We Were The Lucky Ones – Episode 6 “Warsaw” Recap & Review

Warsaw

Episode 6 of We Were The Lucky Ones begins in September 1941 with Mila getting ready to leave Radom with Felicia, now that the family have their forged papers sent by Halina. Nechuma has made Mila’s outfit in such a way that the identification star can be removed within seconds. Mila goes to the gate of the city, removes the star as discreetly as possible and the two quietly move out of Radom.

Some time later, we see Mila working as a nanny for a German woman in Warsaw while Felicia in the convent. Mila is having a tough time to assimilate into her fake identity and she misses Felicia dearly, but Halina has been trying to stop her from visiting the convent since it is not safe. Halina also tells her that she received a message from her parents who are working in Pionki factory and her mother has expressed a wish to be relocated since Sol is having a hard time working with his painful back. 

At the same time, Halina is working as a waitress for some high-society Germans. One of the attendees catches her eye and the man informs her that she would be working for him and that he would talk to Halina’s employers, much to Halina’s dismay. We do not really know the significance of this scene but perhaps, she is worried as the man is oddly interested in her.

When she reaches her home, the landlady suddenly accuses her of lying about being Jewish. Halina is flustered and denies the charges. She runs up to her apartment where Adam has been listening to the commotion. He asks her to close the lights and open the gate. When the woman enters, Adam shows her his fake foreskin to make her believe that they are not Jewish. Somehow, they avert the danger as the landlady is embarrassed and apologises. 

Later, Adam meets with one of his contacts from the Underground who tells him about the gas chambers and death camps. The Holocaust has begun. Meanwhile, Mila has a brief moment of camaraderie with her employer over the idea of children. 

Meanwhile at the Pionki factory where Halina’s parents are, Sol is having a hard time working in a labour intensive factory. A few days later, on the rumours of the gas chambers, they are called by the German soldiers. However, they are relieved to find Halina who has come to get them out of the factory. Halina has to part with an expensive piece of jewellery along with the cash owing to the greed of the officer, before her parents are released. She takes them to a secluded house, where they are given beds in exchange for money by the homeowners. Halina assures the homeowners a stream of regular income. 

Back in Warsaw, Mila’s employers throws a fit over her son being called a jew. Mila tries to explain that it was a children’s game but the employer loses her temper and throws a glass object at Mila’s head, injuring her. Mila leaves her residence after giving her a sharp glare. She goes to see Felicia briefly in the convent. Later, Mila and Halina talk about the gas chambers and death camps, and discuss about the inhuman treatment they have to go through for no reason. 

At the same time, Bella is mentally healing in the AVL factory from the grief and shock of Anna’s death while Jakob is living a dreary life in Radom, without Bella, taking photographs for a German general, of which most are pornographic. Bella meets an acquaintance in the factory who is a member of the Judenrat. He informs her about the gas chambers and relays that Bella’s parent’s workplace is going to be “liquidated”, meaning the workers are going to be gassed.

Bella visits her parents in the hope of getting them out of the place but her parents ask her to save herself instead. They refuse to go back with her. Knowing about their probable death, Bella is grief stricken and takes to her bed. Meanwhile, back in Radom, Jakob undergoes a harrowing event where the German officers select those who cannot work to be killed. Jakob finds piles of corpses on the street the next day.

This event shakes him and he decides to visit Bella. After reaching the factory, the same selection event takes place where the officers ask all the workers to assemble. Jakob, inspired by a few others, decide to flee with Bella. With most officers busy with the assembly, the two escape from the back door where they meet the others. Two women cut the wired fence and the group is able to escape towards the forest. 

The Episode Review

In this episode, we are moving towards the beginning of the holocaust, which started from 1991 and ended in 1945. The show is building up the anxiety and trauma associated with the holocaust and the crimes against humanity that took place during the second world war. 

One of the most emotional scenes in this episode was when Sol expresses his helplessness over helping his family and Nechuma, the strongest woman in the show, tries to cheer him up. Another poignant moment was when Halina and Mila express their disbelief over the actions of their fellow humans. All in all, this episode felt like calm before a raging storm and we cannot wait for the next episode!