I can honestly say I think about this moment right here more than I should

Tagging bestie @kairadiamond because she understands what I mean 🥺🥺🥺

So.. I finished Alchemy of Souls

Guys, the amount of tears I just shed in front of my entire family in the last episode of part 2 is crazy.

They were just sitting there like, you good? It's fiction as I'm sobbing my eyes out.

Anyway.

I have many thoughts. So many. And I lowkey want to make a separate post for each of them.

But for now I do want to leave some of my impressions about the finale: (spoilers ahead obviously)

I thought it was pretty well done. I expected to be a bit more shocked about the whole Jin Buyeon is Jin Seol-ran plotline but it honestly made sense to me and I feel like it was actually foreshadowed pretty well for the most part, even in season 1.

Also they definitely got me good with the deaths of Park Jin, Maidservant Kim, and Jin Hogyeong (if that's how you spell her name). Like that's when I started crying tbh. (I could care less about Mama Jin tbh, she sucks, but that deserves its own post). And I'm glad that them actually being alive didn't feel like a cop out to me. They established early on that Jin Seol-ran knew what would happen and used that to their advantage so it was believable and didn't feel like a Deus Ex Machina move for them to be saved. Well, maybe one of them should have died (cough–Mama Jin–cough). But it's fine.

I do feel like the last two episodes were kind of rushed though. I don't know if they had budgeting constraints or if Netflix didn't give them more than ten episodes, but I think that they should have had at least 12. Two more episodes would have allowed for more expansion on the climax and allowed them to up the drama more, which I think would have done well for the series over all, and would have been a better payoff.

I think the time could have been used well to flesh out some of the side characters arcs more. I feel like Danggu and Jin Choyeon were kind of pushed off to the side this season, and especially in the latter half, but I would have liked to see more of them and their relationships not only with each other but with Jang Uk and Naksu/Jin Buyeon.

For all intents and purposes, Naksu/Jin Buyeon lived as Jin Choyeon's sister for three years, and we can see that despite everything that happened three years prior, Choyeon did treat her as her sister even knowing the soul was Naksu's and cared about her. I think that could've and should've been expanded upon, her choosing to care about Naksu/Jin Buyeon or how that came to be. Also, after Naksu regained her memory AND found out Jin Mu had been for sure controlling her at the end of Part 1, I would have loved to see the conversation between her and Choyeon about what she did, an apology and an explanation that she would never have done that if she were sane of mind. What I said about Choyeon applies to Naksu as well because she lived three years as Choyeon's sister, and we can tell she cares about her, so I would have loved to see more of her feelings towards her, especially upon remembering all that had transpired in part 1.

When it comes to Danggu, I mean, he's one of Uk's best friends, and he was left out of the loop a lot when it came to anything Naksu-related. I would have liked him to find out or for Uk to tell him at some point and see how he makes peace with that. Because Danggu and Mudeok were friends in part 1 and he supported her (erroneously) in her supposed romance with Seo Yul. But then she killed his fiance's father and tried to attack him. I can't imagine the sense of betrayal he felt, but also finding out that it wasn't her fault and how he could come to terms with that would have been great to see. I also think his whole experience/trauma from part 1 was kind of glossed over. Like his main thing this season was his broken heart after Choyeon didn't end up marrying him, and I think that was making his feelings a bit too one-dimensional there. They do talk about how he feels slightly uncomfortable/doesn't know what to do with Jang Uk at the beginning of the show, but once Seo Yul comes back, that's kind of forgotten about and the three of them just start hanging out again no problem. I would've like to see a bit more about him struggling with becoming Leader of Songrim as well and how he adapted to that amidst his heartbreak for both his love and his friend who he doesn't even know how to act around anymore, and even towards Naksu/Mudeok who kind of ruined his future and that of his best friend but also being intuitive enough (because he is and he has one of the best hearts we've seen in the show) to realize that there's more to the story than her just going on a murder spree.

I've seen some talk about people saying they didn't like the actress for season 2 as much as season 1 (forgive me, I forgot their names), but I think both brought something good to the table.

