Un Village Français 1.05

div>Marchés noirs

or Black Markets

Nov 7, 1940

Raymond Schwartz is at the movies with Jeannine, his wife. He breaks away from his wife briefly to rendezvous with Marie Germain, his lover. They are caught kissing by Sarah Meyer, his housekeeper. Raymond asks Sarah not to say anything. She promises to keep silent about what she saw. She isn't supposed to be there. It isn't her day off. She is supposed to be working. Raymond doesn't care but Jeannine would, if she knew.

Someone starts booing during a newsreel showing Marshall Pétain meeting with Adolph Hitler. Von Ritter, the German commander, wants the offender found. He tells this to Dr. Larcher, the mayor, and Servier, the Deputy Prefect. He wants results. Larcher and Servier turn to De Kervern and Marchetti. They task the two police officers with finding the people who booed at the newsreel. De Kervern doesn't want to do it but Marchetti has ideas about how to approach the task.

Marcel almost gets arrested by a couple French police officers. He was accused of handing out communists pamphlets by a man on the street but when they stop him he doesn't have anything to prove he is a communist. Suzanne Richard, a woman whom he doesn't know, helps him out get rid of the pamphlets he was carrying. They meet up later on. She isn't a communist but she tells him about plans to rally support against the Germans. 

Marchetti conducts an investigation. It leads to Sarah Meyer who in turn gives him the name of Michel Bellini, the son of a rich man. She was at the movies with Michel. She gives Marchetti the name because she is scared of getting fired by Jeannine Schwartz. She doesn't want Mme Schwartz to know she was at the movies. 

Lorain Germain, Marie's husband, is concerned about their farm. He doesn't see how they can make it under the current circumstances. He goes off on someone who comes to collect for the government but Marie manages to talk him down. 

Marcel has a talk with the communist party member from whom he has been taking instructions. He is very disappointed in Marcel and tells him that he is going to have to report him. He orders Marcel not to work Suzanne. Marcel meets with Suzanne again and despite the orders prepares to help her in her plan.

Raymond helps the Marie and Lorrain by buying their pig. He gives them considerably more for it than they can get legally. He helps them kill it and then takes it. Raymond butchers it himself. Jeannine shows up drunk while he is working on the animal's carcass. She reveals that she knows about his affair with Marie Germain. She pressured Sarah into telling her.

Marchetti arrests Michel Bellini, after getting permission from the Deputy Prefect. He is ready to press charges when he finds that Bellini has a notebook that belonged to Tequiero's mother. He lets Bellini go with a warning. De Kervern is puzzled by what he just saw. Marchetti gives the notebook to Hortense Larcher.

Thoughts

The meeting between Adolf Hitler and Marshal Pétain, the head of the Vichy government, happened on Oct 24, 1940.

There is a lot of potential for destructive energy now that Jeannine knows about Raymond's infidelity. I can only imagine how Lorrain will react once he finds out.

The next episode is the last one in this season and the last one that takes place during 1940. It takes place on Nov 11, 1940 which is the 22nd anniversary of the end of the First World War. It is also the day that Suzanne plans to move forward with her plan. I don't have much hope for her plan considering how early it is in the war.

This episode did not carry the same impact as some of the previous ones. It is good it just didn't hit quite as hard. Maybe I am just getting used to this show or maybe there just weren't any performances that stand out in this episode as much as some.