The Man in the High Castle - Season 2

 Spoiler-free.

This show's ability to make me care and cheer for the most unexpected characters continues to amaze.

(read my review of Season 1 here)

Based on the Philip K. Dick story, The Man in the High Castle features an alternate reality where the Axis Powers won WWII. The entire world is now controlled by Nazis and the Japanese Empire, with neutral zones separating their territories. Season two has a more concise plot, when The Man in the High Castle meets with our heroine Juliana (Alexa Davalos) setting her on a journey that he hopes will lead this reality to the best possible outcome that he has seen take place in the mysterious films.

The story seems to take many rabbit trails from that beginning until it finally comes around to the end ten episodes later, but by then all those trails are tied together wonderfully. I did feel like Joe (Luke Kleintank) was wasting time, though. He had an important part to play, but was put in place too soon, and then since he's a main character we still had to spend time with him, as he puttered around aimlessly. His father (Sebastian Roché) was an excellent new character.

This season felt more purposeful than the first, and it was nice that I already knew the characters.

Then there's Frank (Rupert Evans) now with a major death wish who slowly gets involved in the Resistance while hanging out with his lovable and well-meaning friend Ed (DJ Qualls) and the hilariously stuck-up antiques dealer (Brennan Brown). When Frank is on screen he feels like the main character, but with this season I cared more about what he was doing than what he was feeling.

Chief Inspector Kido (Joel de la Fuente) was almost the exact opposite. I found myself so involved in understanding what he was thinking and feeling that I often forgot to pay attention to what he was actually doing. His changes of countenance based on whether his company was above or beneath him was fascinating to witness; relating to every person so differently, from a fatherly/brotherly relationship with his Sergeant (Lee Shorten) to actual creepy villainy to the people he interrogates. I didn't get much new out of Trade Minister Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa) this time, but that is only because the first season established him so well; his part of the story was ever-important and intriguing.

Pretty much the best.

My favorite continues to be Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith (Rufus Sewell), and I loved what this season did with him and his wife (Chelah Horsdal) and family. From beginning to end it was nothing but incredible. I can hardly believe that I could sympathize so strongly with someone who is a Nazi, but that's the magic of this show. Even though there are actual Nazis involved, characters aren't defined by their affiliations -- outwardly or inwardly. Smith wears the uniform, but we know him and know it doesn't fit him. However his teenage son (Quinn Lord) is completely steeped in the Nazi culture, and yet we still care for him too.

Juliana is the piece that connects all these people, and it was so neat to see how she brings everything together. I particularly enjoyed watching her when she's living in the American Reich, visiting with the Smiths and learning about the Nazi ways. It was all such an epic combination of friendly and proper and utopian, and deeply, deeply disturbing.

Also pretty much the best.

The show is visually beautiful, the filming style reflecting and enhancing the smooth, sharply detailed tone. I love that even the evil was presented visually with no bias -- the magnificence of the Greater Nazi Reich shown in all its glory -- the awe of it effectively making it even more harrowing. Rich with complex characters, and a twisting, mind-boggling sci-fi plot, The Man in the High Castle continues to defy convention for unusually exceptional results.

The Boy

On this blog, I've always claimed that I don't like horror movies, but so far, the only ones I've reviewed I've given good scores to, with a disclaimer that they are an exception to the rule. Well, today I'm reviewing a horror movie that requires no such disclaimer.

Yep, I watched a horror movie featuring a creepy doll. Do I regret it? Well...

In The Boy, Greta (Lauren Cohan), an American woman moves to a rich mansion in the English countryside to be a temporary nanny to the child of a couple looking to go on holiday. Things get very creepy very fast when Greta meets the child -- Brahms -- and discovers that he is not a child at all, but a child-sized doll. The parents treat him as if he were a child though, and expect Greta to as well. The charming grocery delivery man Malcolm (Rupert Evans) explains to her that many years ago the real Brahms was killed in a fire, and soon after the doll took his place. Strange and creepy though it is, Greta decides that the situation is harmless enough, and the pay is good, so she settles down for a couple months of paid down time all alone in a giant old house. But Brahms has a list of rules -- of things that must be done every day -- and he doesn't take kindly to neglect.

I'll go ahead and mention right now that this is a movie that I never would have watched on my own volition. Credit goes to my little brother who saw it in theaters and... wanted me to see it. And while I'd never expect to enjoy a film like this as much as he does, The Boy was interesting in a few big and unexpected ways, so I'm glad I watched it. Even after seeing the trailer, which I expected would ruin the experience at least a little, the movie impressed me with the way it handled its mystery, and was actually enhanced by the trailer if anything.

