"Pachinko's" Chapter 7 was essentially a thorough look into the day Hansu (Lee Min-ho) became
the Hansu we know and love/hate.
To understand what occurs in Episode 8, you must first understand what happened in Episode
6, which included Hana's return (Mari Yamamoto).
Hana reconciling with Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) and Etsuko took up a large portion of the
show's duration, thanks to Justin Chon and writers Lauren Yee and Soo Hugh (Kaho Minami).
Sunja (Minha Kim) gave birth to her first child, Noa, in 1931, while Isak (Steve Sanghyun
Noh) had an epiphany about the future of Koreans under Japanese persecution.
Yoshii instilled the idea of creating his own pachinko company in Solomon's (Jin Ha)
brain (Louis Ozawa).
As soon as Hansu learned about Noa's birth, he advised his wife to go since he no longer
needed her.
"Pachinko" Episode 8 includes a number of crossing plotlines and covers a lot of material,
written by Mfoniso Udofia and Soo Hugh and directed by Justin Chon.
So buckle up.
Origins of Noa
Noa (Jaejun Park) is presented in 1938 as a brave, powerful young man who inspires his
friends to not be scared of bullies.
He shares a deep relationship with Isak as they discuss the newly born Mozasu's birthday
celebration, and he is presumably unaware of his pedigree.
Noa wonders why they're throwing a celebration for Mozasu, and Isak explains that many newborns
died before their first birthdays not long ago.
As a result, they're rejoicing that Mozasu has made it thus far.
Noa exhibits some immature envy as he wonders why everything revolves around Mozasu.
Isak claims that now that Noa is the bigger brother, he must be responsible enough that
his brother can rely on him for a variety of tasks.
Noa wonders if Isak and Sunja held a birthday celebration for him.
They did it, according to Isak, because Sunja pushed on it despite their little finances.
Noa regrets not choosing the bow and arrow instead of the red yarn, and he wants Mozasu
would choose the money so that he might make their family wealthy in the future.
The Last Moments of Hana
I guess it must be strange to be placed in one of the finest performances of all time,
with a role as important as Hana's, yet only be able to play from the limitations of a
bed.
Mari Yamamoto, on the other hand, gives an incredibly great and heartbreaking portrayal
as Hana's condition deteriorates.
All of Kaho Minami's, Soji Arai's, and Youn Yuh-acting jung's around her just adds to
the effect.
The doctor assures Etsuko that they may keep Hana in this state if they wish to.
But that will only serve to prolong her suffering rather than alleviate it.
Etsuko disagrees with him, confirming that Hana will die.
When Solomon catches up with Hana, he asks him to watch after Etsuko while Hana is away.
Hana admits to being afraid of death when Solomon asks whether she is.
Hana, on the other hand, can't believe she's going out like way after such a carefree life.
Hana said that she pictured herself dying on the beaches of Hawaii.
She then laments how she squandered all she had and how she does not want Solomon to experience
the same fate.
Solomon reacts by apologizing to Hana for not finding her sooner, for following everyone
else's rules and directions, and for what?
Hana summons the last of her power to implore Solomon to quit moping about and go obtain
what he wants for himself.
Arrest of Isak
Noa returns home alone from school to notify Sunja that Isak has not arrived to greet him.
Sunja and Noa visit Isak's church, where they find that he has been detained for "anti-national"
actions against the Japanese.
Sunja dispatches Isak to Yoseb's factory (which has recently employed him).
Yoseb alerts his employer and informs Noa that they have an hour to investigate Isak's
issue.
They travel to the police station, and as Yoseb begs with the officers for Isak's release,
Noa interprets their talk for Sunja, and they know Isak isn't going to be released anytime
soon.
Yoseb vows that he would use his boss's clout to get Isak released.
When Yoseb's employer learns that Isak is a "anti-national," he not only withdraws his
backing, but also dismisses Yoseb, fearing that all of this would ruin his company.
Sunja approaches a lady who was seeing an inmate as she exits the police station, since
she can't believe what's going on.
The lady discloses that Isak was, in reality, training Koreans to stand up against Japanese
persecution, giving them hope in these difficult times, and how he gained everyone's trust
and affection through his enthusiasm.
She then informs Sunja that she has to see Hasegawa [In Woo Kim] in order to have a better
understanding of the situation.
Hasegawa takes Sunja and Noa down and tells them about his and Isak's intentions to combine
Korean and Japanese laborers and revolt against the Emperor.
Sunja dismisses this trend by asking if Hasegawa and Isak ever considered Sunja, Noa, and Mozasu
while conjuring huge fantasies.
The disagreement comes to a head when Noa overhears Hasegawa declare that Isak would
never return, and the police raid the location for obvious reasons.
Solomon Completes His Agreement With Yoshii
Solomon ultimately informs Mozasu of his dismissal from Shiffley's.
When Mozasu inquires as to why, Solomon reveals him the truth: he told Geumja (Park Hye-Jin)
not to sign since it felt appropriate at the time.
