As a devoted viewer and ardent admirer of Lee Min-ho’s exceptional acting skills, I find myself utterly captivated by his portrayal of Hansu in the second season of Pachinko on Apple TV+. His ability to embody the complexities and depth of a character that he himself has not yet lived is truly a testament to his versatility as an actor.
[This story contains spoilers from season two, episode two of Pachinko, “Chapter Ten.”]
In an unusual move, the captivating series adaptation on Apple TV+ titled Pachinko, based on Min Jin Lee’s novel about a Korean family’s struggle to survive during and after the Japanese occupation of Korea, has chosen not to give episode titles. However, if showrunner Soo Hugh were to bestow a title upon this latest installment of her sweeping multi-generational tale, she would likely choose “The Boogeyman.”
In the second hour of the sophomore season of Pachinko, written by Hugh, Christina Christina Christina Yoon and Melissa Park, we meet Isak (Steve Sanghyun Noh) again, who is Sunja’s (Minha Kim) pastor husband. At the end of the first season, he was arrested in 1938 for attempting to advocate for labor unions, which was viewed as a threat to the Japanese emperor. Seventeen years later, Hansu (Lee Minho), Sunja’s former wealthy lover who left her when she was pregnant with their child, manages to broker the safe exit of a Japanese official’s family from Osaka in return for Isak’s freedom.
In this episode, a severely injured man named Isak, often referred to by Hugh as the ‘Boogeyman’, makes his way back home and falls into the arms of his sister-in-law, Kyunghee (Jung Eunchae). During Isak’s absence, Sunja had taken on the role of breadwinner for the family but yearned for her husband’s return. Upon hearing the news of Isak’s homecoming, Sunja rushed to his side and even sought help from Hansu to find the top doctor in the city. Unfortunately, as she learns, Isak’s wounds are too severe to be healed.
As his time neared its end, Isak graciously pardoned the present pastor who had previously betrayed him by reporting him many years ago. In a touching moment, he confided in his sons Noa (Kang Hoon Kim) and Mozasu (Eunseong Kwon), that he would forever be their father (the scene which Hugh shared with The Hollywood Reporter is the one that brings tears to my eyes most often). Before taking his leave, he bid farewell to Sunja, the woman he had decided to marry despite discovering she was carrying another man’s child.
Isak Says Goodbye
Years back when Hugh initially read “Pachinko“, he remembers being “extremely upset” over Isak’s demise. “It seems incredibly unjust — this man seemed to do everything correctly. He strived to live with great empathy and kindness, yet he was crushed by the system,” she shared with THR. “The injustice of Isak’s death has always felt very intense to me, and I wanted to convey that intensity in episode two.”
For Hugh, one of the main difficulties in creating this episode was determining when to amplify the emotional intensity without undermining the impact of its conclusion. To tackle this, he chose to construct the narrative with a John Carpenter-style horror film aesthetic – incorporating eerie sound effects and strategic camera angles that suggest an unseen observer is watching the characters closely. However, the climax of the episode carries a poignant emotional resonance through quiet and intimate scenes instead.
“It was crucial that Sunja and Isak’s farewell resembled the scene from episode five of season one, where they first made love, as Hugh pointed out. He emphasized that the camera angles were identical. This was to underscore how much these two individuals had grown over time. At their wedding, they were strangers to each other.”
As a gamer, I found myself deeply moved while going through the script scenes involving Isak’s return. It was so intense that I couldn’t hold back the tears during filming, even struggling to get my lines out. To tackle this, Director Leanne Welham suggested I should mix up my emotions in each scene. For example, when comforting Isak by telling him to relax, Sunja is gentle and caring, but when she walks away to seek help, she becomes more stern and resolute.
Regarding Sunja’s emotional state during that crucial moment in the scene, Kim shares with The Hollywood Reporter, “During the scene where Sunja and Isak are lying down… and eventually she loses Isak, I felt an overwhelming desire to touch him. I wanted to provide him with my warmth and my presence to help keep him alive.”
“I [as Sunja] was very angry about the situation that he had faced for a lot of years, and I felt so sorry for him,” she continues. “Eventually, when I realized that I can’t do anything for him to make him [stay] alive, that’s why I just wanted to touch him and share my warmth. I just wanted to make the promise: ‘Don’t worry about our family and our kids.’ Even now, when I’m thinking about it, it’s very emotional.”
