World on Fire is a new seven-part drama series created by Peter Bowker which follows the beginning and first year of the Second World War. This series has intertwining stories of ordinary people and families trying to live their normal lives in Britain and various European cities.
We meet young middle-class Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King) and his bright, working-class girlfriend Lois Bennett (Julia Brown) in Manchester during a Blackshirt rally. However, Harry must head to Warsaw as a translator for the British embassy. Lois is kept busy with her factory and singing work whilst also looking after her father and brother. Lois' brother, Tom (Ewan Mitchell) is always up to no good and on the wrong side of the law. Sean Bean is Lois' father Douglas who is suffering from shellshock he acquired in the trenches from the First World War. Douglas is now a pacifist and whilst watching we feel bad for Douglas as the first episode caries on, we can see he knows what is coming and is afraid. Harry promises to write yet he finds himself immersed in his new life in Warsaw with his Polish sweetheart, Kasia (Zofia Wichlacz). We also meet Nancy Campbell played by Helen Hunt, who is a US journalist and dedicated to broadcasting the truth about the Nazi invasion plans. She is also trying to persuade her nephew Webster played by Brain J Smith to leave Paris where he works as a doctor. Although, Webster is falling in love with a man who has been attacked for either his race or his homosexuality but he loves to listen him play the sax every night at the same club. There are a lot of characters to keep up with yet all these characters and stories are intertwined in some way but it is not difficult to keep up with who is who and who is related or associated with which character.
In this first episode, the Germans move on Poland therefore Kasia's father and older brother head off to defend Danzig. Nancy urges Harry to marry Kasia and take her to England and hope they can bring the rest of her family to England to keep them all safe. There are many moments in this first episode which are emotionally quite sad to watch. A moment in particular is Lois checking the mail every day for a letter from Harry. This is sad as an audience we know that Harry has moved on yet Lois still has hope that he will write. Harry cannot bring himself to write a letter to Lois yet he hasn't told Kasia about Lois and he can't tell his own mother his news of marriage. What is interesting and very well done by Hauer-King is that Harry comes across as a normal man who is trying to do what is right but also please everyone at the same time yet at the moment, he isn’t doing the best job. It is clear Harry has a good heart yet maybe he isn’t sure what kind of man he wants to be and who he really wants in life.
Lois is a strong woman who knows her own mind whilst also looking after her family. Yet Harry is the one thing that makes her vulnerable which is a lovely thing to see as a lot of people can relate to her. A lot of people may come across as hard and strong yet there is one person that makes them vulnerable. Kasia is also a strong woman but in a different way but just like Lois she is a family-oriented person which everyone who watches this show can understand.
There is a lot to enjoy in this first episode as there is a lot of action as you would expect with a show set during the Second World War. This is a great ensemble show as in this first episode all our characters get equal screen time so we get to know all these characters and not feel like we are missing something. Every scene tells us something whether it is about what is to come or more information about the characters in the scene. Everything has been carefully thought about and even the tiniest of scenes tell us so much which is very clever of the writers.
The sense of oncoming war builds up really nicely in this first episode and so does the tension which means the ending of this episode is quite moving. We believe we are having a certain outcome and then something else happens which is moving and relatable as we all would do the same thing if we were in that situation. Decisions are so important in this episode and probably the entire series as the decisions these characters make will decide whether they live or die. We have a range of different characters with different backgrounds but what is clear is that all these characters are ordinary. As a result, we the audience, can relate to certain characters and even make parallels with the past or even modern times. These characters are just like us except circumstances are beyond their control.
This first episode of World on Fire is a great introduction as to what we may expect for the other six episodes. This show is about the beginning of the Second World War and the decisions normal people had to make just so they could either live their normal life or survive what is to come. World on Fire has very relatable characters and everyone can relate to at least one character in some way, the normalness of this ensemble show is what makes it interesting to watch. We do have a main focus on Harry, Lois and Kasia but we do also spend equal time with our other characters who all have an effect on these three characters too. With all the characters connected in some way it makes this show interesting as everyone is looking out and helping another character. This first episode will shock and maybe upset you but it also shows the reality of what people went through and still are going through now. This show is the reality of wars we have had and are having.
