Review: The Man in the High Castle Season 4 Episode 2: Every Door Out...

“Every Door Out…”, the 2nd episode of the final season of The Man in the High Castle does an excellent job continuing to lay the foundations for this final season. Spoilers ahead.

The episode begins with a three years flashback where the start of the Black Communist Rebellion (BCR) begins to take shape. We are introduced to the charismatic leader of this movement and discover that books are being printed in the neutral zone and smuggled into the JPS. We also for the first time get some sort of a listing of where the concentration camps were within the US as people discuss where they lost their loved ones. We also discover that they are getting weapons from China, an interesting reversal considering in our time line we supplied China during World War II in their fight.

John Smith and Dr. Josef Mengele are at the device, Die Nebenwelt, and are receiving intelligence from officers that have arrived back from the multiverse. It is discovered that these intelligence officers are draining our current timeline of intelligence and information with scientific and cultural teams being sent in to try to cause change to our timeline. We are taken to a room full of mirrors with a map of the multiverse shown for the first time. It appears that well over a dozen worlds exist but Dr. Mengele states they have only been able to get to one world, our timeline. It is also revealed that Hawthorne Abendsen is cooperating and helping the Nazi’s for chances to see his wife.

John Smith receives a briefing of his alternate self and finds it leaves something to be desired. He is told he is in business and assumes he was an executive but is only a traveling salesman. He has no daughters in our timeline and Thomas appears to be headstrong about joining the Marines.

Juliana goes to watch the movie Judgement at Nuremberg a number of times and seems to take solace in the fact that in our timeline, we tried the Nazis as opposed to line them up against a wall and shoot them. She goes to a bar with Russ Gillmore, a man that she seems to be dating, and they hear about the head of the American Nuclear program dying of a heart attack. She knows that the Nazis have entered our timeline as she sees that the failed Saturn I rocket launches and the apparent heart attack of the head of America’s nuclear program as being linked. Given what we know earlier her beliefs are likely right The Alt-John Smith dances with Juliana for a bit and he seems to actually white knight her, which is surreal given how we know the regular John Smith acts. She can’t take it and leaves the bar with Russ.

Wyatt Price meets the BCR and they discuss doing business together so that the Resistance can get weapons. The BCR seems hesitant as they seem only interested in helping black supporters but Bell Mallory sees something that they can do. We are shown that Childan and his Asian aide, Yukiko have some possible sexual tension between them.

The BCR want to kill Kido, General Masuda ( a man responsible for a Rape of Nanking style attack in Manchuria), and the two Japanese defense ministers coming to Childan’s auction. It is believed that killing these high ranking individuals will help the cause and force Japan’s hand.

The BCR utilize Wyatt’s group as caterers at Childan’s event in order to get close to the Japanese dignitaries. As they are sharing their food with Childan so that they can infiltrate the event the Crown Princess and Admiral Inokuchi arrive at Childan’s shop. They discuss a bit with Childan the event and it seems that the ministers that are arriving for the auction are on the same side as Inokuchi and the Crown Princess. The Crown Princess calls Childan a cultured man and he practically weeps at the honor.

We then see Jennifer Smith back in school and it is obvious she can not handle Year Zero and its effects. The class had been studying The Merchant of Venice but one student claims that they should not study as Shylock’s words “If you prick us do we not bleed” imply that Jews are human. The teacher gets visibly scared and agrees, stating she will discuss with the school staff. Jennifer brings home Henry and admits they were outside the Reich. She and Henry dance listening to “black” music and Amy catches them, screaming that she will tell on them. It is apparent that one of the Smith daughters is an ardent Nazi and the other wants nothing to do with it.

John Smith arrives home and tells Amy that the record is his, not Jennifer’s and it was related to case he was working on. Amy seems reluctant to let it go but he states that she has done her duty by reporting Jennifer to him and that they must be careful before discussing their family with other people. Smith seems to want to put family before party much as he tried to do with Thomas. Smith overhears Jennifer calling her mom and he seems conflicted by what to do.

We then find ourselves back in the JPS where General Yamori wants the investigation into Tagomi’s death concluded. Kido states that Mingus Jones died in questioning but they need to continue with some leads. General Yamori states that the investigation is to be concluded, no questions asked. Meanwhile Kido’s son has serious PTSD over putting on a medal for an interview. He hears the screams of children and women and can not bring himself to go to the interview. Kido consoles him as best as he can, telling him the medal is a great honor and is not given to “weak” men. It implies that PTSD is a weakness, much how I would expect things in the 1960s to be handled.

Childan discusses his past and how he had to live on eating mice and burning books for warmth before the Japanese took over. This gets to some of the reasons why he has become a Quisling perhaps. Yukiko asks if she can make him tea and the sexual tension increases with her pouring and offering the tea seeming sensual and it appears as if Childan takes it to feel like a real “Japanese” man.

Wyatt Price smuggles weapons in a pig so that they will have weapons when the event takes place the next day and Kido seems suspicious of the caterers.

Amy askes John Smith why no more black people are in the Reich. He tells her that they are home in Africa where they are happier and safer and they are happy working for the Reich. It is obvious that he is lying and Jennifer overhears it, telling John it isn’t true what he said.

Finally Juliana Crain hears a sound and when she turns on her light a car speeds away from her house, confirming her suspicions that the Nazi’s are watching her in this world.

This episode does a great job of setting up the later stages of this season. I find the dichotomy of Kido and Smith to be interesting with Kido seeming to break a little bit each and every step closer to the end whereas Smith seems to try to hold onto what he has become with every step. It is as if Kido is starting to realize the lie he is living and Smith keeps living as if the lie is all that matters. It will be interesting to see where this goes from here.