Alchemy of Souls Ends Season 1 in a Complete Shitshow of No Answers, Last Minute Deus ex Machina, and a Waste of 20 Episodes of Character Building
tvN Sat-Sun drama Alchemy of Souls season 1 ended with 9.218% ratings in the final episode 20 and that’s 9.218% more ratings than it deserved. The drama ending on a flaming turd even worse that I could have imagined and I was prepared for total disappointment already once I heard the Hong Sisters had a 10-episode season 2 ready and it would switch female leads from Jung So Min to Go Yoon Jung. The only way to make a viewer stuck with Naksu (her soul) whether in the body of either actress is to cast the same actress and make it like those xianxia multiple lives stuff where it’s always the same actor or actress so we’re following the soul emotionally and the same person visually. Without that, then all the connection with Naksu INSIDE Mu Deok (or Jin Bu Yeon) is wasted without continuity.
Alas episode 20 was random filler with the OTP seemingly turned to ordinary people and getting ready to be married and move to the countryside and live simple lives. Then Jin Mu the asshole mastermind who won’t die and keeps getting kept around last minute realizes Mu Deok is Naksu’s soul and uses his Pavlovian bell to awaken her assassin side and order her to kill Cho Yeon’s dad and then she also kills Jang Wook when he tries to stop her. Then she flies off half turned to stone and drops herself into a lake to die but two chicks swim her out. Jang Wook is burned in a pyre but then walks out of it resurrected and alive. Cue preview for season 2 with everyone returning and Go Yoon Jung as Naksu and perhaps the Hong Sisters forgot her body was burned in the first episode. But then again, people just randomly resurrect in this drama anything goes. Not me, I’m out. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.
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the fact that i feel so stupid i’m done with this show
they did me dirty with playing my emotions
More questions than answers. How could a simple bell controls her. She is in the body of a great divine power Priestess. Why Bu Yeon didnt come out to stop her killing his own father, perhaps, revenge for her since it was the father who feed her to Jinmu to retrieve the ice stone. I felt like Jinmu is the director and anything he said all happened. Indeed he has the story plot on his side. Hahahaha.
It cannot go beyond 10%
I think people may be seeing this show with their emotions a little too much, the ones attached to Jung So-min. She was a good Mu-deok, but she wasn’t actually Mu-deok. Naksu (“Go Yoon-Jung”) was.
People gripe about “Big” and how the Hong Sisters did the story dirty by NOT switching the main lead character back to being the young actor and not Gong Yoo, but now they’re going to gripe here too when the Hong Sisters DO change the girls back? Sheeeeeesh.
Besides the actress talks, the story HAS to do right by the character Bu-yeon. She has a right to return as a Jin sister, even if that means returning Naksu’s soul to her original body in the plot.
Naksu’s body has been preserved all this time, and I hope it was Yul who preserved it HA, so Naksu can return, and then I hope it’s the Jin blood in Yul that will resurrect Bu-yeon! 😂😅
I don’t count the continuation of this story as Season 2 smh. They clearly intended the story to return to Naksu, and I wish they would’ve filmed it and released it as such. It is a “Part 2” more than it is a Season 2. Optimistically, in the grand scheme of the complete story, we finally just reached the climax of the story.
Hopefully Jang Wook and Naksu get to be badass in the second part—FINALLY—and Bu-yeon gets to be Bu-yeon.
Is it weird im looking forward to season 2?lol
No, it’s ok
I am looking forward to season 2 too. XDDD
Call it guilty pleasure or whatever. I love the characters and want more of them. And need to see Jin Mu killed and a kiss between Jang Uk and real Naksu. She looks so beautiful in the preview, btw! 😀
Sigh…the storyline is not well connected and incomplete. Main characters backgrounds are so vague. Not sure what Naksu did that make her a good soul. She killed and trained to kill. She shifted soul with a vengeance plan. She did not try to have a 2nd chance to live life fully or to change her destiny. She only wanted to gain her power back and leave. Not sure what is unique about her. Why would we be curious about her future? Just to see if Jang Uk find her and deem their relationship? there are more loss than gains at the end of season 1,
Unlike Jin Buyeon, she has a pure soul and the power to control the ice stone, and she has a family seeking for her return. She was harmed by her own family. She trapped Naksu soul to keep Naksu from running wild. She allowed Naksu using her body. Not sure what Naksu did for Bu Yeon in return. Her story still has many questions unanswered, and without a family reunion yet. However, there won’t be Jung So Min in season 2 so there won’t be Bu Yeon story in season 2?
Beautiful cast and film.
I am very disappointed with the last episode 20. Sad ending and a lot of unfinished issues for each characters such as UK, Mudeok, Naksu, and Buyeon, etc. The worse thing too is you have to wait till December Chapter 2. Really ridiculous. I really lost the plot of the story and by the time December comes you completely forgotten the story and in order to remember it, you have to watch it again from the beginning. It’s insane.
I will definitely watch part 2 mainly for Jang Uk (Lee Jae Wook).
Part 2 trailer is so cool, man. I’m loving the vibes. Although Go Yoon Jung looks so out of place from the rest, I don’t really mind. Uk is the only reason I should stay on this crap.
If it’s not for Lee Jae Wook, I already dropped this long time ago. I can’t believe I’m now waiting for season 2🤧
I get the ending because they want that season 2 but the middle part is so weak that I think they could’ve make this 14 episode for season 1.
Part one was totally incomplete. Not to mention how they did dirty to Buyeon. Until the last episode, she couldn’t meet her family. I feel so bad for her. Not really a waste, but im disappointed. But Uk is still one of my fave ML characters. Now i dont give a f for mudeok, naksu, buyeon whatever… i’ll watch the part two merely for Uk and Yul. Ah, our sad boy, Yul. His scene with ‘naksu’ mudeok was one of my faves. Heartbreaking.
