What I’m Watching: The Man in the High Castle

The Man in the High Castle: Season 1, Episode 6 “Three Monkeys” (B)

This episode was anchored around the day that the Nazis celebrate their victory over America, a holiday that seemingly has little to no significance for the Japanese, yet another sign of their fragile and flagging alliance. Joe going to Smith’s house to spend the holiday with his family presented an interesting opportunity to really see how Smith operates, evident most in the way that he lied to Joe so that they could pick up Rudolph at the airport under the guise of getting Mrs. Smith’s dead mother. That was the first important intersection of bicoastal plotlines, as Rudolph and Smith’s friendship wasn’t enough to keep Smith from turning him in to the authorities for his covert operations. Joe’s future is at serious risk now that Smith has caught him going through his files, and it’s going to be hard to talk a man who just sent a friend to prison or worse into not doing anything about it. At the same time, Tagomi hiring Juliana to work in his office gave her access to a whole lot more than she probably should be able to see, and she dove headfirst into utilizing her new position to her advantage to punish the Japanese for their misdeeds, both personal and military. Frank is not in good shape, but making his way over to Mark’s home after hearing the phrase “To life” proved unexpectedly therapeutic. Hearing Michael Gaston slowly recite a very traditional and emphasized version of the Mourner’s Kaddish while wearing a yarmulke on his head showed something that this series has yet to feature: Jews living in secret and surviving in this harsh new world.