“The most important light is the light you cannot see.” A theme that has been central to all the characters in Netflix’s recent, All the Light We Cannot See. Set in the backdrop of World War II, the show beautifully encapsulated the essence of that time. From the first frame to its last, it speaks loudly about how it is based on a novel by Anthony Doerr of the same name. 

In the midst of the Nazi’s quest to search for Marie for the Sea of Flames, there existed a Werner destined to be her soulmate in this cataclysmic divide. While the ‘this’ side and ‘that’ side were divided by not only their nationalities, roles, and even intentions, what united them was just a radio that was central to the show even more than the eternal diamond. 

Shortwave 13.10: Etienne’s safe space in Shawn Levy’s recent

In a time when darkness overtook humanity, there existed a professor who tried his best for children to see the light. Broadcasting from France at the frequency 13.10, he gave children the forbidden knowledge in the tyrannous Nazi rule. The professor, who was later revealed as Marie’s uncle, Etienne, paved a road for her who would use the same frequency to help Americans know of Nazi bases in Saint-Malo.

While Etienne helped Marie find her safe space on the radio, he ended up doing the same for Werner Pfenning, who was destined to join the Nazi forces and help them find the enemies of the German nation. Even before that, the radio was Etienne’s safe space, where he imparted wisdom to children to overcome his war trauma. While the professor’s words inspired Werner, they became a cause of fear for his sister, Jutta.

Werner’s solace and Jutta’s fears

A genius living in an orphanage, Werner was a master of radios. When everyone around him struggled to even attach a single wire, he could make a radio in just 54 seconds, something he showcased later. While Werner was intrigued to learn how the human brain was locked in total darkness, Jutta feared to learn the same as something this forbidden could take away her brother from her. 

Her fears were loud when Werner was taken to fix a broken radio at a Nazi officer’s house, thinking he would be killed for illegally possessing a radio. However, the Gestapo, knowing this, turned out to be a ‘blessing’ for him as he was then recruited.

Even before he could leave, Jutta told him to keep “his frequency the same,” fearing he would lose his innocence to the atrocious world he was now about to set into. But Werner did keep his light and innocence intact. Even after seeing the most horrifying sights he could have ever thought of, and went on to save his soulmate.

Marie and shortwave 13.10

In unsettling times, while it was first the professor’s words that made him see the light, it was Marie’s reading of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that kept the light alive within him. Despite being blind, Marie could see more than others around her. Just like Werner and Etienne, shortwave 13.10 was her solace, but with a twist. 

While both Werner and Etienne tried to find comfort at 13.10, Marie also made her radio a means of the Resistance. Not only that, she even became the sole protector of the cursed Sea of Flames, which she later decided to set free. 

For Marie, realizing her uncle is the 13.10 professor was nothing less than fascinating. It was the things she heard that made her hold the views she did. That is what gave her to courage to see the light in Werner, who was nothing but a stranger and a German soldier. While she became a means of inspiration for both Werner and Etienne to do the right thing, it was her light that kept her strong and committed, in order to face those atrocities.

While Marie can be said to be the center of the show, more than her, it was the radio that brought joy, sorrow, and happiness to everyone around them. Even the ones like Jutta, who feared its existence once, embraced it with open arms. For one, it was Resistance and for another, it was just solace.