After a plot-heavy season opener, Pachinko's sophomore outing closes some of the show's more pressing threads in its second episode, all while setting up the future of Sunja (Minha Kim) and Solomon's (Jin Ha) stories. Bolstered by Pachinko's cast of characters, the first episode hammered home the Apple TV+'s series skill at telling parallel stories across generations, but it neglected to provide any resolution for Isak (Steve Sang-Hyun Noh). In season 1, Isak offers to marry Sunja, who's gotten pregnant by the dashing-yet-already-married Hansu (Lee Min-ho), after she nurses him back to health.
In Pachinko season 1's ending, Isak is arrested by Japanese officials for committing a political crime, which snowballs into Isak's brother, Yoseb (Han Jun-woo), losing his job by affiliation. Forced to provide for her sons, Noa (Kim Kang-hoon) and Mozasu (Eunseong Kwon), as well as her in-laws, Sunja sells kimchi at the local market. In Pachinko's 1980s timeline, Solomon, who's working for Shiffley's, convinces Han Geum-ja (Park Hye-jin) not to sell her property, which ruins both the deal and Solomon's career. In Pachinko season 2, episode 1, both plots stall, but episode 2 offers answers.
Isak Returns Home in Pachinko Season 2, Episode 2
Sunja Is Determined To Save Her Husband's Life After Her Family Is Finally Reunited
The first episode of Pachinko season 2 briefly touches upon Isak's whereabouts, but the second outing sees Isak returning home. Previously, Sunja had confided in her friend, Jiyun (Jeong Sori), that she hadn't seen her husband in about seven years. Not only did Sunja's boys grow up without their father, both Pachinko's protagonist has struggled as the family's sole provider during the war. When Jiyun suggests Sunja illegally sell rice wine on the black market to earn extra money, the scheme goes south. Like Isak, Sunja is arrested, though her stint in custody is much shorter thanks to Hansu's influence.
Even though Isak can barely breathe, Sunja believes he can make a full recovery.
In episode 2, Mozasu worries that he'll never see his father again, prompting his older brother, Noa, to assure him that God is watching over the family. As fate would have it, an emaciated Isak stumbles home moments later. Even though Isak can barely breathe, Sunja believes he can make a full recovery. After all, in season 1, Sunja and her mother nursed Isak back to full health. An ever-determined Sunja leaves Isak and the boys to seek help, which leads her straight to Hansu. Almost immediately, Sunja realizes that her husband is home because Hansu made it happen.
Pachinko Season 2 Reveals The Truth Behind Isak's Incarceration
Isak Was Betrayed By A Fellow Pastor & Uses The Reveal To Teach His Son A Crucial Lesson
The most shocking reveal of Pachinko season 2's second episode is the betrayal that Isak weathered — the betrayal that ended with his incarceration. While Sunja is negotiating with Hansu, Isak sends Noa on an errand to fetch Pastor Hu (Junyoung Choi). Assuming that his father wants the pastor to pray over him, Noa agrees. In fact, Noa has an intense faith in the pastor, and in God, which makes the reveal of what really happened to Isak all the more heart-wrenching. When Noa and Hu arrive, Isak sends Mozasu away so that he can have a private conversation.
...Isak also tells Mozasu that true wealth is to be loved.
Without mincing words, Isak suggests that Pastor Hu got him thrown in prison. Instead of evading the accusation, Pastor Hu confronts it head on. Evidently, he became jealous when Isak became the favored pastor-in-training. Noa is heartbroken and furious that his own mentor has robbed him of having a father for nearly a decade. In a shocking twist, Isak forgives Pastor Hu, all to teach Noa a valuable life lesson about mercy. It isn't the dying man's only crucial bit of wisdom, as Isak also tells Mozasu that true wealth is to be loved.
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Isak Dies & Sunja Prepares To Leave The City Because Of A Bomb Threat
Sunja Accepts Hansu's Offer In Return For Medical Help — But Isak Dies Anyway
While the family waits for Hansu's doctor to arrive, Isak tells the boys, "No matter what, you are my sons, and I am your father." It's a grave bit of foreshadowing of the tragedy that's about to hit Sanju's family. The doctor confirms that Isak has sepsis, which means he'll be dead within a few hours. Holding her dying husband, Sunja promises Isak that their children will lead good lives. After Isak passes, Sunja and her sons lead a funeral possession through town with Isak's coffin. Just as Isak is about to be cremated, air-raid sirens blare.
...the sirens only confirm what Hansu has been saying: Sunja and her family are in danger if they stay in the city any longer.
The aching moment is a reminder of why Pachinko is one of TV's best shows. Plus, the sirens only confirm what Hansu has been saying: Sunja and her family are in danger if they stay in the city any longer. During her earlier conversation with Hansu, Sunja asks if her one-time lover could have saved Isak sooner, but he's evasive. Ultimately, Hansu agrees to send a doctor to Isak only if Sunja flees to his countryside refuge. Sunja agrees out of her love for Isak, but, now, she needs to uphold her end of the bargain.
Solomon Devises A Revenge Plan With Han Geum-ja In Pachinko Season 2, Episode 2
Han Geum-ja Reveals That Her Land Has A Disturbing History
In Pachinko's other timeline, Solomon swallows his pride and begs Abe-san (Yoshio Maki) to stop wrecking his career prospects. The groveling gets Solomon nowhere, with Abe-san reiterating that he's not to be crossed. This altercation prompts Solomon to visit Han Geum-ja. He explains to his former client that in convincing her to hold fast to her land, Solomon sacrificed his job at Shiffley's and, in turn, his American visa. Eventually, Han Geum-ja lets slip that she lucked into the land because it was being used by the military to bury corpses during the war.
[Han Geum-ja has] made a lifelong effort to steer her thoughts away from the land's dark past.
Struck with inspiration, Solomon suggests they spread the news that the land is still the final resting place for all of those wartime casualties. It's a harrowing reminder that Pachinko is based on real history — a history that Han Geum-ja has tried to forget. Moreover, Solomon's grandmother stand-in isn't interested in "exploiting the dead" for personal gain. Ever-persistent, Solomon eventually closes the deal, all while scheming to publicly reveal that Han Geum-ja's former property is a burial ground in Pachinko's next episode.
New episodes of Pachinko season 2 air on Fridays on Apple TV+ through October 11, 2024.
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Created by Soo Hugh, Pachinko is a Drama series created for Apple TV that was released in 2022. The series stars Soji Arai, Jun-woo Han, and Jin Ha. The series follows multiple characters as they attempt to navigate their lives in New York, Japan, and Korea.
- Cast
- Eun-chae Jung , Jin Ha , Kaho Minami , Yuh-Jung Youn , In-ji Jeong , Lee Min-ho , Jimmi Simpson , Jun-woo Han , Anna Sawai , Min-ha Kim , Soji Arai , Steve Sanghyun Noh
- Release Date
- March 25, 2022
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Apple TV+
