The BEST episodes of The Apothecary Diaries season 1
Every episode of The Apothecary Diaries season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of The Apothecary Diaries season 1!
Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. But she wasn’t meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she’s making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!
#1 - Chance or Something More
Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 2/18/2024
A discussion with Lihaku about recent events leads Maomao to realize that the mysteries she's helped to solve are connected. As the final piece of the puzzle falls into place, she rushes to stop impending disaster.
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#2 - Jinshi and Maomao
Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 3/24/2024
Lakan must now choose a courtesan to buy out. As a high-ranking military official, he can afford to freely choose, even from one of the Three Princesses. Who will he choose? Who does Maomao really want him to choose?
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#3 - Balsam and Woodsorrel
Season 1 - Episode 23 - Aired 3/17/2024
No longer willing to keep running away from Lakan, Maomao decides to face off against him. She challenges him on his own turf, in a chess match.
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#5 - The Eunuch and the Courtesan
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 12/24/2023
Discovering that Maomao's kidnappers were connected to Fengming's family, Jinshi is faced with a choice between keeping Maomao in the rear palace where he can be near her or releasing her from her service.
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#7 - The Garden Party
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/12/2023
Maomao does her best to navigate the complex social situations at the garden party, including meeting the other Upper First rank concubines. But once she settles down to do her work as a food-taster, she discovers a surprise in a bowl of soup.
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#9 - Thornapple
Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 2/25/2024
Maomao was able to stop the assassination attempt, but was heavily injured in the process. However, the injuries aren't enough to stop her curiosity, driving her to confront the culprit behind the incident.
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#10 - Covert Operations
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/4/2023
A eunuch stricken by a curse comes begging for aid. Meanwhile, the rear palace buzzes with excitement as everyone prepares for the upcoming garden party, and Gyokuyou's ladies-in-waiting aren't about to let Maomao get away without dressing her up.
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#11 - Blue Roses
Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 3/10/2024
Lakan challenges Jinshi to produce blue roses to present at the upcoming garden party, forcing Jinshi to turn once again to Maomao for her help.
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#12 - The Unsettling Matter of the Spirit
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/22/2023
Tasked with investigating a ghostly woman dancing nightly on the palace walls, Maomao finds a sleepwalking Concubine Fuyou. But with no medicinal cure for sleepwalking, she's forced to dig deeper to find the real reason behind Fuyou's affliction.
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#14 - Chilly Apothecary
Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/22/2023
Maomao tries to settle into her promotion to lady-in-waiting and food taster, but struggles to fend off both boredom and the overly-familiar Jinshi. That is, until she gets an assignment of her dreams: to concoct an aphrodisiac.
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#15 - Homecoming
Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/19/2023
Gaoshun goes to Maomao to get her help in resolving the events of the garden party. Later, Xiaolan explains the purpose of the hairpins Maomao was gifted, and Maomao makes a deal with Lihaku in order to finally visit home.
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#16 - A Jaunt Around Town
Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/4/2024
Covering up Jinshi's otherworldly beauty is no easy task, but after Maomao takes the challenge head-on, she's surprised when she's also asked to don the disguise of a noblewoman and escort "Jinka" outside the palace.
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#17 - Lead
Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 1/28/2024
A shack, a chest of drawers, and a fishbowl are all that a talented metalworker leaves to his three sons upon his death. Maomao is assigned to investigate how these strange inheritances all fit together.
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#18 - Serving in the Outer Court
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/7/2024
To Maomao's surprise, Jinshi brings her directly to his house instead of taking her back to the rear palace, and tells her she's to work in the outer court. Not only is there much to learn, it seems there's many eyes on her as the new hire.
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#19 - Lakan
Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/11/2024
Back at home, Maomao visits an annex building at the Verdigris House that hides one of the brothel's secrets. Lakan continues to antagonize Jinshi as his connection to Maomao becomes clear.
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#20 - How to Buy Out a Contract
Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 3/3/2024
Back to work at the rear palace, Maomao listens to Guen talk about his family's business. Meanwhile, Lihaku hears a rumor that whips him into action.
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#21 - Suicide or Murder?
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/3/2023
An older acquaintance of Jinshi's dies while drinking at a party. A servant's body turns up in a moat. Both deaths are written off as self-inflicted, but Maomao's keen observations tell her that there's more to both stories.
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#22 - Maomao
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/22/2023
After being kidnapped and forced to work as a servant in the rear palace, former apothecary Maomao inadvertently draws the attention of the higher ranks when she investigates what's causing the emperor's infant heirs to fall mysteriously ill.
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#23 - The New Pure Consort
Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/14/2024
Ah-Duo's replacement has arrived in the rear palace, and Maomao is assigned to give a certain lecture to all four high concubines. Later, Maomao helps Lihaku investigate a warehouse explosion.
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#24 - Raw Fish
Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 1/21/2024
Gaoshun requests Maomao's help in solving an apparent poisoning case. Meanwhile, Jinshi deals with an unwelcome visitor who's taken to lingering in his office.
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