There's something I've been confused about since beginning following this series several weeks ago. I missed, at the beginning (and never, to date, have yet seen), all of at least the very first episode (by which I mean at least the first hour), during which it was no doubt explained.

I gather, from general dialogue and the such, that Friedrich Erler is considered to be not only Liesbeth Erler's (the blonde lady's) son, but also Hilde Vöckler's (the innkeeper lady, who has had a long-running affair with Konrad Werner). I take it that Friedrich was born out of wedlock to Hilde. Am I correct that Liesbeth then, somewhere along the line, legally adopted him? Whatever is the case, it's confused me right from the start, as I've all along thought Friedrich and Liesbeth look so similar in age to easily appear more like one another's siblings, or boyfriend and girlfriend, than mother and son. I've also not understood why he apparently wasn't raised by Hilde. (By the way, is, by any chance, his biological father Konrad Werner?)

If anyone is able to clarify anything about all/any of the above, I'll appreciate it.

Besides definitely the first hour, and perhaps also (but probably not) the second, getting missed, I get the distinct impression I missed one subsequent episode (hour) partway into the first half of the first series. It's confusing attempting to follow episode descriptions, as in the US the episodes are edited differently, to 1-hour (actually 50 mins., but airing in hour-long time slot) durations, therefore the series alignment comes out other than how presented here on TMDb or on other sites, that present Season 1 having only three episodes, rather than several. Therefore, I actually don't know, for sure, to what point in the overall series I now am. (I presently have one episode, that aired on t.v. early this a.m., to get around to watching today. Possibly that's the Series 1 finale.) I've so far watched, and been tremendously impressed by, something like 3 or 4 episodes (hours).

Anyone who's not watched or is currently watching this series, this is one I guarantee you is absolutely worth seeing and is excellent. Highly recommended. (Realize, though, that if you aren't fluent in German - which I'm not - you'll have to read translation subtitles the entire time.)

Incidentally, I'm in the States and have been following this on one of my PBS stations. It's been challenging keeping track of when the various episodes air, and I've now concluded one airs at 10p.m. each Thursday night, then - oddly - the next episode airs hours later, at 2a.m. on Friday. Why any station would air a weekly episode 10p.m., then the subsequent episode (that's chronological story continuation) 2a.m., week after week (well, certain weeks that station didn't air any episodes at all, due to instead airing holiday programming), I don't understand, as most people wouldn't even probably be likely to be aware of the 2a.m episode. I don't get why the station isn't simply airing the two weekly episodes one right after the other. The flukey scheduling is why I've missed at least one in-between episode (hour).

As I recall, during the war, Liesbeth Erler fled with her biological son, Friedrich, and her adopted son Lothar from Berlin to Tannbach.

Hilde Vöckler did have an illegitimate son, Horst Vöckler, whose biological father is Franz Schober.


Side notes:

• The actress Nadja Uhl (Liesbeth Erler) was 42 years old when it was filmed, and the actor Jonas Nay (Friedrich Erler) was 24 years old.

Here's a picture: left to right; Jonas Nay, Nadja Uhl and Ludwig Trepte.

• There are two series, each has three episodes. It seems like PBS has split each episode in two parts, so for example on PBS the original 'St1E1 (90 minutes)' is now S1E1(49 minutes) and S1E2 (45 minutes), and so on. The extra minutes of the two parts are probably due to a repeat of the beginning and end (credits) of the episode and a recap (previously...).

Thanks so much for the great info, wonder! By my having missed at least the first hour weeks back (I started watching the series on Nov. 23), then watching I think two episodes - then two or three weeks passing without seeing any episodes - it resulted in a very chopped up and spaced apart viewing experience for me - and there being some story continuity missing midway. That's resulted in my not having certain details entirely straight, particularly regarding some family relationships, and who knows who how.

I remember seeing, in probably the first episode I watched, Hilde talking with some young guy, along a roadside, and that she was obviously his mother (the young guy seemed to be somehow a fugitive, I think from military service?), she or he mentioned his having been born illegitimate - and I subsequently (due to how split up viewing of this series has been for me) wound up "remembering" that young guy as being Friedrich, rather than Horst.

Wow: I'd not have guessed Nadja Uhl a day over 35 in this series! I knew that the character Lothar is Liesbeth's adopted (I'm guessing strictly honourarily, rather than there having ever been any actual official adoption on paper) son, thus that he and Friedrich consider one another brothers, and that Lothar's parents were killed in a concentration camp - so got those particulars straight.

I'm hoping that, now that I've figured out when, precisely, episodes air each week on one of my PBS stations, that I'll not miss any more episodes from here on out. Also I'm hoping that the station in question will continue straight in to Season 2, once Season 1 has finished airing.

Again, thank you very much, wonder, for the answers/info you provided!

You're welcome.