"The New World" is the first episode of Season One of The Man in the High Castle, and the first episode of the series overall. It originally premiered on January 15th, 2015 as a sneak peek. The remainder of the series would be released soon after on November 20th on Amazon Prime Video.
Synopsis[]
Joe Blake, a resistance fighter, leaves German New York with cargo for the Neutral Zone. In Japanese San Francisco, Juliana Crain receives footage of the Allies winning the war and a bus ticket to Colorado from her sister. There, she meets Joe, who reveals a dark secret.
Plot[]
Joe Blake is seen watching a propaganda newsreel, shortly after a man sits beside him and slips him a card with an address. Joe then departs the theater while the newsreel briefly shows the United States' flag with the Swastika insignia.
As Joe makes his way to his location, the episode reveals that he is living in the Greater Nazi Reich of Times Square, New York City, 1962. He arrives at a workshop and meets Don Warren, a local Resistance leader, and asks to join the Resistance. Warren is reluctant at first and asks if Joe is a Nazi spy, Joe denies this and earns Warren's respect as he expresses his passion for love and freedom. Warren and Doc gives him his first assignment by driving a truck to deliver its contents all the way to Canon City, in the Neutral Zone, Doc offers him a drug that'll prevent him from feeling sleepy on the trip. As they begin to depart, Warren and Doc does not tell what the actual delivery is inside and insist that Joe must only know its good German coffeemakers, suddenly, the SS arrive and raids the area, Joe manages to shoot an SS soldier about to kill Warren, Warren tells Joe to get going while he and Doc attempt to escape. In the ensuing raid, the captured insurgents are executed on the spot by the SS while Warren is dragged back in the workshop, SS Obergruppenführer John Smith is informed by SS officer Erich Raeder that the truck is gone.
On the other side of the American Continent, Juliana Crain successfully finishes her daily performance at an Aikido dojo. As she leaves, it reveals she is living in the same time in one of occupied states of the Japanese Pacific States, San Francisco. While buying medicine at a local Japanese store, her sister, Trudy Walker, meets up with her after weeks being gone to tell her sister that she has acquired a job but will explain later and informs her that she no longer needs to take care of her anymore for she has found 'The Reason to Everything.', Juliana does not take this seriously but Trudy hugs her and asks her to care of herself as she quickly leaves, leaving Juliana confused at her statement.
After delivering her mother the medicine at home, Juliana meets up with her boyfriend, Frank Frink, at a local bar. They first converse on Frank's sketch of Juliana on a small paper, and Juliana tells him he's a great artist and should be out selling his artworks, but Frank says it's pointless. Their conversation then shifts when Frank asks Juliana for marriage and raise kids, but Juliana expresses her fear of raising kids in the world they live in now and also of the possibility of the Japanese and the Nazis discovering Frank's Jewish heritage. Ed McCarthy, Frank's best friend, arrives and joins the couple, interrupting their conversation, they then watch the local news addressing the Führer's latest doings to the public which frustrates McCarthy for the daily broadcast and that the only time he wasn't aired on television was on VA day, 1952. Juliana leaves the two for home while taking Frank's sketch of her, shortly after, Ed tells Frank to look at the television as he sees Adolf Hitler's left hand in his pocket while shaking hands, Ed explains that he has Parkinson's disease, and deduces that he has only about 6 months left to live before one of his Inner Circle, such as Himmler and Goebbels, take over control of the Reich and that they'll 'wipe out the whole West Coast' like they did with Washington DC with the 'H-bomb'.
