Colditz 2x01, "Arrival of a Hero"
Mar. 21st, 2012 01:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkitQuite a long summary follows, because there's a lot going on in this episode and the details are often very important.
It is, as we later learn, three weeks since Pat, Phil, Dick, and Peter escaped. The episode opens in the courtyard, with Simon struggling to get about using his walking stick and rejecting Tim's efforts to help him. As yet there's been no news of the escapees.
In the Kommandant's office, he and Ulmann are discussing the situation. Ulmann has yet to discover how the escape happened. General Schaetzel will be visiting to hear their report, and a new second-in-command, Major Horst Mohn, has been appointed. Mohn is something of a celebrity, a war hero whom both the Kommandant and Ulmann have read about in the newspapers.
Back in the courtyard, the outer doors open and in comes Dick, under guard, looking exhausted, with torn clothes and a badly bruised and cut face (it looks like he was hit by a rifle butt). Ulmann has him taken to solitary, where he asks after Peter Muir, who was shot after trying to make a break for it when they were recaptured. Ulmann says Muir was operated on and is likely to recover. After Ulmann leaves, Dick collapses on the floor, too exhausted to reach the bed. Later, Ulmann returns and begins interrogating him about the escape, very correctly (without any hint or threat of violence) but relentlessly, making it clear that he'll be happy to keep questioning Dick for as long as he's in solitary.
Meanwhile, Simon gets a postcard indicating that Pat and Phil made it to Switzerland. He reports this to Preston, interrupting a meeting during which (unknown to Simon) Tim Downing asked to be made the new Escape Officer.
Mohn arrives, looking around the castle in a way that recalls Pat examining Laufen in the first episode. Mohn's practically dripping medals. I couldn't identify all of them, but he's got two Iron Crosses (one an Iron Cross First Class [to get it, you have to have won the Second Class one first], one a Knight's Cross with oak leaves, which is a high-level decoration for extreme bravery and leadership), a golden wound badge (indicating he's received five or more wounds in action), and a golden close combat badge indicating over 40 days spent in combat without armor (i.e. not, for example, in a tank). It turns out that he's an ex-paratrooper who's been in the war at least since the invasion of Belgium in spring 1940, took part in the invasion of Crete (he's got an armband for that), and was bayoneted in the stomach at Stalingrad before being evacuated on one of the last planes out.
As Mohn and Ulmann are walking through the courtyard, a cheer goes up from the British quarters, where Preston has announced that Pat and Phil made it to Switzerland. Meanwhile, General Schaetzel is warning the Kommandant that the escape has made waves, leading to pressure either for the Kommandant to be replaced or for more drastic measures (presumably an SS takeover), which the general has so far managed to block.
Preston asks Simon to consider becoming Escape Officer. Simon is reluctant because he wants to escape himself, even though Preston points out that his injuries will hamper him for some time. Meanwhile, the Kommandant is meeting Mohn, who gives the impression of being a brilliant soldier but also a fanatical follower of Hitler. Mohn asks permission to interrogate Dick Player (in Ulmann's presence, so as not to step on any toes). During the questioning, Mohn tries various means to bond with Dick, including giving him the news that Pat and Phil escaped successfully, but Dick refuses to say anything and Mohn leaves in annoyance. Ulmann later tries to reason with Mohn about the difficulties of guarding prisoners who massively outnumber their guards, but Mohn replies with, "They are defeated, and the guards are German."
Mohn and Ulmann continue to inspect the castle, meeting Simon ("not one of Britain's heroes," Mohn concludes), Tim Downing (who baits Mohn), and Colonel Preston, to whom Mohn suggests that the camp regime will be tightened up, including a new shoot-to-kill policy for escaping prisoners.
Ulmann takes another crack at interrogating Dick, who looks much better now despite having been in solitary for 21 days. Meanwhile, Mohn says he'll start reading all letters after they're censored, and ends up reading one of Cathy's love letters to Simon. This seems to trigger an obsession; later, after the letters are delivered, he stares at Simon while Simon tries to read them and makes it clear to Simon that he knows their contents. When Simon's next letter to Cathy mentions the possibility that their letters are being read by people other than the official censors, Mohn has the passage erased.
Dick is let out of solitary after Ulmann gives him the news that Muir has had a relapse, is very ill with pneumonia, and may die. Back in the dorm, Dick's given a welcome-back dinner (including peaches) and debriefed by Simon, who, trying on the role of Escape Officer, asks what additional help might have made the difference. Dick says what they needed was more time before the escape was discovered--they weren't able to catch the train due to Gestapo checks and had to go cross-country, which slowed them down too much.
