Un Village Français 4.04

Une évasion

or An Escape

Jul 23, 1942

Judith brings back food and news about the children to the adult Jewish prisoners. She says she will need a couple more women to help look after the children. Marianna Cohn tries to volunteer but Judith refuses the offer. Mrs. Cohn objects but Judith says that Marianna is hysterical and will just make the situation worse for the children. Marianna commits suicide minutes later in the bathroom, using a pair of scissors.

Ezéchiel, Marianna's husband, starts to act strange. Judith can see that he is up to something. She tells Doctor Larcher while he is at the school checking on people who are sick. Daniel and Judith corner Mr. Cohn. They make him promise not to try to escape.

Servier has not told anyone about Daniel's resignation letter. He asks Daniel to resume his duties as mayor. Daniel says he will only do that if the Germans return the children. They go to see Kollwitz together. Kollwitz points out that they have not arrested enough Jewish people. He has no leeway as long as they have not met the quota.

Marchetti is put in an awkward position. Rita and her mother get arrested. He tries to get them released. He gets Rita's mother released temporarily. He gets her to divulge the name of the person from whom they got their false identity papers. Using that information more Jewish people get arrested. Marchetti tries to get Servier to hand over Rita and her mother once the prisoner count has risen about the quota.

Marie goes to see Raymond. The resistance wants information about Schwartz's business. She doesn't get what she needs from him. Raymond, later in the episode, drives out to her farm. He talks to her and to Crémieux and finds out what it is that they really want. He doesn't have answers to the questions they pose. He says he will have to dig through Jeanine's papers in order to get them.

Marchetti inadvertently finds out, from the Larcher's cleaning lady, that Sarah Meyer is staying with Daniel and Hortense. Daniel arrives home that night to find out that Marchetti came by and took Sarah. Hortense swears that she had nothing to do with it. 

The episode ends with it seeming like the children are about to return. What happens instead is that a few trucks of German soldiers arrive at the school. The commander of the unit announces that one of the Jewish prisoners escaped. All of the adults are herded back into the school by the soldiers.

Thoughts

Jules Bériot and Lucienne show up briefly in this episode. Chassagne makes a brief appearance. Jeanine is not in this episode.

I didn't believe Cohn after he promised not to make an escape attempt. I got the impression that he didn't feel any obligation to be honest with them. His mind was already made up.

I don't have much hope for the people being held prisoner at the school.

This episode was not quite as heavy as the previous three. It felt like there was a little more focus on the regular cast and a little less focus on the Jewish prisoners.