat on a golden platter?? 

 

 

Buyeon, nuclear scientist cum philosopher 

 

Who is my father?!?! 
 

naksu, soul shifter who isn’t sure where her sometimes on/ mostly off power comes from

 

is Jin Mu seriously going to summon me with that ugly anklet ?!?  


 

 

[SleepyKitty]

7 minutes ago, Dramafreak said:

what do you mean? please explain.

Ep 18 was basically a mini tour into naksu's internal conflict and emotional breakdown, and i feel like things just going in circles. We've seen her gaining all these relationships only for her to doubt it again when faced with the choice power or compassion. Now if what i feared were to happen in ep 20, then this thing would happen again, only with the crown prince. We've seen him creating mutual understanding and gaining allies, all throughout the series. Even janguk literally handed him the glory of the king's star (albeit under pretense). But now we have to deal with him doubting janguk's allegiance? After everything?

 

Well i really hope i'm wrong. Please, drama, don't waste the last episode like that!

[TheQueenReturns]

As I said before, this is a Hong Sisters HARD MISS just like A Korean Odyssey. And another note, Korea got to stop this habit of just giving  male lead roles to pop male singers that are mediocre as an actor. They need to build their skills first. 

 

With their history, I'm surprised Hotel De Luna turned out great. I wonder if they do a coin toss to see which sister is going to be the main writer.

 

There was a weak sauce ending for my opa who they barely showed so he wouldn't steal the Thunder of the weak male lead and horrible writing. They squandered a whole season and they get rewarded another one. Just like in Korean entertainment is like Hollywood at least right now, you can go in and destroy franchises, past movies, movies originally from books and/or comics and remake them into your own image, destroy legacy characters, lose a lot of money and fail upwards!

[PororoQueen]

Episode 19 - I still got confused - and So-i disappeared. what is this LOL

 

Well What made me happy is the fact that BuYeon fathers is Jang Gang and Jang Uk father is the King. So they are not related and Yes yes yes, I really love the last part when JangUk ask Mudeok (Not Naksu ok, it's Mudeok!) to marry him. OMG that scene is extremely important for BuYeong's existance.

[emsel]

Well,

We all guessed the ending of ep 20 + Mu Deok/Naksu coming as soon as news of JSM contract renewal for S2 dropped during the mid series (Eye roll) Either they shouldn't have announced plans of S2 along with S1 even though decisions were green lighted or they should have had a better security to prevent leaks! It is a waste of giving this plot 30+ episodes. It could have been really good with a tight 16 episodes. 

 

Now, I understand why the actor playing CP was cast in that role because the director/writer must have watched DP where he was the best antagonist. Unfortunately, they misjudged fans growing affection for him :/

 

@partyon If not for your Ajushhi Oppa we could have avoided this 20 eps of torture :p (TBH, I enjoyed it till ep 14)

 

Yul+ Mu Deok/Naksu farewell scene outshined the OTP proposal scene *-* Yul is the best! Mu Deok/Naksu being obvious to Bu Yeon's soul and the knowledge of Yul knowing her real identity just shows how much the writers have butchered that character. 

[Jeannie]

 I love that she got mad when he said he's done it 13 times. Lol I really hope nothing really bad happens but then we won't have a second season in December! 

 

[emsel]

4 minutes ago, PororoQueen said:

 

Well What made me happy is the fact that BuYeon fathers is Jang Gang and Jang Uk father is the King. So they are not related and Yes yes yes, I really love the last part when JangUk ask Mudeok (Not Naksu ok, it's Mudeok!) to marry him. OMG that scene is extremely important for BuYeong's existance.

Jin Mu mentioned Jin Woo Tak (Jin Ho Gyeong's husband) had inferiority complex and jealousy which led to Bu Yeon's death. So, he was indirectly implying he manipulated that guy to turn him against his own daughter. Bu Yeon is not Jang Gang's daughter.

 

 

For the second point, sorry to burst your bubble, but Uk never addressed Mu Deok+ Naksu as Naksu. He always called her Mu Deok and technically he quit as her pupil, so he can't say "Master, marry me!"

[partyon]

Wow, this comment section is a mess.

I haven’t even watched today’s episode - won’t have time to do it until tomorrow. Can’t stop laughing while reading your comments, though.  

 

Judging from the comments it looks like the Hong sisters did it again.

No surprise there @Sleepy Owl hahah

 

 

@LeftCoastOppa You still breathing?  

 

 

35 minutes ago, PororoQueen said:

and So-i disappeared

Finally! Best news today!

[TheQueenReturns]

11 hours ago, LeftCoastOppa said:

 

 

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

 

 

 

I am literally dead right now. Your comedy  is spot on!

 

[maribella]

1 hour ago, marrez1 said:

For So-i , pretty sure she is in part 2, anyway, there are still things about her to learn

I don't think it was a goodbye by MudeoK/Nasku and Yul, love triangle is also in part 2, i bet

I really think Soompi should add a few more buttons like 'not again?', 'help me'. 
 

