Sunja’s Arrest & 7 other reveals

Spoilers ahead for Pachinko Season 2, Episode 1, “Chapter 9.”

Apple TV + critically acclaimed Pachinko is back for a second season. Supported by Pachinkos cast of letters, The first episode is already a great reminder of just how compelling the intergenerational story of love and sacrifice can be.. In season 1, the younger Sunja (Minha Kim) settles in Osaka, Japan, with Isaac (Steve Sang-Hyun Noh), the minister who offered to marry her after she became pregnant with the dashing-yet-married Hansu s. (Lee Min-ho) Child. Meanwhile, in the 1980s, Solomon (Jin Ha), Sunja’s grandson, eagerly awaits a promotion at his bank.

in Pachinko Season 1’s endingIsaac is arrested by Japanese officials for committing a political crime. Isaac’s brother, Yosob (Hon Jun-woo), loses his job for being involved with his sister, who only strengthens Sunja’s determination to provide for her sonsNoa (Kim Kang-hoon) and Mozasu (Eunseong Kwon), as well as her in-laws, Yoseb and Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae). To do this, Sunja decided to sell kimchi at the market. Meanwhile, in Pachinkos other timeline, Solomon ruins his deal by telling the client, who reminds him of his grandmother (Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung), to turn down the offer.

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World War II defines the timeline of Pachinko Season 2 from 1945

Sunja continues to sell kimchi to support her family

If anything, the Japan setting of World War II Season 2 is a harrowing reminder of that Pachinko is based on a true story. Picking up where the first installment left off, Sunja continues to sell kimchi at the market near the train station to provide for her family. Ever determined, she even tells a frequent customer, Mr. Kim (Kim Sungkyu) about her passion to ensure a better life for her sons and their future families. As they speak, American planes fly low over the market, dropping leaflets. But that scene is far from Pachinkos only reminder of his wartime setting.

While the leaflets encourage Japanese citizens to ask their government for an end to the war, the friction in everyday communities and households reaches a boiling point of its own. In one scene, Sunja and her sons participate in government-mandated military drills, stabbing dummies with weapons in order to prepare for invaders. All the while, Sunja faces anti-Korean discrimination—something that seems even more common when people are looking for a way to vent their wartime frustrations. This is certainly a bleak reminder of the real-life prejudices Korean people faced while living in Japan in the 1940s..

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Mozasu & Noa handle their classmates’ bigotry differently

The real-life discrimination Korean people living in Japan face is captured in Pachinko Season 2

However, the discrimination is also present in Noah and Mozasu’s life at school Sunja’s sons handle the anti-Korean bigotry very differently. Noah, who is a teenager, allows his classmates to throw racist insults at him, believing that ignoring their bullying is a better (and safer) way. When the younger Mozasu’s classmates make fun of his Korean food, Mozasu stands on his desk, shouting about how much he loves the meal. Although he is reprimanded by the teacher, Mozasu seems to shake off his bullies. Later, one of Nou’s teachers, who hides his own Korean identity to avoid persecution, suggests Nou pursue higher education.

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Jiyun convinces Sunja to sell rice wine on the Black Market

Both women are desperate to help their families at any cost

In a tragic twist, Sunja’s friend, Jiyun (Jeong Sori), is beaten by her husband – a sad truth she tries to protect her children from. Pachinko Season 2 suggests that the abuse is just one of many examples of wartime aggression unfolding at home. Even so, Jiyun, like Sunja, is determined to provide for her family no matter what. Jiyun suggests that she and Sunja share illegal rice wine on the black market to earn extra money to feed their families. initially, Sunja hesitates, but Kyunghee later reminds her that the boys ate worm-riddled rice rations.

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Sunja is arrested for selling rice wine

Hansu ensures that Sunja does not go to jail

After stopping by Jiyun’s home to collect their goods, Sunja goes to the black market on her own to sell the rice wine. Jiyun laments the fact that she can’t join her friend, but Sunja insists that her experience selling kimchi near the train station will equate to success in the black market as well. Sunja’s tense walk to the black market is a reminder of that Pachinko is one of the best TV shows, especially since the sequence is intercut with Solomon’s 1989-set story. The parallels between Sunja and Solomon’s stories continue to be some of the most powerful moments.

