THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE Season 3: Juliana Crain, Joe Blake, John Smith, and Tagami’s Fates Align As the Alternate World Encroaches on their Fracturing Dystopian Reality
From the very beginning in Season 1, THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE was about discovering the source of the movie reels that were being smuggled by the Resistance and Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos), who became a reluctant heroine seeking the origin of the mysterious reels after discovering her sister Trudy (Conor Leslie) was killed protecting the films. Yet, as Juliana ultimately discovered, finding the “man in the high castle” was only one small piece of the puzzle. Juliana’s journey in Season 1 was actually more about her own journey of self-discovery and her role between the Japanese Pacific States, the Neutral Zone, and the Greater Nazi Reich, aided by Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), who was a Nazi spy posing as a Resistance collaborator. It was only upon meeting Juliana that Joe began to question his role and alliance with the Reich. Also caught up in their increasingly tangled fates were John Smith (Rufus Swell), a fast-rising military man in the Reich, and Trade Minister Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), a powerful politician in the Pacific States.
Season 1 ended with the reveal that Tagomi had the ability to cross-over into an alternate reality, one in which the U.S. had prevailed in the world war with Japan and Germany, Juliana and Joe were at a crossroads on what do do with the movie reel, but Juliana in an act of love and trust gave it to Joe, and as for John Smith, just where his loyalty lie was always a bit murky as he was tasked with finding the origin of the film reels and locating the “man in the high castle,” yet he seemed inclined to protect Joe even after Joe’s suspected betrayal.
Season 2 continued the search for the “man in the high castle” with mixed results. Instead, a plot to subvert the Reich is uncovered, which simultaneously imperiled Joe and elevated John Smith. Meanwhile, Juliana tried living amongst the Reich after fleeing the Pacific States in Season 1, but after finding out that John Smith’s son had a medical condition that could warrant him a death sentence, Juliana returned to the Neutral Zone and found herself face-to-face with her sister Trudy — but not the Trudy that she had grown up with, this was a Trudy from there other side.
Tagomi also took a walk on the wild side by daring to expose the alternate dimension and seeing how his life and his family live on the other side. To his surprise, he has an adult son who is married to Juliana Crain in the alternate world. It is a wake up call for Tagomi as he begins to see how much Juliana is intimately tied to his life, both in his world and the alternate world.
Then, when last seen at the end of Season 2, Joe Blake was headed for prison having been caught up in his father’s treacherous plot to take over the Reich. So going into Season 3, Joe’s fate is definitely in the balance. What will it take to convince the Reich of his innocence and will his friendship with either John Smith or Nicole Dormer (Bella Heathcote) help him earn his freedom, especially with John Smith’s promotion in the Reich?
As for Season 3, John Smith is now a very powerful man. But who can he trust? Does he dare trust Joe or Juliana? In the Season 2 finale, being a loyal Reich subject, John’s son Thomas (Quinn Lord) turned himself in for his medical condition. It is a death sentence, and the aftermath of that act of brave determination, John is even more desperate to protect his family at any cost. Season 3 is a tight-wire act for John Smith. It is protection of his family above all else.
Juliana Crain’s reunion with the alternate Trudy is a welcome surprise for both and as they share what their lives are like and also see how loss for each of them has pushed them to pursue more than they would have dared to dream. It is a bittersweet revelation. But it steels Juliana’s resolve to renew her quest to find the “man in the high castle” and be a part of the Resistance in any way she can. This leads her to cross paths with both Tagomi and Joe, where each is at a crossroads yet again.
Season 3 of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE delves more into its thriller side as the story accelerates and secrets are revealed. The discovery of the alternate world where the Allies won the war begins to change things in the world of Juliana, Joe, John and Tagomi and none of their lives will ever be the same again. Fortunately, each seems more intrigued by it than terrified — for it’s a whole new world to explore with endless possibilities.
One thing is certain: where their stories do go is surprising and shocking, yet inspiring. Season 3 is taut and tense as our heroes chafe under the constraints of the designated lives they are attempting to live in. It is only once they embrace the fact that they will never be content in the world they find themselves in and move to change it to a world that they do want to live in, that is where the real happiness lies.
Season 3 of THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE premieres Friday, October 5th exclusively on Amazon Prime. Do not delay in watching. You will want to be surprised.
THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE Season 3 trailer:
Interview with Rufus Swell about Season 3:
Interview with Alexa Davalos and Jason O’Mara about Season 3:
Interview with Daniel Percival and Isa Dick Hackett about Season 3:
SENIOR ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER | Tiffany covers events such as San Diego Comic-Con, WonderCon and press junkets, as well as covering events at the Paley Center in Beverly Hills. She has a great love for television and believes that entertainment is a world of wondrous adventures that deserves to be shared and explored. Tiffany is one of the newest members to the prestigious Television Critics Association and is happy to be able to share her passion for television shows with an even wider audience of fans and her fellow critics..
