Summary
We Were the Lucky Ones has a powerful and moving premiere that sets the stage for what’s ahead and delivers a haunting look at real-life events.
The war has begun, and the Kurc family’s entire lives are turned upside down in Episode 1 of We Were the Lucky Ones. The men of the Kurc family have all been sent into war, leaving their parents and significant others behind to tread water. After losing their shop, Halina is upset with her family for staying back instead of leaving as so many others did.
Poland, 1938-1939
In Poland in 1938, we see Halina Kurc head to the train station where she picks up her brother Addy, who is returning from Paris. Addy is in town as he and the rest of the family are set to celebrate Passover. The entire night plays out like any other family holiday would, with laughing, joking, and talking about life.
We fast forward a year, and Addy talks to a girl outside the club. He has just gotten the news that his mother told him to skip Passover this year because traveling across the borders is unsafe. However, against his mother’s word, Addy writes home saying he will be traveling back for Passover.
At Passover, everyone is slightly concerned because Addy didn’t arrive at the house for the holiday. After dinner, Halina and Adam talk things over, and she believes that Addy is fine. Adam suggests they leave the country together, but Halina isn’t fond of the idea of leaving her family.
September 1, 1939
We shift to September 1, 1939, when the war began. Jakub arrives at Bella’s house to inform her they are being sent to East Lvov to fight in the war. With the Germans beginning to invade, the army called up the reserves and had a draft, bringing all of the young men from the country to defend it.
At the Kurc residence, Halina is making breakfast for her family when they hear a group of men marching into the town, which startles them. The news breaks over the radio that Poland has fallen, with Hitler taking over the city with his soldiers. As a result of the takeover, the Kurc family lost their store because of the new regime.
The takeover has forced each of the ladies in the Kurc family to get jobs. Halina spends her day working on a farm, and at the end of the day, she must turn in her stuff to the armed soldiers. One of the women doesn’t do as she is supposed to, and Halina watches as she is beaten down.
We Were the Lucky Ones Episode 1 ends with Halina making a reluctant decision
Halina arrives home after her tough day, and everyone in the family can see the look on her face. For dinner, the family is down to their final rations, but Sol, her father, says he took some rations from work. Because of this, Halina freaks out because they don’t care about him, and it could lead to them killing him. She gets louder, screaming that they could’ve left as the others did, but Sol tells her to calm down, that this is their house, and it will pass.
Her screaming and yelling leads to a knock on the door, but it’s Bella with news from the Kurc crew in Lvov. She says everyone made it safely, but Jakub said Selim has been missing since the beginning. That night, Bella tells Halina she plans to leave for Lvov to get closer to Jakub. She invites Halina to go with her. Halina is very hesitant but agrees.
