Netflix’s recently released German mini-series wrapped up its first and final season, and fans have a few questions that need to be answered. If you have watched Dear Child and are curious to find out more about exactly what happened to Lena in the end, then make sure to stay till the end.
Written by Julian Porksen and Isabel Kleefeld, the show follows the mysterious disappearance of a woman who happened almost thirteen years ago. She manages to escape the tight claws of her captor and emerges just as suddenly as she had disappeared all those years ago, bringing to light a terrifying truth related to the same.
The show has cast actors including Naila Schuberth, Kim Riedle, Haley Louise Jones, Julika Jenkins, Hans Low, Sammy Schrein, and others, all beautifully portraying their roles. The makers of the show have taken inspiration for the show from a novel of the same name, written by author Romy Hausmann.
Isabel Kleefled revealed in an interview that she could imagine the scenes from the book playing in her mind so vividly she just had to turn it into a series. The miniseries that wrapped its entire story in just six short episodes received quite the praise from fans and critics.
Not only have the actors done a great job with their characters, but praise has to be given to the makers who managed to bring to life such a compelling story without it feeling like a drag or rushed. The way human trauma and the complexities of the human mind have been explored is amazing and makes the series a must-watch for anyone who enjoys the psychological thriller genre.
What was the plot of Dear Child?
The story, in brief, is about a young woman named Lena, who had been kidnapped or held captive and would be the right term for almost thirteen years. She had spent a significant portion of her life just locked in a cabin in a secluded area.
It is only after she spent thirteen years in captivity that she found her chance to escape from both the cabin and her captive. After running for her life and struggling some more, Lena managed to be finally reunited with her family.
But obviously, her return does not, in any way, mean that the case is closed. Questions about who her captor was and why she was kept hidden from the world for this long are raised, and the answers to these questions are just as spine-chilling as you would expect.
As we get deeper into the episodes and Lena’s story, we find at the core an intriguing story, out to explore some screwed family relations with mental trauma worth of an entire neighborhood. The show takes us on a journey in search of truth, justice, and answers to the mystery that this story is.
Jasmine’s Plan of Action
The show revealed that it was Lars who had kidnapped the original Lena and had continued to kidnap more women who reminded him of Lena. Lena had been abducted when she was pregnant with Hannah, and after giving birth to two more children while in captivity, she ended up dying due to some infection.
Jasmine Grass, Hannah, and Jonathan were the living victims of Lars, living in his captivity and constantly being under surveillance. For five months, Jasmine plotted her escape until, one day, she was finally able to put it into action.
She hit Lars with a snow globe, collecting some of its glass shards and keeping it safe with her. After Hannah begged Lars that she did not want him to kill Jasmin because she liked “this mommy,” Jasmine was allowed to live.
Jasmine had been living her life as Lars had wanted, looking and dressing just like Lena. But it was about to be over, with Hannah begging Lars to take her to the beach, Jasmine tagging along but stopping for a bathroom break followed by her taking out the glass shards from the snow globe, and her finally stabbing Lars in the neck while screaming that she is not Lena.
She walks away from the place, knowing that her captor is dead and she is free.
What happened to Lena?
So, where does Lena fit into all this? Turns out Lena was the first-ever victim, and she was pregnant when she was taken. Her firstborn was Hannah, followed by Jonathan, both of whom had been living with Lars after Lena’s death.
Lena, while alive, had been raped multiple times, which led to Jonathan’s birth and the development of an infection during the birth of her third child, which killed both her and the newborn.
To fill Lena’s place, Lars kidnapped women and brought them home against their will, forcing them to live, be, and dress like Lena. So Jasmine, who the police thought was Lena, who had been kidnapped all those years, was not actually Lena, but some woman being forced to live with that name.
Policeman Gerd was the one who found a dying Lars, who finally confessed to him about Lena’s murder, even telling him where he had buried her dead body all those years back. Jasmine, Hannah, and Jonathan get counseling and are shown moving on with their lives in ways they know.
Real Lena’s dead body gets taken out from the garden where Lars had put her, and she finally gets properly buried, followed by her grief-stricken parents joining a support group.
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