EPISODE CONTEXT

Following the opening episode's establishment of Fantine and the tragedy of Cosette's separation from her mother, this episode shifts focus entirely to Cosette's life under the Thénardiers' roof, grounding the series' central injustice in lived, everyday detail. It builds the relational dynamics between Cosette and the Thénardier family that will define a significant stretch of the early season. What is established here feeds directly into the next episode, where new figures begin to enter Cosette's world and the trajectory of her circumstances starts to shift.