Sunja’s response to Isak’s demise may resonate deeply with many kids from Asian families, whose parents are often characterized by their silent resilience, even in times of sorrow. As Hugh explains, “Sunja doesn’t give way to tears, and it’s only after his passing and she goes out alone, sits down, that it is when the emotions are unleashed.” He further notes that this portrayal seemed “more genuine” in its subtlety.
“Kim says, ‘She understands there’s no room for falling apart, regrettably, thus she conceals her tears and remains quiet instead.’ She admires her mom and grandmother for this behavior, but Kim points out that they don’t deliberately hide their emotions; rather, it’s an unconscious response.”
14 Years Later, Hansu and Sunja Reunite in Osaka
It’s yet to be determined how Isak’s demise will shape Sunja’s future interactions with Hansu. However, it’s important to note that both Sunja and Hansu have evolved significantly from their past selves, as the actors portraying them emphasize.
“The element that I love about the relationship between Hansu and Sunja [now] is that they’re the parents, so most of the conversations they’re having [this season] are about the kids and about Noa,” Kim says. “In the first season, we were so busy hating each other and trying to have each other. But now, they kind of wrangled [their feelings] a little bit because of their kids.”
During the first episode of the new season, Sunja finds herself without kimchi to sell in the streets, so she starts vending rice wine as a means to support her family. Yet, she is soon apprehended. Instead of facing court or any form of punishment, Sunja is promptly released once the officer in charge learns her name, and a secretive man called Mr. Kim, who has been employed by Hansu to monitor Sunja and her kin, escorts her into a vehicle waiting at the scene.
As Hansu confesses to Sunja, he never truly lost her — or their son, Noa, who is still unaware of his true paternity in 1945. “[Hansu’s] probably been dreaming of one day that he will be able to embrace Noa and Sunja completely as his own. I think that could be his life’s goal,” Lee says through a Korean interpreter. “For season two, Hansu’s emotion towards Sunja is more than just love [for her]. I think it has evolved into some sort of love for family, love for his bloodline and his son.”
When she set out to create her own backstory for what happened to Sunja between seasons one and two, Kim imagined that Sunja continued to think about Hansu “almost every day.” Sure, Sunja may have been “quite angry” that Hansu has been spying on her family for over a decade. But Kim reasons that part of her must have mulled over this reunion for years, so she couldn’t be too shocked.
“I think she might have dreamed about him, or maybe she made up her own picture in her imagination [about their reunion],” Kim says. “She wants to get rid of [him], but she can’t, which is so annoying, so depressing. But right at the moment that she realized that she cannot get Hansu out of her life, she just accepted that she cannot live without him.”
While the initial season showcased Hansu exerting his authority over Sunja, the subsequent one depicts them at a more equal footing – marking the start of an awkward yet necessary journey towards understanding each other better.
“In certain moments during season two, you may ponder: Could these two characters be friends? There’s a later discussion between them that I find it quite heartwistle-en. InHugh previews on what kind of alluremereview on how Noa should be portrayed, which creates conflict for the two of them,” suggests Hugh in his review.
The Next Generations
Just as events unfold and become clearer, the subsequent and following episodes of the series will shed more light on the storyline. The parallel timelines of the program continue to intersects akin the two characters, demonstrates’smkeeps the conversation about the show’s history ongoing, indicating that similar patterns often recur across different family lines.
“You see the same hopes and burdens that are now loaded on these kids,” Hugh says of the subsequent generations. “Sunja [played by Yuh-Jung Youn in the ’80s timeline] thinks that she’s not going to make the same mistakes she made with Noa. She said that in season one, and yet she’s still placing this tremendous burden on Solomon [played by Jin Ha]; she is making the same mistakes. Noa had to carry all of that family’s hopes and dreams, and she’s doing the same thing with Solomon. She just doesn’t realize it yet.
