Summary
Pachinkoseason 2 returns this week, continuing the intergenerational tale of the Baek family as they transplant from Korea to Japan and face discrimination over decades. Theuniversally acclaimed Apple TV+ seriesis based on Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name, and it jumps timelines between young Sunja’s struggles in the first half of the century and her grandson’s success in the 1980s. The first episode of season 2 picks up seven years after the events of the season 1 finale, with Sunja in the ’40s turning to difficult and potentially dangerous work for the sake of the family while Solomon faces a moral quandary for the sake of business in the ’80s.
WhilePachinkogarnered plenty of buzz for castingK-drama heartthrob Lee Min-hoas Yakuza mob boss and Sunja’s old flame Koh Hansu, their lesser-known cast is equally impressive. Newcomer Minha Kim brings a surprising combination of innocence and steel as the young version of Sunja Baek, and her experiences are reflected in the legendary Youn Yuh-jung’s performance during Sunja’s twilight years. Jin Ha made a splash as her grandson Solomon, and his love interest Naomi is played by none other thanEmmy nominee Anna Sawai (Shogun).
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Screen Rant interviewed showrunner Soo Hugh and Solomon actor Jin Ha aboutwhat to expect fromPachinkoseason 2. They discussed how the show handles Japan during World War II, why Noa becomes a much more important figure, and what to expect from Solomon and Naomi’s relationship.
Pachinko Season 2 Shows The Effects Of World War II From The Japanese Perspective
“I was really shocked by how limited my perspective was.”
Screen Rant: Soo,Pachinkoseason 2 takes us to 1945 and the devastating effects of WW2 on Japan. It’s not a perspective we’re often shown in Western stories, so how did you want to approach that setting?
Soo Hugh: Yeah, it’s interesting. I thought I knew World War II pretty well. It’s a huge subject, so I’m not saying I was an expert, but when we were diving into World War II in the writer’s room and reading historical accounts, I was really shocked by how limited my perspective was because I had to learn World War II from the perspective of the US - specifically the firebombing of Japan. I had no clue how horrific it was; the amount of destruction that the American planes wrecked on Japan, and the number of cities destroyed the number of lives.
I just wish our show did have sometimes more time to be able to really show all of it, but it was really eye-opening and humbling.
Noa Is The Centerpiece Of The Baek Family Even In His Absence
“We see it paralleling a little bit with Solomon, but it’s so different.”
Jin Ha, we see a lot of back and forth between Solomon and Sunja as she grapples with the decisions he’s making on behalf of his career. How do you think their understanding of each other evolves this season?
Jin Ha: Well, there are many turning points, but one of the clear turning points is the brief conversation they have in the Pachinko parlor after the grocery store in episode 1. I believe that’s where it starts. It doesn’t stay there, but that’s the jumping-off point of him trying to, I think in his mind, emancipate himself from the generational trauma that perhaps he feels has been weighing him down.
These are all his subjective feelings about it but, ultimately, I think it’s a misunderstanding between the two. I think he’s misinterpreting a lot, unfortunately, as we do. That being said, I think there may be - especially in season 2 - a growing sense of urgency within Sunja about Solomon. I think, as the season goes on and as more decisions by Solomon are made or more events occur, she starts to wonder. As does Mosazu as well throughout the season: “Are we doing enough? I thought it was going to be okay after her relationship with Noa.”
What’s really interesting is seeing the Noa story happening with the earlier timeline, and then seeing [Youn Yuh-jung] in the ‘89 timeline talk about Noa with Mosazu. I think that’s so powerful to me because we see when YJ’s portrayal of Sunja mentions Noa or when it comes up, there’s suddenly this shock of deep and real hurt that comes through. For me, as a fan of the book, I know it’s coming. But also just watching the show, we see what the relationship had been and what was the weight and the tensions within those relationships because of the pressure that Noa was feeling at the time.
We see it paralleling a little bit with Solomon, but it’s so different, and in that way I think it’s really exciting to compare the two and have them juxtaposed.
Speaking of Noa, this season fills in a lot of the gaps and answers many questions that last season left us with. But we are still only just starting his personal journey. How long do you ensivion the show going, and what can you say about plans for handling Noa as an adult?
Soo Hugh: We always said that season 2 was going to be the handing of the torch to the next generation, and that’s Noa and Mosazu. And their storyline very much takes up more space than in season 1. That’s sort of the DNA of this show; one generation begets another. Even in that storytelling, we wanted to have that feeling.
I think, in terms of where the story goes with Noa, it’s probably the strongest and most devastating moment in the book, - what happens to him. And without going into it, I hope we are given a chance to be able to tell that story.
Anna Sawai And Jin Ha Have A Romeo & Juliet Style Romance In Pachinko Season 2
“I appreciated it because it was always handled with such sensitivity and intentionality.”
Jin Ha, I love your chemistry with Anna Sawai’s Naomi, but the road is far from smooth traveling for them. Can you talk about working with her, and what viewers can expect from that relationship?
Jin Ha: I’m super excited for audiences to see that relationship bubble and grow and develop, and so that the audiences can also further appreciate the conversations that they have in episode 6, which are so real and so rooted in the social dynamics that were at play. Today, in different contexts and with different players, it’s always the Romeos and Juliets of the world. It’s like, “Why can’t this work? What are the reasons that, in spite of the organic feelings that these two people have grown for each other, this can’t work?”
I think we relate to that deeply, and I’m so grateful that we were able to include that part of their lives - not just for Solomon, but for Naomi as well. I appreciated it because it was always handled with such sensitivity and intentionality, that relationship and how would it have worked, what would it have been like, and how would it have grown and blossomed. What would’ve been the hiccup or the speed bump that it would have come across?
Obviously, in the show it’s dramatic, but it was a joy. And also, getting to work with the Emmy-nominated Anna Sawai is such a joy. I love her dearly.
More About Pachinko Season 2
Seven years have passed since we last saw our indomitable Pachinko characters. The year is now 1945 and World War II rages across the countryside. Sunja, our devoted mother and fierce defender of her family, has no choice but to turn to dangerous elements to ensure the family’s survival. In our Present Day story, Solomon is also pushed to the edge and forced to take a stand, much to his grandmother’s disappointment.
Check out our otherPachinkoseason 2 interviews here:
Pachinkoseason 2 premieres August 23 on Apple TV+, followed by one episode weekly every Friday through October 11.
Pachinko
Cast
Created by Soo Hugh, Pachinko is a Drama series created for Apple TV that was released in 2022. The series stars Soji Arai, Jun-woo Han, and Jin Ha. The series follows multiple characters as they attempt to navigate their lives in New York, Japan, and Korea.
