I love Juliet Stevenson. I first saw her in Truly Madly Deeply, then Bend it Like Beckham, Nicholas Nickleby, The Hour and Atlantis. So I was thrilled to see her take on the role of Marie Bellaire, the fiery French mayor of Saint-Antoine.

X Company‘s latest, “Walk with the Devil,” carried on the exploration into the complex relationship between the French and the Nazis during the occupation of France. Though some citizens saw Marie rubbing shoulders with the SS officers in town as blasphemy, she saw it as a guarantee of keeping her citizens safe. I could certainly understand her feelings; she was voted into office and had a responsibility to uphold. Things got complicated, however, when several of the town’s girls, including her niece Claire, were taken to a private school.

Instead, the girls were impregnated by German soldiers as part of the Ledensborn Program, Adolf Hitler’s plan to breed the perfect Aryan race. Give birth to a healthy, blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby and it was adopted by a German family. Have anything else and it would be disposed of.

The lengths Marie would go for the town was driven home when Harry and Neil’s plot to blow up the German train—packed with torpedoes—hit a snag and the train was halted while still in the station and with the fuse lit. Putting a gun in the back of the SS officer was signing her death warrant, but it ensured the train left town before it blew sky-high. I knew it was coming, but I was still shocked when Marie took a bullet in the forehead.

But at least the townspeople were safe.

Notes and quotes

• I love old trains and that one in Wednesday’s episode was beautiful.
• I’m relieved that Sinclair knew all along that Krystina was reporting back to British high command and that the two have become a united front.
• The Oberfuhrer better watch himself. I’m betting his underling will be all to willing to report his son has Down’s syndrome if it means an advancement.

X Company airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

Thanks to Ellie, who wrote me last week to suggest the blue, jail-like room Alfred is in could literally be a cell to keep him safe in case the Germans attempt to kidnap him. He does, after all, have the British and Canadian plans inside that skull of his. I’d originally thought the cell was a representation of his head being a cell that he felt trapped inside of.

Turns out it looks like Ellie was on the right track; by the end of “Sixes and Sevens,” a loud clang outside Alfred’s cell would seem to hint he has already been captured by the Germans and is being held prisoner. That would make all of Season 1 Alfred’s recollections, which would make sense thanks to his near-perfect memory. And those scenes were he wasn’t around? Those could have been gleaned from reports read over at Camp X.

There’s still lots of season to go, but if this angle turns out to be true, it’s not only a unique way of storytelling that I haven’t seen done since St. Elsewhere (Google it, kids), but very effective too.

Written by Denis McGrath, “Sixes and Sevens” gave a nod to both Josephine Baker and Canadian writer Esi Edugyan’s Half-Blood Blues. That novel centred on Sidney Griffiths, who recounted his experiences touring through Europe as a jazz musician prior to the First World War where he met Hiero Falk, one of the greatest trumpet players in history. In the case of X Company, the story dealt with a Baker-esque Hallie Duvernay (Cracked‘s Karen Leblanc), a jazz singer with a killer voice and her trumpet player, Marcus (Dwain Murphy). The duo were to play an important part in helping provide safe passage of a British soldier whose father was a higher-up politician with help from Alfred and Aurora. Of course, things didn’t go according to plan and Aurora, Alfred and Marcus were arrested. Marcus, addicted to heroin and going through withdrawal, threatened to expose the whole ruse.

What I like about X Company is contained within a storyline like this. Rather than resort to a shoot ’em up riddled with hackneyed dialogue, “Sixes and Sevens” instead focused on Marcus’ addiction and what it meant for the mission. The decision to smuggle in a lethal dose of the drug and have Alfred give it to him was unique and important step in Alfred’s growth as a spy. His recollection of a key, magical note Marcus was able to play on one of Alfred’s favourite records was sad and sweet. Marcus knew the only escape for him was the heroin and he exited riding a wave of pride.

No less dramatic was Harry’s storyline that found him helping deliver the baby of a woman who was injured—and her parents killed—by an Allied bomb. Harry is quickly becoming my favourite character on the show, equally able to access a situation quickly and come to a solution, and show his human side. That scene of him walking down the road, cradling the baby in his arms? Well, let’s just say it got a little dusty in my basement right then.

Notes and quotes

• “As a rule, we like to stay away from anything burning. And Germans.” — Neil
• Karen Leblanc has fantastic pipes. I’m thrilled her singing talent, which wasn’t able to be showcased on Cracked, was embraced by X Company.
• No, Krystina! What are you doing?!?!

X Company airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.

When I’d first heard that X Company—then called Camp X—was being developed by the CBC, I was excited. A history buff, I was champing at the bit to learn about Canada’s super-secret role during the Second World War.

And while I’ve certainly been educated in that all-important task, I’m even more impressed with the story surrounding the German soldiers and Nazis. Almost every program or film I’ve seen centred on the Allies, but X Company is delving deeper into who we’re taught are the villains. It’s easy to put the Nazis into a box and label them as murderers, but the reality is not everyone felt that way. That was certainly driven home during Wednesday’s “Kiss of Death,” where The Bleeder was unmasked—and dispatched, literally—by a poison pill kiss from Aurora.

The Bleeder’s affect on some of his fellow officers was very interesting. The man who so wanted to sleep with Celeste and had to settle for Aurora at first came off as a cruel, unfeeling jerk who was only interested in sex. Minutes later, he was shaking and afraid, confessing to Aurora that he was gay and therefore a target of The Bleeder, who wanted to stamp out homosexuality and other “deviant” sexual behaviour. The scene started out dripping with tension but ended with tenderness as Aurora promised to keep the weeping officer’s secret safe. It instantly put a human face to the enemy for both viewers and Aurora, and left me pondering my longtime thoughts.

I felt even more deeply about that when Oberführer Faber hid his son from view of the other SS officers. Anyone with a disability—in the child’s case, Down’s syndrome—was viewed as a fly in the ointment of the perfect race and would not have survived either.

I was, of course, touched by what was happening with Aurora and the team—Alfred’s combat training saved his butt and the atomic scientist extraction mission was a success—but the German side of the story really struck me this week. And has made it harder for me to cheer against them.

Notes and quotes

• Brilliant move giving Alfred earplugs to wear so that loud noises don’t phase him. I hate it when he, you know, freezes up in a life or death situation.
• It was great to see Maryam D’Abo back on the small screen as Madame Sournis.
• I need to learn Morse code so that I understand what’s being transmitted in the opening credits. Is it SOS?
• Am I to assume the blue-tinged prison cell Alfred is trapped in represents his mind? Can someone help a symbolism-stunted fellow out?
• Is it weird that one of the most compelling characters for me is Harry? He’s got the innocent face but is able to be a cool killer too.

X Company airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on CBC.