The penultimate episode of Apple TV’s Drops of God, based on the manga “Shizuku no Kami,” was released today, and we got to see the competitors locked in their third and final duel. Previously, after Camille was declared the winner of the second duel, she turned down Luca’s offer to head the Leger Guide, and he threw her out of his house in anger. Now, the two competitors, Issei Tomine, and Camille Leger, travel to Paris for the final round of competition as the inheritance battle reaches its tail end. Who’s declared the winner, and who goes home empty-handed?
Spoilers Ahead
Luca’s Evil Plan
Lorenzo and Miyabi come over to Camille’s place, offer their condolences for the way Lorenzo’s uncle, Luca, treated her, and proceed to reveal the hidden secrets about his uncle. Apparently, Luca has bought vineyards all around the world for negligible prices and only showcases the ones he’s bought in the Leger Guide. He’s a 45% stakeholder in the Guide and has always wanted a Leger to be associated with the magazine because it’d be considered a lot more valuable. The bottom line is that Luca wanted to use the Leger Guide as a money-making machine and wanted Camille at his beck and call, and the moment she refused, his true colors were exposed.
The Trip To Paris
Issei and Yurika drink from the famed Casa de Fossati wine, and she suggests him to close his eyes and think of the aroma, the flavors, and the essence of the wine, where she can feel the notes of love. The next morning, Issei is extremely embarrassed to find his mother, Honoka sitting in front of him because neither he nor Yurika is properly dressed for the occasion. Honoka orders Issei to vacate the apartment because it’s her property, and he immediately leaves with Yurika.
Both Issei and Camille travel to France, where the third and final test will be organized. Before their arrival, an associate of Alexandre Leger visits Phillipe Chassangre and offers him a letter from the late wine collector. Issei and Camille are offered high-end hotel suites and tuxedos to participate in the test, and when they step inside the testing room, they’re astonished to see that reporters from all over have gathered to report on the competition. Camille does spot her mother in the crowd, and she’s her loudest supporter. There will be three rounds for the final duel, and the first round will be an academic one. Camille is disgusted to find Luca presiding as the main judge, along with a famous sommelier and a chef. Issei dominates the first test and answers the maximum number of questions correctly, and most of the answers that Camille provides are declared incorrect.
Finding Hirokazu
Meanwhile, Yurika visits the restaurant where Hirokazu had worked for a few days, and from there, she visits a construction site where he’s currently working. She sits down with him in his quarters and talks to him about the love Issei has for him, adding that the young man has always considered him his own father. Hirokazu requests that Yurika take care of Issei, and she leaves with him the photograph taken at Issei’s graduation.
The Pairing Of Food And Wine
The second round involves tasting fancy dishes and pairing each dish with the right wine. Camille has a bad reaction to the food items and feels sick. However, she powers through, and both competitors provide their own wine ideas to go with each dish. Luca makes it a point to audibly express his disappointment with each wine that Camille offers while praising Issei highly—a pathetic behavior that’s not lost on the other two judges. After the second round, there’s a photo session, and while posing with Camille, Luca whispers in her ear that she’s bound to lose. She can’t get one moment of rest because they need to leave for the final test within 15 minutes.
The Chassangre Vineyard
They get into the minibus, and Camille quickly falls asleep, unaware that Issei is peeking at her concernedly. When she wakes up, her face lights up because they’re nearing the Chassangre vineyard. The competitors are informed by Alexandre’s lawyer, Francois, that the final test will be one where each competitor will take a sip of an unnamed wine chosen by Leger himself and will have to recreate the blend. Camille and Issei shall have access to the entire Chassangre wine collection, but neither Phillipe nor Thomas can speak to either of the competitors to maintain decorum. Both Camille and Issei take a sip of the wine, and while Camille heads to the winery, Issei goes towards the fields. He takes a sniff of the soil, tastes a tinge of the earth, and is seen to be in deep thought. Camille, on the other hand, has quickly deduced the name of the wine and its year but needs to find out which exact variety it is from the 13 different choices. Thomas comes to visit her and then quietly leaves while she’s busy in thought.
What Does Issei Realize In The End?
At night, Camille is heading to her room at the living quarters provided by Phillipe, which is right next to Issei’s, when he clarifies the exact way he’d found the answer to Casa de Fossati. He says that he’d just found the name from the book where Alexandre had seen the painting and explains the entire thought process that allowed him to reach an answer. Contrary to him, Camille finds her answers by being able to see or hear the aromas and flavors of wines. He lets her know that he’s aware that it’s Chateuneaf-du-Pape, 1990, something she’d deduced with her own process. She goes to bed for the night as Issei sits at the table and takes another sip of the wine before heading to his room. However, just before leaving, he spots a strawberry on his table, but upon looking again, there’s nothing to be found.
Issei learned how to see the flavors and ingredients of wines through two women who were closer to his life than they realized. Earlier, Yurika had suggested that he close his eyes and try picturing the flavors, and he’s in love with her. Now, it’s his half-sister Camille who explained her process of deduction, and he cares about her a lot, even though she has no idea. Using the things he learned from these two women, Issei can finally see the correct variety needed to recreate the particular blend they’d been offered for the final test. This particular Chateauneuf-du-Pape 1990 used strawberry as its primary ingredient, and he’d finally learned to let go of his analytical skills to use his mind’s eye to understand wines better.