Simon learns that his letter to Cathy was censored, thanks to a rudimentary code they've developed. Red Cross parcels are finally distributed after a delay; Mohn has ordered that they be closely examined and the contents distributed without the packaging material (which had been used in escapes) and with the food contents opened (because food had been used as escape rations, and opening it prevents it from being saved). Preston protests to the Kommandant about this and Mohn's reading of letters.
During an inspection of the dorm while the other prisoners are at exercise, Simon and Mohn trade veiled insults. Simon accuses Mohn of voyeurism; Mohn suggests Simon is malingering or behaving like a girl.
The Kommandant tries to get Mohn to rescind his orders about the parcels and the letters, but Mohn is insistent. We learn that he was briefly on Hitler's personal staff and has Hitler's approval for his hard-line attitude; Mohn describes Hitler, with more emotion than we've ever seen him display, as "a wonderful man." Later, the Kommandant meets with General Schaetzel again and tries to get Mohn transferred, but is told that Mohn has such high connections that it's impossible; not even the general dares to act against him.
Simon carefully joins in a ball game with Dick, Tim, and George, and everything goes fine until Mohn interrupts, walking right through the game. Simon nearly hits him with a cricket ball (twice); when Mohn takes the ball and throws it to Simon, Simon falls trying to catch it and badly reinjures his leg.
Preston, after meeting with the Kommandant who's had to refuse his requests, informs the escape committee that they need to be careful of Mohn. Simon accepts Preston's offer to become Escape Officer (to Tim's irritation), saying that he wants to get at Mohn any way he can, and he's willing to stay behind if it means he can witness Mohn's reaction to escapes. Later, when Simon is hobbling about again on two sticks, he and Mohn have another confrontation, ostensibly about chess but really about escapes. It's clear that they both now see escapes as part of their own personal rivalry.
Timeline note: This is another episode that confuses timelines. It begins three weeks after Pat's escape, but where it was late fall in those episodes (we saw bare trees, geese flying away and snow at high altitudes), it now seems to be spring or summer--no one's in a coat and some men are wearing shorts. Cathy's letter to Simon is dated 1943, although we can't see what month.
Warning: As always, spoilers for future episodes are likely in the comments.
It is, as we later learn, three weeks since Pat, Phil, Dick, and Peter escaped. The episode opens in the courtyard, with Simon struggling to get about using his walking stick and rejecting Tim's efforts to help him. As yet there's been no news of the escapees.
In the Kommandant's office, he and Ulmann are discussing the situation. Ulmann has yet to discover how the escape happened. General Schaetzel will be visiting to hear their report, and a new second-in-command, Major Horst Mohn, has been appointed. Mohn is something of a celebrity, a war hero whom both the Kommandant and Ulmann have read about in the newspapers.
Back in the courtyard, the outer doors open and in comes Dick, under guard, looking exhausted, with torn clothes and a badly bruised and cut face (it looks like he was hit by a rifle butt). Ulmann has him taken to solitary, where he asks after Peter Muir, who was shot after trying to make a break for it when they were recaptured. Ulmann says Muir was operated on and is likely to recover. After Ulmann leaves, Dick collapses on the floor, too exhausted to reach the bed. Later, Ulmann returns and begins interrogating him about the escape, very correctly (without any hint or threat of violence) but relentlessly, making it clear that he'll be happy to keep questioning Dick for as long as he's in solitary.
Meanwhile, Simon gets a postcard indicating that Pat and Phil made it to Switzerland. He reports this to Preston, interrupting a meeting during which (unknown to Simon) Tim Downing asked to be made the new Escape Officer.
Mohn arrives, looking around the castle in a way that recalls Pat examining Laufen in the first episode. Mohn's practically dripping medals. I couldn't identify all of them, but he's got two Iron Crosses (one an Iron Cross First Class [to get it, you have to have won the Second Class one first], one a Knight's Cross with oak leaves, which is a high-level decoration for extreme bravery and leadership), a golden wound badge (indicating he's received five or more wounds in action), and a golden close combat badge indicating over 40 days spent in combat without armor (i.e. not, for example, in a tank). It turns out that he's an ex-paratrooper who's been in the war at least since the invasion of Belgium in spring 1940, took part in the invasion of Crete (he's got an armband for that), and was bayoneted in the stomach at Stalingrad before being evacuated on one of the last planes out.