Effective fear; not effective storytelling.

However, this is exactly the kind of horror movie that is not my kind of horror movie, and for the most part while watching it, I didn't enjoy myself. I understand the idea that being scared produces a fun thrill, and I actually have experienced and enjoyed that kind of entertainment, but for me, the thrill of fear can never replace the thrill and enjoyment that comes from regular entertaining and exciting storytelling. This movie is very consistently scary, but is not consistently entertaining. The scary aspect cannot stand alone. There are notable moments where real interest and excitement -- mostly in places where reveals were being made -- and in those moments I did enjoy the film, but they were too far and few between. Mostly the film tries to get by on stagnate fear and suspense, perpetuated by too-long close-up shots of the doll's face.


Lauren Cohan as the leading lady is nothing special. The character is smarter than perhaps she might have been which is good, but doesn't really have any noteworthy qualities. She's there to have to plot happen to her, and that is all that she does. Rupert Evans is only really noteworthy because he's Rupert Evans, and maybe I could say this for Cohan if I'd seen her in anything before like I have him, but he really didn't get to do anything. His character was there for a purpose as well -- mainly for exposition -- and besides that he (and her) were left alone too much. There was no meat to the two characters, and nothing for them to overcome. I suppose that's par for the course for cheaper horror flicks though isn't it? The parents served their purpose in a way that didn't leave them lacking, but they were smaller characters in the first place.

The plot is the first and last thing this film as going for it. I would have told it differently -- paced it differently, faster, and added more to the final act (though I can't figure out how or what), but the story on a basic level is interesting and worth the watch. If you like that kind of thing, of course, but then you can't know what exactly "that kind of thing" is until you've seen it. I approved of the direction taken, but thought ultimately that the presentation fell short of anything compelling. And in the end it left a few holes, and very little satisfaction. I realize that's a horror movie's mantra, but in a lot of ways, The Boy was neither your typical horror film, nor your typical boy.

The Man in the High Castle

Some Spoilers beyond.

First of all, can we just talk about that opening? That beautiful, beautiful credit sequence that starts off each episode where a lady quietly sings "Edelweiss" and black and white images are projected over statues, and oh my goodness I can't even describe how amazing and beautiful it is and I just want to watch it over and over?

And that's just the first thirty seconds or so.

In this alternate reality, it's 1962, WWII is over and done, and the world has settled back into a "normal." But nothing is really normal, because the Axis powers -- the Nazis and their Japanese allies -- won the war. They've taken the United States and split it in two. The East Coast and the Midwest is part of the Nazi Greater Reich, and the West Coast is the Japanese Pacific States, with a small neutral zone separating them.

Juliana (Alexa Davalos) lives in San Francisco (essentially now San Fransokyo!) with her boyfriend Frank (Rupert Evans), trying to feel at home in this new world. When her sister runs into her, and gives her a film only to be shot to death by Japanese soldiers seconds later it starts Juliana's life on a course that could change the world. The film shows footage from the end of the war, but it's not right; it shows the Allies winning. Juliana takes the film and her sister's place, leaves for the Neutral Zone and begins a search for answers -- and the elusive "Man in the High Castle."

How can the films be? Where do they come from, and why are they so important? And who is the man in the high castle? After the first season of this refined sci-fi slow-burner.... none of these questions have been answered. But if it isn't beautiful and entertaining while it keep us in suspense!

Our heroine, Juliana Crain

Science fiction is my bread and butter, but this kind of science fiction -- cerebral, elegant, understated and mystifying, set in its own world, playing unforgettably by its own rules -- is more like a decadent cake; with multiple layers, topped with whipped cream, ice cream and a cherry for good measure. In short, (and like I would have said in the first place if I weren't hungry) this show is a treat. Truly. It's hard to describe the perfectly balanced tonal flavor exactly, but it is what is at the center of the show that makes it great. The best I could think of to describe it is, "elegantly heavy." It gives us a lot of brutal darkness -- as it must -- but presents it all with a refined formality.

After the tone is set, everything else just seems to fall naturally into place. The story is based on the Philip K. Dick novel, which I haven't read, so I can't judge on how accurate a portrayal it is, but it's at least his basic premise, and whether it is filled in with his story line or restructured and rethought by writer and show creator Frank Spotnitz, or even re-imagined totally, it seems to be the right choice to go with.

The Man in the High Castle is an Amazon Prime series. A second season is coming and I eagerly anticipate its arrival!

