‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ Recap: ‘Episode 6’

6/13/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ -- Episode 106 -- Pictured: Anna Próchniak as Gita Furman in Slovakia. -- (Photo by: Martin Mlaka/Sky UK)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Finale of ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’. To revisit the show’s Penultimate Episode, click here.

One particular aspect of stories about victims of the Holocaust that is supremely unique, is how many of them… don’t show what comes next for the survivors of this atrocity after the war comes to its end. We tend to just see liberation of those camps, or the impact of this dark period in our history, upon the good souls that tried to protect lives from being slaughtered in those camps. When we should learn more about the life the survivors of the Holocaust led and what they encountered from a trauma standpoint and that is why the series finale of The Tattooist of Auschwitz on Peacock, is so supremely important a story. Because it finally explores those exact elements.

After of course, exploring what happened to Lali and Gita shortly after they each escaped their marches of death to other camps. Wherein we came to discover that Lali went from working with one evil to another. Since Russian soldiers were keen on abusing their power in every way imaginable and used Lali to lure people into their traps. Whereas Gita and her friend spent their days fighting for survival since they were somehow public enemy number one, despite surviving atrocities untold. But eventually, they made way to Bratislava, as did Lali, after spending a little time home to discover the harsh fate his parents succumbed to while he was away. But thankfully, the sorrow and the scares came to an end for these two lovebirds.

For the war ended, and they were reunited and married and lived their lives… to the best of their abilities. Wherein they moved far away from Europe, and changed their names, since we learned that the names we’ve been calling them all along were new ones… to escape the past and well, that’s really what they tried to do post World War II. Escape the horrors of the camps and try to forge a peaceful life and they struggled with that. For Gita’s sleep was often interrupted with echoes of those awful days in that awful place and she wasn’t sure she could conceive, which threatened the couple’s happiness, for they truly believed that the love of a child would wipe away so much evil and forge a better tomorrow.

Not to mention, Lali was tasked with Stefan’s fate, since that rotten little man was captured and put on trial and with Lali’s sometimes reluctant help, because the madness of the moment confused him to his final days… Stefan faced the right bit of justice for his crimes in Auschwitz. And eventually, Lali and Gita had their family, a son no less. Which should have given rise to a happy and joyous ending, where love survived and trumped all the evil. But alas, this was more a bittersweet tale than anything else. Because despite having a family, having peace and righting wrongs through the justice system… Lali remained haunted by the past until his final breath. Which allowed for the audience to finally come to understand the real impact that Auschwitz left upon its small number of survivors.

Scars.

That’s the true legacy of Auschwitz. Scars that can never fully heal. Because hate cuts so very, very deep. Which is why, it is so imperative to educate others about the Holocaust and what happened in Auschwitz and other places like it. So that we never impart that kind of pain on other human beings, ever again. For this was beyond cruel and beyond savage and was nothing more than pure evil in the end. The kind that can be fought through education and understanding and thank the heavens this show exists. Because it put on display the true horrors of this place, of these actions, and offered up pure education. So that memories stay alive, and vigilance can grow, so a new generation will fight for equality and the end of hate so we as a species can finally move forward… as one.

To learn more about the Holocaust and the atrocities committed by the Nazi Regime, please visit the website for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and for the Auschwitz Memorial.

Watch ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’

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