just finished season 2 *spoilers obviously*

I agree on most of what you said but I wouldn't mind if they killed Joe off. But I'm sure him and Julianna will end up together again somehow.

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I agree with most of the points you made.

About Thomas, they have got to make a choice and whatever they choose, it will be interesting.

In theory, John could still save Thomas... informed by Helen he could be be back in time because it will likely take days before they actually murder him, burocracy was a serious thing in Nazi Germany ...likely he must undergo further medical examinations and there will be forms and papers to be filled and probably a list of people so he will have to wait for his turn... without considering that he's the son of one of the most powerful Nazi men alive.

Of course, they could make him die as well, which is what everyone assumes will happen.

In any case, your analysis of this tragedy is one i would totally agree with.

If Thomas survives, we are in for a John Smith trying to teach his own son that what he had taught him before wasn't the truth, maybe thanks to uncle Edmund's memory ...and this will open a lot of possible directions for John to take, all somehow making him stray from the faithful-Nazi figure he shows the world while he's internally consumed by doubts, especially now that he owes Juliana. Dobule and triple agents had a capital importance in WWII after all and he is in a position where he could do almost anything.. plus, if there is one person who is smart enough to take this risk without being caught,it's him. His wife would likely support him whatever the choices he makes, as long as her son is alive.

If Thomas dies, it's hard to guess how the characters will react ... will John turn against the Reich(not in a snap of fingers, of course, but as the result of an internal guilt-process)? will he be able to be strong for the sake of his daughters or he will be too broken and hopeless to turn against or pro anything? will he become a tickling walking bomb, metaphorically speaking (I think ir would be a waste of a great character, but you never know)? what strain will/would Thomas' death place on the marriage? will/would Helen take more alchool and pills than she already does?

I disagree with you about Alexa Davalos, with all the due respect(I always feel bad saying so about any actor and she especially seems to be a nice person and we're the same age)... if you tell me Rufus Sewell (in particular), then Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Joel De La Fuente and Chelah Horsdal did a great job then I agree, but as far as she is concerned - be it my own ignorance or lack of empathy - she seemed just 'ok' to me, neither better nor worse than many other actors in the series (I had huge problems to connect with her character in S1, I couldn't stand all that crying and whispering... and those problems partly lasted throughout S2).

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is Smith the new fuhrer? or is Himmler? what will Smith do with the High Castle tapes? will the death of Thomas cause him to turn against the Reich?

It won't be Smith although he may become the highest ranking non-German out there. He appears to have access to the tapes.

but this part of the story still feels a little aimless and it can get frustrating at times. hopefully this development of Lem bringing him the remaining(?) High Castle tapes will take Tagomi in a more straightforward direction.

His story is the most complicated. He likes the family life he has, but can't possibly like the outcome of his hometown being bombed.
Plus he has to maintain a friendship with Kido and is likely the second highest in command.

I hope they show Japan next season.

is Frank gone?

I think he's gone in this world, but we could see him again in other ones.

what a shame that Joe Smith was pushed to the side this season.

If you're talking about Blake, I disagree. I think he came more into focus as a person of import. It makes sense now why Smith treated him with kid gloves when he should have killed him.

I assume he'll be back in NYC before long.

Alexa Davalos is a stunningly good actress, but i felt she was reduced to reactionary passivity this season.

Disagree. She was literally the linchpin for everything this season. She couldn't have been deeper involved unless she married Hitler.

If this is Locke, then who's in there? 

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I just finished as well. Great show!

With the whole Frank flashback and especially the final shot of his happy face from better times I got the strong feeling that was the writers saying goodbye to a wonderful character.

I think Smith will be handed head roll in national security which is why he was allowed into the film vault. They said the jackals were ready to tear apart Blake's dad so I don't see them giving up fuhrer so easily, especially to an Ex-American who was previously in the US military. The moment we found out Thomas was sick I knew he'd end up turning himself in.
I really think Smith will get Blake off because he did help him get the tape to the Nazi council. It's not like he grew up with his father and he recently questions many of his decisions. Besides Smith really does like him.
I like it better when Joe and Juliana are together so hopefully he'll return soon to North America, Smith knew he would once he dropped the she's not dead bomb on him.

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SEASON 2 SPOILERS: the entire post is a spoiler, so no spoiler tags used.

Finally, a thread actually talking about this, thought it's not surprising that a show like this would generate so much noise, not surprising in the least bit.

First off, I've seen some questions over the past few weeks about who the main character(s) are. This is an ensemble cast playing a lot of lead/important character. It's impossible to point at Juliana and Frank when we have so many other important characters that are more than just supporting.

Smith: boom, to wit: he is to me one of the more major characters of the show, if not the most. Even as Obergruppenführer, we can't help but like him and understand the challenges being thrown at him. But yes, I think what happened to Thomas is going to play large in the next season, as we've already seen with his wife. Remember her drunken bemoaning of John's bad genes being in not just Thomas, but in both the daughters (even if just carriers) and John himself.

He's not the new Führer though, nor is Himmler. I thought it was Goebbels (at least, he was the one that gave the news to the stormtroopers ... and the world).

(Edit: removed a part. I forgot about the reels in the basement that Smith now has access to).

Tagomi: another 'more than just supporting' character. I understand a bit what you mean by aimless, but consider that it was more than just him bringing the film back.

It was also to learn a lot about the history of that period (him sobbing in the book store over Hiroshima/Nagasaki); his knowledge of Nagasaki, combined with seeing his aide's burned arms previously, led him to the conclusion that his aide had also crossed-over from a timeline; it was also very important to see the freedom of youth in the 60's being able to criticize and so openly protest against their government! He seemed pretty astonished about that.

Lastly, there was the personal thing there, what he learned about how dishonorable he was in the past of that timeline (before he jumped off the bridge?); and given his existing grievances from his origin timeline, he was able to do something honorable to compensate for it in this alternate time.

Frank: No, we didn't see a body, did we.

Given that both Joe and Juliana are still around, I'm guessing that he is too.

Joe: he wasn't pushed aside in my mind. Learning the origin story of his birth and his mother's plight was sort of large and could be HUGE for season 3. And it's no small thing that he is the son of the man that almost ruled the world, Heusmann.

It really cracked me up when, after his appointment as councillor and talking to Smith on the phone, Smith ended the call with "Heil Hitler!" and Heusmann looked frustrated at the phone like "don't you mean Heil Heusmann?!". Of course, Smith had spoken out of habit. Or had he? ...

Juliana: Juliana put aside? Perhaps. She just defected to the Reich and became fairly important part of Smith's schemes, but I guess "reactionary passivity" is fair, being used by Dixon and Smith. But as it turns out, she was a pretty key figure for Mr. Abendsen as well.

And we still have yet to find out just where Abendsen got those reels from. I have a feeling that it's okay that he burned the barn down, because there's always more where that came from. It's probably related to where Trudy came from though.

Eh?

I very much hope there's another season!

Brevity is the soul of wit.

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