Summary
“Duel” may introduce glimmers of a possible, cliched romantic subplot, but the series continues to be consistently entertaining and refreshing on the whole. It’s still surprising just how tense and dramatic this wine-tasting drama can be.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Drops of God Season 1 Episode 3, “Duel,” which contains spoilers.
Camille (Fleur Geffrier) is running out of time with the competition’s first test due to conclude in a matter of days.
She enlists the help of Luca (Diego Ribon) and his sommeliers to help pinpoint the exact wine they are after. Issei (Tomohisa Yamashita) may already know the answer, but his family is trying everything within their power to stop him from participating in this contest.
Drops of God Season 1 Episode 3 Recap
“Duel” opens with Issei packing away his business. He’s been forced out by his family. The business is revealed to have been called Drops of God. Issei meets with a reporter called Yurika Katase to make his official announcement.
Issei tells Yurika that he will be withdrawing from the competition so that he can dedicate his life to the family business, Tomine Diamonds. Yurika is disappointed that Issei has wasted her time and is withdrawing from the competition. She asks him to reconsider.
Meanwhile, in France, Camille has five days left to practice. She’s rediscovered her taste buds and is testing out every wine they can get their hands on. Camille has managed to identify more aromas, including celery root, but they can’t even begin to locate the actual wine.
What is Lignage?
Thomas and his dad debate the possibilities of a wine with celery root aromas. Philippe remembers a strange wine made by Andre Gigon called Lignage, which he believes could be the exact one. They researched the wine, Gigon went bankrupt and sold off all his bottles. The last bottle went for ten grand online.
Camille is leaving for Tokyo that night. They have only hours to track Gigon down. Thomas drives them to Gigon’s home. On the way, they discuss relationships. Camille finds it hard to socialize because she’s teetotal. Gigon’s son thinks Camille may have tasted a Lignage from 1987.
Who is Lorenzo?
In Tokyo, Camille reunites with Luca. The competition is all over the Japanese news. Luca introduces Camille to his nephew Lorenzo, who is training to be a sommelier (a wine waiter). Camille thinks she knows what the wine from the first challenge was but needs to taste it to be sure.
Luca tracks down a Lignage 1990 from one of his restaurants in Osaka. They plan to serve this bottle, which costs 12 grand, to a wealthy businessman called Mr. Matsubara. Miyabi and Lorenzo train Camille to serve wine, but her father taught her when she was only 8 years old.
Is the Lignage the right wine?
That night, Camille serves the expensive bottle, and while Mr. Matsubara is distracted, she sniffs the wine. Camille needs to taste it still to be certain. They wait until the meal is over, and Camille extracts the last drops from the bottle. She tastes it and concludes that it isn’t the right one. She informs Thomas over the phone, adding that she misses him.
Issei’s grandfather urges Honoka to persuade Issei to drop out of the competition. Honoka asks husband Hirokazu to convince their son to announce his withdrawal. Issei realizes that wine is his life and refuses to quit the competition.
Thomas flies out to Camille to help her win the competition with only 48 hours to go. Lorenzo and Miyabi offer Camille many different wines to taste, but none seem to be right. They go to a karaoke bar to clear their minds, and Thomas has a light-bulb moment. It isn’t celery root that Camille is smelling, but actually truffle.
This narrows down their options to two possible wines, although the vintage (year) is still unclear. Both Issei and Camille head to Alexandre’s home for the conclusion of the first round of the test. Issei drinks the wine and makes a super quick decision. Camille takes longer, sniffing and inspecting the drink.
Who wins the first round of the competition?
Camille chooses Chateau Cheval Blanc 1999 but then hesitates and changes her answer to 2000 instead. The answer is revealed. They guessed the correct wine, but Issei chose 1999, and Camille chose 2000. Issei is the winner; it was extremely close.
Drops of God Season 1 Episode 3 Ending Explained
The results of the test are announced on the news. Issei’s grandfather is furious that his grandson ignored their requests and continued the tests. Honoka speaks to Hirokazu over the phone, angry that her husband couldn’t convince Issei to drop the game.
In the final moments of the episode, Hirokazu asks for an envelope and places his key belongings, including his wedding ring, inside it. This implies that Hirokazu is going to commit suicide after receiving abuse from both his wife and son throughout the week.
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