Editor's note: The below recap contains spoilers for the Pachinko Season 2 finale.
The second season of Apple TV+'s Pachinko has seen the characters' lives thrown into chaos. Whether it's the trauma of war or coming-of-age growing pains, no character has been safe from experiencing pain. In both timelines, they strive to achieve happiness (even if it's misguided, like Solomon's quest for power), but there is always the throughline of Sunja (played in her younger years by Minha Kim and as a senior by Youn Yuh-jung) doing whatever she can to help her family thrive. Even though they've survived a lot, Sunja still understands that there will always be hardships, asking Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae) in Episode 8, "Do you actually believe we are out of the woods?" She knows, better than anyone, that true strength is getting back up again, even after you've been knocked down, and that no one is ever truly safe from torment. The finale of Pachinko's second season illustrates resilience in an incredibly moving way.
Mozasu Meets an Echo of His Past in the 'Pachinko' Season 2 Finale
In 1951, Mozasu (Mansaku Takada) and his friends are using magnets to cheat at a game in a pachinko parlor. The owner, Goto-san, catches him, and says, "Because I like your mother's noodles so much, I'll show you some mercy." Instead of punishing him, he tells Sunja that Mozasu would be better served working alongside him in the parlor versus heading back to school (where he shows little interest). Goto-san admits that Mozasu is not like Noa and probably won't achieve academic success. Sunja has a difficult time agreeing to let Mozasu drop out of school, but Kyunghee is even more doubtful. She worries about him working at a gambling site, but after thinking about it, Sunja knows that this is the best choice for her younger son (who needs to carve out his own path in life).
Later in the episode, 15-year-old Mozasu is seen sweeping floors in the parlor, hard at work, when he comes across the man who stabbed Hansu's father-in-law in Episode 7. He has a seven-year-old boy, Mamoru, with him. The two meeting becomes relevant in the 1989 timeline. Mozasu discovers that the loan for his pachinko parlor has been paid off by Solomon (Jin Ha). He heads to see Solomon, who is giving a big presentation about his upcoming golf club. He says that out of 500 spots in the member-only club, only 47 remain, and they plan on breaking ground in 90 days. When questioned by someone in the audience about a potential real estate crash, Solomon falters for a moment, especially when he sees his father in the crowd. But he regains his composure, and says that he thinks of a crash as an "amusing rumor." He reassures everyone that land prices have never fallen in Japan since World War II, that real estate will always be king, and that Japan is poised to overtake the US as the largest economy in the world.
Mozasu is then seen meeting with Mamoru Yoshii (Louis Ozawa), whom he met as a child in the pachinko parlor. Mozasu states firmly that Yoshii should stay away from Solomon, but Yoshii comes back with, "Your son is going to make a lot of money for me." Although we don't know exactly what he's referring to, Mozasu says, "We both know I could've destroyed you back then. Instead, I showed you mercy. If you bring any harm to my son, there will be no more mercy from me. You know what I'm capable of." This is a clear threat, but it also begs the question: what kind of man has Solomon decided to partner up with if Mozasu needs to resort to this kind of warning?
Is Sunja's Friendship Over in the 'Pachinko' Season 2 Finale?
Sunja and Kato (Jun Kunimura) meet at a coffee shop, and Sunja confesses to Kato that Mozasu hired an investigator to look into him. She says that she knows Mozasu had good intentions and was only trying to protect her. When she looks at him sadly, Kato says that he knows Sunja thinks he's a murderer because of his involvement in the massacre of American POWs (which was described in Episode 7) back during the war. He tells Sunja that they were told the Americans were the enemy, and that they were there to rape and murder Japanese women. He says that he believed this, and that because of the horrible conditions they were living in, the Japanese soldiers at that point were "barely human." He explains that, "when the orders came, my soul slipped out of my body, and I did as I was told. But that wasn't the final order." Their last instructions were to forget that it had happened at all.
At first, it seems as though Sunja understands where Kato is coming from. She says kindly, "We were all fools to think the past could be forgotten." But then she gives him the leather wallet she bought for him in Episode 6, and says, "I wish you well," and leaves. This is a heartbreaking ending to Sunja's relationship with Kato, who introduced her to new things and became a companion to her at a time when she was so lonely. It does not seem that Sunja actually judges Kato for his actions back during the war, but rather that she can't find it in herself to keep spending time with someone whose ties to the past are so heavy.
Is 'Pachinko' Based on a True Story?
How much truth is in Sunja's story?
Noa Finally Learns the Truth in the 'Pachinko' Season 2 Finale
In 1951, it seems that Noa (Kang Tae-Ju) is thriving. He confidently shares his opinions about Tolstoy in his class, and spends time with his new girlfriend, Akiko (Kilala Inori). Although it seems that Akiko comes from a more privileged background than Noa, their relationship is sweet. Akiko brings up his weekly dinners with his benefactor, who we know to be Hansu (Lee Min-ho). But Noa states that the only thing he'll ever ask of her is to never meet Hansu.
