Happy Trails

**"Happy Trails"** is the fourth episode of Season Four of *The Man in the High Castle*, and the thirty-fourth episode of the series overall. This episode, along with the rest of the season, was made available for streaming on Amazon Video on November 15th, 2019.

## Synopsis

*John and Helen host Himmler and his wife for dinner, along with a new and dangerous threat from Berlin, Obergruppenführer Goertzmann. Juliana returns to the High Castle world, arriving in the ruins of what is now known as “The District of Contamination.” Kido is forced to turn against the Crown Princess by his general. A captive Hawthorne Abendsen shares some new tales from the High Castle.*

## Plot

Hawthorne Abendsen is now forced by the Nazi Government to appear on Nazi propaganda television broadcasts to discredit the validity of his films about alternate words so he can be guaranteed personal time with his imprisoned wife, Caroline. Before the next shot, Hawthorne requests to provide his own lines to the script.

Juliana Crain drives all the way to Washington D.C. and sets foot on Lincoln Memorial. She meditates and is transported back to her original universe at the nuked ruins of the capital. Juliana gets arrested when a security guard finds her in the restrictive zone and is taken to a security outpost with her fingerprints taken. As the guard calls for her pickup, Juliana knocks him out with a typewriter. She grabs the keys to unlock her handcuffs and destroys her fingerprint trails before escaping, though she forgets to wipe off her fingerprint at the doorknob. She seeks shelter from the police by hiding out at a bakery owned by Zina Parks. To bide time, Juliana offers to buy some bread but when she hands her a $5 bill, Zina is shocked to find that the money bears Abraham Lincoln's image.

John Smith is visited by SS *Obergruppenfuhrer* Wilhelm Goertzmann, who intends to join Heinrich Himmler and his wife for dinner with John's family before leaving his office. Afterwards, Agent Campbell reports back to John Smith and he learns about his failed assassination on Juliana Crain, and alt world John Smith's death. Later on, Smith receives a report from Washington D.C. that there are sightings of Juliana Crain. He orders his officer to conduct a thorough sweep of DC until they find her and requests increased security of his family. Meanwhile, Helen is informed by her maid, Bridget, that Margarete Himmler, Colonel of the Reich Red Cross,  is making an early visit. She hands Helen a list of the necessary meals to be serve for Himmler's health before she questions the reason for Helen's year-long absence, which Helen lies that he was looking after Hank due to an illness. Seemingly convinced, Margarete leaves to return to her husband before their dinner begins.

The BCR have agreed to supply Wyatt's fighters with the promised munitions, and they begin loading their truck which will soon be distributed to his network before they launch another attack on the Reich. Wyatt bids good luck to Bell and the BCR before they head to the East. Bell then enters the room where Robert Childan is being held, and finishes his letter for the Crown Princess to hopefully receive. The letter makes it way to the Imperial Secretary and found legitimate. The Crown Princess learns that the BCR is willing to undergo a temporary ceasefire for peace talks. The Crown Princess's loyalist, Admiral Inokuchi, is willing to carry out her will to secretly proceed with the meeting.

The death of General Masuda is a deep loss personally for General Yamori, since he saved his life during the war in Australia. He blames his death on the appeasers, causing Yamori to order Kido to launch a Kempeitai intelligence file on Admiral Inokuchi. To ensure secrecy, Yamori insists that the task be given to Captain Ijima as his confidant. Hours later, Captain Ijima heads to Kido's home to offer an incomplete intelligence file. Kido invites him for a drink to discontinue Inokuchi's surveillance for now. Kido suddenly brings up new discovery on Tagomi's assassination, where he learns that a partial fingerprint is found on the murder weapon which identifies Ijima. Ijima grows tensed that he's been caught but Kido laughs it off as he assures him that General Yamori has involved him and is only reminding Ijima to better cover his tracks next time. A relieved Ijima thanks Kido for the correction and promises to do better before leaving. Unbeknownst to Ijima, the entire conversation was being secretly recorded by Kido and it was all a gambled ruse to lure Ijima to a confession that he and Yamori were responsible for Tagomi's death.

