Summary
Now that the story is bedded in, the drama is way more compelling — episode 2 begins the journey of detailing the young adult’s chaotic lives.
This recap of Amazon’s We Children from Bahnhof Zoo season 1, episode 2, “Christmas”, contains spoilers.
Now that the characters are embedded, the story can focus on their slow chaotic lives.
After experiencing SOUND, the characters rush to the trams — they are excited and full of life. They hijack the intercom and joke around. Christiane and Matze are predictably close as we sensed their tension from episode 1. When Christiane reaches her home, Matze joins her on the balcony. They kiss each other, and Matze tells her to sleep well.
Mitze is eager
Christiane tells Stella that as soon as she’s alone with him, Matze wants to feel her up. Stella tells her to pretend she’s on her period. Matze and Christiane’s relationship gets intense quickly as they keep meeting to hook up.
Eventually, Christiane writes Matze a letter explaining she isn’t ready for sex yet, but she hopes he will wait for her. We witness Christiane as a naive character — a girl who has way too much trust in men.
Home confinement
At home, Babsi is still under the microscope of her grandmother, who does not know what to do with her. She’s infatuated by Dijan, and she cannot stop thinking about him.
Later, Babsi practices the piano, and her grandmother gives her advice from a distance. There’s a horrible tension between them. Babsi is expected to play the piano for the guests for a party later, and because she’s out of tune, her grandmother tells her to leave. Babsi loses her mind and smashes her hands on the piano while repeating “shit”. She sobs, and her grandmother tells her to excuse herself.
We don’t know why Babsi has such anger towards her grandmother, so hopefully, her past will be fleshed out.
Karin is pregnant
Bahnhof Zoo season 1, episode 2 sees a nearly destroyed family have a glimmer of hope, but it feels way too ideal.
Karin tells her daughter Christiane that she’s pregnant and she isn’t sure if she wants it. Christiane is over the moon about the possibility of having a sibling. Robert comes home, and he’s delighted by the news. Karin doesn’t look sure — her face says everything we need to know. Plus, she’s having an affair with her boss, so the question on whether it’s Robert’s is left to be answered at this stage.
At work the next day, Karin tells her boss that she’s pregnant and will give her marriage a second chance. The boss gets nasty about it, stating she gave a blow job for a promotion, so she walks off.
Beer and drugs
The drug use continues in episode 2, and we can imagine it will worsen as the story progresses.
Benno and Michi head back to Axel’s place for beers. It soon turns into drugs — Axel takes heroin, and Michi explains he’s going to try it one day. Benno tells him not to. Later on, the friends paint a Christmas tree on the wall.
Robert brings home a large Christmas tree for the family. Later on, Axel gives Michi some heroin.
Christmas at Stella’s
Stella enjoys Christmas Day with her family initially. Her youngest daughter Nicole catches her mother drinking in the kitchen. Stella heads out on the bar and serves a couple of customers drinks. When alone, one of the customers named Paul rapes Stella on the bar floor.
Later on, Stella tries talking to her mother, but she’s too drunk and tired. Stella is dismayed that she’s been drinking.
Christmas at Christiane’s
Another family Christmas is terrible as well.
On Christmas Day, Robert and Karin end up arguing — Robert loses control and hits his wife before forcing her head into bath water to drown her. Christiane stops him. This family is dysfunctional and broken and Christmas has revealed their shortfalls. Karin leaves the house, so Robert closes the door.
A shit Christmas
The series finds a way for these characters to bond — they are broken in their own way — that’s the link between them all.
Babsi walks on the bridge structure and Stella sees from a distance. Stella shouts at her and asks what she’s doing. They later end up on a tram with Christiane — it’s been a shit Christmas for all three of them. Michi, Axel and Benno drunkenly head on to the tram and join up with them. Using their fists, they bang on windows to create some acoustics. The three girls smile and join in.
Back to SOUND
They all end up at SOUND again, and Babsi watches Dijan on the DJ booth. She talks to him, but Dijan tells her that she’s too young for him. Babsi returns to the dance floor and dances while looking at him.
While Christiane looks around SOUND, she finds Matze kissing another woman, and she’s immediately upset. Axel follows her outside to comfort her. The rest of the group join for a smoke. They head to a closed amusement park and switch on one of the rides. The group are bonding quickly — all finding common ground on a shit Christmas Day.
The ending
As the night turns to day, Christiane burns her letter to Matze and then looks up to her apartment. Stella heads to the pet owners house (Günther) and says she will live with him for 80 marks a month, but there will be no sex. As she sobs, he lets her in.
Karin returns home, and Robert greets her. Christiane watches as her parent’s talk. Robert wonders where she has been all this time as Karin packs his bags. She tells him to leave and states they are getting a divorce — she reveals there is no baby and that it’s a defect; she drops the truth bomb that’s she’s happy by not being pregnant. Robert leaves, and Christiane tells her mother that if her father leaves she will die and leaves the apartment.
Christiane asks her father to take her with him, but he drives off.
Now that the story is bedded in, the drama is way more compelling — We Children from Bahnhof Zoo season 1, episode 2 begins the journey of detailing the young adult’s chaotic lives.
