MovieChat Forums > The Man in the High Castle (2015) Discussion > So explain the ending of season two if y...

So explain the ending of season two if you can

posted 8 years ago by dodgethat
10 replies | jump to latest

So trade minister goes back to our time and takes a film which shows Americans testing nukes. He then gives the film to the other jap who brings it to smith. Now here's where I'm confused

Did the jap say it was the japs testing nukes in the film or did him and smith make up the japs part so that they could stop the new war?

I have to say if that was the case how does Germany not have a network of spies that let's them know what their only threat to world domination is doing

[–] wormholeboy 8 years ago

I think Smith knew the film wasn't "real" in the sense that it didn't happen in their timeline. Germany presumably does have a network of spies in Japanese territory that would eventually piece together that the nuclear test depicted did not "actually" take place, but that would take some time. Smith didn't need the film to hold up to prolonged analysis though, he just needed it to briefly throw doubt on Heusmann's plan for war so that Himmler or another party leader opposed to war with the Japanese could seize the opening to depose Heusmann. Once the "co-existence" faction was in power again, the "truth" of the film becomes mostly irrelevant at that point, especially because the Japanese really are working on their own nuclear weapons, so that, by the time the "co-existence" faction may again be at risk of being deposed, the Japanese will have a deterrent.

P.S. Could you maybe not use ethnic slurs in your posts?

[–] the_headspace 8 years ago

I'm curious about your ethnic slurs comment.

I assume you refer to the term "Jap", a shortening of "Japanese".

I'm from Scotland, and am happy to be called a "Scot", or a "Brit".

Are you against "Jap" because this is an externally "imposed" term, or because it was used negatively during WWII?

Is "Brit" different to "Jap" - perhaps because it (usually) doesn't have negative associations? What about "Yank" for Americans?

In case you're wondering, I fully understand why "n-" should never be used for Africans or African-Americans, but that's pretty clear-cut.

A serious question, though I may not have enough time to see your reply (what is it, just over two weeks left?).

Cheers :)

[–] Dogtotem 8 years ago

I think here in the States esp. during WWII "Jap" was meant as a slur.

[–] jpg92 8 years ago

How is that relevant to today?

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal 8 years ago

How is that relevant to today?

Did the word change meaning over time? If not, then it's still relevant, same as all other slurs. They don't expire with age.

RIP IMDb message boards!

[–] wormholeboy 8 years ago

"Jap" is generally considered an ethnic slur in the US: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap

[–] [email protected] (2017) 2 years ago

I had to go back and reread your post because I didn't notice any ethnic slurs myself. I'm from SE Asia and didn't think a shortening of name was considered a slur tbh.

[–] Painbow 8 years ago

They made it up. They know these films are not from their reality (Hausman clearly doesn't though... which seems unrealistic to me).

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal 8 years ago

I think the point was that there is no way in that time (with that technology) could have faked such a film so well. So to everyone it was real.

It WAS real after all.

Only those who knew where it really came from would know where it occurred. Tagomi for sure, but not Kido or Smith. At least, I don't remember Tagomi sharing that info with Kido.

And also in such a reality, it would take time to verify whether it happened or not, so Smith used the opportunity before verification could happen.

RIP IMDb message boards.

[–] HarveyMidnight 8 years ago

Did the jap say it was the japs testing nukes in the film or did him and smith make up the japs part so that they could stop the new war?

I'm sure Smith had his doubts about who exactly tested the nuke; he went along with the story that it was the Japanese, in order to try and prevent war.

I have to say if that was the case how does Germany not have a network of spies that let's them know what their only threat to world domination is doing

Yeah.. but spies CAN occasionally miss things-- and coverups can sometimes work. How could these spies PROVE this test didn't happen, when there is film evidence of it?

But that is a good point--- the film was 'iffy'... but that's why Smith didn't just rely on the film: he ALSO prepared a dossier that proved Heusmann had seized power thru a conspiracy, and was provoking a war with misinformation... giving Himmler a basis to arrest Heusmann & take control of the Reich. This is what ended up stopping the war; not the film.

Sometimes fires don't go out when you're done playin' with them.