Hansu also seems to be thriving after he ordered the assassination of his father-in-law. Apparently, his daughter's upcoming marriage to Kurogane-san was called off, but when he meets with the man, it becomes clear that they're still doing business together. Hansu introduces Noa to Kurogane-san, and tells him that Noa will be going into politics. When Hansu and Noa have dinner together alone, Noa explains that he doesn't want that as a career and that he wants to be a teacher. Just when things can't get more tense, Akiko shows up, deliberately going against Noa's wishes. She lies and says that Noa invited her. Hansu knows her father (who is the foreign undersecretary), and he seems pleased with the girl as a match for Noa.
Later, when they are back at the university, Noa explodes at Akiko, displaying an anger that he hasn't shown previously. He asks, "Do you think I'm someone you can just trifle with?" The two squabble back and forth, until Akiko makes a statement that Noa can never unhear. She tells Noa that it's obvious that Hansu is his father. He grabs her by the throat, pushing her up against the wall, and only lets go once he realizes what he's doing. He runs back to Hansu's and pleads with Hansu to tell him that it's not true. When Hansu admits that he is indeed Noa's father, Noa calls him a "foul man." But Hansu retorts with, "The blood that courses through me runs in you as well. Not the blood of that nitwit you called a father all those years." Insulting the kind Isak is the last straw for Noa. Hansu seems to think that Noa finding out about his paternity is a good thing, saying, "You are mine. We can finally put an end to this charade." But Noa is bereft.
He heads back to his home in Osaka, meeting Sunja outside, and tells her that he came home from school simply because he wanted to see her face. Sunja, with a mother's intuition, senses that something is wrong, but Noa insists he's fine, saying, "For the first time, I feel like I can do anything." He leaves for the train, and as soon as he walks away, Sunja starts finding it hard to breathe. She runs, crying, through the streets, calling after Noa. In the next scene, Sunja is at Hansu's, and we learn that it has been weeks since anyone saw Noa. Sunja is heartbroken and says that because of their actions and their secrets, they have ruined Noa. But Hansu still doesn't seem to get how Noa has been hurt, telling Sunja that "all your sacrifices, all my sins, we did it for him." Sunja knows that her son is not well, and she understands that Noa coming to say goodbye to her was his way of showing her mercy before leaving.
'Pachinko's Season 2 Finale Shows the Characters' Resilience
Solomon and Tom (Jimmi Simpson) are celebrating their business venture in a club. Tom tells Solomon that he's not going back to the US, and that Yoshii offered him a job running a new gaming venture in Macau. Tom had said in Episode 3 that he wanted to go back to America to be with his kids, but like Solomon, his actions show that he's willing to place his career over his relationships. Solomon also admits that the main reason he's stuck around in Japan is because he still wants his enemy, Abe-san, to be cursing his name. Later in the episode, Solomon is watching the news when they announce that Abe-san has died by suicide. They said he fell from a cliff; no note was found, but his shoes were. Perhaps Season 3 will explore how this man's death affects Solomon (since he was pretty much responsible for it).
In 1989, Sunja sits down to dinner with Mozasu. She talks to him about how her father used to tell her stories about mythical horses who were separated from their shadows. Then she says to him, "I wonder sometimes why do some people in this world manage to survive, while others do not? Is it those who find their shadows and those who don't? Because a body cannot live without its shadow. Those shadows tell us where we are. Whatever it is, you and I are here. We are here." This speech speaks to how much Sunja has had to overcome and how much loss she has endured. She doesn't understand how some people are capable of coming out of the woods unscathed, while others do not, but she will still always have the spirit of a survivor.
The last scene shows Noa in 1951. He sells the watch that Hansu gave him in Episode 7 and has taken the train to Nagano. He shows up at a shop, and asks the man outside if they're hiring. He says that there could be an available job, as long as "you're not one of those Koreans." Noa smiles, insists that he isn't, and gives him a fake Japanese name (thereby cutting off his Korean identity for good). The camera pans out to show that the building says 'pachinko' on it. Noa has decided to hide out in a place that ends up having so much meaning to his family.
The finale episode ends with a haunting rendition of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" by BLACKPINK's Rose. These lyrics speak to how far a person is capable of falling (even if they feel at times like they rule the world). Each character's life is in turmoil, but they are all trying to survive the best way they know how. There are plenty of loose ends that will set up Pachinko for an incredible Season 3 (if it's renewed), but Season 2 has proven to be a masterpiece of extraordinary acting and storytelling.
Seasons 1-2 of Pachinko are available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
The Pachinko Season 2 finale throws each character's happiness into jeopardy.
- Several actors get to showcase their range (especially Tae-Ju Kang as Noa).
- There are plenty of loose ends that set up nicely for a third season.
- Every storyline threads together seamlessly.
- It can be a little confusing to remember how side characters are related to one another in the 1989 timeline.
Watch on Apple TV+
Comments
Post a Comment