Mozasu demands Solomon to return to America, but Solomon confesses that he is unable to
do so since Shiffley's was supporting his visa, which has now been revoked.
And before Mozasu can recover from the information overload, Solomon exposes his plans to work
with Yoshii since he's the only one he can work with because no one will hire him.
Mozasu is enraged and urges Solomon not to work with Yoshii since Yoshii's grandpa promised
him a similar arrangement.
Mozasu was only able to escape because of Solomon's mother and grandma.
Despite Mozasu's sincere reservations, Solomon insists he'll go ahead with it.
Although Solomon appears to be there to meet Yoshii in order to invest in pachinko, Solomon
actually states that he wants to pursue a different path and invest in Colton Hotels.
Even though Yoshii is suspicious, he asks Solomon to clarify his proposal.
Katsu Abe (Yoshio Maki) and Colton Hotels, according to Solomon, have invested 10 billion
yen.
However, now that Geumja has refused to sell, it will be difficult for them to immediately
liquidate their assets.
Solomon sees this as a lucrative chance since he believes that whomever acquires Geumja's
land would be rewarded handsomely.
Yoshii inquires as to why Solomon believes Geumja will sell this time.
Now comes the unsettling part.
Solomon is well aware that she would not sell, so he instructs Yoshii to employ his "means,"
i.e., to scare her into selling her home.
Solomon will then cement the deal.
Yoshii argues that they must act quickly since the relationship between banks and landowners
is now strained.
They tremble on it, which is terrifying.
Is Hana no longer alive?
Is there a Season 2 planned?
"Pachinko" depicts Hana fading away, Sunja being questioned by the Japanese, and Mozasu
arguing with Sunja regarding Solomon's future through some of the greatest intercutting
the tiny screen has ever seen.
When Mozasu mentions Noa, Sunja responds that Solomon is not Noa and that she will not allow
history to repeat itself.
Hana begs out for Solomon in her final moments, while Noa witnesses Isak being hauled away
by the cops.
Sunja and Noa chase down the vehicle carrying Isak, while Solomon dashes into the hospital
to push Hana's medical bed through the halls and up to the roof.
Sunja retreats, as Noa pursues the automobile.
Despite everyone's warnings, Solomon continues to spin Hana at high speed, providing Hana
with a little respite.
Noa can't keep up, and Isak is taken away for good.
Solomon places the traditional welcoming garland on Hana after transporting her to the roof,
somewhat fulfilling her dying desire.
Hana takes her final breath.
Sunja promises Noa that she would take care of everything now in 1935, and in 1989, Sunja
gives Solomon the watch (Hansu's watch) and explains that she used to think the watch
was a curse, but it has saved them many times.
She hopes Solomon will be affected in the same way.
In another part of town, Geumja notices a thug with dogs stationed in front of her house,
attempting to frighten her.
Sunja resolves to sell kimchi in order to make a livelihood in 1935.
Yoseb protests, as he always does.
Sunja, on the other hand, persuades him that, while earning is a man's duty, it won't hurt
if they become a two-income family.
Yoseb relents.
Sunja makes the kimchi with Kyunghee's aid, and for the first time in her life, Sunja
goes out into the open market to sell her kimchi.
Despite the fact that several businesses refuse to let her park her kimchi cart because of
the odor, one butcher finds room for her, and she begins selling her kimchi one container
at a time.
Hansu runs across Noa on his way to school and inquires as to why he is so downcast.
Hansu claims that as a youngster, he couldn't afford to attend school.
As a result, Noa should be grateful that he has the opportunity to receive an education.
Noa inquires as to Hansu's identity, but he remains silent.
Instead, he inquires as to why Noa is taking the long route to school, implying that Hansu
maintains track of Noa's (and the rest of his family's) movements.
Noa, being the astute youngster that he is, observes this and inquires of Hansu as to
how he knows about the trail leading to Noa's school.
To which Hansu responds that knowledge is his means of self-defense.
Noa acknowledges that he takes the long road since his father did as well, as it allowed
him to find a pianist he enjoyed.
Over their shared loss of parent figures, Hansu tells Noa to not just survive, but to
outperform everyone else.
And he encourages Noa that instead of being nostalgic, she should take the shortcut to
school the next day and to always look ahead, not backward.
Season 2 does not appear to be in the works, based on the last few minutes, which are essentially
a mini-documentary about real-life Korean immigrants who stayed in Japan.
Even though many narrative strands are left unfinished, it has a feeling of closure.
If you've read Min Jin Lee's book (on which "Pachinko" is based), you'll know that these
characters and storylines have a lot to offer.
Soo Hugh, the show's creator, has stated that she plans to develop three more seasons.
Apple TV+ hasn't officially announced a Season 2 as of the publishing of this article since
it relies on how many people want more "Pachinko."
As a result, even if the characters' trajectories may appear abrupt if the program doesn't get
a Season 2, that mini-documentary will serve as an emotionally gratifying ending note.
That being said, let's all hope we get the three seasons that Soo Hugh desires.