The inaugural episode of “Dear Child” plunges the audience into a mystery that’s as riveting as it is disquieting. We first meet a woman and two children playing in a house, only to stiffen when the father arrives. A flash of the woman’s marked hand hints at something sinister, as she stands visibly petrified.
See Also: Perpetrator (2023) — Movie Review
Cut to a frantic chase through the woods, the woman, named Lena, is desperately fleeing an unknown danger. A car accident follows, leading to a tense ambulance ride where her daughter Hannah provides key medical information. Meanwhile, the camera catches a figure lurking in the forest, adding an element of ominous mystery.
As Lena is wheeled into the hospital, Hannah roams the corridors with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. A nurse named Ruth soon enters the scene. Hannah shares her last name as “Goliath,” a title she says she has just selected. Throughout Lena’s surgery, a series of harrowing flashbacks unveils the abuse she has suffered.
Hannah informs Ruth about the car accident, describing the man involved as caring and attentive. Shockingly, she adds that Lena had intended to kill her father, albeit accidentally. A detective named Aida Kurt joins the ensemble, concerned about Hannah’s ambiguous background and lack of a home address.
Gerd Bühling, another character, finds something peculiar about the case and contacts Matthias Beck, an elderly man. Matthias, awakening his wife Karin, reveals that Lena, their long-lost daughter, has been located. Meanwhile, Lena survives surgery despite a mix-up in blood types, while Hannah sketches a darkly intriguing image of her home.
What makes the episode especially gripping are Hannah’s interactions. She discusses her home life, mentioning a younger brother named Jonathan and sketching their home with blacked-out windows. She declares they have no need to see out when they have air pumped in by a machine. This strange remark adds another layer of intrigue to an already complex puzzle.
Complicating the story further is a discussion between Aida and Benedikt Hamstedt, another physician, who examines Hannah. Hannah’s comments raise more questions: she notes her mother accidentally harmed her father and refuses to divulge more about their home life.
As the episode nears its end, we encounter a series of game-changing revelations. Matthias and Karin arrive at the hospital, only to find that the woman they hoped was their daughter is not. At that moment, Hannah arrives. Surprisingly, both elders recognize her, even as she hesitates behind Ruth. The episode wraps up leaving the audience to ponder what all this means and what dark secrets are left to uncover.
Naila Schuberth delivers a haunting performance as Hannah, her lines dripping with enigmatic undertones. The inner thoughts of Lena and Hannah add a nuanced dimension to the narrative, ensuring that viewers are never quite certain which version of the truth they’re witnessing.
The episode leaves us with a series of mind-bending twists: Hannah may actually be the granddaughter of the Becks and Lena may not be her real mother or the Becks’ missing daughter. The intricate plot is unraveled just enough to grip the audience but not enough to provide answers, making for an incredibly engrossing start to the series.
