Ep 1. Hexagram 64

In the season 4 premiere of The Man in the High Castle, titled "Hexagram 64," the tense alternative history series returns to the world where the Axis Powers won World War II and have divided the United States into two spheres of influence: the Nazi Japanese Pacific States and the Greater Nazi Reich.

As the title suggests, Hexagram 64 is a reference to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, an ancient Chinese divination system that plays a key role in the episode and likely throughout the season. The I Ching is consulted by several characters for guidance, including the mysterious Man in the High Castle himself, who is still an enigma despite the show's title.

The episode opens with a prologue set in Berlin, where a newly promoted SS officer named Wegener (played by Carsten Norgaard) is tasked with a secret mission. Spoiler alert: it doesn't go according to plan. From there, we catch up with the show's central characters, who are scattered across the former United States.

Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos), the show's protagonist, is still on a mission to prevent nuclear war and to unravel the conspiracy that led to her sister Trudy's death. Her journey takes her to the Neutral Zone, the lawless buffer area between the Pacific States and the Reich, where she seeks out a resistance cell. She crosses paths with a new character named Wyatt, played by Jason O'Mara, who is immediately intriguing. As always, Juliana's quest is complicated by her relationships and loyalties, particularly with her ex-boyfriend Frank Frink (Rupert Evans), who is struggling to keep his business afloat and to maintain his own moral code in a world gone mad.

On the other side of the continent, Obergruppenführer John Smith (Rufus Sewell) is still grappling with the demons of his past and the precarious nature of his position. He is haunted by flashbacks of his son's illness and death, which play out in dreamlike sequences that are both chilling and poignant. Smith's wife Helen (Chelah Horsdal) is concerned about his mental state and about their rebellious teenage daughter Jennifer (Genea Charpentier), who has fallen in with a group of Hitler Youth radicals.

Smith is also dealing with a new threat in the form of a mysterious figure known as the "General," who is aggressively pursuing a secret project with the goal of destabilizing the Reich. The General is played by John Hans Tester, who brings a cold menace to the role.

Elsewhere in the Greater Nazi Reich, Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) is reunited with his long-lost son Akira, who was believed to have died in the bombing of Hiroshima. Tagomi, who has the ability to travel between alternate realities, is also visited by the spirit of his deceased wife. These scenes are among the most visually stunning of the episode, with a dreamy, mystical quality that evokes the show's mystical elements.

Finally, we catch up with Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), the former Nazi agent turned resistance fighter who has gone through many twists and turns since the series began. Joe is now in New York City, where his father (played by Paul Hecht) is a high-ranking official in the Reich. Joe is recruited by a new and intriguing character named Wyatt Price (played by Jason O'Mara, who also appears in Juliana's storyline), who works for a resistance group with a different philosophy than the one Juliana encounters. It's unclear where Joe's loyalties lie and what his ultimate fate will be.

Overall, "Hexagram 64" is a strong start to the fourth and final season of The Man in the High Castle. The episode sets up several intriguing storylines and introduces new characters, while also delving deeper into the motivations and complexities of the established cast. The show's themes of resistance, freedom, and the price of power continue to resonate, and the stakes feel higher than ever as the series hurtles toward its conclusion.