Summary
Episode 6 shows the “going clean” to relapse stage as the characters enter a new phase of the cycle. It’s difficult to watch.
This recap of Amazon’s We Children from Bahnhof Zoo season 1, episode 6, “One last hit”, contains spoilers.
This has been a journey, but in chapter 6, the characters are becoming aware of their destructive natures after a gruesome episode 5.
Episode 6 shows Axel being congratulated at work and handed a certificate. As he leaves, he is beaten up, and a few men cut off part of his hair. Babsi brushes her grandmother off her after an argument, and the older woman collapses. When she checks on her grandmother, she doesn’t wake up, and she doesn’t know what to do — eventually, her grandmother ends up connected up to medical machines.
The series then flits to Stella, who is snorting desperately on her own on the streets — she has hit rock bottom, and she’s even struggling to find clients for money.
Going clean
And the realisation that they need to go clean hits the characters in episode 6.
Christiane visits a counsellor about her addiction, and she tells her mother she’s not going clean without Benno. She meets up with Benno, and they agree to go through this together. The weaning off process begins — Karin and Robert help the couple go through cold turkey. However, Robert eventually walks out to return to his new partner.
“The clean pact”
The longer they recover, the better Christiane and Benno feel; however, it looks like an awful nightmare when they go full turkey, but they get through the night. They are clean, and they meet up with the rest of the group and agree on a “clean pact”. However, beforehand, they think they should have one last hit. Christiane doesn’t think there will be any harm and joins in — this is awful to watch the characters make the same mistakes. The next morning, Axel will not wake up. They believe it’s circulation in his legs, but he will not wake up. He’s dead, and there’s despair in the room. The series flits to the day of the funeral. It’s a solemn day for the group of friends. Another victim of drug abuse.
Using again
And then comes the relapse.
Christiane tells Karin that she’s off to Paris with Benno. Her mother tells her that when she completes her grades, they can discuss it again. Karin can tell that her daughter is using again. In the next scene, Christiane and Benno are performing sexual services for heroin. The couple ends up fighting over a needle.
Requesting an advance
Karin asks her boss for help and requests an advance for her daughter because she’s addicted to drugs. She wants to pay for therapy. The boss is still bitter because they no longer have a relationship. She reminds him that she’s a reliable employee and it’s not about being “nice” but that her daughter is dying. He agrees on the advance.
The ending
Christiane meets Benno, and she tells him she doesn’t want to kick this addiction alone. He tells her she doesn’t have to, and they can kick it in Paris. The next day, Karin helps Christiane pack her bags — she has found her a drug addiction facility. Benno heads to the station, but Michi bumps into him, asking for help after meeting the man that wants whipping. Christiane waits for him, but he doesn’t show. Meanwhile, Stella is in terrible condition.
As Christiane sits in the station, she reads the letter that Axel sent her in invisible ink, and it dawns on her how much he loved her. Their demise is becoming clearer.
We Children from Bahnhof Zoo season 1, episode 6 shows the “going clean” to relapse stage as the characters enter a new phase of the cycle. It’s difficult to watch.
Additional points
- Robert moves back into Berlin with his new partner from Thailand. When Karin visits him, he hides her.
- Stella keeps trying to sell herself on the streets but ends up fighting with two police officers.
- In an awful moment, Babsi gets extremely emotional with a dose of heroin and tells her grandmother that she doesn’t want it, yet at the same time wants it badly. She wants to go to a mental facility until she feels better.
