Episode 8 of We Were the Lucky Ones is a tear-fest, but in the best possible way. The series finale is deeply gut-wrenching and leaves you both hollow and filled with hope. The Hulu show does a fantastic job of encapsulating the terrifying feelings of the lost families during the Second World War. While each episode has been deeply moving, the final episode really shows how far the Kurc family has come through the eight years of war. We Were the Lucky Ones is a gem to watch, and it’ll be memorable for a long time after you finish it. The show is a reminder to keep your hopes up and stay determined. Let’s get into the final episode of We Were the Lucky Ones.
Spoiler Alert
How does Halina escape?
Episode 8 of We Were the Lucky Ones begins with Halina’s imprisonment in Montelupich prison in October 1944. She’s tortured for 3 months straight, but her determination never wavers, and she never reveals her Jewish identity to the German soldiers. Her fellow Jews clean her up and help her out, even praying in Hebrew while they’re in there, but Halina never joins them. Three months later, almost all the women who were with Halina have been shot, or “gotten rid of.” However, at the last moment, Halina gets her discharge papers. It seems Adam had tried day and night to find her ex-master, and after 3 months, he was finally able to get a note to him. He tells Halina that because the Soviets are making their way in, the Germans will do as much damage as possible before they leave. Halina tells him that her name is Halina Kurc, and he asks her if he will speak for him when the time comes. Halina agrees, of course.
In February 1945, Bella is pregnant, and Jakob has found work for himself in the former Lod Ghetto area. Of course, kids are the ones who are most affected in such a situation, and though Felicia is physically well in comparison to how she was 3 months earlier, she’s broken from the inside and is suffering from all the hate she received at the convent. In the meantime, Halina and Adam drive to the place where her parents are residing. Adam apologizes profusely for not coming to Halina’s rescue sooner, but she tells him he did everything he could. The reunion is joyfully tear-filled.
How Does Addy Learn About His Family’s Whereabouts?
In May 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allies, and Addy heard about it on the radio and on the streets of Rio. On the other hand, a bleaker scene in Poland shows the Kurc family planning out what they’re going to do next. Halina is determined to find the rest of the family, and Nechuma suggests going to Radom to see if any letters have been sent to their old home. Despite the situation, the people living in their old house are awful to the Kurcs, and Nechuma loses her cool, telling them that this is her house and she birthed her children there; however, Sol and Halina try to calm her down. It seems they already know that they don’t belong there anymore.
Back in Poland, Adam learns that he’s lost his entire family, and he regrets joining the underground and working so hard for the community when he couldn’t even save his own family. A heavily pregnant Bella comforts him because she too has lost her whole family. She reminds him that they could all have be dead because the Germans didn’t want their survival, but they survived despite all odds. In Rio, Addy finally ties the knot with Caroline.
Finally, we circle back to the first scene of the first episode, where Halina is handed a letter by one of the Red Cross officers. The letter is from Genek and reads that he and his wife, Selim, are well and in Italy. Felicia has barely heard about her father, and after hearing the news, Mila finally tells her about him. They didn’t know if he was alive or not, so she didn’t want to give little Fefe any hope, but now they’re stuck in a strange middle ground. Halina decides it’s best for the family to get to Italy through the Alps to avoid all checkpoints. However, she’s disheartened when she learns that Bella and Jakob are going to move to the US after their child is born. Bella has an uncle there, and she says he’s the only family she has left, but Halina reminds her that they’re her family too. Somehow, she has to understand the situation and let them go.
The climb is difficult, especially for Fefe and the parents; however, they manage to make it smilingly. Adam also learns that Halina is pregnant. It seems that even in difficult times, the Kurcs are able to make the most of it, smile, and laugh it off because they have better things to look forward to. On the other hand, Herta struggles with having a home for the first time in years. She doesn’t know how to handle the silence or the drawers. Finally, they make it to Italy, and Mila climbs a light post to look for her brother and her husband. The reunion is absolutely beautiful, and to everyone’s surprise, there’s a grandson waiting for Nechuma and Sol too. Jozef is Felicia’s little cousin. Finally, the time comes for Mila to meet Selim. At first, they seem distant, but they don’t need to say anything to each other to know how happy they are to see each other. Selim gives Felicia a little gift he saved through the war, and she thanks him and calls him Papa for the first time.
Bella and Jakob have their little baby and make their way to America. In Rio, Caroline is pregnant, and so is Eliska. Addy and Eliska meet at a cafe to chit-chat in a free world, and she tries to convince him to move to New York so that their kids can be best friends, but their conversation is interrupted by a man from the Polish embassy. Addy learns that there’s a telegram that’s come in for him, and despite the embassy closing in 10 minutes, he runs to it because he can’t wait another night without knowing if any of his family is okay. Addy finally learns that his family is okay. In June 1946, Addy’s baby is born, and the Kurcs are reaching Rio. He’s so eager that he takes a boat out to see them on the ship.
We Were the Lucky Ones‘ ending takes place ten months later, in 1947, where the Kurcs finally celebrate Passover together on the same grand scale as they did all those years ago. The whole family is there, and there are a few more grandchildren in the mix. They mourn the people who aren’t with them, but they also celebrate together, with Felicia singing a Hebrew song. Jakob and Bella hear them over the phone, and the episode ends with Addy and Halina toasting each other. The end of the series is a montage of the Kurc family as it grows. The Kurcs never gave up hope, and today, Nechuma and Sol have more than 100 descendants, and they all try to hang out for all special occasions, especially Passover.
