The Man in the High Castle (season 1 review)

[Member 5605]

Anyone else watching this season on Amazon Prime?

Here is a season 1 recap:

1950's:
German has the east, Japan has the west..
Cloak and dagger. Double agents.

No constitution. Heil Hitler, reich. Occupied pacific states. Yen, tourists. Double agent.

Neutral zone. Lawlessness. Let the birds peck him clean.

Resistance. Double agents.

Jews. No burial rights.

Blah blah blah... Japanese sticks for prophetic messages.

Oh crap a gold necklace! Assassination attempt! Gold necklace...

YAKUZA!

Replica factory.

Pow pow! Counterfeit art....

Videos and an old Adolf Hitler..

Gold necklace. Closes eyes. 1950's America as we know it.. Cut to black, end of season 1.

Maybe I'll check out next season... Maybe not. Wasn't too impressed with the acting and plot.

Read More

 

[RicInOR]

I really liked their advertising - NAZI symbolism on the NYC Subway. <sarcasim />

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...d-ads-for-new-show-the-man-in-the-high-castle

 

[PaulB47]

I read the book, a while back. Have to wait for the series on DVD I guess.

 

[Larrabee]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, was about to post a similar one but searched first and behold...

I'm halfway through season one and like it quite a bit. Very thought provoking, have to say I'd live in the neutral zone for sure. And the bounty hunter guy, wholly smokes!

Wishing I had read the book, just might after watching season two...

If you get Amazon Prime I highly recommend it.

 

[Member 5605]

Looking forward to next run...

 

[CountryGent]

I read the book ages ago and found it interesting. It was written before the heyday of alternative history, so it is an earlier example in said genre.

With respect to the film series, I binged watched the first season last year and thoroughly enjoyed the program. It does depart from the book, at times significantly so, but it is set in a similar "world" in which the Axis Powers won and carved up most of the globe between themselves. It appears there are two episodes of season two out, but I haven't had a chance to watch them yet. Hopefully I'll have a free second to do so.

 

[Member 5605]

I read the book ages ago and found it interesting. It was written before the heyday of alternative history, so it is an earlier example in said genre.

With respect to the film series, I binged watched the first season last year and thoroughly enjoyed the program. It does depart from the book, at times significantly so, but it is set in a similar "world" in which the Axis Powers won and carved up most of the globe between themselves. It appears there are two episodes of season two out, but I haven't had a chance to watch them yet. Hopefully I'll have a free second to do so.

Amazon Prime for me shoes all episodes season 2-

 

[CountryGent]

Amazon Prime for me shoes all episodes season 2-

I am seeing them now to episode 20. I know what I'll be watching tomorrow.

 

[CountryGent]

So, I finished the second season. All and all, it was not bad. Random observations:

• It tied off some loose ends, but didn't really explain the "how" of the multiple timelines.
• It was a bit plodding and repetitive at parts, while others were more interesting.
• Some of the imagery was futurist, despite being in the past.
• There were some neat history "Easter eggs" for us history nerds.
• The acting was, as with the first season, decidedly mixed.
• The audio was a little off and too muted at times. In checking IMDB, apparently other Amazon Prime users reported the same. Nothing terrible, but enough to notice.
• The ending was open-ended enough that it could be the end of the series or simply the last of the second, though it seems like the latter is more likely. While I enjoyed the first season and, generally, the second, I think they might be stretching the premise to go further.

Final analysis: if you like alternative history and the work of Ridley Scott, you will probably like it. If not, probably not.