'The Man in the High Castle' Season 2, Episode 9 Recap

‘The Man in the High Castle’ saw Joe’s father make a shocking announcement for Germany as the Resistance tried to bomb the Kempeitai headquarters.

The Man in the High Castle somehow improved on an already magnificent sophomore season. The penultimate episode of Season 2 might be the show’s best as the crisis in the Pacific States reached a climax. Additionally, Heusmann made a bold move for the Reich. Without waiting any longer, here is the official spoiler warning for The Man in the High Castle Season 2, Episode 9, “Detonation.”

High Castle visited a startled Childan (Brennan Brown), who had flashbacks to Yoshida pointing a gun at his face during the Yakuza shootout. Frank (Rupert Evans) checked on Childan, who then retold the entire event with the Yakuza. Thus, Frank confronted Ed (DJ Qualls) about his silence pertaining to Yoshida’s actions on that day. Ed told Frank about his work with the Kempeitai as an informant. Stunned by the news, Frank offered at a Resistance meeting to be the bomber of the Kempeitai headquarters to exact his revenge on Kido (Joel de la Fuente) for killing Frank’s sister and her kids.

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Meanwhile, Nori (Eddie Shin) showed his friends and family a film depicting the explosion of an atomic bomb. Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) observed the deadly power of the bomb. Nori mentioned the bomb’s substantially greater power in comparison to the bomb dropped on Nagasaki. Later on, the television news host announced that the negotiated peace with Russia over the crisis in Cuba. Next, Tagomi told Juliana that he has never experienced so much happiness before, but he had obligations elsewhere to prioritize over his personal happiness. Therefore, Tagomi transported back to a world on the brink of war.

Rupert Evans as Frank; Credit: Liane Hentscher/Amazon /

Meanwhile, Juliana (Alexa Davalos) alerted Henry Collins (Kurt Evans) that his wife was seriously ill. However, Juliana led Henry into a trap as George (Tate Donovan) forced Henry to betray the Reich in exchange for his pregnant wife’s safe release. The Resistance coerced Henry to report Hitler’s death on television. A Nazi officer executed Henry on air during the broadcast while Juliana watched from her apartment at home. Chancellor Heusmann (Sebastian Roche) ordered Smith (Rufus Sewell) to control the situation. Smith assured Heusmann that he would handle the perpetrators immediately.

Joe (Luke Kleintank) spoke to Nicole (Bella Heathcote) about his father’s importance in the world. He was dumbfounded at how individuals display such loyalty to a cause in response to Nicole’s question about the Reich. However, tensions around the world became quite dire moments after this conversation. Heusmann announced that the Japanese assassinated Hitler with a rare poison. Therefore, they viewed this assassination as an act of war. Around the world, Smith, Joe, and Kido watched the address in amazement because they all knew that the Japanese did not kill Hitler.

Sebastian Roche as Chancellor Heusmann; Credit: Liane Hentscher/Amazon /

After this stunning telecast, Kido thanked Yoshida (Lee Shorten) for his loyalty and friendship over the years. Both understood the consequences that would follow the news about Hitler’s death. Afterwards, General Onada (Tzi Ma) informed Kido about the next course of action. Kido suggested to evacuate the nuclear scientists from the city since the Nazis would target San Francisco first. Onada already took the necessary precautions, so the Japanese could prepare for war.

Back in New York, Thomas (Quinn Lord) visited Juliana to learn more about his condition. Juliana refused to tell him the truth. Thomas knew his parents lied to him, yet Juliana assured him that his conditions did not call for his death. However, the cameras in Juliana’s apartment recorded the entirety of the conversation. After his team discussed the coordinated efforts of the Resistance from Miami to New York, Smith confiscated the tape with Juliana’s conversation as soon as his soldier notified him that no one else saw or knew about the incident.

Chaos erupted in San Francisco. Sara (Cara Mitsuko) joined Frank to bomb the Kempeitai headquarters. Both executed the plan properly without any major hitches. They parked the car with the bomb in the parking structure and made their escape. Ed and Childan boarded a bus to flee San Francisco. In the war room, General Onada planned an all out war against the Nazis. Kido left this meeting to speak with Tagomi to plan one final way to stop war and to preserve the Empire.

Since an officer stopped Frank and Sara, Kido spotted Frank at the front. After Frank and Kido stared at each other for a few moments, Frank shot Kido and his surrounding officers with Sara’s help. As Tagomi approached the Kempeitai headquarters, the building exploded. Everyone seemed to die in the bombing aside from Inspector Kido. After Kido collected himself, he stared at Sergeant Yoshida crushed under the rubble of the blast as the destruction mesmerized the Chief Inspector. Outside the headquarters, an angered Tagomi witnessed the wreckage decorated with bodies, rubble. The sight marked the absolute obliteration of the Kempeitai headquarters.

Stray Observations:

After the bombing of the Kempeitai headquarters, viewers should presume every person inside dead. Unless a survivor appears on screen, Frank and Sara died for their cause while General Onada’s death severely hampers the Japanese efforts to combat the Nazis.
Luckily, Childan and Ed escaped. Ed’s flashbacks with Frank and Juliana tied loose ends for Frank’s story. Perhaps, Ed will now look for Juliana in New York.
On the other hand, Juliana may meet Ed in the Neutral Zone. She did her part for the Resistance, so she may want to flee to the Neutral Zone under its protection.

The Man in the High Castle is streaming on Amazon Prime now. Be sure to tune in!

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‘The Man in the High Castle’ Season 2, Episode 9 Recap

By Matt Lozano | Jan 3, 2017

‘The Man in the High Castle’ saw Joe’s father make a shocking announcement for Germany as the Resistance tried to bomb the Kempeitai headquarters.