What’s intriguing about the characters Noa and Mozasu, portrayed by four incredibly talented actors, is that Mozasu expresses defiance towards hopes and dreams with his line, “Yeah, I feel your hopes and dreams, and I say, ‘Screw you.'” Contrastingly, Noa represents the opposite. The creator explains, “[Noa’s] transformation after Isak’s death is significant. Before Isak’s demise, he had aspirations of becoming a pastor, much like his father. However, following Isak’s death, Noa experiences a shift in perspective and declares, ‘I don’t wish to follow the path of my father.'”
Even though Noa was brought up by Isak until the age of 6, Noa continues to carry the impact of his late father. Hugh remarks, “Isak’s kindness is still very much present in Noa. When Noa sees Hansu brutally assaulting a man, it leaves him deeply disturbed and he strongly rejects Hansu. I believe this is due to Isak’s influence.” “Noa finds himself stuck between Hansu and Isak, which makes his later discovery of the truth about his real father all the more heart-wrenching,” Hugh adds.
Lee Minho: Hansu Wants More
Previously, Hansu was labeled as a villain born from tragedy by Lee, during an old interview with THR. The second season delves deeper into his character by examining the complexities of his family and professional life, as Hugh explains. Despite being his father’s favorite (even though not biologically related), Hansu continues to face discrimination for being Korean. He’s still belittled for being an outsider, but he skillfully suppresses these feelings until they explode in devastating actions.
“In the second half of the series, it appears that Hansu and Noa will both find themselves in a position where they must betray their cherished mentor figures. Interestingly, these characters share a common thread regarding their father figures. In the first season, we were introduced to Hansu’s true father who was connected with a Yakuza boss. This means that Hansu and Noa have quite parallel character development in this aspect.”
This season, it’s clear that Hansu is relentlessly pursuing power, not just in business, but also in politics. Lee comments, “I think he’s crossed a point of no return.” He seems to be constantly seeking more, and even if he achieves his goals, he may find himself still unsatisfied. I believe the central theme for Hansu is that he will continue to lose ground, yearn for more, and become increasingly fixated on Sunja and her son, Noa.
In the Asian film industry, Lee is widely recognized as one of the top South Korean actors. Known for portraying complex leading roles, his repertoire is extensive. However, the second season of “Pachinko” presented a unique acting hurdle for this 37-year-old sensation, who had to compete for the part during auditions.
“Lee admits that since Hansu is in his 40s, he hasn’t lived through those years himself. Occasionally, while playing the character of Hansu, Lee experienced peculiar emotions because he doesn’t have personal experiences with situations like meeting someone, parting ways, then reuniting later on. This emotion was new to him, making it unique and memorable when portraying the role.”
Whenever fresh feelings started welling up within him, Lee admits that he frequently sought out Kim’s perspective by inquiring, “I find myself with these particular emotions while attempting to shoot the scene. What are your thoughts on this?”
Lee mentions, “We aimed to express the emotional aspects of our characters frequently. When depicting Hansu during season two, I believe I was attempting to emphasize the underlying tensions, feelings, and emotions that are difficult to put into words.”
The Rice Fields
Reflecting on the poignant twist of fate, I found myself pondering the tragic irony that permeated the second episode. As the devastating news unfolded about a neighbor’s family patriarch being killed in action, my heart ached for Mozasu as he inquired from Noa if they would ever recover his loved one’s remains from the battlefield. In a cruel twist of events, Sunja and her kin were compelled to abandon Isakindividualizedly their very fortunate enough to escape when faced with an imminent bombing in Osaka – leaving behind Isak’s mortal remains. However, Hugh couldn’t help but remind us that we were incredibly privileged for having the opportunity to flee at all.
By Hansu’s guidance, Sunja’s kin shall journey into the countryside for a safe haven. There, the ladies are anticipated to labor in the rice paddies.
“During World War II, battlefields and armed men firing guns are often what come to mind. However, Hugh shares an unusual yet revealing perspective: life from the viewpoint of those left behind. In the rice fields, moments of joy can be found amidst their hardships and fears. Remarkably, there’s a fleeting moment of freedom they experience.”
“I’m deeply moved by the contrast – witnessing the colossal peril of a nation under attack, yet at the same time, enjoying a child’s delight as he soars a kite for the first time. This is reminiscent of the duality found in the game of Pachinko – the large and small coexisting within the same picture.”
New episodes of Pachinko release every Friday on Apple TV+.
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2024-09-03 19:31