The truth is, the trauma from this war goes beyond the front lines.
The episode ends with Alvin lying in a hospital bed, half of one leg missing.
The ripple effects of war.
Michele K. Short/HBO
And yet, Herman isn’t eager to leave the United States.
Bess has other ideas though.
She tells him about this plan, but he’s having none of it.
Eventually, he gets what he wants: a mission to steal a pulse navigation system from the Nazis.
We never get to see that mission.
What we do get to see is Alvin’s bravado slowly fade away.
And yet, surely nothing prepared him for the outcome.
Hell, Lindbergh even meets with Hitler to sign a paper saying the United States will remain neutral.
Bess can barely stand it.
Between Herman’s nonstop talk and her fear for her family, she’s coming undone.
The Plot Against Americais building its tension, and its world, wonderfully.
Herman knows what this means.
Bess knows what it means.
Sandy gets excited and asks to go to a farm for the summer.
Herman immediately says no, but changes his mind by the end of the episode.
Thatmustmean everything will be okay.
It’s a heartbreaking final scene.
There’s a new reality in America.
Some are quicker to accept that than others.
