Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Pachinko Season 2 Episode 4.
Apple TV+’s Pachinko has always done a fantastic job intertwining the two alternating storylines. In its latest season, Sunja (played in her younger years by Minha Kim and by Youn Yuh-jung as an older woman) must survive WWII in 1945 and cope with her worries about her grandson, Solomon (Jin Ha), in 1989. She is consistently a fierce matriarch, who puts the safety and well-being of her family above her own. In Episode 4, Sunja is reminded that her past will always color her present, no matter how far she tries to outrun it. But she also sees that the world can constantly surprise her, even when she’s struggling.
A Welcome Guest Joins Sunja’s Family in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 4
The episode opens with Mozasu (Eun-seong Kwon) having a heart-to-heart with Mr. Kim (Kim Sungkyu). The little boy switches effortlessly between Korean and Japanese when he speaks, illustrating that he has little problem incorporating both sides into his identity. Mozasu tells Mr. Kim that Noa (Kim Kang-hoon) has become no fun since they evacuated to the country, but Mr. Kim reminds him that Noa is the head of the household now. This position is a burden, as much as it is an honor. There is “no room for failure as the eldest,” which speaks to the great responsibility Noa now experiences after Isak’s death. The scene switches to Noa and his old classmate, Minoru (Kaito Takamura), walking in the fields. The two have bonded since Noa showed the boy mercy after catching him stealing in the previous episode. Minoru apologizes for teasing Noa so badly when they were still in the city. The boys examine some insects on a log. Noa insists that although they look gross now, “they’ll reveal themselves soon,” which is a perfect metaphor for growing up.
While Sunja is working out on the rice paddies, Hansu’s car pulls up, bringing a special guest to the country. Sunja looks on in complete shock as her mother (who she hasn’t seen in years) steps out. Yangjin (Inji Jeong) and Sunja run towards each other and embrace, finally reunited at last. At dinner, Mozasu asks his grandmother questions about her journey from Korea. The eager boy continues to switch back and forth between languages, and it’s clear that Yanjin doesn’t understand him when he’s speaking Japanese. She reminds the boys, “You must not forget that you are Korean.” Hansu returns, and it is clear that now Sunja is now even more indebted to him for managing to bring Yangjin to Japan. Sunja begrudgingly asks him to stay for dinner, which opens up another avenue for Hansu to stay linked to Sunja and her family.
Hansu and Sunja Reconnect in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 4
Later in the episode, Sunja goes out for a walk at night. Hansu drives up next to her. He asks Sunja if she’s ever driven a car before. When she says she hasn’t, he responds, “Everyone should drive a car at least once in their life.” He decides to give Sunja a driving lesson. Even though she’s not very good at first, she starts to loosen up, and then they’re flying quickly down a dirt road in the darkness. But when a fallen branch spooks Sunja, they end up crashing off to the side of the road. They both get out to try and push the car out of the mud, which they’re finally able to do. Hansu, still wrapped up in his obsession with Sunja, kisses her. She kisses him back until she hears a noise in the fields. She returns to reality, and then feels guilty since her husband has only recently passed away. Hansu, frustrated that Sunja won’t just give in, asks, “How much longer must you serve that grave?” He reminds her that she deserves happiness, but Sunja states that it’s simply too late for her.
When she returns to their home, Yangjin has put the pieces together. She knows that Hansu is Noa’s real father, but she reminds Sunja that “the boy must never know.” Sunja wants her mother to understand that she has always tried to be respectable, as well as tried to be a good mother herself. With a fire in her eyes, she tells Yangjin, “I remembered myself.” It is a moment of connection between the two, and it shows that Sunja is still succumbing to propriety and obligation versus what she might really want for herself.
But Hansu has not taken Sunja’s rejection of him well. He had learned that his foreman was stealing chickens, and decides to take his fury out on the man. He beats the man senselessly, but what he doesn’t know at first is that Noa and Minoru are nearby (observing the fireflies). The boys look on in horror as Hansu beats the foreman until Noa runs away, and Hansu realizes that his son was watching him the whole time. Noa had looked up to Hansu (even though he doesn’t know his real identity), so it will be interesting to see how he approaches his relationship with Hansu in the future. This scene with Hansu is intercut with Yangjin helping Sunja bathe; it is a moving way to symbolize Sunja washing away her sins, right as Hansu is committing more of them.
Sunja Tries To Help Solomon in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 4
In 1989, Sunja wakes from a dream in her home. She calls Solomon, but gets his answering machine. As typical of Sunja, she takes matters into her own hands and shows up in person at Solomon’s apartment. Although she’s critical of him (asking, “When was the last time you cleaned?”), she says that she had a dream and needed to speak with him. Before she can tell him any more, Naomi (Anna Sawai) shows up for her date with Solomon. Sunja convinces them both to stay since she brought plenty of Tupperwares full of food. Solomon gets a phone call from Tom (Jimmi Simpson), confirming that the hotel is pulling out after Solomon’s plan to leak to the press that there were bodies buried on the land worked.
