Out of all the plotlines, it's the ones in Nazi America that are the most poignant. You can see how John and Helen Smith are distressed by their son's death, but there is a difference between what they feel in private and what they show in public. And as ever, the authoritarian state muddles the two. Even when speaking to his children, John says what the Nazi dictatorship would want him to say. But throughout this episode, you can see in his and Helen's eyes that they are truly distressed. Not only that, but they are further distraught by the regime's use of their son for propaganda. At the same time, you see just how ruthless the regime (including Nicole) is in doing this, shamelessly filming the whole thing to inspire children across the Reich. And seeing all those children give the Sieg Heil to a picture of Thomas sent chills down my spine.
It's not just John and Helen who have to suppress their feelings in the Reich. Joe Blake also has private and public emotion. With Nicole, we see a softer side to him. You wouldn't tell that he resents the regime as much as we find out he does by looking at how he acts after shooting his father. You'd think he's loyal to the regime despite what it made him do. In fact, he's just doing what he had to to survive, the same as many other characters have been doing.
Juliana's story is mostly setup, so there's not so much poignancy there. Still, there are some tender scenes between her and her sister. The whole alternative timeline story is still hard to judge at this point. What I didn't like so much was the reference to destiny in relation to Juliana. I'm wary of a serious sci-fi story like this turning more into science fantasy. We'll have to see.
8.8/10
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