Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

Port Town and Sweet Temptation

Episode 3 of Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf begins with Holo and Lawrence arriving at Pazzio Town. Before they enter Pazzio, Lawrence questions Holo’s appearance, wondering if she should hide her face. Holo doesn’t respond kindly to that remark. Yet, Holo tells Lawrence that the residents know of Holo’s existence through many tales. 

Holo feels she’ll be fine since the people here have probably forgotten her. Lawrence hopes that will be the case. Lawrence prattles on about his comrade’s apple venture in town. While Lawrence rambles, Holo marvels at all the delicious food items. Holo tells Lawrence she wants an apple, so he hands her a silver coin to let her buy a couple of apples. 

After our protagonists rest at an Inn, Lawrence and Holo continue exploring Pazzio. Lawrence tells Holo they’ll be arriving at the Milone Trading Company. He wants to sell them his fur pelts since this company likes purchasing items for a high price. Also, Lawrence hopes to investigate the intel Zheren gave them in episode 2. 

Lawrence meets with a company official and tells him he’d like to sell his marten fur pelts to him. The official says they’ve experienced bountiful crop harvests lately so their people haven’t obtained many marten pelts. The official offers Lawrence 132 coins but Lawrence negotiates for a better trade-off with the official.

Before he nabs 140 silver coins from the negotiation, Holo intervenes. Holo entices the official to give them 210 silver coins instead. Later, Holo and Lawrence visit a bar. Holo notices Lawrence might be upset that Holo pulled off a better deal than he did. Holo tells Lawrence she used a similar method she saw a different merchant from the past use. 

Holo also keys Lawrence in on how she made the marten fur pelts smell like apples. She feels the official should be amazed by her trickery and not flustered. After that, Lawrence updates Holo on his silver coin information-gathering activities. He says he hasn’t come across much data, yet he’s okay with everything as long as he doesn’t lose money. 

Later, Zheren arrives. He and Lawrence discuss the silver coin debacle and Zheren’s share. Zheren says he only wants 10% of Lawrence’s profits. He says he doesn’t want to feel responsible if Lawrence ends up at a loss. Then, Zheren tells Lawrence that the settlement date will be three days before the large spring market next year. 

After that, Lawrence and Zheren agree on a contract that both will sign tomorrow. Lawrence and Holo visit their Inn room later. Lawrence gives Holo a lesson on the different types of silver coins. He explains when kingdoms rise and fall, new ones, along with the Church, mint new coin types. After Lawrence and Holo meet and bid farewell to Zheren, we see them exploring Pazzio Town while discussing the value of the Trenni silver coin.

Then, Lawrence purchases an item for Holo to eat. After that, Lawrence shares his opinion on Zheren’s tale regarding silver coins. Lawrence feels Zheren’s tale holds merit and that Holo’s lie-detection skills aren’t sharp. 

After more coin chatter ensues, the two meet with one of Lawrence’s currency dealer acquaintances, Weiz. Weiz acts flirtatious toward Holo and Lawrence stops him because he wants to see some of Weiz’s recently minted Trenni silver coins. Weiz lays the coins in front of Lawrence and Holo. He says nothing has changed about them, despite some being older and newer coins.

Holo asks Weiz to hand the coins to her. Holo grabs the coins and starts shaking them to check their purity. Unfortunately, Holo tells Weiz she can’t tell if the coins are pure. Later, Lawrence confronts Holo about what she said to Weiz. Lawrence learns Holo has coin purity detection skills. 

Holo says she didn’t want to tell Weiz the truth because it was her way of thanking Lawrence. Lawrence questions Holo’s remark. Holo says she was thrilled that her successful attempt made Lawrence jealous of her craft. She tells Lawrence the newer coins sound dull, unlike the old ones. This indicates to Lawrence that the silver coins’ purity levels are decreasing, meaning Zheren lied to him.

Lawrence grieves about this discovery with Holo in the bar. Holo does her best to calm Lawrence and convinces him to change his perspective of their situation. After hearing Holo out, Lawrence makes a discovery. The episode closes with Lawrence telling Holo they should head for the Milone Trading Company. 

The Episode Review

This Spice and Wolf remake continues to be a hoot for long-time fans and newer ones. While the chapter went full-force on its economic components and was tough to grasp (at times), many viewers will adore moments that build upon Holo and Lawrence’s connection. Moreover, many will find Holo’s business methods appealing.

It was smart of the author to have Holo negotiate a better trade-off than Lawrence. It shows why she’s earned the “Wise Wolf” moniker.

Despite being a knowledgeable female canine, Holo’s aloof persona remains. Many folks will find Holo’s reactions to some of Lawrence’s business chatter relatable, adorable, and amusing. From her infatuation with apples to her dozing off while Lawrence breaks down the different silver coins, fans will chuckle and smile at Holo’s charming responses to Lawrence’s passionate statements.

Besides having minor visual hiccups and a few unnecessary sluggish moments, this was another brilliant and entertaining chapter of Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets The Wise Wolf.