Ep 1. The Man in the High Castle

In a world where the Axis powers won World War II, the United States is now divided between Japan and Germany. The first episode of The Man in the High Castle follows multiple characters as they navigate this new reality.

Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos) is a young woman living in Japanese-occupied San Francisco. She works at a judo studio and has a boyfriend, Frank Frink (Rupert Evans), who makes jewelry out of old ammo. Juliana's life is thrown into chaos when her sister Trudy (Conor Leslie) shows up out of the blue and gives her a mysterious film reel before being killed by the Kempeitai, the Japanese secret police. Juliana decides to travel to the neutral zone - the part of America unoccupied by either Japan or Germany - to deliver the film to someone who can decipher it.

Meanwhile, in New York City (now part of the Greater Nazi Reich), we meet Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), who is applying for a job with the Resistance. He's offered a dangerous mission: travel to the neutral zone and contact a man known as the Man in the High Castle. Joe agrees and is given a truck and a cover identity as a traveling salesman.

The episode also introduces us to a high-ranking Nazi official named John Smith (Rufus Sewell). We see him interrogating and executing a man for smuggling banned art into the Reich. We also see him interacting with one of his subordinates, Inspector Kido (Joel de la Fuente), who is investigating Trudy's death in San Francisco.

Throughout the episode, we see glimpses of the mysterious film reel that Juliana is carrying. It shows a world where the Axis powers lost the war and America is a completely different place. Juliana becomes increasingly fascinated with the film as she makes her way towards the neutral zone, encountering obstacles along the way.

The Man in the High Castle is a tense and gripping pilot episode that sets up the show's alternate universe with skillful exposition and attention to detail. The production design flawlessly captures the aesthetic of a world shaped by fascism, and the performances from the talented cast are strong across the board. Viewers are immediately drawn in by the intriguing premise and the complex characters, leaving them eager to see where the series will take them next.