Welcome to The Man in the High Castle season two watch-along, episode three “Travelers”. The second season has made its premiere on Amazon Prime. Over the next few weeks, we are running recap and reactions to the 10-episode season. If you haven’t started watching yet, read at your own risk as SPOILERS follow.
The episode kicked off with John Smith showing his human side. Despite his strong beliefs with the Nazis, all is forgotten when it comes to his family. His son has a disease that will eventually paralyze him, which is something that the Reich doesn’t accept. Despite not showing symptoms of his disease for some time, a doctor forces John to inject his son with chemicals to end his life. John struggles throughout the episode, even showing compassion toward Juliana Crain. Eventually, he takes his son out for fishing, where he was planning to kill him. As the caring father that he is, he fails to go through with it and instead injects the doctor with the chemical serum, killing him.
Joe finally meets his father, Reichsminister Martin Heusmann. Heusmann had heard of Joe’s work for the Reich, but Joe continues to deny being that guy. He tells his father that he no longer reports to John Smith and Heusmann invites Joe to a “small” party, which is ends up being a fairly big party. Joe quickly realizes his father wanted to boast about Joe’s success, but he resents his father for their past.
Frank and Childan argue which artifact they should forge. While Frank insists they recreate both of Lincoln’s cufflinks, Childan disagrees. After all, it’s rather suspicious for them to have retrieved two. While on a stroll, the resistance recruits Frank, but he is reluctant to join their cause. Eventually, he meets a Japanese-American resistance member, and he agrees to save Americans from execution. When a Kempeitai holds the Japanese-American resistance member, Frank quickly acts and shoots the Kempeitai officer.
Juliana is put through several tests before she is sent to the asylum. Juliana is then interrogated on her activities over the past two weeks. Though she’s asked to identify the two men who shot her, she refuses to identify Gary. This is an interesting turn as the two have yet to have a positive relationship.
John Smith interferes and takes Juliana’s case for himself. He sends her to a new home for single women and offers her a new identity: Julia Mills. John’s wife greets her with great hospitality. Julia seeks out Joe Blake, but all she can find is his ex who makes claims that Joe returned to Germany to work closely with the Nazis. On one end, Joe believes Juliana is dead, on the other, Juliana thinks Joe fooled her and the others.
Trade Minister Tagomi continues his struggles. He changes the General’s plans but is forced to approve them. He meditates as part of his daily routine, but, as in the season one finale, he vanishes, presumably into an alternate reality.
Observations
- Surprisingly, only two weeks had passed since the premiere of the show. It had always felt as a few months had passed since the episode one.
- Once again, Tagomi vanishes and leaves us with more questions on reality jumping.
- With John Smith’s plot, will he begin to stray away from the Reich?
