Season 2, Episode 3, titled “Chapter Eleven,” of the Apple TV series, Pachinko, is directed by Arvin Chen and penned by Melissa Park. The episode explores the inner turmoils of the side characters like Kim Chang-ho and Tom Andrews along with their backstory. Each and every character has something very similar to each other. That commonality focuses on the desire to return home. Home is where a family feels safe and one grows up feeling happy and joyful in their youth. However, that home has been taken away due to outside forces who are nothing more than power-hungry and greedy bastards who justify their villainous actions in the name of their country, work, or business.
Home has been the episode’s main theme, showing how the side characters face similar tragedies as the main protagonists. Kim Chang-ho grew up in Korea but he lost his home to Japanese occupation which resulted in his family being torn apart, forcing him to find a job among the Yakuza and under the service of Koh Hansu. On the other hand, Tom Andrews hated being stationed in Tokyo to work for Shiffley’s in a menial desk job because he missed his home and most importantly his kids. He missed them so much that seeing them once a year would be nice. In addition, Kim Sunja, Kyunghee, Noa, and Mozasu’s homes in Osaka are likely gone and destroyed by the Osaka Bombing, forcing them to find a temporary one until World War II is over. It is sad and tragic with the loss of home and makes Solomon’s path of vengeance impactful. He is repeating the same abuse by manipulating the landowner to leave her home so he could have the off-chance to take down Katsu Abe. It is questionable if Solomon will follow the dark path of his abusers or regain the morals he once held.
The Bombing of Osaka (1945)
In Osaka 1945, everyone in Osaka, including Kim Sunja (Kim Min-ha) and her family, fled from the city to survive and avoid the coming air raid. On the streets, they meet Koh Hansu (Lee Min-ho) and Kim Chang-ho (Kim Sung-kyu). Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae) is initially skeptical until Hansu explains that the shelters promised to the citizens cannot protect them from the bombings but he will take them to a house in the countryside where they can be safe.
The family begins packing the necessary equipment and items for the journey. Some items, like the family heirloom, are buried to keep them safe. Soon, the group takes off in a car, watching the people’s desperation as they flee the city to find shelter. Soon, the protagonists exit the city in time but Noa witnesses the bombings and is deeply horrified with the destruction of the attack.
The New Home
The next morning, the protagonists arrive at a small cabin. Hansu explains he has hired men to get the cabin into working order and servants to tend to the family’s every need. Kim Chang-ho will also stay to help out like a butler of sorts. Sunja and Kyunghee are skeptical but Hansu assures them that Chang-ho is trustworthy and that they will be safe. However, the family needs to be in the cabin till the war ends since the outcome is uncertain.
Later, Hansu and Sunja have a private conversation. She is grateful for his help, but she doesn’t want him to be near her family again in the future. The reason is that Sunja is afraid of Noa (Kim Kang-hoon) finding out his real heritage as an illegitimate son of Hansu out of wedlock. Hansu assures that Noa will not know, but Sunja disagrees stating that Hansu’s presence alone endangers Noa’s future as he is a smart but vulnerable kid. Noa will be devastated if he learns the truth of how he was born. This situation will be pivotal in the future as it will explain why Noa is missing throughout the 1989 storyline.
The New Life
Some time has passed and the entire family settled into their new lives in the countryside. Noa and Mozasu are settling in well with the help of Chang-Ho. However, Sunja and Kyunghee unfortunately have a hard time getting along with the other hired farmers who sometimes mock them behind their backs. Mozasu explains how he enjoys life in the countryside and wishes life could be like this forever. He even jokes to Noa about how he despairs at how their mother did not introduce them to Koh Hansu sooner as he seems rich enough to buy them a lot of candy. Mozasu is really the heart and joy of the family who is always there for everyone.
Hansu and the Boys
Hansu takes his time to get to know Noa and Mozasu over the days and even offers to help them fly a kite. However, this concerns Sunja since Hansu is practically acting as a father in the family which ironically is what she wanted since Season 1. However, the fun is interrupted as the entire family witnesses the American aircraft flying to a different location. Kyunghee is worried but Chang-ho assures her they are seemingly not heading to Nagasaki where her husband Yoseb is. However, given how the atomic bomb fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, it leaves Yoseb’s fate terribly and terrifyingly uncertain.
