Yet another story by prodigious writer, Philip K. Dick, has made its way into the art-form of visual media — The Man In The High Castle describes an alternate universe in which the Allied Forces lose the war, allowing the Nazi Reich and the Japanese Empire to take over the world. Season 1 begins with the matter-of-fact assumption that the United States is oppressed by these two powers, one on each coast.

Joe Blake is under Nazi rule, while Juliana Crain lives in the Pacific States. Where they meet is where the story finally begins, although John Smith, Takeshi Kido, Frank Frink, and Nobosuke Tagomi soon begin to show how important their roles are to the story. Here are the best episodes of the first season, ranked according to their IMDb scores.

10 The New Normal (Episode 5) — 7.7

After the Japanese Crown Prince is shot by an invisible gunman, Inspector Kido avers that he will undergo seppuku (a ritual suicide to save face) if he fails to locate the sniper. Juliana discovers that Frank has drastically changed, largely due to the gassing of his family by the Kempeitai.

Joe reveals to Smith everything he learns in Canon City (in the Neutral Zone), but the latter shows disappointment at not having captured any resistance fighters. Luckily for Joe, the Obergruppenführer casts no doubt on his story.

9 The Illustrated Woman (Episode 3) — 7.8

Juliana is under threat from Kahler, a fugitive hunter better known as the Marshal. Unable to find the Nazi agent that he’s looking for, he stumbles upon Juliana’s role in the disappearance. San Francisco throws a massive celebration for the arrival of the Japanese Crown Prince.

At the same time, Trade Minister Tagomi helps Rudolph Wegener on his Heisenberg device quest (by nudging him in the right direction.) Frank decides to take matters into his own hands, fashioning a real gun at his workplace instead of the antique replicas he is assigned.

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8 Truth (Episode 7) — 7.9

Smith finally comes face to face with Juliana (via sketch artist), demanding that Joe explain his relationship with her. Considering that she might be having feelings for Joe, Smith tells him to utilize those emotions for the benefit of the Reich.

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At home with her mother, Juliana tries to come to terms with Trudy’s disappearance, but then she happens to see someone who looks exactly like her. She cannot believe that her sister is really dead, but it is proven once and for all when she sees Trudy’s body in a mass grave.

7 The New World (Episode 1) — 8.0

The show opens with Joe Blake taking on a delivery task for the resistance, while Juliana obtains a suspicious parcel from Trudy. Inside is one of the film reels that are to change the course of history: actual recordings that depict the U.S. and its allies routing Germany and Japan in World War II.

Juliana takes the film to the Neutral Zone, where Joe gets her out of a financial pickle by offering to pay her tab at a local diner. The ending reveals, to everyone’s surprise, that Joe is actually a Nazi agent who reports directly to Smith.

6 Revelations (Episode 4) — 8.1

Juliana and Joe meet the leader of the American resistance, Lemuel Washington. Unfortunately, other members soon appear and convince the pair (with the undeniable power of weaponry) to hand over the films in their possession.

John Smith believes that his colleague, Hauptsturmführer Connolly is behind the attempt on his life, but he mistakenly assumes resistance initiative in the matter. Frank takes his DIY project to kill the Crown Prince — he doesn’t go through with it when a small child notices the pistol, but someone tries to finish the job anyway.

5 End Of The World (Episode 8) — 8.2

John Smith’s world collapses around him when Dr. Adler gently explains that his son, Thomas, has an incurable condition known as Landouzy-Dejurine syndrome. Smith is further shocked when the doctor suggests a morphine injection for an “absolutely painless” death.

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Tagomi asks Juliana to assist him with a military general due to make his appearance (simultaneously offering her condolences for Trudy’s murder.) The Kempeitai are about to capture Joe and Juliana, but the couple manages to feint their way out of a gruesome fate.

4 Sunrise (Episode 2) — 8.2

Now that Juliana is under suspicion for carrying illegal material around the Pacific States, the Kempeitai take Frank into custody. As they fail to extract the necessary information, they murder his sister and her kids in an act of cold revenge.

John Smith undergoes a near-assassination, only barely escaping Joe Blake is told to meet up with a Sicherheitsdienst Agent, but Juliana kills him before this can happen. Joe is now forced to choose between protecting her and his own mission. The resistance comes close to finishing off Smith, but his interminable luck holds strong.

3 Three Monkeys (Episode 6) — 8.4

Smith invites Joe over to his house to celebrate VA Day (commemorating when the Nazis obtained their final Victory in America.) Tagomi hires Juliana to be the American face of his office, but they aren’t entirely certain of each other’s intentions.

Rudolph Wegener is brought to Smith under false pretenses, under the guise of their past friendship, but it ends up with the former getting arrested for treason. Joe sneakily rifles through Smith’s private folders, but is caught just as he finds the file on “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy.”

2 Kindness (Episode 9) — 8.6

As much as he hates the idea, Frank Frink takes great risks to save Joe Blake. Smith interrogates Connolly regarding the true face behind the botched assassination (and pushes him to his death after finding out that it is Reinhard Heydrich.)

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Kido learns that the Nazis are behind the shooting of the Crown Prince, a fact he is terrified to expose as it could lead to World War III. The story places one of its first knots here: Frank and Juliana watch a new film reel, only to discover the nuclear devastation of SF, followed by Joe (in SS garb) executing Frank.

1 A Way Out (Episode 10) — 8.8

The season finale is a rapture of contradictions. Juliana accuses Joe of working for the Nazis, which he does not deny. Kido gets a break when he uses Yakuza information to locate and kill the Crown Prince’s shooter. Poor Ed is entrapped by the Kempeitai, who want to execute him for the attack.

Rudolph Wegener goes to meet Hitler, but instead of killing the Führer, he ends his own life. Heydrich is arrested and packed off to Berlin, and Juliana lets Joe escape via boat. At the end, Tagomi meditates himself into an alternate universe: ours.

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Ajay Aravind
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In real life, Ajay disguises himself as an academic, mainly writing textbooks for children — who all hate him for making their lives more miserable. He also writes about TV and film, strewing his opinions across the internet to see if people care (they don’t). You can find him @stain_dprinc_ss on Twitter.

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