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On August 23, 2024, Pachinko season 2 episode 1 was aired globally on Apple TV+. The new season will release new episodes every Friday at 1 p.m. KST/12 a.m. ET. The latest episode called "Chapter Nine" captures the anxiety and tension that Osaka felt in 1945 during World War II.
A Korean woman named Sunja (Minha Kim) lived in Japan during the latter years of Japanese colonial control over her country. In the absence of her husband, who is incarcerated for treason, she puts a lot of effort into raising her kids, Noa and Mozasu.
In Pachinko season 2 episode 1, Solomon (Jin Ha), the grandson of Sunja and son of Mozasu, is attempting to make his fortune in Tokyo amidst economic turmoil in 1989.
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It is important to note that the new episode draws a parallel between two timelines: 1945, when Sunja was struggling to raise her sons in war-torn Osaka, and 1989, when she has grown old and her grandson, Solomon, is trying to recreate his life.
Pachinko season 2 episode 1 ends with Sunja meeting Hansu (Lee Min-ho) face-to-face in Osaka after more than a decade. Hansu offers her to leave Osaka with her sons and sister-in-law, however, she refuses to abandon her husband and rejects Hansu's help.
Sunja's story is shown from two timelines in episode 1 of Pachinko season 2
In a moving sequence from Pachinko season 2 episode 1, Sunja compares the difficulties her grandson Solomon had in the 1989 timeline to her own experiences as a single mother and a Korean living in Japan in 1945. It shows both individuals trying to make the best of their situation and trying to live.
The episode opens with Sunja selling handmade kimchi on the streets of Osaka to earn a living in 1945. A man walks up to her to buy the kimchi and asks her about how her business has been doing. Since he has been a regular customer for over a decade, Sunja tells him that she can barely find any cabbage to ferment and make kimchi, hence, her business will soon shut down.
A few moments later, after the man has left, several planes start flying and drop pamphlets across Osaka. At first, Sunja assumes that they are being attacked, so everyone on the street tries to run. Noa stops her and tells her that they are pamphlets. Noa reads out the pamphlet in which the United States of America demands that Japan should surrender.
Later in Pachinko season 2 episode 1, a woman (Sunja's friend) comes to her house and pleads with Sunja to help her earn money. She tells Sunja that her laundromat business has been shut down as nobody has the money to place an order and her kids are starving.
She tells Sunja (Kim Min-ha) about a black market where they can sell alcohol and get some money. Sunja refuses at first, but the woman starts crying, which changes Sunja's mind.
Pachinko season 2 episode 1 cuts to the 1989 timeline where an old Sunja opens a gaming zone in Tokyo. Her grandson, Solomon, who is the son of Mozasu, is trying to find a new job. Meanwhile, Mozasu borrows $700,000 from the bank and hands it over to Solomon so that he can build his life. Sunja and Mozasu tell him that they have used the gaming place as collateral to help him.
The scene shifts back to 1945, where Noa (Sunja's eldest son) is seen having difficulty in school. When his teacher advises him to prepare for college entrance exams, he refuses and states that he will wait for his father's return from prison. Simultaneously, Sunja is seen preparing rice wine at a hideout with her friend to sell and earn some money to feed her kids.
Later in Pachinko season 2 episode 1, after preparing the rice wine for several weeks, Sunja carries the bottles to the black market. At night, her friend rushes to Sunja's sister-in-law and tells her that she was arrested by the police.
At the police station, Sunja is seen inside a lockup with several other women. She eavesdrops as the women discuss among themselves about the young prison warden, who happens to be cruel.
The next morning, the young prison warden arrives at the cell and starts sentencing the women to harsh punishments and months-long imprisonment. When he hears Sunja's name, he looks at her and tells her to leave. As Sunja walks out of the prison cell, the warden calls her from behind and warns her that this is the only time that her luck saved her.
Outside the prison, the man who bought kimchi from her at the beginning of the episode rushes to Sunja. He asks her if she is alright, which baffles Sunja. The man then politely requests Sunja to get inside his car, as she needs to meet someone. We see Sunja being escorted by a housemaid in someone's residence.
As she waits in the office area of the house, Sunja is stunned to see Hansu walking towards her. She asks him about how he found her after all these years. Hansu (Lee Min-ho) tells her that he has always kept an eye on her and her sons for over a decade. He reveals that the man (who buys kimchi from her every day) works for him and has been keeping an eye on her family for Hansu.
Hansu tells Sunja that the US is planning to bomb Japan and kill everyone and offers her help to leave safely with her family. However, she refuses to abandon her husband, who is still in prison.
The scene in Pachinko season 2 episode 1 shifts back to 1989, where Solomon rethinks about his life. He tells his grandmother (old Sunja) that he cannot live the way they want him to and tears the $700,000 check. The episode ends with Solomon walking out of the gaming zone as Sunja watches him.
Pachinko season 2 episode 2, titled "Chapter Ten," will air on August 30, 2024, on Apple TV+.
