Portrait of a Character – Pawel Balcescu

Origins

Dragos Bucur as Pawel Balcescu (image is used for educational purposes only)

Milena Chelenska reveals that Pawel met Noemy at a transit camp after they were liberated from Dachau, which would put their meeting as immediately after the end of the events depicted in Day of the Dead. Time traveler Rick Daniels meets him when he (Rick) is tasked with making sure that Prague Spring, like in the original history, ends.

Portrayal

Pawel is played by Romanian actor Dragos Bucur. It was important for me for this character to be played by someone who is actually Romanian.

Personality

Bereft, shy, maybe not too intelligent, but full of heart, Pawel is utterly in love with Milena‘s younger sister, Noemy. But they are at a stalemate, still far too damaged to commit after the horrors of Dachau. Milena reveals that Pawel and his family were not Jews. Rather, they were imprisoned because his parents were Communists.

Relationships

Noemy Chelenska

Pawel’s sole known relationship is with Noemy. After Rick leaves, they marry, and eventually have two children.

Mirror Universe

There is no impediment to Pawel existing in the Mirror.

Dragos Bucur as the Mirror Universe Pawel Balcescu (image is presented for educational purposes only)

I still haven’t decided whether the Holocaust actually happened in the Mirror Universe. It may seem like a no-brainer, but the truth is, I am unsure. I write Jews in the Mirror (including Leah Benson), and of course the Mirror is a rather rough place. To zig rather than zag, and for there to have not been a Holocaust, is an idea that intrigues.

Quote

“I suppose enough time has passed, and we can bury the dead once and for all.”

Upshot

I like this damaged but ultimately sensible guy who drives a milk truck and is the glue that holds the Chelenska sisters together. Pawel, much like Frank Ramirez in particular, is a man you can count on.

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