The Barrier season 1, episode 2 recap – what happened in “My Sister Sara”?

By Daniel Hart
Published: September 18, 2020 (Last updated: last month)
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Netflix series The Barrier season 1, episode 2 - My Sister Sara
3.5

Summary

“My Sister Sara” continues the momentum and puts the characters in more compromising positions.

This recap of Netflix’s The Barrier season 1, episode 2, “My Sister Sara” contains significant spoilers.

We will be recapping this weekly — check out the archive.


The opening

Episode 2 opens up in dramatic style — which can only be a good thing after an eventful pilot. Sol is trying to stay away from the police — they are looking for her due to the murder of Mérida. They kill the grandmother who was trying to buy Sol time. Brutal start, folks.

Pretend to be Sara

Hugo tells Julia about Marta and the job he got in Sector 1. He tells her the job is for a married couple — he wants Julia to pretend to be Sara. Her partner Carlos says no immediately and Julia raises how she needs to urgently leave. She apologizes and says she can’t help. This presents a serious issue for Hugo who is now unable to protect his daughter. Álex tells Hugo to step up and fix it. Sounds like Hugo is a fixer so this will be interesting in episodes to come.

Mother, help

Sol is interrogated by the police over the murder of Mérida — they want to know who she was with that night. Meanwhile, the culprit of the crime, Julia, is on her way out of the city with Carlos but then she tells her partner to stop. She asks her mother Emilia for help — her mother does her hair and removes the braids.

An address for the colony

Álex visits the nurse who took Marta’s blood. He wants an address of where Marta is and insists he will return every day until he gets it. The nurse agrees to find out some more information. When Àlex leaves, the nurse reports him.

I find this to be a naive scene either by the writing or the character — he must know that this is a Big Brother nation; why would he be pressuring nurses for information when it’s prohibited to work against police forces?

I’m Sara

Block chief Begoña visits Emilia’s place and asks for Julia — clearly, she’s working on the behalf of the police. Julia comes to the door and she has flowing hair now, not braids — she’s pretending to be Sara. Carlos tells Julia that the police have Sol — he gives her a map and tells her where to meet later so they can leave.

First day

Hugo is not allowed entry into Sector 1 and causes a commotion with the guards — Julia turns up pretending to be Sara so he can gain entry and do his job. They start their new job and the head maid Rosa gives them their first tasks. The pair have to go into the shower room and change. Julia mentions how amazing the hot water is — they haven’t felt a shower like this in a long time and they laugh as they take it in. This is yet another example of the poverty gap in this world and how deprived they are of the basics that we take for granted.

Work contract

On the first shift, Hugo asks Alma when he can have a working contract so that he can get his daughter Marta back — there’s a strange tension between them. Meanwhile, block chief Begoña goes to the police and gives them information about where Julia is.

You have your mother’s eyes

Julia and Hugo serve Alma, Luis, and guests. It’s an entirely different world — a massive gulf in class. Julia gets nervous as a commander from the police wants to speak to Luis about the murder of one of their own officers. Julia has to serve both men and she hears how the investigation is going. The commander feels like he recognizes Julia’s face. When the commander leaves, Luis tells Julia that he remembers her when she was a young child and she has her mother’s eyes.

The tests are positive

Alma speaks to doctor Thomas and he claims that the “results are positive”. Many of the children are throwing up including Marta. Alma wants the final results the next day. She visits the children to see how they are doing. She doesn’t want any of the children to have personal belongings. Julia and Hugo leave their shift — Julia tells him she has to leave Madrid and confesses that Mérida was abusing a minor and she “had to do it”. The pair seem to have an understanding.

The ending

The new commander of security announces that the murderer of Mérida was shot down. In an adjacent scene, the cops have Carlos and when he tries running away, they shoot him. They also kill Sol. Episode 2 demonstrates how serious security is in this world — it’s a no mercy policy and it’s brutal.

Julia walks around the city and speaks to the homeless. She sees a drone and asks them all to run and many gunshots are heard. What a dramatic way to end chapter 2. The Barrier season 1, episode 2 continues the momentum and puts the characters in more compromising positions. So far this series is a hit but it is still early days. It will be interesting how Julia overcomes the suspicions against her and maintains the image of Sara. There are also other questions; will Luis be an ally? What is Alma doing with the children? Is Álex now in trouble?

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