‘Pachinko’ Season 2’s Most Important Moment Isn't in the Finale (2024)

Apple TV+'s Pachinko has wrapped up Season 2 by catching its characters amidst the most emotionally turbulent phase of their characters' arcs up to now. In Season 2's finale, The Terror co-creator Soo Hugh's Korean Japanese drama series, adapted from Min Jin Lee's novel of the same name, focuses on a defining moment in the life of its protagonists. Sunja's (Kim Min-ha) eldest son, Noa (Kang Tae Joo), comes face-to-face with the truth about the identity of his biological father. Unable to digest the truth, in a bid to hide from his own self-imposed disgrace, Noa makes the big decision of leaving his studies at Waseda University and escaping to a different life somewhere else, even bidding farewell to his beloved mother. However, despite the gravity of the choice made by Noa and the consequences it will attract for him and his entire family, Pachinko Season 2's biggest moment does not come in the finale. Instead, the one moment that defined the biggest choice in Season 2 came just midway through Season 2, in Episode 4.

'Pachinko's Biggest Moment Came Midway Through Season 2

Throughout Pachinko Season 2, Noa’s character, who was introduced this season in the form of his teenage version played by Kim Kang-hoon, was being prepared for the big moment that came in the season finale. In Season 2's finale, Noa's discovery of his real father’s identity became the defining moment of not only Noa’s character arc, but also the season finale. Although Noa was being prepared for this shocking revelation that would define the course of Sunja’s and Noa’s life going forward (given the extreme nature of Noa's decision), the one scene that ended up defining Noa’s choice belongs to Episode 4 when Noa witnessed Hansu brutally beating up the caretaker of the farm. This scene is instrumental in dictating how Noa felt towards his real father, and how the fact that he is the son of a man like Koh Hansu (Lee Min-ho) becomes a burden too big to carry for Noa.

Firstly, Noa comes face-to-face with the truth of Hansu’s criminal background for the first time in Episode 4. Noa witnesses from the shadows as Hansu beats up the caretaker of the farm mercilessly and with impunity. Although Noa did not interact much with Hansu directly up until this point, Hansu's actions on that fateful night set an image marked in stone in Noa's mind. For Noa, Hansu is no longer only a benevolent benefactor, but also a ruthless human who stands against everything that Noa has come to believe in. Secondly, the look of astonishment on Noa’s face resulted from the impact his step-father (whom he believed to be his real father), Baek Isak (Steve Sang-Hyun Noh), had on Noa while he was growing up. Isak had taught Noa a very important lesson in forgiveness and kindness even moments before his final breath.

Noa’s Refusal To Accept Hansu Is Rooted in His Relationship With Baek Isak

In a very important scene in Season 2, after being released from prison, Isak comes face-to-face with the man he believed to be his friend and who had betrayed him. Isak decides to forgive the friend who informed the Japanese authorities about his political activities, which were believed to be anti-regime. However, knowing that his actions would define how Noa perceives his life all the way, especially considering the ruthless reality of the Korean experience in Japan, Isak forgives the man who took away everything Isak had built in Osaka. Through Isak, Noa realizes the strength of forgiveness – something Hansu clearly failed to display through his actions in Episode 4.

Witnessing Hansu’s cruelty firsthand in Episode 4’s end, he showed Noa a man who stood in stark contrast to the one he believed to be his father. For Noa, who wants to become a teacher, there couldn’t have been a greater curse than being the son of a man like Hansu, who built everything he owns on the back of cruelty and terror. Toward the end of Season 2, it is shown how Hansu plots the murder of his father-in-law (Hiroaki Murakami), who overpowered him when it came to crucial decisions. Putting his calculative criminal mind to work, Hansu removed the very man who possibly helped him become a powerful Korean in a society that discriminated against Koreans vehemently.

Throughout Season 2, it can be felt that Noa is possibly trying to hide from the truth which seemed so obvious even before his girlfriend, Akiko Nakazono (Kilala Inori), placed it brutally in front of him. It seems only fair that Noa should have realized that Hansu is not being kind towards his family out of the goodness of his heart. However, the potential disgrace and dishonor eventually felt by Noa forced him to turn a blind eye toward a harsh reality that remained well within his sight all this time. For Noa, the memory of that unforgiving night, captured in Episode 4, seemed so burdensome that he could not bear to live at the mercy of a man like his biological father once the truth came so close that he could no longer ignore it. The scene with Noa and Hansu in Season 2, Episode 4 paves the way for the most important and consequential moment of the season that wins over every other moment that came before and after, including Noa's final goodbye to his mother.

All episodes of Pachinko Season 2 are now available to stream on Apple TV+ in the U.S.

Pachinko

TV-MA

Drama

Based on the New York Times bestseller, this sweeping saga chronicles the hopes and dreams of a Korean immigrant family across four generations as they leave their homeland in an indomitable quest to survive and thrive.

Release Date

March 25, 2022

Cast

Lee Min-ho , Minha Kim , Anna Sawai , Jimmi Simpson , Eun-chae Jung , Jin Ha , Kaho Minami , Yuh-Jung Youn , In-ji Jeong , Jun-woo Han , Soji Arai , Steve Sanghyun Noh

Main Genre

Drama

Seasons

2

Creator(s)

Soo Hugh

Streaming Service(s)

Apple TV+

Watch on Apple TV+