Episode 1 of Pachinko begins with a brief background to the opening time period that sets the foundation for the rest of this sprawling epic. In 1910, Japan colonized Korea to expand out its empire. Under Japanese rule, many Koreas were forced to leave their homes for greener pastures on foreign soil. However, the people and families endured despite this hardship. One family in particular is the one we're focusing on for this sprawling epic, jumping from 1915 forwards to 1989, New York. This family believe they have a curse on them, and while a ritual takes place in 1915 to try and banish this, fast forward to 1989 and a Korean businessman called Solomon, who has lived in Japan all his life, decides to try and close a lucrative deal for a hotel. Solomon believes he can close the deal and in exchange, wants a big promotion and a hefty payday. Staying in 1915 for now, the weary mother gives birth to a baby girl, by the name of Sunja. As they head to a fish market together, Sunja is encouraged to keep her head down when two Japanese soldiers walk past. Pachinko begins with a really beautiful episode; a sweeping historical epic that perfectly captures the mood and time period. The production design is outstanding here, as we've come to expect from Apple shows, while the story is actually moving at a decent pace so far. The editing choice of splicing these two time periods together - 1915 and 1989 - is an interesting one and early on it actually feels a tad messy and almost like everything is going to spiral out of control. However, the story soon settles into a more consistent rhythm and the episode is all the stronger for it. The soundtrack is brilliant, with whimsical string segments that feel quite similar to last year's Underground Railroad. There's not a sniff of fantasy in this though, Pachinko is a well-worked, meticulously crafted period drama and if this first episode is anything to go by, we could be in for quite a journey.
