The midpoint of the season ends on the biggest surprise of all, Joe's death. But if you think of it, thematically it makes sense. There is a good line spoken by a character in this episode, about how it is the weak who suppress their feelings behind support for the regime. This may be what Joe does. He tells Juliana how great the regime is but he knows it is this Nazi regime that forced him to kill Heusmann. What we've seen in him is the suppression of his true feelings about it in his attempt to avoid its wrath. His punishment for this is apt. The to his story is both tragic and deserved; he could have been someone else. But with the existence of multiple timelines, I doubt we've seen the last of him. The other Joes may be very different people though.
Smith's story also comes to a head, culminating in a victory for him as he uses his position to outmaneuver those who wish to see him gone. Now Smith is head of state, things should get even more interesting. We saw his reaction to the plan to topple the Statue of Liberty. We know how he feels about the fact that the regime killed his son. Will his love for his son extend to the other innocents the regime slaughters? It will be interesting to see whether his experience has made him see the regime itself in a different light. I think it has.
Smith's story also comes to a head, culminating in a victory for him as he uses his position to outmaneuver those who wish to see him gone. Now Smith is head of state, things should get even more interesting. We saw his reaction to the plan to topple the Statue of Liberty. We know how he feels about the fact that the regime killed his son. Will his love for his son extend to the other innocents the regime slaughters? It will be interesting to see whether his experience has made him see the regime itself in a different light. I think it has.