The Man in the High Castle season 4 premiere recap: Hexagram 64

Last season on The Man in the High Castle, the Nazis were conducting experiments to open up alternate universes in order to conquer them. John Smith finds out that one can only enter another universe if they don’t already exist in it. Juliana escaped custody of the Reich by traveling to an alternate universe, taking a bullet from Smith just as she disappeared.

As season four of The Man in the High Castle opens, we find that Juliana falls into another universe and right into the path of another John Smith. He and the very much alive Thomas help the wounded and stunned Juliana into their car to help her. Surfin’ USA plays in the background and American flags fly above white picket fences.

One year later, Inspector Kido attends Tagomi’s funeral. Tagomi was assassinated and now it’s his job to find the assassin. Meanwhile, the Crown Princess announces her intention to honor Tagomi by completing his work toward peace. This is greeted with hostility and condescension from General Yamori, who views her as a meddling inferior, despite her royalty. He also maybe had something to do with Tagomi’s death, as he doesn’t seem to want his murder solved.

The Reich makes an incursion into the Neutral Zone, intercepting a resistance cell led by Wyatt, who is trying to ship weapons and films across the country. The Resistance suffers a crippling defeat, losing many lives and their entire shipment. Lem and Wyatt escape before Smith arrives and burns their entire collection of films. Wyatt briefly gives up hope in the face of so many losses but then convinces Lem to set up a meeting with the Black Communist Rebellion (BCR) to discuss a possible alliance.

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There’s a lot of politics going on right now, what with Tagomi murdered and resistance groups popping up. While the Reich makes incursions into the Neutral Zone, there is an ongoing war between Japan and China, and the BCR in San Francisco. Resources are spread thin in the Empire and it seems they are being threatened from all sides.

The Kempeitai searches the black community for a scapegoat for Tagomi’s murder. Bell Mallory (Frances Turner) and Elijah (Clé Bennett) are gunrunners with the BCR and risk discovery during a Kempetai raid. The Kempeitai takes a number of men prisoner, threatening they will never be seen again unless the assassin is given up. Someone implicates a man named Mingus Jones, a penicillin smuggler. They find all the evidence they need to implicate him, including the murder weapon and the autobiography of Equiano Hampton, the leader of the BCR. They beat Mingus to make him give up his accomplice, the driver of the motorcycle in the drive-by assassination.

Meanwhile, Juliana is living safely in the alternate universe. She is friends with a nice man named Russ (Carter MacIntyre) who probably has a crush on her and she teaches meditation in the community. With Thomas as one of her star students, its possible that she’s grooming him to come back with her into her universe to use against Smith somehow. Juliana sees Tagomi in her meditation, perhaps in an in-between space separating universes. He leaves her an I Ching message before disintegrating, as several figures approach along the horizon. The message is Hexagram 64 but is not yet complete.

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Smith visits his family in Montana. Last season Helen took the children and left Smith. Living in the Neutral Zone has opened her eyes because all her doubts can be openly discussed away from the Reich. She and Smith once decided together to become part of the Reich and now she’s regretting her choice. Smith says he’s been patient with her, but he’s taking the children home with or without her. She chooses to stay behind.

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