Episode Summary
The Japanese army occupies the city, with a decade-long spy, Yamashita Satoshi, revealing himself as a key figure. He manipulates Zhang Zhiping into cooperating by threatening his fiancée's village, which makes Zhang appear to be a traitor to his loved ones. This deal diverts the Japanese forces to another village, Dawang, resulting in a brutal massacre. The survivors, including Zhuang Qifeng, escape to a stronghold. Yamashita then plots to frame Zhuang as a traitor, while the stronghold comes under attack from local bandits, forcing Zhuang to use his wits to defend his people.
Spoiler Alert
Our Homeland (2025) Episode 2 Recap: A Deal with the Devil
Alright, let's talk about what went down in the latest episode of "Our Homeland." Things get intense, and a friendly face turns out to be a long-term enemy.
The episode kicks off with the Japanese army arriving. Liu Zuguang warns his friend Zhang Zhiping to play it cool. He reminds him to think about his fiancée, Lu Ying, and all the people in their villages, Lujia and Zhangjia. It's not the time for rash decisions. A man named Li Mingjing, along with some local gentry, formally welcomes the Japanese troops. The Japanese commander, Murata, starts getting intel about the city from Li. But the real shocker is the guy standing next to Murata—everyone recognizes him as Xia Shanming, a local community president they've known for ten years. Plot twist: his real name is Yamashita Satoshi, and he's a Japanese special agent.
Now that his cover is blown, Yamashita gives a speech, trying to sell the idea of a "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere." He basically says if the locals don't fight back, the Japanese army will leave them alone. Later, he visits the captured Liu Zuguang and Zhang Zhiping. He offers Liu his old job back, this time as a commissioner for the Japanese, but Liu politely turns him down, saying he's too old for it.
So, Yamashita moves on to his next target: Zhang Zhiping. He "accidentally" lets it slip that the Japanese army plans to invade three villages: Dawang, Zhangjia, and Lujia—where Zhang's fiancée, Lu Ying, lives. Yamashita then makes an offer: if Zhang agrees to cooperate and lead a new security regiment, the Japanese will spare the villages. Torn between his hatred for the enemy and his love for Lu Ying and his people, Zhang agrees. The deal works. Lu Ying is set free, but when she learns what Zhang has done, she thinks he's a traitor and leaves him in a rage.
Because of Zhang's deal, the Japanese army, under orders from Murata, changes its route. They bypass Lujia and Zhangjia villages, but this leads them straight to Dawang Village, which now faces their full fury. The attack is a horrific massacre. A woman holding her baby is surrounded; a soldier stabs the infant with a bayonet and throws it to the ground. Another soldier contemplates cutting off the woman's feet as a souvenir. No one is spared.
Meanwhile, a character named Zhuang Qifeng has just returned to his home in Dawang Village. He and his parents manage to escape the slaughter and flee to a nearby stronghold called Mati Gu. From the walls, he watches as the Japanese troops eventually pull back, having received orders to secure a supply line.
Yamashita isn't done scheming. To solidify his control over Zhang Zhiping and Liu Zuguang, he decides to frame Zhuang Qifeng as a traitor to create division among the Chinese resistance. A confession letter, supposedly signed by Zhuang, surfaces. His comrades, like Zhou Mi and the "traitor-elimination" captain Zhuang Ziqiang, are suspicious but can't deny it's his signature.
That night, the stronghold is attacked by bandits led by a man named Li Shaotang. The villagers manage to fight them off. Unarmed but resourceful, Zhuang Qifeng starts figuring out how to make homemade bombs to prepare for the next attack. The following day, with the bandits gone but the threat still looming, Zhuang Qifeng suggests they need to get help. He, along with the local defense leader Wang Zhiyong, goes to the village chief, Wang Xiangfo, to ask for reinforcements. They try to make him and other village elders understand the grave danger by describing the brutal massacre they just witnessed at Dawang Village.
