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Man In The High Castle....I LUV THIS SERIES

Discussion in 'Television Shows' started by miltk, Jan 12, 2016.

  1. miltk

    miltk Member

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    from a phillip dick 1963 nebula award winner.
    alternative history series hypothesizing if japan and germany had won the war. the usa is split in two,,,germany on the east and japan to the west with a nuetral zone in the center. think n.korea and s.korea...or...usa/russia and the berlin wall

    it takes place in 1962, 17 yrs and one generation away from the end of the war. germany won because they dropped an a-bomb on dc.

    there's just WAYYYY too many things i luv about this series to explain it all. maybe i'll add to it as i feel. but here are reasons i luv this series.

    they don't hit you over the head with "look how things are different". everything is subtlely stated as if they assume things to be and not worth the bother to explain why - i love this idea. for instance, elements of german technology has advanced far beyond what the usa had back in '62. there's colorTV. there's a monorail in nyc {remember the italian mussolini saying "our trains run on time"? this series takes it another step with the monorails. the have jets cross country in 2hrs. the jets look authentically real and kind of an old-fashioned early 60s way - very convincing.

    all the kids have grown up in nazi-usa so they okay with the life. the older parents and the like who grew up in free america,,,some have adapted, others have not. germany and japan largely leave us to do our thing but with them lording over the usa. like the way we let the japanese live their lives after ww2. there is still some carry-over of nazi-isms as one would expect.

    a lot to real and psuedo bilingual talk.

    there is tension between japan and germany, just like russia and usa in the 60's. the alliance is uneasy. another subtle thing,,,i didn't realize until later that THERE'S NO ROCK 'N ROLL IN THIS LIFE!!! and no black music,,,guess why. but again, it's never addressed nor explained - it just is.

    the central plot involves the two main characters, and man and a woman, and the search and confiscation of dozens of newsreels that show,,,,,,,,,,wait,,,,,,,that the usa won!!!. these newsreels are the target of all parties involved, the japanes, the germans, and the resistance fighters. the importance of these newsreels have not been explain, and season 1 ends.

    the girl is played by alexa davalos. stunning woman who was the female lead in "mob city", frank darabont's noir series with berenthal that was unfortunately cancelled. btw, man in the high castle is similarly noir-ish.

    this is a well thought out series with no obvious cliches, and everything is shown makes a lot of sense to me.
     
    #1 miltk, Jan 12, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2016
  2. No.Pantaloons

    No.Pantaloons Well-Known Member

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    Sorry but the show didn't work for me. I got through 3 episodes and just couldn't get invested in either the characters or the plot. However you can really tell Amazon busted out the wallet big time for the set design.

    I did find it funny that Hitler is the one thing preserving the peace of a potential WWIII. I may give it another whirl if I can't find anything else to watch.
     
  3. miltk

    miltk Member

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    that's always the kicker right there....do you invest in the people. if you don't, the show doesn't work. i didn't like anyone in fear the dead. i tuned out after the first episode. otoh i love the characters in the strain.
     
    #3 miltk, Jan 14, 2016
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2016
  4. Doodlebug

    Doodlebug Active Member

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    I watched all ten of the episodes and I was unclear what the heck happened at the end. Every storyline seemed to have ended with no change in the story and you were right back to how everything was at the beginning of show. Still not clear about the films and I like sci-fi but that element of the show pretty much ruined it for me. The reason I watched the show was the premise was so interesting to me, but not a fan of the sci-fi. I also was not a fan of most of the characters, the main girl annoyed me and the main guy I guess is suppose to be a mystery were we are not sure what his angle is. I just found him dull and not as interesting as I think they were trying to make him. One character I did like was Frank, I was wishing the whole season he would tell that girl to go f herself.
     
  5. Jama

    Jama Well-Known Member

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    I just found out about this show a month ago. Power-watched every episode in about a week.

