Resistance (V) - The Bernsteins

The Bernsteins

Abraham Bernstein was a Jewish member of the Berlin community and lived with his wife and 8-month-old son Stanley. In 1938, when the Nazi Party took control of the country, Abraham was disturbed by their growing power, but told his family that it would eventually pass. However, he was wrong, as World War 2 was declared and Jewish discrimination and Nazi Holocaust began. Abraham joined the Jewish underground, hoping to smuggle his family out of the country, and was successful in reaching a concentration camp where an underground agent helped them escape to Britain, with his son hidden in a suitcase. Unfortunately, his wife was separated after arriving at the camp and, after being brutally decontaminated, was taken to the "showers" and gassed to death. Abraham never forgot the moment she was taken away and, coupled with the bar code numbers tattooed into the skin on his forearm, suffered from his experiences in Nazi Germany constantly. He decided, however, that his son was too young to know the truth and told him that his mother died in the boxcar train of a heart attack, before they made it to the camp. 40 years later, Abraham lived in America with his now-full grown son Stanley, his daughter-in-law Lynn, and grandson Daniel. He had also befriended a local neighbor, Ruby Engels, after enjoying long walks to the supermarket together. The friendship lasted for 17 years, and Ruby began helping Abraham "let go" of the past.

When the Visitors came to Earth, his son and his wife remained calm and kept believing they were peaceful, but Abraham, after noticing the Visitors growing power and appearance in everyday life, remained convinced that the Visitors would bring destruction and death. His beliefs became enforced when the Visitors commandeered the local authorities, controlling all types of media and forming a youth group, similar to the Hitler Youth of Nazi Germany, which Daniel joined. Abraham learned of the recently formed Resistance movement and began operating however he could to help them. One such occasion brought him into conflict with Stanley, after Abraham let the Maxwells hide in their homes poolhouse, but, after revealing the true circumstances behind his mother's death, convinced him that "they have to stay, or else we haven't learned a thing". Stanley and Lynn soon both joined the Resistance after this. Abraham is most famous for the infamous "V" mark (which is the series' logo and the Resistance's mark of activity) which quickly spread around the world and was used by graffiti artists and active Resistance members to deface Visitor property and declare their continued resistance over their lives. When Daniel left to alert his Visitor superiors as to the location of the Maxwells, Abraham, knowing he couldn't live the life of a fugitive again due to his age, voluntarily stayed behind and waited for the Visitors to arrive, and when they stormed the house, all they found was him and all he says is "shalom". He willingly went to his death after his capture.

Ruby later went up to a Visitor Shuttle and, as she was arming a petrol bomb she declared "this one's for Abraham" and threw the bomb into the craft, destroying it and killing several Visitors and allowed many prisoners to escape.

Lynn Bernstein is the wife of Stanley and mother of Daniel. When the Visitors came to Earth, she initially remained calm as she believed the initial chaos of their arrival would die out. However she grew more supportive of the Resistance when limitations were imposed on communications, travel and media coverage and began suspecting Daniel of being dangerous to the family after hearing dangerous rumors on the streets, which was later proven correct, as she and Stanley were captured and her father-in-law Abraham was killed when the Daniel tipped of the Visitors about the location of the Maxwells, who were hiding in their poolhouse.

Stanley was separated from her and tortured on the Mothership by Diana, but she and Stanley were let go as a warning to others and returned to their home. They then agreed to shelter additional families in hiding, as the Visitors would never suspect Resistance members hiding in a place they've already raided. She and Stanley kept a low profile, but both came out of hiding to celebrate the new Liberation Day when the Red Dust was spread all over the world, rendering it toxic to the Visitors. Lynn and Stanley then took Polly and Katie Maxwell into their care at Robert Maxwell's urging shortly after the war, as he couldn't cope on his own.

Stanley Bernstein is the son of Abraham, husband of Lynn, and father of Daniel. When the Visitors came to Earth, he initially calmed his family; saying they came in peace and everything would be fine. However he grew more supportive of the Resistance when limitations were imposed on communications, travel and media coverage and reluctantly agreed to shelter the hiding Maxwell family. He also began suspecting Daniel of being dangerous to the family, which was later proven correct, as he and Lynn were captured and his father killed when the Daniel tipped of the Visitors about the location of the Maxwells.

Stanley was tortured on the Mothership by Diana, but he and Lynn were let go as a warning to others and returned to their home. They then agreed to shelter additional families in hiding, as the Visitors would never suspect Resistance members hiding in a place they've already raided. He and Lynn kept a low profile, but both came out of hiding to celebrate the new Liberation Day when the Red Dust was spread all over the world, rendering it toxic to the Visitors. Stanley and Lynn then took Polly and Katie Maxwell into their care at Robert Maxwell's urging shortly after the war, as he couldn't cope on his own.