We Were The Lucky Ones – Episode 4 “Casablanca” Recap & Review

Casablanca

Episode 4 of We Were The Lucky Ones begins sometime around 1941. Mila is working in a factory, sewing garments. Felicia is a few years older, sitting beside her mother as she works. Mila finds out that those fleeing to Palestine have family members living there. There is a routine check and Mila hides Felicia in a box, underneath a pile of clothing. During the checking, Katzman, responsible to oversee work in the factory, is arrested. It’s later revealed that he was caught smuggling contraband. Luckily, Felicia was hidden and was saved. 

Mila goes back home to find her mother proposing to send Felicia out of the ghetto to a foster family, in order to keep her safe. They discuss about going to Palestine but it’s a difficult task since the acceptance rate is low. 

However, worried about the developments, Mila decides to send Felicia off. Sol, Nechuma and Mila wrap her up in a blanket and manage to send her outside of the wall, to a confidante who is to deliver her to her foster parents. However after a few days, Mila receives a note that Felicia is coming back home. It’s revealed that her foster family returned her since “she looked too Jewish”.

Alternatively, we discover that Halina was taken to the hospital for her rare blood type. The nurse almost drains her dry before letting her leave. Halina staggers onto the streets and manages to make her way to Adam’s house. Adam lets her in and takes care of her before both of them leave in the morning to discuss the situation with Jakob and Bella, on account of Germany declaring war on the Soviet. 

They discuss about possible solutions, including making fake identification papers for all of them, even though it is difficult as “it’s easier for some than others” referring to facial features that give away their ethnicity. It is revealed that Halina and Adam already have fake papers made for themselves. 

At the meeting, the Underground discuss possible solutions to Germans invading Lvov. They decide to smuggle the most important people out of Lvov, including Adam. Adam seems troubled and goes outside the room. Halina kisses him before confronting him about leaving, and it’s revealed that Adam wants to stay with Halina. He has always loved her but Halina emphasises, “They need you, I don’t”. 

Elsewhere, Addy finds himself in a detection camp in Morocco. He offers to buy supplies for the detection camp, along with suggesting a bribe to two Moroccan officers. As the soldiers wait for him outside a shop, Abby sneaks away and tries to find Eliska and her mother but to no avail. He meets a friend at the market who tells him about the last ships sailing from Cadiz in Spain. Addy is able to locate Eliska with his help. 

After Addy showers, he tells Eliska and his mother that they need to leave for Cadiz. Eliska’s mother is reluctant to leave considering that her money would protect them. However, Addy reiterates that the place isn’t safe regardless of money and that they need to leave. Eliska later tells Addy that she will leave with him and Addy proposes to her and they share a kiss. The next day, as the three are leaving, the two Moroccan officers come to search for Addy but they’re able to leave unharmed. 

Elsewhere, people in Lvov are joyous over Germany’s invasion since they hate Soviets more and are oblivious to the situation at Radom and other western cities. Halina and Jakub witness a procession hailing the Nazis and it soon turns into a horrifying pogrom. Halina and Jakob barely make it. Jakob leaves to find Bella.

Meanwhile, Bella is at her sister’s house, who is also pregnant, when she’s found out about the riot. She leaves to find Jakub. Jakub grabs hold of Bella and takes her inside the basement nearby after Halina, just when Bella witnesses a man asking an officer for help getting shot in the head, point blank.

They remain at the basement for 3 days without food before one of the Underground member finds them and gives them sustinence. The man tells them that the death squads arrived and started massacring people in the most heinous ways possible. Halina find that Adam did not leave and she gets worried. 

Elsewhere, Mila comes across a poster which advertises safe passage to Palestine for intelligentsia. She tries to get her parents enrolled but to no avail. She is able to get her and Felicia a spot after lying that her husband, a doctor, will join them in Palestine. Mila and Felicia say goodbye to Sol and Nechuma. Mila promises to send for them once she settles.

While on their way, their truck is stopped by the Germans, who huddle all of them in a circle and order them to dig a hole. They shoot whoever tries to escape. Mila sees a man who is able to rescue himself due to his experience in helping the SS. Next, another woman sweet talks the officer and Mila instructs Felicia to run up to her and pretend to call her mother.  Felicia does exactly that, and the woman realises the message. She hugs Felicia and tells the officer that she’s hers. They safely make it inside the truck. 

Meanwhile, the soldiers round up the prisoners, tell them to undress and begin shooting them, when Mila starts running towards the trucks as the episode ends. 

The Episode Review

We Were The Lucky Ones is proving to be one of the most well written and well captured shows of the year. Its able to generate the terror that followed the Jewish people, and which still does, through anticipation. Every episode is able to generate deep emotions and I find myself grieving for the people that I only read about in textbooks. The show makes them all come alive, as a horrifying reminder of humanity gone insane in the past century.

From this episode onwards, the intensity of cruelty and hatred increases. We see people blinded by hate, and not only limited to Europe, but throughout the world. As Addy says, “Nowhere is safe”.  I am looking forward to the next episode, and I hope you are too.