@SleepyKitty and @Dramafreak posts can be summarised as saying  'unresolved, hanging, open-
ended' or simply still a bloody mess. 
Maybe I should wait till Monday to read all about it. @sadthe1st and @LeftCoastOppa are preparing scathing recaps? Anyone else? 
 

@PororoQueen I hope you are wrong as @emsel wrote. Otherwise we will have the head of mages with awesome powers but:
JG is BY's father, cheated on his beautiful wife with his best friend's (?) wife and really to put it crudely pimping his wife to the sickly, decaying, manipulative King, who then fathered our ML? 
Grosssss. Was JG a fool? So he became a grubby looking hermit because of his regrets? 

 

 

I really hope not, really hope not.  What a pair! The illegitimate son of a fetid, dying King and an assasin who is occupying BY (of unknown parentage?)

 

Why do they marry in the first place? JG can do unbelievable magic but cannot control his you know what. Likewise, Jin mama is a priestess, she cannot keep her knees together.

 

I am with you @TheQueenReturns
But I must know the BY/MD/Naksu ending. Must.

[rocher22]

Uk was humiliated and expelled from Songrim. Park Jin didnt even turn around.

Now, PJ  slowly realizes that Uk broke the barrier. 

I liked the scene when PJ first looked at Uk and then at the CP. 

 

 

 

 

It was that simple when Uk throw the stone through the barrier. After that it was easy to find a solution.

I love the conversation between Uk and Naksu about it.

They calmly talked about everything and more importantly, they exchanged information. 

 

[marrez1]

Jin Mu is controlling the worm inside So-i with magic, but now that Yul has this what will happen to him? i guess part 2 will answer this question, or else nothing will happen to Yul  since he is a mage

[backstreetboysfan]

I am so confused still.

 

Omg so he can back then died. OMG is the CP going evil .

 

So UK has lost his powers and also that was a great proposal.

[Jeannie]

Jin mu needs to go die in a hole somewhere and leave our couple alone. I wonder how he found out who she is. 

 

I really hope the crown prince doesn't listen and sees through his evil ways. 

[sadthe1st]

i agree with @marrez1 and other chingus here.. from the beginning of ep19 jin mu already realised the the immersed powers of bu yeon came from the combination of the jin priestess heritage and the choi mage heritage proficient in curses and hexes.. cho yeon’s dad was misled since he couldnt believe why jang gang would resort to banned sorcery to save the baby if she wasnt his own.. but, i dont quite understand the part where the dad said its also due to jang gang that he (a descendant of the fallen choi family) gets to marry into the jin family.. the sequence seems, weird..

 

okay i just started watching.. @maribella i might laserbeam the episode later

 

[K-dramafan22]

8 hours ago, frozentundra said:

It does seem a bit of a jump, lol. Hopefully it does not ultimately have negative consequences for Yul? That would be rather nasty. 

I hope nothing bad happens to Yul....   Though Sol-i just wanted to save him,  she was always oblivious to consequences.

 

I still found her ability to remove the worm absolutely illogical.  If she could do that, how could Jin Mu ever threaten her with this worm?   I think it's an oversight by the writers....as if they were lost in this fantasy story themselves.. 

16 minutes ago, sadthe1st said:

i agree with @marrez1 and other chingus here.. from the beginning of ep19 jin mu already realised the the immersed powers of bu yeon came from the combination of the jin priestess heritage and the choi mage heritage proficient in curses and hexes.. cho yeon’s dad was misled since he couldnt believe why jang gang would resort to banned sorcery to save the baby if she wasnt his own.. but, i dont quite understand the part where the dad said its also due to jang gang that he (a descendant of the fallen choi family) gets to marry into the jin family.. the sequence seems, weird..

 

okay i just started watching.. @maribella i might laserbeam the episode later

 

 

Exactly, after Ep 19, we are confused if Jin mama had one or two husbands and if Bu-yeon and Cho-yeon were born of the same father.... thanks to Evil Jin Mu, we are all now left none the wiser EVEN AT EPISODE 19!!!!

[sadthe1st]

the timeline also seems weird.. arresting shaman choi, burning and destroying the books and items should have happened more than 20years ago.. in order for jang gang to master alchemy of souls then did the soul shift with the sickly king and impregnated do hwa with jang uk.. but shaman choi soul was only shifted to the queen for only a decade or so.. unless jin mu has kept her soul elsewhere

 

 

was it mentioned how jang gang “helped” cho yeon’s dad gets married into jin family?

 

and the dna blood worm doesnt seem malicious at all.. @LeftCoastOppa’s heartthrob even knew how to get it out of her EASILY.. like, she could have just transferred it to any injured beast to get rid of fake jin dna and escaped from jin mu.. but she chose to keep it as a pet tamagotchi inside her

 

 

i havent completed ep19, need to pause to meet friends for mid autumn mooncake shopping!