Pachinko
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In 1910, Japan annexed Korea.
Sunja is precocious, clear-eyed, and full of wonder.
In one early scene, we watch her wander through a field of tall pampas grass, chasing dragonflies.
Shes our heroine, but here shes also just a kid who loves her dad.
Sunja takes us through a childs-eye view of the Japanese occupation of Korea.
A blanket of silence descends on the Korean people around them.
They bow in a way that suggests the occupying Japanese militia has demanded this bowing.
Later, Sunja watches the Japanese soldiers drag away a Korean man who protests his innocence.
It is clear to her that something is deeply wrong with the world she is living in.
Curses get invoked again when the fisherman says that hate is a curse.
The next morning, plucky Sunja tells the fisherman to go away.
That cold switch from violent to smarmy drives homes how disorienting and oppressive such exchanges can be.
Despite her accidental warning, later Sunja sees the now-captured fisherman being dragged by the soldiers at the market.
The client is Korean, and Solomon is sure he can seal the deal.
The bankers are excited but confused wasnt Solomon Japanese?
No, he says, looking resigned if a little bemused, he just grew up there.
Solomon then flies to Osaka where we see him return to his childhood home.
Hes actually planning on buying another parlor.
Solomons face falls, and Sunja scolds him, telling him his father doesnt need to hear Solomons shame.
In Sunjas child-timeline, the fisherman says that hate is a curse.
The choice to tell this story in flashback is unique toPachinkoas a series.
Essentially, the narrative is a slow burn.
I once heard a writer talk about flashbacks as being a cheap way to build momentum.
Im not sure that I agree that its cheap.
In Apple TV+sPachinko, the storys movement is more like a tide that ebbs and flows.
The dovetailing of timelines asks us to question who is the greater man.
Is it the Emperor in whose name Korea was annexed, and millions murdered in war?
Or is it Sunjas father, who doted on his daughter and protected his family until his last breath?
Pinball Thoughts
Hello!
Im excited to see her on the screen.
Ive been a fan since her performance in the 2019 BBC dramaGiri/Haji.
I was wondering how the show would handle language characters speak Korean, Japanese, and English.
I love the opening title sequence.
