‘The Man in the High Castle Recap: ‘No Masters But Ourselves’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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​For a little while now, we’ve talked a lot about rewards. Specifically, having a television show finally provide the fans with everything they’ve hungered for, especially in their final season and there’s good reason for that. For slowly but surely, The Man in the High Castle has been taking the time to give the audience everything it could ask for and more since the plot is moving along at a breakneck pace, and big moments, the kind that outright change the course of the narrative, have been building for some time now. But this last episode of the series, quite frankly left my jaw on the floor since it featured something that every fan has been waiting for since we first tuned into this fascinating series.
 
Because we’ve all been on the edge of our seats, waiting for someone to finally rise up and stick it to either the Empire or the Reich and ‘No Masters But Ourselves’ finally featured that awe-inspiring moment, one that clearly is going to change everything for the remainder of the series. But before we dive too deeply into that, let’s take a moment and discuss some of the other important moments present in this particular tale since it also featured some careful and relevant reflection from some of the characters, especially when it comes to Helen Smith. For she came to realize that sometimes the only way to enjoy a little slice of peace and safety in life, is to go with the flow, which prompted her to meet with the Führer’s wife.
 
Which was… tense to say the least since neither woman respects the other. But Helen needed to know how she could take some of the heat off of her husband and her family and oddly enough, she took Margarethe’s advice to heart and made a special appearance on Reich TV, all to show the GNR that she was indeed dedicated to the cause and her role as the nation’s most powerful housewife and despite being pressed and surprised by the host of a cooking show, her gambit worked and people suddenly adored her and her family. It was of course a move that John chided her for, because of the risk inherent. But it was nice to see Helen take a moment and examine her life and her role in keeping her family safe, and it is good to know that she will indeed go the extra mile in order to make that happen.
 
But the best part of this story is everything that happened in San Francisco in this tale. Because as Kido picked up the pieces from General Yamori’s power play, the BCR made its move, cautiously of course. For they understood what this move might mean, in that, friends could die, and retribution could be swift and brutal, but they had to make a stand. They had to show the Empire that its people would no longer be oppressed and well, their attack was a rousing success. Because up and down the coast, critical parts of the oil pipeline and carefully chosen targets were blown to bits in epic and stunning fashion. But what matters more here, is what came out of this powerful strike, for Kido told the princess that perhaps the Pacific States were not worth this level of sacrifice and the Emperor agreed and announced that the Empire would be leaving the Pacific States in an orderly fashion.
 
Which is… about as stunning as it gets. Because season one of this series, made it seem as though the Empire would never ever step away from this prize. But the efforts of the BCR has clearly changed hearts and minds and at last, people are about to enjoy their first taste of freedom in two decades. Of course, the Reich is likely licking its chops at the opportunity to conquer the last segment of the former United States, but in the here and the now, this is a hell of a victory for the BCR and the brightest moment yet in the series. For it just goes to show that the bad guys can indeed be defeated, and it should be interesting to see what comes out of this poignant moment in the few remaining episodes of this incredible series. Until next time.   

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