Lead Children, Netflix’s latest Polish series, tells the inspiring story of Dr Jolanta Wadowska-Król (played by Joanna Kulig), a Polish paediatrician who defies the odds to uncover the truth behind the lead poisoning affecting children in Szopienice. But does Dr Wadowska-Król succeed in her mission of saving the children? Or does the government manage to keep the truth hidden? Find out in our Lead Children ending explained piece.
Directed by Maciej Pieprzyca, Lead Children is based on a true story. In the Netflix series, Dr Jolanta Wadowska-Król realises that children in Targowisko, Szopienice keep falling ill. With the support of her husband, Dr Zbyszek Król (played by Sebastian Pawlak), a urologist at Szopienice’s local hospital, and Professor Berger (played by Agata Kulesza), she investigates and discovers that the cause of the sickness is lead poisoning. Further investigation reveals that a smelter factory located right next to the Targowisko neighbourhood is the source of the lead.
Dr Wadowska-Król then sets out on a mission to educate the children’s parents, believing the authorities will prioritise the welfare of their people. To her surprise, SB officer Hubert Niedziela (played by Michał Żurawski) and comrade secretary Zdzisław Grudzień (played by Zbigniew Zamachowski), along with his men, have a plan to stop her from shutting down the factory that is polluting the neighbourhood.
Even after countless threats and jibes, Dr Wadowska-Król refuses to back down. Ultimately, she sends the surviving children away from Targowisko to a sanatorium for treatment. But, of course, that isn’t the end of it. The finale delivers a few shocking twists of its own. So, if you want to know how the Netflix series Lead Children wraps up, keep reading this ending explained piece.
Lead Children Netflix series ending explained: What becomes of the children of Szopienice?
The finale begins with a three-month time jump after Dr Wadowska-Król sends the children to sanatoriums for treatment. We soon learn that, in the intervening months, the authorities have put a plan in place to bring the children and their families back to Targowisko. Mr Sonntag, one of the men working at the smelter, shares this information with Dr Wadowska-Król. Together, they decide to save the children from their fate by urging the mothers to press the authorities for new flats for their children, away from the factory.
At the Szopienice Metal Works Cooperative, Dr Wadowska-Król and Mr Sonntag meet Mr Mycka, the factory’s new director. After hearing their demands, Mr Mycka telephones comrade secretary Zdzisław Grudzień to inform him of the doctor’s latest plan.
Realising her demands will not be met easily, Dr Wadowska-Król gathers hundreds of mothers at the local church and convinces them to join her fight against injustice by staging a revolt at the Szopienice Metal Works Cooperative.
Meanwhile, Hubert learns of the plan through one of his sources. Furious, he threatens Mr Mycka to get the situation under control, but by then it’s too late. The women, along with Dr Wadowska-Król, have already arrived at the Szopienice Metal Works Cooperative.
What happens at the Szopienice factory?
While the mothers protest below, Hubert, Mr Mycka and Grudzień watch from the cabin window, knowing that time is running out. After realising that none of their attempts will get the women to back off, Hubert decides to involve the militia.
Unfortunately for Hubert, the decision works against him. As soon as the militia fires tear gas at the protesting women, their husbands abandon their work at the factory and come to their side, helping them drive the militia away.
Grudzień realises they have lost the fight and instructs Mr Mycka and Hubert to tell the parents that their families will get the flats they are demanding.
Amid the chaos, the women realise that the pregnant Dr Wadowska-Król has gone into labour, and she is rushed to a hospital. We later learn that she delivers a healthy baby girl, despite having been poisoned by the lead herself.
Does Dr Wadowska-Król receive her doctorate?
After all her hard work, Dr Wadowska-Król’s doctoral dissertation on the events in Targowisko is finally ready. She begins to present her thesis in front of the panel, which includes Professor Berger. To her surprise, however, the reviewers dismiss her work, calling it “chaotic” and claiming it’s based on assumptions and speculation rather than documented scientific facts.
The paediatrician knows these accusations are baseless, as her research included tests conducted on over 4,500 patients. But to her shock, Professor Berger, the very woman who had once helped her carry out the research, now sits in front of her, agreeing with the other reviewers.
When confronted, Professor Berger admits that the authorities forced her to choose between securing a newly built ward for the clinic where she worked or supporting Dr Wadowska-Król’s doctoral dissertation. In the end, Professor Berger succumbed to the bribe and chose not to support the doctor’s anti-establishment research.
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Lead Children ending explained: What happens in the final moments of the Netflix series?
The historical drama ends with Grudzień wrongfully taking full credit for relocating the families of Targowisko away from the factory. He then publicly announces that the Targowisko neighbourhood has now been completely demolished. While Professor Berger receives her ward as promised, Dr Wadowska-Król is quietly transferred to another region. As for SB officer Hubert, thanks to Grudzień’s politics, he is demoted as well and sent back to work at the smelter.
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(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.