There are multiple plot lines to follow. The lead is Juliana, though she probably gets equal time and attention as several others, she is the lead and the show's heroine for three reasons. One: she is the only character with totally clear, completely uncompromising morals. Two: she causes, or is closely connected to every other plot line in the show. And three: she reflects the show's tone. This is the thing that I always notice and love to see in the main character, and in this case, it's impressive, as the shows tone is hard to quantify and seems like it would be hard to personify as well, but she does. She is elegant, and she is heavy; deep and graceful and somber and determined.

There's also Joe (Luke Kleintank) a fellow from New York who also has a film and meets and befriends her in the Neutral Zone -- but secretly works as a spy for the Nazis to bring down the rebellion, but also, maybe, doesn't. Actually, for the first few episodes I was confused, trying to figure out if he was truly a good guy or bad guy. There was compelling evidence for both sides. It took me a while, but finally I realized that he himself didn't actually know. He was stuck in a in between of a job that would give him power, security, and comfort, and becoming a traitor, ruining his life, but doing what is right. And for a long time, he tries to get away with doing both. Once I realized that, he became one of the most interesting characters.

I do mean that as a complement, but it isn't saying much what with all these incredibly interesting characters!

There's a plot for Juliana's boyfriend Frank as her disappearance sends repercussions to him that escalate dangerously while he stubbornly remains a reluctant hero. Frank just wants to go on with life; he doesn't see that there might possibly be a way out of it; and as the grandson of a Jew, keeping his head down is a top priority. But he gets a harsh wake up call, and we watch him slowly grow a backbone, and a will to fight back of his own -- some of it is channeled in the total wrong direction, but eventually he seems to head in the right way. DJ Qualls is a supporting character in his plot line as his pesky friend, Ed, and in fact, each story line really does feel like its own stand-alone tale. So if Juliana is the readymade hero of the show, then perhaps for Frank this first season was just an origin story.

 "I've got a gun; you've got a time machine. What the hell? Let's kill Hitler."

I never in a million years thought I'd sympathize with someone who was a Nazi, but then there was Obergruppenfürer John Smith (Rufus Sewell). John is Joe's boss in New York, a family man, and American who even fought for the Allies, but then willingly gave in to the new leadership. At first, he is the highest powered character around, and he coolly destroys everyone in his path as he searching out rebels. He is cunning and calculating and totally unfeeling -- or so it would seem. The moment one of his superiors from the Motherland shows up, he suddenly seems as much of a good guy as Joe does compared to him. It got to the point where I had to stop and wonder if I was crazy to want to cheer for this guy, and I realized that I wasn't. Rufus Sewell always makes a great villain, but his conflicted baddie here is top notch.

I love his villains but have always preferred his protagonists. Now, he's both!

Then there's political tension as the impending death of the Führer threatens to spark war between the Nazis and the Japanese. The drama that comes through all this and the characters that fill it are all so complex I want to re-watch the whole show just to understand it all better (and then again for the enjoyment). This plot give us Tagomi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa), the Trade Minister of the Pacific States; a calm and structured gentleman who hides everything from everyone, including us. He conspires with a high ranking Nazi traitor Rudolph Wegener (Carsten Norgaard) to keep the Japanese in play once Hitler is gone. There's also Kido (Joel de la Fuente), a Japanese police inspector who has a blind and stone cold respect for tradition and rules, and his loyal Sergeant (Lee Shorten). They find themselves in over their heads in a sensitive investigation, and slowly fade from villainous antagonists to endearing characters as we get to know them.

You'd think (what with the Nazis and all) that this story would have a stark line between the good and the bad, but there's an unexpected amount of grey.

There is one technical aspect to cover; the show's rating. It's rated MA, and ticks most of the available content boxes. There's disturbing violence, which one could hardly get around, but unlike say, Daredevil, this show didn't stop once it got going into the R territory; it also drops a handful of language per episode and even sneaks in a little very brief nudity. Both of which I found completely unnecessary, but at the same time I gratefully realize it could have been much worse.

A few last things: Cliffhangers. Oh my goodness those cliffhangers. If it were possible to die of cliffhangers... RIP me. And even though it caused me to not understand it all as much as I usually would the first go-around, I love that this show makes you think for yourself and doesn't spoon-feed you everything. And I love that it's slightly controversial by making characters that you can identify with Nazis. Since when is does that even happen? In this incredibly real, uncomfortably close to home alternate universe it does. So, with its premise that's just so amazingly, ideally sci-fi that it makes me giddy just thinking about it, its large cast of talent playing and endless line of fantastically deep characters, and its immaculate, refined tone, the future for The Man in the High Castle is looking deliciously dark.