A French Village Podcast with Sarah Longwell and Ben Wittes

Lorrain and Natacha are no more, but Captain Carrot lives! Sarah gives more info to Heinrich than she means to. Mr. Schwartz is in trouble. Dr. Larcher shows some moral development maybe? Ben reflects on socialists vs. commies, Sarah reflects on who does the right thing and why.

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The persecution of Jews begins in earnest. The spy ring intersects with the ring of Jewish refugees. Is Mr. Schwartz Jewish? Ben fives into the differences between the German Army, the SS, the SD, and the Gestapo. Sarah still can't pronounce De Kervern. Ben reveals his preferred method of torture. Lucienne and Beriot have more awkward encounters. Rings are not first-date appropriate!

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This episode involves gambling, prostitution, and spy rings. Gustav, Ben’s favorite character, is adorable, but can’t keep a secret to save his life—or anyone else’s. The Larcher brothers’ class differences intensify. De Kervern uses some, shall we say, enhanced interrogation techniques before setting up his spy ring. How did he know how to do that, by the way? Kurt and Lucienne’s relationship is “verboten.” Heinrich is a Gestapo officer, a drug addict, and... an interesting guy? Lucienne has her “Me too” moment, figuratively and literally.

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Collaboration is starting to take shape as the village's Jews weigh reporting themselves to the authorities. Meanwhile, the rest of the town goes to the movies, where someone boos a clip os Petain and Hitler shaking hands. Armistice Day is awkward when the Germans are in charge. Marcel gets sent off to a camp, but a German soldier saves his son. Sarah and Ben agree that the way Mr. and Mrs. Schwartz kiss is really gross.

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Sarah and Ben talk about episodes 3 and 4, including who exactly counts as “French” in the French village, what happens to France after the German occupation, what the Communists are up to, and who that guy was who fell out of the sky was. The hosts also delve—as promised—into the nature of complicity, resistance, and what lessons we can apply to our current moment. Ben has some problems with Mr. Schwartz, but maybe it’s too soon to judge?

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Sarah has watched the whole show. Ben has just started, so no spoilers! The hosts discuss what makes “A French Village” resonate so well with modern politics. Yes, it’s about Nazis. But it’s not about camps or the front lines. Instead, it’s about relatively normal, relatable people trying to come to grips with events they don’t entirely understand. It involves both cowardice and heroism, but maybe more importantly, a lot in between. There’s moral ambiguity — something that happens a lot in politics (especially lately) but that we don’t talk about enough.

Sarah and Ben review the setting, the characters, and the events of the first two episodes. Sarah gives her literary analysis and criticism of the show, Ben provides some historical explanation and color. They agree that, at this pace, it’ll take about a year for Ben to make it through the entire series. À bientôt!

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