Season 1 actress for Mudeok was really good. Her facial expressions were spot on and her chemistry with Lee Jaewook and the other cast members was really good. I think she definitely had great stage presence and made the show popular in the first place. I just don't agree that season 2 actress was worse.

I think season 2 actress definitely put in the work and embodied who Naksu/Jin Buyeon was for the majority of the series. There were times where she made expressions that perfectly resembled/echoed Naksu/Mudeok's that really got me like yes they are the same person even if she doesn't remember. She may have been cuter than we were used to with out sharp-tongued and emotion-resistant Mudeok, but I think Naksu needed that. As Mudeok and before then she didn't have the luxury to be more emotional and girly, it's only now in this body that she does, and I'm glad she had the opportunity to express that side of herself that had never seen the light of day.

We did get a glimpse of that side of her at the end of part 1 where she's playing around with makeup and what might make her look pretty, and it really spoke to all that she had missed out on and had to give up in order to survive. So yeah despite all the angst, I'm glad Naksu/Jin Buyeon had that opportunity through season 2 actress who played it really well while keeping in line with the essence of Naksu/Mudeok.

This whole thing about Naksu being the shadow to Jang Uk's light and if light exists then it needs a shadow broke my heart you guys, it was so perfect. And the fact that they were each other's light and shadow at different points but were also wholly necessary to each other in that was beautiful. I want to talk more about this in a separate post, so I'll table this metaphor for now.

Shout out to Crown Prince Go Won, a great character this whole season in terms of both comedic relief and massive character growth. So good.

Uk's arc was fantastic too but again want to save that for a full post.

Those are my out of order first thoughts about part 2, but I have SO MUCH MORE to discuss, so I will come back for sure. I just needed to scream to the world for a bit (virtually of course).

Question though for all of you more knowledgeable in the k-drama world: is there going to be a season 3?

Alchemy of souls season 2

Okay, I've only reached the middle part of episode 2 but something about this second season seems off. Many things make sense but many also seem like a stretch.

For example, Lady Jin is acting out. Yes, she was highly manipulated by Jin Mu the first season and kept on acting agaist Songrim but she stayed true to some boundaries. So, locking her long lost daughter up in a room with one window only, seems a bit too harsh even for her. I thought she loved her daughter so much, she couldn't let go. Yes, I know, Bu-yeon looks like Naksu but that doesn't mean she's not her daughter, that doesn't mean she can't interact with her. Like she doesn't treat her like a human being which confuses me a bit tbh.

I love, love, love Jang Uk's dark era. Everybody longed for the ice stone, a whole war has risen and in the end, it's in Jang Uk's "posession" but we see how it would have been way better to let it stay at Jinyowon. It's a great power, it brings back the dead, it's something very unnatural, made by nature. It's too much to bear. Jang Uk is very strong, he was born under the King's Star, but he desperatly wishes to get rid of it. He gave up his powers, he was more than ready to live without anything and then he came back to life with too much going on. It must be hard and he's suffering.

But we don't get to see much of him. He is not the protagonist any more. It was Naksu and Jang Uk and now it's just Naksu. Jang Uk is a relict of the past, kind of like a shadow to remind us the first season existed but he's not talking, he's not seen, he's not there. I don't like that at all.

What really stocked me is Bu-yeon living in Naksu's body because it makes so, so much sense since both their souls and energies were extremely strong. It was Bu-yeon's body keeping Naksu in check and now it's the other way around. It's a balance and I absolutely love it. Still, the chemistry is not the same, the pacing of their love story is a bit weird. It's rushed and slow at the same time. Why does Jang Uk take her with him, why does he agree to marry her, why do they bring their faces so close together after 5mins? The overall start of their encounter is not very good since it doesn't seem to be thought-through and like they just looked for a way to make the two characters meet and fall for each other as fast as possible.

I don't like how Dang-gu and So-yeon did not marry. Like why? A bit unnecessary, I would say. At the same time, I like to see these two heartbroken, I don't know. They have always been cute and they are still cute when they're sadly looking at each other.

Don't get me started on Park Jin and Maidservant Kim...I despise what they're trying to do. Park Jin and farming. I know, it's supposed to be the comedic part of this show but it absolutely doesn't work for me.