Summary
A disappointing chapter that loses its impactful emotional stakes in favor of a repetitive rehashing of old ground.
This recap of the Apple TV+ series Pachinko season 1, episode 6 contains spoilers.
“Chapter Six” starts with yet another timeline to grow accustomed to, the seventies. Osaka, 1975 introduces us to the much talked about character of Hana, Solomon’s friend and possible lover, who has gone missing in eighties Japan. Her debut appearance in Pachinko sets the scene for the chapter on the whole and her actions will forever change the life of dearest Solomon. Hana becomes the focal point of episode six in a regrettably forgettable installment.
Pachinko season 1, episode 6 recap
In the seventies, Hana is an impatient and destructive girl. She dreams of running away to America with Solomon and persuades him to steal candy from the local shop. Of course, Solomon is caught and his father has to bail him out at the police station. This first offense is all thanks to Hana’s bad influence, yet he tells his father it was solely his fault. The resulting punishment is a sudden move to America, which Solomon protests profusely. As we know, Solomon does journey to the states for his education and employment, whilst wayward Hana goes off the rails at home and ends up working as a prostitute in the country’s capital.
Hana also blesses us with her presence in the eighties timeline too, where she’s dying from AIDs in a dreary-looking hospital. Her mother Etsuko and partner Mozasu (yes, that’s Solomon’s dad) have spent copious amounts of money searching for her and find Hana in this pitiful state. She’s just as sarcastic and stubborn as her youthful counterpart and talks despairingly as if she’s lost all hope. It’s a tragic situation and director Justin Chon draws some emotion from her interactions with mother Etsuko.
Back in the equally bleak thirties, Sunja’s waters break and she begins a painful labor. Husband Isak decides to take this opportunity to go looking for his disgraced brother Yoseb instead. The brother is still embarrassed and angry at Kyunghee and Sunja for paying off his debt for him (how dare they!), so he decides to drown his sorrows in a seedy bar. Isak feels it’s more important to spend time bonding with his brother than helping his wife give birth and witnesses another awkward altercation with the police. This interaction indicates to the viewer that Isak wants a better life for his child and he begins to change his ways.
“Chapter Six” has all the same trappings as earlier episodes, although the repetitive style is becoming a little tiresome now, with everything going downhill after the magnificent fourth chapter. There are still some touching moments, Hana reconnects with her mother and an older Sunja’s confession reveals an intriguing secret. Overall though this is a rather forgettable episode, where the gains are small, and with the finale only two episodes away, there seems no endgame in sight.
You can stream Pachinko season 1, episode 6 exclusively on Apple TV+.