The hong sisters’ project that i like probably only Hotel Del Luna. They better comeback with Hotel De Moon instead.
Disappointed with this… nothing resolves just more questions cause the S2 … characters doing 180 in the last episode wth ….I’m going to wait til all episode for S2 are out to watch….hopefully they don’t just go around in circle like 2nd half of S1 what a waste it was …
SMH.
Hong sisters sell their stories based on their name. The value of their name has deteriorated to the point of zero value. I am so mad because it could have been a wonderful story that all can enjoy but they don’t know how to tell the story. They’re not story tellers at this point. From here on, I will very consciously avoid any Hong sisters work. They’re crap to say the least.
Agree. The Hong Sisters have the tendency to create and start the dramas great but develop and end it in the worst possible way. It’s like they never learned from what they did with the ending of BIG.
yet another disappointing script writing by hong sisters. this kind story with so many loose ends and going round and round endlessly didn’t do any of the casts any justice, let alone us, the viewers. watch because of the casts esp jsm n ljw. not looking forward to season 2 after seeing the preview esp the new female lead, her appearance kind of out of place with her expression. even lady heo looks better in her character.
Before it airs, I was so eager to watch because of Jung So Min. When it airs, I was awestruck with the action scenes, the cinematography, music, acting. Then I watch for Crown Prince. Halfway through still hang on for CP. Uk also good esp his voice is soothing to hear. 15eps up I lost my patience but still watch, because I like this drama for it’s beautiful sceneries,settings,and costumes. Ep 18 19 really disappointed because still no answers, no actions. Ep 20, last 25mins, holy sh*t this is what I wanted, intense story and action scenes, for gods sake!
This drama should have been just 16 eps. And what a waste of Buyeon character. I’m all for Naksu soul return to her original body, but please why no Buyeon in S2? I’m interested in her more than any other characters, what with her being powerful priestess, and long separated from her family. I want a decent closure for Buyeon.
And I will still check on S2 mainly for CP.
Multiple seasons is the reason i’m not into american series like can’t we just end it in one go? So imagine me hearing news of my ongoing drama having 10 more ep for s2. Coz I knew all juicy plotlines would be there. Couldn’t they just have compressed it in 24 ep instead? surely there were unnecessary scenes that can be cut. And i have nothing against gyj (i actually like her in law school!) but i’m already attached to jsm’s character. she did great as mudeok, buyeon and naksu. Nways, will look forward to her nxt project instead.
Ok so it’s not only me when I was wondering if I missed something with Buyeon and family reunion or if they thought to completely wipe her “character out” thinking we the audience wouldn’t know or question it. Seriously thought I missed something and went BACK to the episodes to rewatch…
Plot twist: All that shitty things that happened and shown in Ep20 was actually Bu-yeon’s vision as priestess or a dream for Naksu. Lol. Then in Season 2, she decided to change her fate and took over her body as Bu-yeon. Naksu preview is just her wondering soul out of Bu-yeon’s body. Hahaha thats me in denial, hoping that ep20 didnt really happened.
Honestly, a fake out that it was all a vision or dream would still be a better ending than the crap I just watched.
I have completed 427 KDramas in my life. I have started and dropped probably another 100. I have come to accept that Kdramas do often start strong and then have poor endings. That is a fact of Kdramas – the endings let you down a majority of the time. And another fact is that the Hong Sisters let you down more than most. That said, in the long and illustrious history of Kdramas starting strong and utterly sucking at the end, I think this one takes the cake for the absolute biggest fall. I LOVED this drama when it started, so much. And honestly I could actually have been fine with it crawling to the finish line if only they had given a middling ending where everyone got married, Jin Mu burned in a pit of hell, the prince became a good King and it was wrapped up in a too tidy bow. Instead the Hong Sisters managed to write an ending so bad that not a single living drama watching soul on the planet earth could possibly think that it was a good idea. Like how did they think that ending was a good idea? It was so bad that even knowing they are writing a sequel doesn’t excuse how bad that was. They could have left it open for a sequel without making it so absolutely stinkingly horrible. I feel dirty for even watching that ending – albeit on fast forward.
Oh gosh… I have watched way too many kdramas in this lifetime. And quite frankly, I am so tired of all these badly written dramas. It feels like a legit burnout from all the poorly written dramas. The worst part is when it starts out with so much potential! So much wasted potential, I don’t even know where to start.
Please someone give this leading man a great script, the man has quite the screen presence and enough charisma to carry a well written show! His last drama do re mi fa sol also went down the drain with the most awful ending… it’s like these writers can’t write past 10 eps.
Just what to do… what to do…
Also Alchemy of Soul, why do you want you write 30 eps when you can’t even write 12 eps? I am so confused, SO CONFUSED.
I am truly sorry for this rant, i don’t even drop comments usually, but i am just so tired of all the bad dramas!
I’m sorry but I’m one of the viewers that’s done with the show and just consider it to have a sad ending. I can’t imagine them switching the main actress because viewers fell in love with Jung So Min’s Mu deok/Naksu and not GYJ Naksu.
From all the dramas I’ve watched, soul switching dramas have never worked unless 1) the original body is no longer available for re-switching, 2)the soul of the new vessel will disappear in the end, and/or 3) original body is just the ancestor/reincarnation of the new vessel. In the case of Mr. Queen, the king falling in love with the Queen even after the chef soul already left worked because the show gave a hint that the Queen and king already have feelings before but the chef just cleared the misunderstanding up. But so far, the best take on the soul swap was with the Cdrama — The Eternal Love 1/2 — where the vessel’s soul sacrificed her soul for her real love, letting the lead soul which is her reincarnation take over the vessel and use it to continue with the male lead.