In the preceding episode of “Women at War,” things took a different turn for the ladies. Suzanne was stuck with Lucien since he worked as a spy for the German army, whereas Caroline lost her husband in the war. Marguerite got a chance to change her relationship with Colin, and finally, Agnes confessed her love for Till. But there was a major cliffhanger in the episode. Someone knew about Agnes and Till, and even though the previous episode didn’t reveal anything, the upcoming episodes would decide Agnes’ future. The fifth episode of “Women at War” began with Suzanne’s return. She had left the German quarters in the morning with Lucien, and now she had entangled herself in a difficult maze. As soon as they landed, Suzanne tried to escape him and informed two French soldiers about Lucien’s secret identity. But Lucien was sharp; he killed them before they could hurt him. Lucien knew that Suzanne and Joseph had feelings for each other, so he threatened to kill him. Now, Suzanne had no choice but to follow Lucien’s commands.
The next morning, Agnes punished herself for spending the night with Till, and she chose to ignore him. Back at the brothel, Marguerite didn’t fulfill her duties, but Marcel’s sister Yvonne kept insisting he punish Marguerite for her mistakes. But Marguerite didn’t listen to him and left for headquarters instead. All four ladies were summoned to the headquarters by General Duvernet. The President, Mr. Raymond Poincaré, was impressed by their initiatives, and he wanted to award them, hoping that it would motivate other women around the country as well. Marguerite took this opportunity and requested General Duvernet look for accommodations for the ambulance women. Caroline was worried about the factory since Charles would destroy everything. With her husband dead, things will become more difficult.
Marguerite assured Caroline that she had created a new image for the factory and motivated her to carry the business ahead. She decided to hide Dewitt’s death from the family since Charles would try to ruin everything for them. Charles had 24 hours to turn the factory into an ammunition manufactory, and if he failed to grasp hold of this opportunity, Charles would have to take to the field on the front lines. So Marcel and Charles decided to kill Caroline, and Marcel gave him a Luger, a German army pistol. Back at the Church, Lucien and Suzanne got into an argument since she didn’t want to attend the award ceremony. But Lucien had forced her to attend. The ceremony would be filled with photographers and journalists, so she didn’t want to leak her identity. However, Lucien wanted to attend this ceremony together as a couple. He pulled out a picture of his wife and daughter, Claudine. The German soldiers had kidnapped Claudine, and to save her, Lucien had been supplying information to the German army. Lucien used to work for French Intelligence. But someone revealed his Identity, and the German officials killed Lucien’s wife and abducted his daughter. Lucien had to provide intel about the French army’s next plan, as this would be the only way to save Claudine. This award ceremony would help him gain President Poincaré’s trust.
Back at the church, someone had been keeping an eye on Agnes. She had a crack in her door, which made it easier for the stranger to peep inside her room. Suddenly, Father Vautrin knocked on Agnes’ door to congratulate her on securing an award from the country. She would often attend his prayers and sessions with other nuns. Vautrin noticed that Agnes displayed negative emotions, and he forced her into confession. It was pretty clear that Father Vautrin had been the stranger behind that door. Agnes refused and scheduled the confession for a different day. The following night, Till stopped by her room again. He wanted Agnes to choose him over her life as Mother Superior. But Agnes refused to listen. Agnes grew to resent herself since other nuns had applauded Agnes for her award, but Agnes knew that she had broken her oath to God. At the same time, Suzanne was congratulated for the same achievement. She felt the same feelings as Suzanne, who had been betraying her homeland with Lucien. But she had no choice. Agnes stepped out of the room and cried. So, Suzanne followed her and tried to communicate with Agnes. She tried to convince Agnes that loving someone was not a crime.
Agnes knew if people found out about her forbidden relationship, she would have to leave the church. But Suzanne knew that God would forgive her because she had saved the lives of several people. Meanwhile, Marguerite and Colin started speaking to each other daily; her alliance with Caroline had helped her to visit the army quarters every day. Colin invited Marguerite to have lunch with him and the other soldiers. Colin and Marguerite had conversations about her personal life, but she shrugged them off. In the meanwhile, Marcel and Yvonne started employing minor girls to increase profits. Marguerite managed to convince the girl and sent her away. The following night, Marcel tried to involve Marguerite with a more active role in the prostitution business. Marcel wanted Marguerite to be his partner, and in return, he would provide her with a high percentage.
Marguerite realized that Marcel had fallen in love with her, and she refused to team up with him. Now, it was time for the ceremony. President Poincaré praised them for their services and awarded them a badge. At the same time, Marguerite had been happy to have her son at the ceremony. Marguerite had thanked Colin and assured him that she had left the brothel, and that he was the one who motivated her to take this decision.
But things took a different turn when Marguerite realized that Colin had fallen in love with her. Caroline tried to stop her from leaving, but the two fought with each other. Back at the church, Lucien tried to establish a good bond with the president, which he managed to secure. President Poincaré had invited Suzanne and Lucien for a drink, but she pretended to be sick, which helped her to cancel the meeting. Suzanne told him that she would never betray her country. Lucien lost control entirely and slapped Suzanne until she fell to the ground. Luckily, Joseph arrived, which stopped Lucien from hitting her. But things had worked in Lucien’s favor. President Poincaré and General Duvernet were discussing the new offensive strategy to defeat the German army. So, the President had suggested that Lucien could use his abilities for reconnaissance flights on the enemy’s front line. Even though General Duvernet knew that he was deemed unfit to provide any service, the President wanted to give him another chance since Lucien claimed that he was feeling better.
All this time, Charles had been keeping track of Caroline’s movements. He followed Caroline and found the right moment to kill her. Charles aimed his pistol at Caroline, but he couldn’t fire at her. Meanwhile, Eleonore received a call from the mayor, and she learned about her son’s death. Eleonore was extremely upset about the whole situation and blamed Caroline for lying. Madeleine overheard their conversations and left the room. At midnight, Charles visited the factory and hurt himself with the hammering machine. He fell to the ground while his fingers were bleeding profusely. Even though things were working out in the beginning, the four of them had to suffer painful consequences and losses in the end. Agnes had to sacrifice her love since Till had decided to leave the church after accidentally hearing Agnes’ conversations with Suzanne. Before leaving the church, Till had left a letter near Agnes’ door, and now he was planning to move to Switzerland. She rushed out of her room and tried her best to find Till, but he had already left. Soon, Agnes overheard Father Vautrin’s voice in the backyard, and she saw that he had been molesting other nuns in the church. The fifth episode of “Women at War” ended with a cliffhanger. It was pretty clear that Agnes was terrified by Father Vautrin’s actions, but she had to hide his secret. There was a huge possibility that Father Vautrin would ruin her name if she tried to complain about him. The next episodes will reveal Agnes’ approach toward the horrifying discovery.
