WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Now that I gave a disclaimer I can get to raving about Amazon's recent masterpiece The Man In The High Castle! Alternate history is a fun subject. The "What If" is irresistible! Now what would have happened if the Axis powers won World War II? The answer: very scary.
Best Parts:
1. Many of the characters were fantastic (not so much Joe Blake and Juliana Craine but we'll get to them later). With actors like Rufus Sewell and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa you can't go wrong. Characters such as the Nazi officer John Smith and Kempeitai Inspector Kido were absolutely terrifying but there were moments when you saw them as human beings. John finds out that his son is diagnosed with a genetic disorder that would paralyze him. Given the law that the crippled and mentally disabled are to be equalized (the Nazis called it "mercy killings") John has to decide on whether or not to "spare" his son the pain of living in a wheel chair or to "mercy kill" him. Apparently John's older brother had the same issue. Seeing Smith grapple with this makes me forget that he's a Nazi and close to the end I found myself hoping he wouldn't die when Reinhardt took him out into the woods. Underneath the fascist is a man who is devoted to his family.
Kido took a while but close to the end you saw that he was a man of honor who was ready to sacrifice anything to protect the Pacific States. At first when he said he wasn't a monster I scoffed. I still think he's a despicable guy but he's that way for a reason. Every group needs a designated ass hole as they say. I still wanted Kido to go through with his suicide but I felt kinda bad for the guy nevertheless.
2. The mystery of the films that show an alternate universe, the reveal of who the Man in the High Castle is, and Tagomi's transportation to our timeline were mind blowing. That and the setting with seeing how society is run on both sides of the divided United States. Every detail was well thought out and the darkness of the show really resonated with that "maybe" hanging heavy on your mind. Would the United States had turned into that oppressive world? Maybe. Most likely. Things could have gone differently in the War in which the Nazis win and take over the world. So much death and destruction (after the Germans dropped their H-Bomb on Washington D.C.) is a scary thought.
3. The ending was the best part. It took me a few minutes to process because it was so unbelievable. Hitler is the Man in the High Castle. He's a man in a high castle but also when you think about it it's genius. When you have everyone looking for the same thing either way you get what you want.
Low Points
1. Perhaps my only complaint is Joe Blake and Juliana Craine. Together these characters have wonderful chemistry. I sense Juliana has more of a spark with Joe than she does with Frank (though Frank is a pretty engaging character). Almost like Joe and Juliana are meant to be together but they keep missing their chance. On their own however, Joe and Juliana are pretty bland characters. I just couldn't get into their individual journeys they seemed to blend in with the wall.
Seeing as I have little to complain about this show I'd say it has lived up to the hype. I'm already praying for a season 2 so that this exciting journey may continue.
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