Chapter Six
Episode 6 of Pachinko begins in Osaka 1975. Solomon is in school when he first meets Hana, who takes him by the hand and leads him away from the playground. Solomon tries desperately to hold her hand but instead, she turns to face him. She suggests they run away to America together. Solomon is not so sure, prompting Hana to scoff, pointing out how boring his life is. Solomon was born and raised in Osaka, Japan in 1975. He was a typical pre-teen during this time - attending school and playing with friends on the playground. One day, he met a girl named Hana who took an interest in him and suggested they runaway to America together. At first Solomon was hesitant, but after hearing her reasons for wanting to leave he decided it might not be such a bad idea after all. ..
Solomon’s father.
Meanwhile, Sunja and Kyunghee are berated by Yoseb over them paying off the latter’s debt. He questions Sunja about her watch but despite clearing his name, Yoseb is clearly ashamed and walks away. As he does, Sunja’s water breaks and she looks set to give birth. ..
Meanwhile, Isak catches up with his brother, who points out how difficult and harsh his life is. He wants to “shatter the rules”, speaking faintly of rebellion and hitting back against the Japanese. It’s a hint of what’s to come but a nice way of prefacing it here, as the brothers sit in a bar and drink. Yoseb is feeling sorry for himself and drowns his sorrows in alcohol, pointing out his frustrations with the way the world is.
As the men begin to sing and dance, they quickly realize that something isn’t right. The Special Higher Police show up for a routine inspection, demanding everyone turn out their pockets and show what they’ve got. As soon as they start singing and dancing, it quickly becomes clear that something is wrong. The police are looking for something specific, and the men know it. They know that they can’t just let themselves be searched without any evidence, so they start singing and dancing in an effort to make themselves look good.
Isak is shocked that they all just deal with this but when Yoseb brings up Sunja, he calls out his brother and admits that Sunja actually saved his life back in Korea. With Sunja, he believes his life can be significant, and doesn’t want his child to be raised in such depravity. He wants him to thrive.
Sunja gives birth to a daughter. When Sunja’s brothers return home, Sunja leaves Yoseb with the honor of naming their child. He decides on the name Noa. ..
In Tokyo 1989, Solomon meets Hana and learns what’s going on with her. It turns out she has AIDs, for which the doctors in Japan are convinced there’s no cure. They also want her to leave, for fear of contamination. However, Solomon manages to convince Mozasu that he’ll get Hana the best treatment to make her last few days as painless as possible.
Solomon finally catches up with Hana, urging her to travel across to America, pointing out that the US have famous surgeons and doctors who could help her. Hana refuses, talking about how she contracted the disease from a rich business. She bitterly retorts about how Solomon abandoned her to this fate.
Solomon eventually realizes that he will never be one of the people Hana is talking about. ..
When Mr Andrews heads to the office to pack up his gear, no one gives him the time of day. He shuts the blinds, the other workers given him a sideways glance, and Noemi thinks about speaking to him… but changes her mind. ..
Momoru Yoshii, a guy who approaches Solomon outside the building, points out that they have a lot in common. Solomon thanks him and says he’s glad to have him as a friend.
Momoru and Solomon are driving in a taxi together when Momoru points out Solomon’s father’s pachinko business and how lucrative this could be. Not in Japan though, but extending out to Thailand and Korea. It’s a nice way of tying everything together full circle. “We don’t need to walk in our parents’ shadows,” Momoru tells Solomon.
Meanwhile, Sunja heads into the kitchen to tend to Hana, admitting that she used to have another son. This appears to be in reference to Noa, but we don’t know a whole lot about him.
Solomon and Sunja meet in the waiting room and discuss what has happened with the bank. Solomon says that he could have been successful but chose to follow Sunja, which led to this situation. Sunja counters that she too had a choice to be successful but turned it down. This discussion is a reference to Koh Han-Su, who was also quoted in this story.
In 1931, Koh Han-Su ended his relationship with his wife Sunja after she gave birth to their son. ..
The Episode Review
Pachinko returns this week with a new chapter that expands on the world, hints at a rebellion brewing, and ties all of that together with Sunja giving birth to her son, Noa. ..
The way the game of Pachinko is being used in this series to tie everything together with Korean and Japanese influences is a lovely addition to the story. It helps to bridge together the different aspects of the series. ..
There is a lot going on in this scene and I have said it before, but I feel a more chronological order for this, just like the book, would have benefited the screenplay greatly. ..
Despite the small issue, this story about sacrifice, love, honour and loyalty is beautifully told and there are a lot of moving parts to this one to make it an enthralling, epic generational journey. The ending certainly hints that there’s more to come, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens next for our characters. ..
