"The Man in the High Castle" Recap: "The New Normal"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

I'm a sucker for consequences when it comes to storytelling. I expect our characters to deal with their decisions and be thoroughly challenged by them and to me, that's what what separates a good story from a great one. It's something that is front and center when it comes to The Man in the High Castle and their decision to make sure that element is present in this series' structure is one of many reasons I was hooked and the fifth episode, "The New Normal" brought forth this all important element in fantastic fashion and the end result was stunning and actually...incredibly dark.

The odd thing is, this episode didn't throw any major shockers our way, it was simply the atmosphere of the episode and well...the resulting consequences for our characters for their actions over the last few days in the story. But perhaps a great example of how bleak this particular part of the tale was going to be came from the opening of the story as the Kempeitai begin their hunt for the party who shot the Crown Prince and in the process we are witness to the disgraced personal guard of the Prince committing suicide by way of the ancient art of Seppuku. It set the tone and things only went into uglier places upon Juliana's return to San Francisco, but more on that later. 

Because before we get into Juliana's journey this go round, we have to talk about Joe's return to New York City. There was no ticker tape parade for his work, or even a thank you for that matter, just the sheer terror of being kidnapped by the SS and placed before the Obergruppenführer and one of his top Lieutenants for what is supposedly a debriefing, but let's be honest, it was interrogation and not a second of it was comfortable. After spending four episodes with Joe and Juliana in the Neutral Zone you find yourself with a soft spot for this plucky and potential hero and seeing Smith rip into him over his experiences was unsettling to say the least, even more so when you realize that the Nazi Regime has no qualms coming after its own. 

---

But while Joe tries to save face in front of Smith, who declares his mission a failure, yet still invites him over to dinner for VA (Victory in America) Day, Juliana tries to put the pieces back together. There is no romantic dinner or declaration from Frank of his love for her and how he needs her when she returns home...just a rift between the two of them. After all, they've been through hell, more so Frank who has to deal with the shallow joke of a memorial for his sister and kids and in the process he manages to meet a unique stranger.  

But while Frank deals with his emotional trauma, Juliana finds herself compelled to learn more about the Resistance and why her sister joined up, so after finally speaking with the Kempeitai she looks for the man who gave her the film at the bus station and meets Karen from the Resistance, who if you recall tried and failed to recruit Frank shortly after Juliana left, and she lets Juliana know that if she wants answers, she will have to infiltrate the Japanese government building as an employee, since they believe something of merit is hiding within its walls. She decides to go for it and it is a decision she quickly regrets when it turns out the man in Personnel likes sexual favors from those he employs and on her way out, without a job of course she runs into Trade Minister Tagomi and leaves behind the necklace Frank made for her, one of the few clues in existence that Frank was ever remotely near the assassination attempt on the Crown Prince.

If anything, this was truly a filler episode through and through simply because the plot doesn't advance a whole lot and that's not a bad thing. This was an episode designed to let the audience catch their breath and let's be honest, we needed it. The first four episodes of this show were a runaway freight train and a this was indeed a welcome break...that is until the darkness settled in. I think what took me aback about this particular part of the story is the fact that in a way, nothing was accomplished in the prior episodes when you think about it. Despite the heroism and thrust toward hope, both Joe and Juliana come home to the same old, same old. Oppression, fear and a life that is barely worth living. It hit me right then that the show is trying to take us through what the characters truly experience and in a way...rob us of the hope that we felt just a short time ago. This one was incredibly bleak, and I truly enjoyed every single second of it because it's so rare when a story challenges a viewer in this manner and it makes me wonder...just how much more difficult will Juliana and Joe's journey get? Time will tell. Until next time.

---