The Man in The High Castle, Amazon’s loose adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s classic novel, got off to a great start. While the concept of the surprising streaming hit mirrors the book–an alternate history where World War II led to a Germany and Japan occupied United States–the execution, and numerous major plot points have differed from the source material. In many respects, that is welcome–especially when ramping up excitement for the second batch of ten episodes Season two drops December 16th, and we couldn’t be more excited. Here’s five predictions and theories on what we think will happen.
Joe Leaves The Reich
From the trailer alone, we can see that Joe Blake is still struggling with performing his role within The Reich. On a moral level, it seems. His relationship with Juliana, which has always been complicated, has further spurred his qualms. We believe that Juliana’s reveal of what she saw him doing on one of the tapes has pushed him over the edge. The problem: if he abandons The Reich, what will happen to him and his family? Surely nothing good, but maybe he is spared because…
We Will Learn of Joe’s Powerful Father
All throughout season one, Joe’s mysterious father is mentioned. Even in the trailer for season two, John Smith mentions that Joe will make his father proud. But who is Joe’s important father? Prevailing wisdom may say that John is actually Joe’s father. The attention given to him, the juxtaposition of Thomas and Joe, and the numerous second chances that Joe is given in a system that doesn’t normally give second chances. Joe is likely a bastard child of John, and therefore, John, increasingly shown to be vulnerable towards family, may spare Joe if he deserts the cause.
If prevailing wisdom is wrong, and the alternate history takes a few more liberties with its characters, Joe may in fact be the son of Adolf Hitler. Hitler was infertile, but that hardly seems to be a barrier in a world where Germany and Japan occupy the United States. After all, there are a number of instances when Joe looks at a picture or video of the Führer, and the audience is led to believe that there is an odd connection there. And if Joe is the illegitimate son of Hitler, does that mean that he is untouchable to the wrath of John or any other Nazi agent?
Frank Will Have His Vengeance
We believe that, given the situation at the end of season one, Frank Frink has one more life to avenge–the friend who gave his life for him, Ed McCarthy. Frank placed the blame of his sister’s, niece’s, and nephew’s lives on himself, but realized that he needed to start anew with Juliana elsewhere. Avenging their deaths would be nearly impossible, but now that Ed has effectively saved his life, his motivations for safety may have taken a backseat to his desire to spill blood. We believe that Frank will go full force at the Kempeitai. His narrative will be our link to the Japanese controlled Western United States.
Juliana Will Join The Reich
Wait, what? No, she will not join The Reich because she agrees with their cause, she will do it because she feels as if she has no other choice. When she let Joe get away, she likely, and finally, ruined her relationship with the Resistance. Since she can’t stay put, and she can’t be a part of the Resistance, her journey will take her to The Reich. Juliana has been obsessed with the films since the very beginning, and the best way for her to learn more about them is to get as close as possible to those who want them the most.
The Man In The High Castle Is…
Hard to say, but we are unsure if this will even be revealed. The conundrum is that in the books the enigmatic character was a novelist tucked away in rural Wyoming. Hawthorne Abendsen wrote the alternate history novel that has been replaced in the show by the films. Is it possible that Abendsen is still our guy? Absolutely. “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy,” is the name of the novel, and the Grasshopper is mentioned in relation to the film operation. The reason why we are unsure if this will be revealed is because the significance of the concept lies in how it makes people feel, not in the why. Trade Minister Tagomi demonstrated this much in the final moments of season one. We look to seeing him and Joe lead the way in showing us how the possibility of a alternative reality affects the way we conduct ourselves in this reality.
