War Brings Out The Best & Worst in People in 'World on Fire'

I don’t know about you but I’m becoming accustomed to the very episodic nature of World On Fire — the series demands your attention and it’s easy to miss details (this is by way of apology for naming a character Ginger Beard in this recap because I did not catch his name). That said, it is also so appropriate for our times with a worldwide fight of a different sort taking place and the widespread sorrow, confusion, and misinformation that always seems to accompany a crisis.

Roberta: “Now then. Listen to me. This young man is Jan and his father is a war hero. His father died fighting that dreadful Hitler. His brother is fighting as we speak. His sister is fighting Hitler too. Yes, Adolf Hitler. Any boy who attacks this fine young man must be on Hitler’s side in this war."

This episode is dominated by the Battle of the River Plate, a significant sea battle in the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina. Tom, who you may remember, joined the Navy and is aboard the HMS Exeter as a gunner. His ship is part of a four-vessel pack hunting down Admiral Graf Spee, a German ship with bigger guns and a greater range, which is wreaking destruction among British vessels.