Chapter Four
In the fourth episode of Pachinko, Koh Hansu confronts Isak while he’s being fitted for a suit. It’s tense between the two, as Isak opens up about his past, including his deceased brother Samoel. ..
Hansu is not a forgiving man, but he is also not a pushover. He tells Isak to get a new suit – even offering to pay for it given the one he’s wearing isn’t up to scratch. Isak refuses, standing up to the Broker and even throwing shade at him, pointing out how “his son” will have a similar suit in years to come.
Isak and Sunja are a man and woman of faith who have decided to wed despite the disapproval of their pastor. Despite this, they manage to keep their relationship strong despite the challenges. Their mother helps them by convincing one of the workers at the docks to give up some rice for them. This helps them to survive during the difficult times.
Sunja is about to leave her home country of Korea to follow her husband to Japan. Her mother, who has been cooking Sunja’s meals by hand for years, is about to give up cooking for Sunja and go live with Sunja’s husband in Japan. This bittersweet meal represents the end of a relationship and the beginning of a new one. ..
Kyunghee, or Isk’s sister, turns out to be Kyunghee. Sunja prepares for a new journey by packing up her gear and clothes to travel across to Korea. There are juxtaposed edits here as we jump back and forth between Sunja packing up her gear (to travel across to Korea) and young Sunja packing up her clothes (to travel away to Japan.)
We stay to 1931 though, where Koh Hansu corners Sunja and tries to convince her to stay. When Sunja shuts him down, refusing to stay, Hansu promises that when she arrives in Osaka and finds herself lost and alone, he’ll make sure to feign ignorance when they talk on the phone. There’s no way back now for Sunja.
This is a heavy weight over Sunja though, as she waits at the port with her mother as Isak gets everything in order. She talks about setting roots and the desire to fly, both of which feeling like beautiful metaphors for Sunja’s epic journey. As the bells ring, Isak returns and encourages Sunja to join him aboard the Tokuju Maru, the ship bound for Japan.
In 1989, Solomon speaks to Naomi about the current hotel deal. Naomi brings up his family life and, more specifically, how his father owns a Pachinko business. This will forever be a part of his life’s journey, whether he likes it or not. For Solomon, he intends to rise to the top of Shiffley’s despite the disdain his own parents have toward him choosing this line of work. ..
“Hello, Geumja,” Mr Andrews greets her warmly as she enters the room. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m going to be giving a speech about Colton Hotels and how this is going to be a great opportunity for us.” Geumja looks up from the contract she’s reading and nods her head in agreement. “I’m here to sign over the documents,” she says plainly. Mr Andrews looks surprised but doesn’t say anything else for a while. “Is there something you need help with?” he asks finally. Geumja nods and takes out her reading glasses again, looking down at the contract once more. After a few minutes of silence, she sets down the document and stands up from her chair, walking over to Mr Andrews. She hands him the document without saying another word.
Sunja’s grandmother is on the verge of returning to Korea for the first time in 50 years. Solomon speaks up and mentions how his own grandmother is on the verge of returning to Korea for the first time in 50 years.
Geumja, a survivor of the Japanese occupation of Korea, reflects on the atrocities her people suffered at the hands of the Japanese. She mentions how Koreans were sent to Japan as slaves. ..
Geumja’s father worked in the mines in Chikuho, boarding a boat himself. The conditions were awful and unfortunately when they complained and went on strike, the workers were subsequently fired.
Solomon is sitting in a boardroom, surrounded by businessmen, and he’s starting to understand the horrors from the past. He’s been living in a world where rent is sky-high and he’s been called cockroaches because of it. But now, he realizes that this is not right. This isn’t what his ancestors were fighting for. They were fighting for something much more important than this money. They were fighting for their own survival. And now, Solomon is starting to understand just how difficult it is for Geumja to keep going when she has to live in such high rent prices.
Solomon, shell-shocked from the ordeal, eventually agrees that if it were his grandmother, he wouldn’t sign the document either. So she packs up her things and leaves, with the deal not signed and the whole room left in turmoil. Mr Andrews is shocked, as the Japanese investors turn on Solomon and claim that “someone like him” should never have been allowed into their inner circle. ..
Solomon charges out of the building, dancing in the rain as Naomi watches on from afar. After a faint smile, she walks away. As she does, we cut back to Sunja who arrives back in Korea and steps out into the water, sobbing as the waves lap onto the shore. ..
The Episode Review
Solomon finally understands what his grandmother has been through, along with the harrowing ordeal that Koreans have had to endure at the hands of the Japanese. He’s experienced this racial prejudice already, typified by not getting the promotion at the start of the first episode despite being incredibly adept in his role. Now it’s becoming increasingly clear that Solomon had been clinging to false hope of a promotion that’s never going to come.
This is a great way to showcase Solomon’s character growth and it’s something that’s echoed nicely across the season too, juxtaposed against Sunja’s storyline, which is of course still the focal point.
Despite the book being told in a chronological order, there are moments that could have had far bigger emotional weight had this been told in a linear fashion. For example, Kyunghee’s death is just brushed over despite learning she’ll be a focal point in this timeline in the future. This leaves readers feeling incomplete and frustrated with the book’s lack of cohesion.
While “The Crown” season 2 has been a very good watch overall, there have been a few moments that detract from the experience. Episode 5 promises to be just as enthralling as this one. ..