Suddenly, Jiyun bursts into Kyunghee’s house to alert her and the boys that Sunja has been arrested for selling the rice wine in the black market. It was always a risky endeavor, but clearly the women didn’t think their worst fears would come to pass on the first night of Sunja’s business. While waiting for her sentence, Sunja listens to other arrested women receiving their own punishment. While everyone else gets weeks or months in jail, Sunja was released without sentence. Outside, Sunja finds Mr. Kim waiting for her, insisting that she get in his car.

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Hansu offers Sunja refuge from the imminent bombing of Japan

Hansu was supplying Japanese troops with tungsten

Mr. Kim and Sunja arrive at a mansion – one that belongs to none other than Hansu, who reveals that he has been keeping an eye on her and Nou, his biological son, for years. Memorable, in Pachinko Season 1, Sunja refused Hansu’s help because he wouldn’t marry her, even though she used his watch to pay off some debts. Mr. Kim, Sunja’s long-time friendly customer, was actually hired by Hansu to keep tabs on Sunja. Hansu goes on to explain that he has been supplying the Japanese troops with tungstenAn expensive resource used in the creation of planes and weapons.

More importantly, Hansu’s position as a tungsten supplier made him aware of some critical details of warfare. He tells Sunja that he overheard a conversation that suggested it was only a matter of time before the Americans bombed Japan. Armed with his insider knowledge, Hansu knows that Sunja – that no one – will be safe in Japan’s big cities. He offers Sunja a refuge in the countryside, saying that she, the boys, and Kyunghee can all live safely there. Sunja refuses Hansu’s generous offer, claiming that she loves her husband too much to leave.

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Solomon tries to save his career after his actions in the finale

The 1989 timeline is set in Tokyo during Pachinko season 2

in PachinkoThe timeline of 1989, Solomon struggled to get funding for his latest business venture after completely tanking his career at the end of Pachinko Season 1. Several investors, including a friend, turn on Solomon, citing his emotional state as a dangerous variable. When he meets Tetsuya (Ryotaro Sugimoto), a childhood friend, things take a positive turn. Although Tetsuya is wary of his own reputation, he is willing to invest some money in Solomon’s efforts, based solely on the fact that Solomon was a good man years ago.

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Senior Mozasu opens a pachinko parlor

Monzasu also invested in Solomon’s next venture

The grand opening of elder Mozasu’s (Soji Arai) pachinko parlor is an exciting moment for the whole family, including Solomon. Eager to spread his opening day happiness, Manzasu invests in Solomon’s business, and he gives him a check for $700,000. Although it is part of the mortgage Manzasu took out against his new business, the money also belongs to Sunja, Solomon’s grandmother. Solomon hesitates to accept the money from his family – until Tetsuya calls to say he’s withdrawing his investment. Word on the street is that Solomon is canned investors.

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Solomon calls a person who is racist his grandmother

Sunja becomes the target of Solomon’s anger

Already upset about Tetsuya’s change of heart – something that was instigated by Katsu Abe (Yoshio Maki), a client of Solomon’s former boss – Solomon is on the verge of an outburst. Sunja wants to distract her grandson, and he asks him to come pick up a cake she ordered for the grand opening of the pachinko parlor. When Sunja lets the baker know that her order is wrong, he makes racist remarks about her and, in his opinion, her inability to speak Japanese. anger, Shlomo yells at the man despite the grandmother’s protests.

After they leave the bakery, Solomon rips up Mozasu’s check. In one of the most heartbreaking moments of the episode, Solomon turns his anger on Sunja. “I can’t live forever feeling sorry for you,“He sits, completely unaware of just how much his grandmother sacrificed for him. The episode ends with Solomon turning up at an award ceremony to glare threateningly at Abe. While Solomon is at a low point and refuses the help of his family, it will be interesting to see how the younger Sunja’s story parallels her grandson’s. Pachinko Season 2, Episode 2.

New episodes of Pachinko Season 2 airs on Apple TV+ on Fridays until October 11, 2024.