While he’s on the phone, Sunja and Naomi get to know each other better. Sunja gives her some instructions on how to prepare the food, and Naomi explains that she doesn’t cook very often, but that her mother did when Naomi was a child. Sunja relates that for much of her life, “cooking was how I made my living.” She notes that “the food you make for others and the food you make for your family” ends up tasting differently. But she reassures Naomi that the food her mother made must have been delicious. It is a sweet moment where the women of two different generations (and different cultures) end up bonding. Naomi confesses to Sunja that Solomon had really struggled because everyone at Shiffley’s was hoping he would fail. Naomi says she was empowered by Solomon’s actions, noting, “I’ve never seen anyone take a stand like that before.”
When the three sit down to eat, Naomi excitedly explains that she’s been working on a new deal with Yotsuba Finance. She’s helping them go public, and that Solomon was her inspiration for making the deal happen. Naomi mentions that Solomon’s own deal went through, but Sunja is confused since Han Geum-ja (Park Hye-jin) had told Sunja that she would never sell her land. Solomon reassures her that she simply changed her mind and made a lot of money in the process. But when Solomon walks Sunja back to her hotel, she says that she won’t ask any more questions about his scheme, because she doesn’t want to hear Solomon lie to her. She asks Solomon to do one thing for her: “Do not forget who you are.” This is almost the same advice that Yangjin tried to impart to her grandsons back in 1945. Sunja has always lived her life with integrity, and her worst fear is that Solomon will turn into someone who focuses more on money and power than on having empathy for others.
Solomon and Naomi have a love scene, making their relationship official. In the last scene of the 1989 timeline, Sunja sits in her hotel room and calls Kato (Jun Kunimura) on the phone. He says he’s been waiting for her to call. She tells him about visiting Solomon and notes that his girlfriend is Japanese, but that “it is what it is.” They note the differences in the younger generations, but Kato says that even though he and Sunja have seen too much, they get to choose what they see now. It is a reminder that Sunja isn’t in the same position she was in during the 1940s; she can now choose to pursue what will make her happy.
Kyunghee and Mr. Kim Struggle With Their Feelings in ‘Pachinko’ Season 2 Episode 4
One other crucial aspect of storytelling occurs in Episode 4 in the 1945 timeline. Ever since arriving in the countryside after the bombing, Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae) and Mr. Kim have circled around each other. They work side-by-side and live in the same house, and they’re often looking longingly at one another. Mr. Kim tells her, “If we were in Korea, I wouldn’t even be able to speak to someone like you,” since Kyunghee was of a higher status than his family. But, with the great equalizer of the war, they’re in the same boat now. He tries to reassure her that they’ll go back to the city at some point, and then he decides to get even more honest with her. He admits that he can see a sadness in her eyes that pains him, especially because he can do nothing to help offer her relief. Kyunghee, perhaps thinking of her husband, brushes off his desire to connect with her, saying that he should not presume that there’s a friendship between them.
The last few scenes of the episode include everyone hard at work in the fields. One night, there is a loud siren; they think it’s an air raid siren at first, but then realize it is a fire alarm. There is a haunting outline of the family, silhouetted against the barn, as it burns to the ground with their crops inside. All of their labor has literally gone up in flames. The next morning, they pick through the ruins, and Kyunghee, overcome with emotion, runs to the woods. Mr. Kim follows her. In hysterics, she cries, “We worked so hard. How can it all be gone?” Mr. Kim confides that he understands that he only has one life and that he needs to live it to the fullest. As Kyunghee crumbles to the ground, he kneels beside her, and they finally kiss. The two realize that nothing is promised for the future, and that living in the moment is the only way to be truly happy.
Episode 4 showcases the impressive acting that Pachinko has already become well-known for, but the scenes between young Sunja and her mother and Sunja and Naomi are breathtakingly honest. This hour is another example of the perfect blend of timelines, each story interwoven seamlessly into the next. The only downside is that we never get specifics about what Sunja dreamed. This isn’t likely to be brought up again in a future episode, but one can surmise that it served as a reminder to her that she needed to reach out to Solomon. Sunja’s family is still the most important thing to her, and her subconscious was probably telling her that her grandson needed her guidance once more. Plus, with two couples finally acting on their feelings for each other, Pachinko is setting the scene for several true love romances to play out in later episodes.
New episodes of Pachinko Season 2 are available to stream every Friday on Apple TV+ in the U.S.
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