    It's a bit slow at times, but I love the premise. Or should I say the multiple premises. There's several very intriguing story arcs. This altered history where two of the most brutal and awful regimes in modern history rule the world. The fact that they are aware of other "Earths" and timelines. The attempts to travel to them. The various plots that show what life is like for people in power and for the oppressed. It's a great show with a lot of quality actors.
     
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  6. HungryZombie

    HungryZombie Active Member

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    My wife and I love this show too. It's really well done production-wise and the acting is above par.

    I do keep expecting the Japanese foreign minister to bust out yelling "Prepare for Mortal Kombat!"

    (He was in the 90's movie)
     
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  7. Jama

    Jama Well-Known Member

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    He was awesome as Shang Sung.... or however it is spelled. I knew I recognized him when I saw the first episode. Obviously he's 25 years older, but I had a feeling that it was him and I was right!

    He's a good actor. Probably my favorite character on the show too.
     
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  8. Lindigo

    Lindigo Well-Known Member

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    I wish I could see it. The premise is fascinating.
     
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  9. southernlady

    southernlady Well-Known Member

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    I recently got Prime and watched this - I really enjoyed it. My goddaughter told me about it, she knows I love anything history related. I will admit at first it was a little hard for me to follow but once I was able to I sat and watched three seasons in two days!

    I read that season four will be the final season.
     
    #9 southernlady, Jun 17, 2019
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2019
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  10. southernlady

    southernlady Well-Known Member

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    Has anyone else finished the series?
     
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  11. Jama

    Jama Well-Known Member

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    I'm not finished with season 4 yet. About halfway through.

    The plots and the acting is superb this season, but just knowing that it's ending has left me with this weird "what's the point?" feeling.

    I just feel like there's still more of this story to tell and they cut it short. I was hoping that they would have made it to at least 6 or 7 seasons.
     
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  12. southernlady

    southernlady Well-Known Member

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    I finished it last night. Let me know what you think when you have finished it.

    Seasons 1-3 were so well done. And even though I felt the finish was rushed (once again!), it really held me. The ending though...many people walked away with the same feeling I have about it.
     
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  13. Neuropyramidal

    Neuropyramidal Well-Known Member

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    I watched S1 and i think a few episodes into S2 a few months back. I liked S1 a lot but by S2 the novelty of the alternative universe kind of starting wearing off, and I was having a hard time continuing.
     
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  14. southernlady

    southernlady Well-Known Member

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    To be honest I wasn't sure I would like the series. I resisted Medici as well and that turned into one of my favorites.
     
  15. Stealth

    Stealth Well-Known Member

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    Was it worth it, even with the ending being rushed? I haven't watched this series but it's been on the backend of my shows to potentially watch. I don't want to commit though to something else that ends poorly.
     
  16. southernlady

    southernlady Well-Known Member

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    I do feel it was worth it! I thought the actors did a great job with their rolls, especially Rufus Sewell.
     
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  17. Stealth

    Stealth Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, I'll eventually get around to it. Less than 2 weeks now until the Vikings premiere!
     
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  18. southernlady

    southernlady Well-Known Member

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    I'm excited about Vikings! I hope we have a good ending to the series. It hasn't been the same since they killed Ragnar but still, I want to see it through after investing this many years into it lol
     
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  19. Jama

    Jama Well-Known Member

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    I almost stopped watching when they killed Ragnar off. I know it's based on "real history" but I was hoping they would have kept him around for another season or two.

    I still love the show and all, but I agree with you that it's not the same.

    As for Man in The High Castle... I'm going to finish the last two episodes off tonight.
     
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  20. Jama

    Jama Well-Known Member

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    I finished it the other day. I must say that I have the same takeaway as you do. It was rushed, but it still held my interest. The ending wasn't grade A material like Breaking Bad, but it wasn't a complete disaster like the GoT ending. I'd give it a B-.

    I didn't really get the last scene at all. None of that made any sense to me. All in all, the series as a whole was still great.
     
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