The Apothecary Diaries – Season 1 Episode 24 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Jinshi and Maomao

Episode 24 of The Apothecary Diaries begins with Lakan observing the withered rose Maomao left for him. He says he wants to be with Maomao but understands why she doesn’t like him. Nonetheless, Lakan plans to fulfill his promise to Maomao. Lakan says he doesn’t like how one of the men accompanying Maomao put their hands on Maomao’s shoulder three times during their match. 

What happens when Lakan greets Old Granny and the courtesans?

Old Granny greets Lakan and tells him to follow her. She wants him to choose one of the available courtesans. Lakan asks Old Granny if she’s okay with offering him the opportunity to choose one of the Three Princesses. Old Granny says she’s okay with it as long as Lakan pays her accordingly. Lakan says they all look like Go pieces to him. 

However, he says he’ll opt for Meimei. Meimei laughs and tells Lakan she takes pride in her courtesan work. However, if Lakan wants Meimei she won’t be against his choice. Meimei wanders over to a nearby door and opens it. She tells Lakan if he must choose, that he should choose well. Lakan hears Fengxian’s voice in the distance and rushes to her location. 

What happens during Lakan’s reunion with Fengxian?

Lakan arrives and a tear falls from his right eye. Old Granny and Meimei arrive. Old Granny tells Lakan to leave the area since this place is for sick people. Lakan ignores Old Granny and approaches Fengxian. Lakan says he wants to purchase Fengxian. He places several game pieces in her hand and challenges Fengxian to a round of Go. 

Lakan marvels at Fengxian and reiterates that he wants to buy her.

Why is Maomao afraid to be around Basen?

We shift to following Maomao and Basen. Maomao says Basen helped her drop off Lakan at the Verdigris House. The two spot Luolan and her father nearby. Maomao wishes Basen wouldn’t bad mouth the high-ranking officials so much. She feels if someone overheard him saying ill things about them, they’d think she was saying ill things about them too. 

What happens when Maomao visits Jinshi and what do they discuss?

Maomao visits Jinshi’s quarters. Suiren presents Maomao with food and leaves her, Jinshi, and Gaoshun alone. Jinshi questions Maomao about her feelings toward Lakan and Maomao tells Jinshi it’s not that she hates Lakan. Moreover, it’s thanks to Lakan that she exists today. Moreover, she feels Fengxian gave birth to her because she wanted to. 

Maomao questions if Lakan was tricked. She says Fengxian is a clever individual and discovered a way to grasp Lakan’s visits via her letters. Maomao speculates that when Fengxian lost control over everything, she became corrupt to the point of hurting herself. Maomao brings up Lakan’s inability to recognize human faces and says her adoptive father (Luomen) told her about this. 

Maomao wonders how Lakan can discern her and Luomen’s faces. She feels this is why he has a strange attachment to Maomao. Jinshi says he’d break Lakan’s monocle if he asked Jinshi to refer to him as his father. Maomao turns to a pair of blue roses and wonders if Lakan understood Maomao’s message with the withered rose she left for him. 

Maomao tells Jinshi that she dislikes Lakan, but doesn’t hate him. Moreover, she’s grateful that she became Luomen’s daughter. Maomao informs Jinshi that Lakan helped her during her ceremony-stopping incident. Jinshi questions Maomao about it. Maomao says Lakan’s someone who acts off gut feelings unlike herself. She says he’s too lazy to do anything of his accord. 

Maomao feels if Lakan had taken action, she would’ve walked away from this excursion with the resurrection drug. Also, she knows Luomen would praise Lakan with no caveats. Maomao tells Jinshi that Lakan won’t view him as an ally. However, she warns Jinshi not to make Lakan his enemy. Gaoshun tells Maomao to remember that no father wants to be disliked. 

What does Maomao receive from Meimei and what happens after she looks it over?

A few days pass. Maomao informs the audience that Meimei sent her a package. Maomao says the package contained a letter, addressing who Lakan purchased and a gorgeous shawl. Maomao remembers Meimei asking her to dance for her when someone buys her. Later, Maomao visits the outer wall and removes her work attire. Underneath her attire is a beautiful dress. 

Maomao starts dancing. After her dance, Maomao turns around and notices Jinshi. Jinshi startles Maomao and she almost falls. Jinshi saves Maomao. 

What do Maomao and Jinshi discuss on the outer wall?

Jinshi informs Maomao that he heard reports that a strange woman was climbing the outer wall. Jinshi tells her that a guard spotted Maomao climbing the wall and alarmed him about this fiasco. Jinshi asks Maomao to explain what she was doing. Maomao says when a courtesan gets purchased in the pleasure district, the other courtesans dance for them.

Maomao tells Jinshi that someone taught her how to dance. Jinshi tells Maomao that Lakan purchased a courtesan and will be taking a ten-day vacation. Maomao remembers one of her elder sisters telling her they’re hosting a banquet that’ll last for several days. Jinshi asks Maomao who Lakan purchased. Maomao doesn’t comment but Jinshi feels Maomao knows who he purchased.

Maomao says to pay that courtesan no mind because her beauty is no match for Jinshi’s. Maomao says the woman Lakan purchased won’t last long. Also, she says that nobody told her about the woman who birthed her during her brothel days. Maomao remarks how Old Granny likes to keep things private in the Verdigris House. Moreover, Maomao knows that she was one of the reasons why the Verdigris House almost went out of business.

Maomao contemplates her relationship with the sickly woman and confirms that the nightmare she had in the past happened. Despite everything, Maomao is satisfied with being Luomen’s daughter. 

How does The Apothecary Diaries Season 1 End?

Maomao informs Jinshi about fingertips and how they can grow back. Jinshi finds this intel strange. Maomao’s leg wound opens up. Jinshi is concerned. Maomao is surprised but informs Jinshi about her high pain tolerance. Maomao tries stitching her wound up but Jinshi grabs her. Maomao doesn’t want anyone to spot them in this situation. 

Jinshi says no one will see them. Also, he informs Maomao that he carried her like this before. Maomao tells Jinshi that she wants to ask him something important. Jinshi and Maomao get close to each other. Maomao asks Jinshi if he can give her the ox bezoar. Jinshi headbutts Maomao and Maomao asks him why he headbutted her out of nowhere. The two walk off into the distance.

The next day, we see Maomao marveling over Jinshi’s gift at the Jade Pavilion. Someone tells Maomao that Jinshi’s arrived and wants to speak with her. Jinshi tells Maomao that he has a mission he wants her to complete. Maomao finds Jinshi’s task appealing. We receive a shot of the sky and the narrator says Maomao’s shenanigans will continue and wonders what these antics will entail. 

The episode closes with the studio confirming that The Apothecary Diaries will receive a second season. 

The Episode Review

This was a touching and insightful finale for The Apothecary Diaries. Next to Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, this was another anime many fans enjoyed watching every week. This episode gave Maomao and her real family proper closure. Although the series painted Lakan as this dastardly villain, the previous chapter unveiled the truth about this troubled father figure. 

That chapter made his reunion with Fengxian even more heartfelt and a joy to watch. Many fans will shed tears seeing him play Go with Fengxian. While Maomao feels indifferent toward Lakan, it’s nice to know she has a father figure in Luomen. Family matters aside, the Maomao dance sequence was downright astonishing.

From the soothing music to the marvelous visuals, it’s certainly a sequence fans will appreciate and remember for ages. Unfortunately, Jinshi and Maomao shippers got the short end of the stick with this episode. Nonetheless, with season two on the horizon, there’s a slight chance Jinshi will convey his love for Maomao during it. Overall, this was a nice way to wrap up The Apothecary Diaries’s first season.