Bonding with Chang-Ho
At night, Chang-ho, the boys, and Kyunghee bond with each other as they wait to ambush a thief who has been stealing from them. Chang-ho obliged the boys’ request to explain how he met Koh Hansu. They met 15 years ago at the docks where Chang-ho struggled to find a job in his youth. Chang-ho then talks about his past in Korea where he once lived at a small potato farm run by his father. However, the Japanese invaded and took control of the farms. One clerk made a mistake in accidentally registering Chang-ho’s father’s home as very large so when the tax bill came, his father could not afford it. As a result, the land was taken. This led to Chang-ho’s siblings being forced to live with other family members, his parents’ relationship souring, and the father dying by suicide. Chang-ho left home after that. Chang-ho misses his home and likely hoped that the incident with the tax bill never happened.
Soon, the thieves arrive and Chang-ho captures one of them. One of the thieves is a classmate from Noa’s class who always bullied him. Chang-ho then asks Noa about the thief’s fate and Noa decides to spare him. This shows how Noa adopted the decision to be merciful based on what his father taught him and Chang-ho does the same by sharing some of the chicken eggs with the thief. Noa and Chang-ho sympathize with the thieves’ plight as they too are starving and suffering from the events of World War II in Japan.
Sunja and the Old Man
In Osaka 1989, Kim Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) is buying at a market when she meets an old man (Jun Kunimura) who witnessed Solomon’s angry outburst at the cake chef the other night. He is impressed by Solomon’s bravery and explains how it was wrong for the cake chef to act the way he did out of pettiness and discrimination. Some time later, they would meet again in a park having fun feeding bread to some pigeons. The two would shift their conversation about Solomon and the challenges of living a fulfilled life.
Solomon and Tom Reunite
Later, at Shiffley’s, Solomon (Jin Ha) reunites with his former boss Tom Andrews (Jimmi Simpson). He tells Andrews that the landowner, the old Korean woman who refused to sell her land, is willing to sell. Solomon then attempts to recruit Tom in his scheme to topple Katsu Abe. Tom refuses and asks Solomon to leave but the latter remains in an attempt to convince his old boss to side with him in this fight.
Solomon pulls into Tom’s ego as someone who once reigned on the leaderboard for eight years running, was diluted to working in an office in Japan. However, Solomon is curious as why the New York branch of Shiffley’s sent him away. Tom reluctantly explains how he sympathizes with Solomon’s situation. There was a guy, like Katsu Abe, who used everything in his power to banish Tom from New York, landing him in Tokyo for making a Midas touch joke on him. Tom is depressed about what happened since he misses both his home and his kids. He desires to see his kids more than once a year. However, Tom still hates his wife and wishes she find someone else to marry.
Solomon realizes that Tom doesn’t want power and wealth. He just wants to go home. Solomon uses this to his advantage and offers Tom a deal. He can get him home by next year if he sides with him in his scheme against Katsu Abe. However, Tom won’t leave pocketless but will have enough funds to start his next work, but there will be strings attached. After listening to Solomon’s promise, Andrews takes his time to think about the tempting offer.
Solomon and Naomi Reunite
After his meeting with Andrews, Solomon spends the remainder of his time talking with his former colleague Naomi (Anna Sawai). They discuss Solomon’s success in getting the landowner to sell her home. The topic then changes with Solomon subtly having feelings for Naomi and explaining how she should be running the business for Shiffley’s in Tokyo as she works the hardest out of everyone in the Tokyo branch. Touched by his words, Naomi asks Solomon to dinner. In other words, Naomi is asking if Solomon is available for a date.
The Landowner Sells
The episode ends with Tom calling Solomon, telling him that the landowner’s property belongs to Katsu Abe. Solomon watches the landowner leave with her dog and is confident his plan will flow in the right direction. It is sad for the landowner as she is leaving the home she stayed in for many years, and Solomon is using selling to his advantage to take revenge against Katsu Abe and reap the rewards for him and his allies.
Rating: 9/10