As Mohn and Ulmann are walking through the courtyard, a cheer goes up from the British quarters, where Preston has announced that Pat and Phil made it to Switzerland. Meanwhile, General Schaetzel is warning the Kommandant that the escape has made waves, leading to pressure either for the Kommandant to be replaced or for more drastic measures (presumably an SS takeover), which the general has so far managed to block.
Preston asks Simon to consider becoming Escape Officer. Simon is reluctant because he wants to escape himself, even though Preston points out that his injuries will hamper him for some time. Meanwhile, the Kommandant is meeting Mohn, who gives the impression of being a brilliant soldier but also a fanatical follower of Hitler. Mohn asks permission to interrogate Dick Player (in Ulmann's presence, so as not to step on any toes). During the questioning, Mohn tries various means to bond with Dick, including giving him the news that Pat and Phil escaped successfully, but Dick refuses to say anything and Mohn leaves in annoyance. Ulmann later tries to reason with Mohn about the difficulties of guarding prisoners who massively outnumber their guards, but Mohn replies with, "They are defeated, and the guards are German."
Mohn and Ulmann continue to inspect the castle, meeting Simon ("not one of Britain's heroes," Mohn concludes), Tim Downing (who baits Mohn), and Colonel Preston, to whom Mohn suggests that the camp regime will be tightened up, including a new shoot-to-kill policy for escaping prisoners.
Ulmann takes another crack at interrogating Dick, who looks much better now despite having been in solitary for 21 days. Meanwhile, Mohn says he'll start reading all letters after they're censored, and ends up reading one of Cathy's love letters to Simon. This seems to trigger an obsession; later, after the letters are delivered, he stares at Simon while Simon tries to read them and makes it clear to Simon that he knows their contents. When Simon's next letter to Cathy mentions the possibility that their letters are being read by people other than the official censors, Mohn has the passage erased.
Dick is let out of solitary after Ulmann gives him the news that Muir has had a relapse, is very ill with pneumonia, and may die. Back in the dorm, Dick's given a welcome-back dinner (including peaches) and debriefed by Simon, who, trying on the role of Escape Officer, asks what additional help might have made the difference. Dick says what they needed was more time before the escape was discovered--they weren't able to catch the train due to Gestapo checks and had to go cross-country, which slowed them down too much.
Simon learns that his letter to Cathy was censored, thanks to a rudimentary code they've developed. Red Cross parcels are finally distributed after a delay; Mohn has ordered that they be closely examined and the contents distributed without the packaging material (which had been used in escapes) and with the food contents opened (because food had been used as escape rations, and opening it prevents it from being saved). Preston protests to the Kommandant about this and Mohn's reading of letters.
During an inspection of the dorm while the other prisoners are at exercise, Simon and Mohn trade veiled insults. Simon accuses Mohn of voyeurism; Mohn suggests Simon is malingering or behaving like a girl.
The Kommandant tries to get Mohn to rescind his orders about the parcels and the letters, but Mohn is insistent. We learn that he was briefly on Hitler's personal staff and has Hitler's approval for his hard-line attitude; Mohn describes Hitler, with more emotion than we've ever seen him display, as "a wonderful man." Later, the Kommandant meets with General Schaetzel again and tries to get Mohn transferred, but is told that Mohn has such high connections that it's impossible; not even the general dares to act against him.
Simon carefully joins in a ball game with Dick, Tim, and George, and everything goes fine until Mohn interrupts, walking right through the game. Simon nearly hits him with a cricket ball (twice); when Mohn takes the ball and throws it to Simon, Simon falls trying to catch it and badly reinjures his leg.
Preston, after meeting with the Kommandant who's had to refuse his requests, informs the escape committee that they need to be careful of Mohn. Simon accepts Preston's offer to become Escape Officer (to Tim's irritation), saying that he wants to get at Mohn any way he can, and he's willing to stay behind if it means he can witness Mohn's reaction to escapes. Later, when Simon is hobbling about again on two sticks, he and Mohn have another confrontation, ostensibly about chess but really about escapes. It's clear that they both now see escapes as part of their own personal rivalry.
Timeline note: This is another episode that confuses timelines. It begins three weeks after Pat's escape, but where it was late fall in those episodes (we saw bare trees, geese flying away and snow at high altitudes), it now seems to be spring or summer--no one's in a coat and some men are wearing shorts. Cathy's letter to Simon is dated 1943, although we can't see what month.
Warning: As always, spoilers for future episodes are likely in the comments.
