Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Pachinko Season 2 Episode 3.
Many television shows depict the events of World War II, but not every show can capture the terrifying effects of everything you know suddenly being ripped from you. There are also not many series that can illustrate how a child would experience this life-changing occurrence. In the first few episodes of Season 2 of Apple TV+’s Pachinko, Sunja (Minha Kim) and her family are struggling to adjust to the many changes that have happened because of the ongoing war. In Episode 3, Sunja and her sister-in-law, Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae) must keep brave faces in front of Sunja’s children, Noa (Kim Kang-hoon) and Mozasu (Eun-seong Kwon). The adults’ horror at the impact of war (and how unfair it all is) directly contrasts with Mozasu’s lighthearted, innocent acceptance of their fate. It is this portrayal that further represents Pachinko‘s ability to tell a heart-wrenching, yet honest story. The episode switches from the 1945 timeline to that of Sunja’s grandson, Solomon (Jin Ha) in 1989, continuing to connect the generations in their quest for survival.
Sunja and Her Family Flee the City in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 3
The episode opens in almost complete darkness; it is pretty difficult to see the action unfolding at first, which is the only downside to the storytelling in Episode 3. However, even though some of the images are hard to make out, it is clear from the sounds of air sirens and planes that the war has truly arrived in the city. People are frantically running through the streets, and Sunja and her family struggle to stay together. Hansu (Lee Minho) corrals them, telling Sunja and Kyunghee that they must pack immediately. Sunja tells Kyunghee that Hansu is a family friend (which isn’t technically a lie) and that he can be trusted. Mr. Kim (Kim Sungkyu), Hansu’s right-hand man, helps them scramble to pack, even though it is a painful process to determine what should be taken and what should be left behind. They rush to Hansu’s car and attempt to drive through the crowded streets that are packed with desperate people trying to escape. In a heartbreaking moment, Sunja spots her friend, Jiyun (Jeong Sori); when she asks if they can stop to help her, the men explain to Sunja that if they stop, they’ll never make it out of the city. Several people bang on the car, screaming, “Take mercy on us.” The last shot of the scene is the car driving away, and the landscape behind them is filled with explosion after explosion. Noa’s eyes grow wide as he watches in horror as the city is decimated.
Daylight breaks, and the family arrives in the countryside at the home that Hansu has arranged for them. The women inquire when they’ll be able to go back home, and Hansu offers them the stark reality: “I doubt your home is even standing now.” Each of the women is reluctant to stay for different reasons: Kyunghee doesn’t want to be so far from her husband or live with Mr. Kim (which was improper for that time period), but Sunja is afraid of what it means to accept Hansu’s help. Will she be even further in debt to him? And will Noa start to suspect Hansu’s true identity? In a moment of self-reflection, Sunja speaks of how much has changed since she first met Hansu 14 years ago, “I am no longer the girl at the cove… I’m a widow now, like my mother.” She walks away, softly crying, but also, as is typical for Sunja, she is resigned to her fate.
In subsequent scenes, Hansu continues to visit. Sunja and Kyunghee work in the rice paddy fields (enduring gossiping co-workers who denigrate them for being Korean), but Hansu’s appearances are bright spots (as much as it pains Sunja to accept this). He brings a radio, candy for Mosazu, and newspapers for Noa (telling him that he “must learn to read what is not there.”) Hansu is trying to nurture the boy’s intelligence (as well as encourage him to understand the world better). Sunja reminds Noa to not forget his father, and Noa insists he could never. Hansu also brings the boys a kite, and there is a flash of levity when they’re flying it, until many planes start flying overhead. The family looks on in fear, until Mr. Kim reassures them that they’re flying north (nowhere near them or Kyunghee’s husband). Even in the brief moments when they’re able to escape the heaviness of war, it somehow keeps creeping back in.
A Stakeout Brings Excitement in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 3
Even though they have fled to the countryside, Mosazu doesn’t seem to be minding the change. The little boy finds this life to be much more exciting than living in the city, and delights in the fact that a thief is stealing their eggs. Mr. Kim suggests a stakeout to figure out who the culprit is. With white headbands tied around their foreheads, Mosazu, Noa, Mr. Kim, and Kyunghee wait to nab the robber in the act. While they’re waiting, the boys question Mr. Kim about his past. He explains that he met Hansu about 15 years ago when he was on the docks. He credits Hansu with getting him out of a troubled life. Mr. Kim’s family had owned a farm in Korea, but when the Japanese took over, a clerk made an error when reporting the size of their land. His father ended up not being able to pay the tax bill, and the land was taken from them. His younger siblings were sent away, and his parents’ marriage soured. One day, his father went into the fields and didn’t come back. He says, “I buried him there, where his potatoes once grew.”
