The sixth episode of Pachinko premiered on Friday and it was high on emotions and drama. The series, streaming on Apple TV+, has been a slow-burner since the first episode. Thankfully, with episode 6, Pachinko finally picks up the pace and delivers one of its most moving episodes so far. The sixth episode features Sunja (Minha Kim) giving birth to her baby while Pastor Isak (Steve Sanghyun Noh) faces the harsh reality. On the other hand, Solomon (Jin Ha) is reunited with Hana (Mari Yamamoto).
Warning: Spoilers Ahead
The episode begins with a focus on Solomon, taking viewers back to his days as a teenager, madly in love with Hana. So much so that despite knowing about the risk of getting caught, he shoplifts a box of candy because Hana insists he proves his love for her that way. Unfortunately for Solomon, he does get caught and the Japanese store owner turns him to the cops. A mysterious call saves Solomon from the cops. While it is unclear who made the call, I believe it could be Hansu (Lee Min-ho)/ The powerful scene highlights the racism faced by Koreans who were forced to move to Japan and live a life of a Zainichi in the years after the Japan-Korea war ended.
Following the incident, Mozasu (Soji Arai) decides to send Solomon off to the US. After the short flashback, Pachinko returns to 1989, and finally introduces the grown-up Hana, who was seeking help from Solomon through phone calls. In a shocking turn of events, Hana is diagnosed with AIDS. The hospital refuses to treat her but a doctor offers to help. She is moved to a separate ward, with doctors blatantly informing her family that there is no hope for her and there is no certainty of how long she will live.
Solomon finds his way to Hana. He tried to convince her to visit America for treatment but she turns it down. She suggests that she’d rather die in Osaka. Sharing thoughts of her grieving heart, Hana tells him that she often looked up to those living in fancy homes and wondered what it would be like to live their lives. However, it was a man from one of these fancy homes who left her with AIDS. Shocked by the confession, Solomon remains speechless during the interaction. Hana urges him to see the reality, adding that no matter how hard he tried, he will never be one of the Japanese.
After getting a reality check from Hana, an angry Solomon rushes to his office and packs his desk. No one in the firm even talks to him, making him angrier. He drowns his things from his office in a fountain underneath the building. His anger is calmed by Mamoru Yoshii, who has been often referred to in the previous episodes but it is only in the sixth episode that we finally meet him.
The businessman, who is surrounded by rumours of corruption and shady dealings, tells Solomon that both the men have one thing in common — bad reputation. As they share a cab back home, Mamoru and Solomon have a bilingual conversation — in Japanese and English — to show that both the men are well-read and yet they are where they are. It is hinted that Mamoru has a grave family history but despite it, he tells Solomon that he has walked out of his grandfather’s shadow and that Solomon should try it as well. Mamoru offers Solomon to take Pachinko — his father’s gambling business — to the world.
Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Hana continues to untangle her relationship with her family. The older Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) and Hana clarify a long-lasting misunderstanding. Hana seemingly confronts Sunja, claiming that it was she who forced Hana to run away. She reminded her that Sunja claimed they would ruin Solomon’s life. While Hana, for many years, thought Sunja was talking about Hana, Sunja clarified that she was talking about herself, revealing that she once had a child that they lost because of her.
Solomon makes his way to the hospital and finds out that Sunja is also visiting Hana. Angry, Solomon informs her about the ruined deal and blames her for it. He says that it is because of her that he became weak-hearted and it led to the current situation. Sunja does not retaliate. Instead, she tells him that there was a time when she had the option of choosing a life of riches but she chose otherwise, referring to the time she picked the Isak over Hansu. When Solomon asked her the reason behind her decision, Sunja asked how could she live a life that was split in half — one life she could talk about while the other was hidden away. “That means something,” Sunja tells Solomon. She reminds him that it is important to see how you came by your successes over becoming successful.
While the late 80s drama took over most parts of the episode, the drama unfolding in the past — 1931 — was no less. Sunja goes into labour after watching her brother-in-law Yoseb storm out of the house following a fight with her sister-in-law Kyunghee (Jung Eun-chae). On the other hand, we see Pastor Isak tasked with the duty to convince a boy into quitting his risky affairs that could land him in a deadly trap. However, the boy refuses, helping the Pastor realise that Koreans have been living a disrespectful life all along in Japan and that there is a need for change.
Torn between peace and chaos, Isak returns home to find Sunja in labour. However, instead of asking him to be by her side, Sunja urges him to find Yoseb. Sunja and Isak find themselves in a whirlpool of emotions. While an emotional Sunja is caught up in the birth of her child, Isak finally meets the reality when he watches a group of Koreans’ happy spirits hit the wall when a team of special Japanese police walk into the bar for a surprise checking. He watches these simple men stripped of their respect as the police check their bags and pocket. The harsh slap of reality invokes a sense of rebellion in him. As he returns home, his emotions overpower him when his brother badmouths Sunja. Not only does he tell his brother to back off, projecting his love for Sunja, but he also decides that he doesn’t want his child to grow up in a society where such incidents are a norm.
They reach home and are greeted by a baby boy. Sunja requests Yoseb to name the child. He is taken by surprise, suggesting that he is not sure he deserves the honour. However, Isak convinces him that he is the head of the family and it is his duty to name the child. Holding the child in his arms, the brother-in-law breaks down.
The Pastor tends to Sunja more since the baby is born. Keeping his changed mindset in focus, the pastor stops wearing his suit, hinting that he is a part of the new world. The episode comes to an end with Hansu deciding to end his marriage after learning that Sunja has given birth to a baby boy. He blames his Japanese wife for not fulfilling the duties of giving birth to a son and leaves, hinting that he is going to get custody of his son.
Pachinko episode 6 packs in the metaphors and drama. The slow-cooking broth has finally come to a boil in this episode. It comes as a sense of relief that Jin Ha is finally fitting into the series. The actor helped keep the episode together, even if he has had minimal lines. However, it is Mari Yamamoto who steals the show. She beautifully presents Hana’s inner and external battles with the characters and herself. She manages to hold your attention even when Youn Yuh-jung is in the room.
The episode’s final scene also has me excited for Pachinko episode 7. After Sunja having hinted that she lost her first son — seemingly referring to her child with Hansu, it seems like Hansu is going to not leave Sunja and Pastor Isak so easily.
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