Miep and Jan are starting to feel the pressure of taking care of the Frank’s while they hiding, they short on food rations, the Frank’s apartment was raided with all their things gone and Miep is having to lie so the girls don’t get hurt from whats going on out there.
I guess those times were different, during those times some one word had a heavy impact on their lives, if something similar happen now days I don’t see people covering up for each other and helping to the point of putting their lives at risk for someone else who is not even family, we recently went through a pandemic and yes people help each other during hard times but its very different that for helping someone hide a military puts a riffle to your head, one thing is getting killed by head shot another is dying from hunger or some illness. Miep and Jan are constantly putting their lives at risk to the point of taking favors from the “resistance” just by doing that alone they can get killed, Mr. Frank mention that this rumors and movements most of the time are promoted by Nazis to get those not in favor of their political believes. The tension and stress must be immense having to think that every time some one knocks at your door it could be the military looking for you to get arrested or worst.
With the girls having existential problems to adapt to their new place Miep has run out of food rations, all of them gone, this is where the real magician comes at work, Miep is very resourceful but for me or I would say anyone is not just the food shortage but knowing that their and now your live is at risk its either a friend, a co worker, someone who “help” you, there is a point you don’t even know who or what to believe since there are more and more spies everywhere working for the Germans.
Miep and Jan start to work with what they got to gather more food for the Frank’s, at first Jan start pulling some emergency food rations from work, those are suppose to be for clients but they now living the day by day with the Franks, Miep just trying to be charming with the butcher and sometimes make up stories of a sick parent to get someone else pity and some more food, at this point everything goes.
Yeah I don’t think that’s any good but that’s exactly what they had to do to survive, lied, soon Miep and Jan will start to lie to most people they know to stay alive, get food, lie to friends, lie to family and sometimes even lie to each other because they taking extreme risks.
Talking about lying to friends, Tess just keep showing uninvited, pushing on Miep to be fun, acting like she has nothing to worry because of her new rich boyfriend, even takes Miep and Jan to party probably expecting for them to get drunk and start talking about the Franks or anything related to hiding jews, every time I see Tess I cant stop thinking she is a spy, her boyfriend too, he even got Miep to talk about who are the good and bad guys a conversation that end up in politics but stop there after they saw a Germain Military Raid how they were taking jews from their homes including old people and kids.
Miep and Jan were told about this place called the Comes Bookstore where there is a resistance who can get them more food rations, Mr. Frank already told Miep this is an old trick from the Germans, start a rumor that give them hope just to catch those out side their law but Miep and Jan still went for it, so far it seems it work, every step they take is a risk, now they have to give in the Franks papers in to get fake ones so they can keep getting food rations, what if this so called resistance is just a bunch of spies trying to lure them in to catch them all, not that I want to see them die but for me this is the intense part, how every decision they take is a risk that puts them to the edge.
Like it wasnt enought that Jan is taking all this risks with Miep but now his boss calls him to a meeting because of the few emergency rations he ask for, Jan gets invited into a group at work who is not friends with the Germans and have a plan to help everyone they can, how do you trust them? again back them peoples word had more value probably thats why Jan and Miep trust so many people, same goes for Mr. Frank, yes Miep is a friendly woman, noble, just, funny and probably gave him the impression she had a good heart but how do you put the lives of your family into someone you just met?
This good heart and faith acting is what makes the group bigger and bigger, first it was just then Franks, then the Van Pels adding three more people to the group and now Dr. Pfeffer what next? the group just double in number, taking that much food will be suspicious at some point and at least is just food right now what happens if they get sick or hurt or worst when there is food shortage because of the war because that will eventually happen. Mr. Frank philosophy after all is that they have to do it, they have to help others if not they will just disappear referring to who they really are as a person, been locked up even if its on a big apartment for many months is not easy and it could easily brake and change people, going through it alone is worst, may be having this many people can bring in a different way to coup with the situation, the worst part is that they don’t know when all this is going to stop, they don’t have a date for this to end.
At the end of the episode this German Soldier shows up with two kids who are the grandchildren of Jan tenant, their parents were arrested at the train station and this Soldier felt pity for them and brought them home, this got me thinking how did he know they live there? they just move in a few days, a German Soldier felt pity for Jewish kids during those days? could that be a trap to find out if Miep or Jan are hiding any more Jewish people? He says he will be back and the kids better not be there so guess where are those kids going? yup with the Franks. Every single scene from now on feels it get things more and more complicated, a snow ball rolling down hill after Miep and Jan , when is this ball will bee too big and get them.
I’m a little behind on this series because I’m short on time recently but this and Silo are getting very excited, on every corner, everywhere they look and every decision they take there is the danger of getting caught and get killed, but they still find a way to have a good time, go out and drink its like even though things can get worst they really cant, this occupation of Amsterdam by the Germans has taken everything from them, they have no peace, no privacy, no security, they cant stop thinking every time some one knock at the door that its a German Soldier coming for them, before this series came out I saw people making videos about how awesome the book is “Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family” by Miep Gies. The production, wardrobe, music, actors everything is on point, so far this first two episodes I give them a solid 8/10.
Episode 1: https://skiptvads.blog/a-small-light-pilot-episode-1-personal-thoughts/
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