The third episode of the TV drama series "Zaibatsu Fukushu" (TV Tokyo, Mondays 11:06pm), starring actors Keisuke Watanabe and Miori Takimoto, was broadcast on January 20th. The episode featured a scene in which Erika (Takimoto), the ex-wife of Yukiya (Watanabe) and the mother of Masayuki (Takeda Kohei), the eldest son of the Ise zaibatsu, was having a conversation with Masayuki, which caused a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
Erika was appointed as the new president of iSE Interfashion, replacing Satoshi (Kenta Izuka), who was fired after his power harassment of employees became public knowledge. However, when she had dinner with her father-in-law, Seiichiro (Watanabe Ikkei), he mocked her, saying that she was just a figurehead.
After finishing dinner with Seiichiro, Erika returns home and is scolded by Masayuki for coming home late. Erika explains that she wants to become a great CEO like Masayuki. But Masayuki scolds her, saying, "Don't compare me to Interfashion. I'm the CEO of Ise Bussan."
Erika apologized to Masayuki. However, Masayuki said, "You have a different level of responsibility than other managers. It's not enough to just be a parent." He then hugged Erika and said, "That's enough. Erika is my wife. You have a special seat that everyone envies. You've finally found happiness."
However, although Erika smiled and said "I'm happy," her smile quickly disappeared and she remained expressionless, allowing Masayuki to do what he wanted.
On social media, Erika's reaction to Masayuki raised some doubts. Comments like "Erika must have something she wants to accomplish," "She's up to something," "What is Erika's goal?" and "Erika seems unsatisfied" were posted.