A recovered Himmler has arrived for dinner at John Smith's home. Margarete offers Jennifer and Amy gifts from Germany, where Margarete has Amy reveal that Uncle Hank has never been sick during their stay on the farm. Himmler is now suffering from frequent coughing fits in which his wife has to assist him into breathing a mask from an oxygen tank. Wilhelm then converse with John, warning him that even though he has allies in Berlin, many Nazi officials disapprove of an American as *Reichsmarshall*. Everyone settles at the table as dinner begins, with John's daughters seated at Himmler's sides. But Himmler's condition has him irrationally bring up the secret Die Nebenwelt project to which Wilhem questions. John tries to cover it up as a device for scientific intelligence but Himmler keeps rattling about his ambitions for the device, which confuses everyone. Dinner ends and the guests prepare to head down, the delusional Himmler tells John before leaving, that he does not want his loyalty but his devotion. Helen shares her concern that the Fuhrer is dangerously close to having the entire family eliminated.

Zina takes Juliana to her bomb shelter to further ensure her safety from being discovered. Zina expresses her belief that she really is Juliana Crain after being distrusted by Brad, a resistance fighter for Wyatt. She asks Juliana the events in the other world where the Allies won, eager to learn that world's history. She starts by showing Zina, images and news of Roosevelt surviving Guiseppe Zangara's assassination before telling the achievements of his presidency.

Caroline is temporarily brought into Hawthorne's cell, promised after Hawthorne collaborated to appear in propaganda films. The two are joyful to see each other but Caroline pleads Hawthorne to stop helping the Nazis discredit all their hard work about the films, but Hawthorne is not willing to stop in fear that the Nazis will harm and kill her. Suddenly, an SS guard breaks them up despite Hawthorne's cries that they were promised to spend time alone. Nevertheless, he is brought into the Multiverse map room with John Smith. John asks Hawthorne about whether the observer effect is true, to which Hawthorne affirms and tells John about quantum entanglement, leading John to conclude that not only a person can change but also the universe the person came from. Hawthorne wonders John's questions before realizing John intends to travel to the alternate world himself.

John Smith dresses up as his dead counterpart, he briefs Campbell that General Witchcroft will be left in charge but kept unaware about his doings in Die Nebenwelt. Campbell guides John toward the portal and that he has 48 hours before the portal is reactivated for his expected return. John approaches the end of the portal and when it reaches full power, he is transported to the alternate world.

## Cast & Characters

* Joel de la Fuente *as* Takeshi Kido
* Jason O'Mara *as* Wyatt Price
* Brennan Brown *as* Robert Childan
* Chelah Horsdal *as* Helen Smith
* Frances Turner *as* Bell Mallory
* Rufus Sewell *as* John Smith

**Guest Starring*** Clé Bennett *as* Elijah
* Stephen Root *as* Hawthorne Abendsen
* Rick Worthy *as* Lemuel Washington
* Rich Ting *as* Captain Iijima
* Marc Rissmann *as* Wilhelm Goertzmann
* Kenneth Tigar *as* Heinrich Himmler
* Ann Magnuson *as* Caroline Abendsen
* Louis Ferreira *as* Brad Bellows
* Bruce Locke *as* General Yamori
* Eijiro Ozaki *as* Admiral Inokuchi
* Glenn Ennis *as* Jeremy
* Cody Ray Thompson *as* Agent Campbell
* Ty Olsson *as* Major Tod Metzger
* Giles Panton *as* Billy Turner
* Gwynyth Walsh *as* Margarethe Himmler
* Gracyn Shinyei *as* Amy Smith
* Mayumi Yoshida *as* Crown Princess
* Peter Shinkoda *as* Kazu Hirano
* Meg Heus *as* Bridget
* Alexander Soto *as* Pablo
* Nicole Oliver *as* Zina Parks
* Darcey Johnson *as* Glenn Durham
* Guy Christie *as* Robert Street
* Dean Monroe McKenzie *as* Mr. Jones
* Abby DeForest *as Minder #1*
* Ricardo Pequenino *as Young Black Man*
* Jackson Chao *as Imperial Naval Officer*

**Uncredited*** Moishe Teichman *as* Sabra Elder

## Notes & Trivia

* Early in the episode Helen Smith receives a copy of a book named "Germania: A Triumph of Aryan Architecture" and cover-illustrated with a picture of the Volkshalle. In our world Albert Speer did present Germania as a project and some work towards its completion happened before the war. The Volkshalle, however, was never built in our timeline.
* Section T4. T4 was the real life Nazi Extermination program of the mentally ill and other health problems the Nazi’s didn’t think were worth being alive.