At she nears Frank's home, Trudy appears, looking troubled, and walks up to her to hand over a satchel to Juliana, Trudy tells her to get inside quickly, Juliana asks what's in it, her only reply was 'A Way Out'. A vehicle is heard stopping nearby and Juliana watches as Trudy attempts to evade Kempeitai authorities in pursuit. As Juliana tries to investigate, a rifle shot is heard, and to her horror, Trudy is shot dead and her body is inspected by Chief Inspector of the Kempeitai, Takeshi Kido. Juliana leaves the scene without getting spotted, and enters Frank's home and find the satchel's content is a newsreel film titled "The Grasshopper Lies Heavy", when she sets up a projector and play the film she is dazzled and finds it unbelievable of what she watches so she plays it over and over again. While watching, Frank returns home and asks what Juliana is watching. She says it's a newsreel film depicting scenes of the Allies' victory of World War II, Frank realizes that these films are from the Man in the High Castle, and claims that he makes anti-fascist films, but Juliana finds that hard to believe and insists that the film's portrayal is real despite the reality that they lost the war. When the film ends, Frank nonetheless states that these films were destroyed being treasonous to the state and asks how Juliana acquired one, Juliana sorrowfully explains Trudy gave it to her and that she got killed after. Frank strongly suggests to Judy that she report herself to the police that she had no involvement of her sister's possession of the film or that she too will be executed, despite Judy defending Trudy for her commitment to the film.
The next day, Juliana finds a bus ticket from Trudy's satchel en route to Canon City, explaining why she got a job out of town, that being the Resistance. On the back of the ticket, a note is written indicating a location called 'Sunrise Diner 12:5'. Frank asks Juliana to get ready to go to the police station with him, but Juliana refuses to go with him and insist that Frank go to work while she takes care of it alone. When Frank leaves, Juliana begins packing for her trip to Canon City by using the bus ticket of Trudy, she leaves her necklace for Frank. Suddenly, Doni greets her reminding her that they would have tea for this morning, but Juliana tries to excuse herself that she has an appointment, but not before Doni spots the film Juliana is carrying.
At a Nazi Embassy in the Pacific States, Ambassador Hugo Reiss finishes explaining the setup for the upcoming visit of the Crown Prince and Princess of Japan in the Embassy to Trade Minister, Nobusuke Tagomi and his assistant, Kotomichi. Tagomi apologetically informs that the furniture inside the building is inappropriate for the Crown Prince's visit, Reiss tries to give an impression that the furniture inside are the finest pieces like the Führer has in Berlin. Tagomi remains adamant but fortunately an Nazi Officer tells him that they'll be willing to replace all of it if they send them the information of the proper pieces. They all bid goodbye with their salutes, and as Tagomi and Kotomichi leaves, Reiss expresses his frustration at them with the Nazi officer, the Nazi officer explains that the room doesn't have 'Chi', a Chinese belief that it will bring good or bad luck, Reiss chuckles dismissively at this and wonders why the Führer allowed half the continent to the Japanese, but the Nazi officer assures that it won't be for much longer. Meanwhile, at the elevator, Kotomichi informs Tagomi of the disdain he spotted at the Nazi officer, Tagomi dismisses their different perception. Kotomichi asks if Tagomi is troubled, he expresses his worry of the Führer's poor health and that his successor will not continue maintained peace with Japan after the Oracle he consulted gave a grim reply to which Kotomichi reveals it to be 'Darkness, pay attention.'.
Meanwhile, Joe Blake stops after his truck blows a tire but fortunately a Nazi police vehicle stops by and the officer helps him repairing it. While finishing, ash begins raining down in their area, Joe wonders where's it coming from, the officer replies that it's one of the hospitals scheduled cremation of bodies of the terminally ill or disabled. In New York, Obergruppenführer Smith inspects Warren's torture at the hands of the SS, Smith interrogates Warren about the truck, Warren tries to deceive him but Smith already knows everything about him and also where the truck is headed, Warren asks if he knows all this why is he still being kept alive, Smith doesn't answer and leaves with Erich, while an officer continues his brutal torture of Warren.
Juliana arrives at a bus station, when she bumps into a Japanese soldier a man, claiming to know her, suddenly greet her and walk away. The man reveals to be a Resistance member and asks why Juliana is carrying the satchel he gave to Trudy, Juliana explains Trudy was killed. The man asks for Juliana to hand the film over and continue Trudy's work, but Juliana refuses and that she'll do it despite the Resistance expecting Trudy not her. The man reluctantly accepts and tell her that she just waits and that her contact will come to her when it is safe, she asks the man what the film means, but he replies saying to not ask questions. When he boards the bus, Juliana is visibly uncomfortable as she sees the passengers inside are diverse and are 'equally seated all around'.
