The Man in The High Castle - 🍪 🍪 🍪 🍪

But first, let's take a moment to praise a beautiful eerie opening they made for the show.

Liking Adolf Hitler is not an easy task—but when he’s in the #WorldWarIIIPreventionSquad, you are left with a very limited option. Set fifteen years after WWII, The Man In The High Castle blows our mind with an alternate universe of the world wherein Hitler won his war. Based on a book with the same name by Phillip K. Dick, the Amazon’s original web-series has an undeniably sterling premise one can’t simply miss. The portrayal of chillingly believable other world manages to leave a solid mark in my mind, and I have nothing else to say about their outstanding job in creating the setting, details, and vibes of The Nazi’s America.

Now is ruled by The Nazis on the East and The Imperial Japan on the West, the world’s superpower country is nothing but history. When The Resistances are busy with their movement to be free from the not so friendly ruler, the two forces in this alternate universe are taken with their own agenda. Words travel fast, and it’s been said that Adolf Hitler is terminally ill and waiting for his time. It is easy to note that not every Nazis are satisfied with his decision to share their victorious win during WWII with The Japs, let alone in dividing America. The Japs has every right to worry, seeing how advance The Nazis’ technology has grown over years. On the other hand, The Nazis can’t just declare a war just like that.

Tangled in the complicated politics, Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank) arrives as a newbie wanting to join The East Resistance Group. His first task is driving a truck to a place referred as The Neutral-Zone somewhere in between The Rocky Mountains. Then we meet Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos), our heroine. Like every other heroines I know, she suffers stupid-decision-making-disorder; and like every other heroines I know, the consequences are rarely small. In her case, pursuing a highly dangerous errand to deliver some kind of propaganda-film linked to someone coded The Man in The High Castle resulting her lover, Frank Frink (Rupert Evans), tortured and his sister, nephew, and niece killed by the Japs.  Such an experience surely changed your life forever, and it applies well to Frank. Once a calm man seeking nothing else than what’s been given to him, he goes to an extent of planning to shoot The Japanese Prince himself. When Juliana hasn’t been made aware of that, she is already getting herself into something so much bigger for herself. After all, Joe is probably not someone he claimed to be.

I love the way the show present us many perspectives to see this different world. Especially in this different world, because here I am curious about everything. The upcoming war is not something unknown for Japanese Trading Minister Nobusuke Taogomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), whom interest is always to remain the peaceful agreement. On the other hand, perfect Nazi and cold-hearted loyalist Obergruppenfuher John Smith (Rufus Sewell) may be so much more than the previous description. There something about these two men that caught my heart. I couldn’t really see myself rooting for a Nazi before, but I found myself begging The Obergruppenfuhrer not to die anytime soon. In between the grim and slow paced story, he manages to keep the tension going and that is very appreciated especially in the middle of the series. Honestly, I started the series and hating almost everyone including our protagonists with stupid-decision champion title. Crawling to the closure, I see tremendous whys that don’t right their wrong in killing innocent people, but I understand. This is one of that fiction in which everyone have their own way to justify their decisions to what to them is a greater good.

I believe I can say more about the so called The Man in The High Castle himself when I see the next season, since I feel this one is serving as a mere introduction of the pillars and situations.  Wisely said, this series is not packed with noisy action scenes that thrill you the same time they excite you. I barely see anyone laughing or even smiling, but that is probably unavoidable when you are either held captive by The Nazi or live in this universe at all. Most fight happens with tension eyes and words rather than gunfight, and every episode is darker than the previous one. That being said, getting through the first episode might be hard for many people that not keen on this kind of show—and it doesn’t get better after either. Anyhow, missing this one would probably cost you a very amazing pleasure of one goddamn good creation. The Man in The High Castle is to return this December with brand new Season Two.