This story is an insight into a private man, and Kyunghee seems touched by his openness about his past. The crew then discovers that a bunch of young boys are the ones stealing the eggs. One of them is Noa’s classmate from back in the city; he frequently tormented Noa for being Korean. The boy explains that he and the other kids are evacuees and that they are always starving. Noa displays his humanity (much to Mosazu’s dismay), and not only lets the boy go, but they offer him some eggs to take back with him. Mr. Kim praises Noa’s decision, saying, “It is better to have an enemy owe you than the other way around.”
‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 3 Features Solomon’s Fight For Success
After not appearing in Episode 2, older Sunja (Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung) gets another storyline that showcases her strength. She is shopping in the same grocery store where Solomon had his outburst in Episode 1. An older man (Jun Kunimura) approaches her and tells her that “it took courage for your grandson to speak up” the way he did. Sunja is uncomfortable speaking this way with someone she doesn’t know, but then she sees the man again at a park, feeding the birds. She tells him that Solomon “is a good boy, but he’s struggling at the moment.” The man understands the situation, and says, “You can’t blame him for not living in a world gone mad, can you?” This is the perfect juxtaposition between Sunja’s earlier timeline and 1989; both stories exist in a world where their struggles as Koreans are minimized and dismissed. Sunja confesses to the man that she thought things would be so much easier for Solomon, and the man responds, “No matter the time, life is never easy…unless we’re gods.” The scene ends with the man shooing the birds away, as the creatures majestically take flight.
Two incredible actors from Season 1 (Jimmi Simpson and Anna Sawai) pop back up in Solomon’s timeline, and they’re a welcome sight. Solomon goes back to Shiffley’s to meet with Tom Andrews (Simpson), telling him that Abe-san (Yoshio Maki) is the new target. Tom doesn’t want to help Solomon at first, until Solomon admits that he knows why Tom was relegated to Japan (there were some irregularities with his accounts, even though the firm eventually cleared him). He asks Tom what he truly wants, and Tom says that he wants to see his kids more than once a year. Solomon pushes him, saying, “That’s not what you really want…you really want to go home.” Solomon convinces Tom to help so that he can prove his worthiness to the firm once more and perhaps return to the U.S.
Solomon then chats with Naomi (Sawai), telling her that the landowner has decided to sell. But it’s not just that he wants to impress Naomi. He tells her, “I just want you to know, you’re the one who should be running this place.” Because she’s smarter and more hardworking than anyone else, he knows it must be frustrating that she hasn’t risen higher in the company ranks. He tells her he’s rooting for her and starts to leave the building, but Naomi catches him getting into the elevator. The tension between the two builds as they wait for other people to exit the elevator. They decide to go on a date, and Solomon takes her for yakitori (a kind of Japanese kebab) at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. He’s no longer trying to put on airs for her, admitting it’s cheap (but still tasty).
Solomon decides to be upfront with Naomi, saying he’s done pretending to be someone he’s not. But he doesn’t want Naomi to feel like she’s getting bamboozled into a relationship. He says, “You’re free to walk away, no hard feelings,” but also, in a statement that is nakedly honest about how Solomon feels about himself, he says, “I’m not always going to be this low.” Naomi sits thoughtfully for a moment and then toasts him with her beer. It is a quiet acceptance of what Solomon has said, as well as the true start of their relationship outside the office.
The End of Season 2, Episode 3 Compares ‘Pachinko’s Timelines
The final moments of the episode show Solomon watching Han Geum-ja (Park Hye-jin) leave her home for the final time. The plan is officially coming together, and on the phone, he says that the property now belongs to Abe-san. It is a bittersweet scene with the loss of the property, as well as Solomon beginning his takedown of Abe-san. Then the action flips to 1945 with Kyunghee, who can’t sleep. She goes for a walk, only to spot Mr. Kim, who is also awake at the late hour. She watches him wistfully but takes no action to speak with him. The episode closes with a lightning storm, signifying the start of exciting new paths with a hint of danger for both Kyunghee and Solomon. This episode is another solid entry into Pachinko‘s second season. With impeccable acting from both Sunjas (especially Yuh-jung’s subtle, yet moving displays of emotion) and the inclusion of both Simpson and Sawai, the talents of the full cast are present again. Although the world might feel out of control in both timelines, Sunja and Solomon are fighting to keep their heads above water in an episode filled with both despair and a glimmer of hope.
New episodes of Pachinko Season 2 are available to stream every Friday on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
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