At a Japanese International Airport, Tagomi and Kotomichi arrive to meet a former Nazi officer, Rudolph Wegener, claiming to be a trade exporter from Sweden. When they enter the vehicle, Wegener reveals that he is no exporter and has never visited Sweden, but implies to be assisting Tagomi on a mission for a man that will arrive during the arrival of the Crown Prince and Princess in the Pacific States, Wegener also relays info to Tagomi about the Führer's poor health, Himmler and Goebbels are fighting for power, and that both men think that the petition with the Americas was a mistake. Both men conclude that once Hitler dies, war with Japan will be imminent.
As Juliana makes her way to Canon City, a woman named Katie Owens sits beside her and have a conversation on their trip to the Pacific States; she talks how the Japanese are alright letting non-white Americans to roam around (unlike the Nazis, who see them all as inferior). She also explains to Juliana about the Marshal in Canon City, a Nazi agent that hunts down the Enemies of the Reich and brutally kills them. On the other side, Joe Blake arrives at the checkpoint for entrance to Canon City, he stops to make a call but ends it when he notices Nazi soldiers doing an inspection of vehicles. He looks inside the truck to inspect the contents, and find that there are just coffeemakers, so he searches under the truck and find a secret compartment where the film is hidden. Afterwards, he passes inspection and crosses the border to the Neutral zone. Frank Frink comes home and finds Juliana's necklace realizing she never returned home.
Juliana awakens when the bus stops, she finds Katie Owens gone but she spots her leaving the bus with her belongings, she tries to go after her but the driver of the bus tells her that the bus will depart allowing Katie to escape with her bag. Juliana goes back to her seat and is thankful that the film is still safe with her.
John Smith once again inspects Warren with his torturer absent, Erich fetches him and Smith quickly asks why was Don Warren left unattended, he explains that Warren is unconscious but Smith reminds him that his orders are to keep flogging him until he confesses, the torturer is visibly shocked by this but does not hesitate and continues torturing Warren with no mercy. Smith leaves, noticing Erich smiling, as Erich explains that they already know the answers to whatever question they asks upon Warren and he'll eventually die from captivity with his body being dumped for Resistance members to conclude that he did not confess and that the Nazis did not know the truck's destination, by this, Erich expresses his appreciation for Smith's tactics.
The next morning, Juliana finally arrives at Canon City and find Sunrise Diner. At that time, Frank is visited by Chief Inspector Kido, and the Kempeitai quickly barge in to investigate his homestead. Kido asks a series of questions about Juliana's whereabouts and her involvement with her sister, Trudy Walker, while a phone is ringing. Kido asks if Frank will pick it up, when he was about to the line ends, preventing Kido and Frank from finding out Juliana's location. Kido warns Frank about the consequences of he will face if he is lying, but Frank is adamant that he is telling the truth.
Juliana is looking around the diner for any possibility that her contact is here, she finds one in particular, someone making origami out of book pages. When the owner of the diner approaches her, she apologizes that she can't pay her after her wallet was stolen, the owner demands an answer on how is she going to pay her. Suddenly, someone answers that he will pay for it, revealing to be Joe Blake. When she leaves the diner, Joe Blake follows her and offer her a drink and they both converse with each other. Don Warren's dead body is carelessly dropped on the street Smith's men, enacting their plan. The Kempeitai come for Frank once again and they brutally apprehend him, a beaten Doni watches, revealing he was interrogated by the Kempeitai after Frank revealed where Juliana was practicing Aikido, the Kempeitai also apprehend the Resistance member Juliana met at the bus station, and Tagomi is seen consulting the Oracle once again.
Joe Blake excuses himself from Juliana for a phone call remembering that he failed to do so earlier, when someone finally answers it is revealed to be John Smith, proud that his cover is still intact. This reveals, that Joe Blake is a Nazi spy working for John Smith posing as a Resistance volunteer. The call ends when both men bid each other "Heil Hitler".
Cast & Characters[]
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Notes & Trivia[]
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