Martini Sigil Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Man....I have so little recollection of S1... And I don't have the time to re-watch this... I guess I'll have to Wiki it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebla Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 Season 2 starts Friday and I'm hopeful the show can be as good as it should be. I watched this a while back and didn't quite love it but enjoyed enough of it to be hope for a better second season. I enjoyed the premise and the setting of season 1 much more than most of the plot. The world is both horrifying and fascinating. Like how in the East there are no brown or black people but in the West practically all the prostitutes were white women. By the end of the season 1, though, I was practically hoping the resistance would shoot Joe in the head. I liked Juliana and Frank a bit more but by far the most interesting characters are the villains: Rufus Sewell's Smith and the Kempeitai commander. As much of a villain as Smith is, his reaction to the news of his son's illness and the implication was devastating. Sewell nailed it. I also liked that the Kempeitai commander was willing to commit suicide with the secret that the Nazi's attempted to kill the Crown Prince rather than risk war. Tagomi's storyline was also very interesting as was the sociopathic Heydrich and the attempted coup. I hope season 2 won't have the plodding narrative that bogged down the middle of season 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted December 15, 2016 Author Share Posted December 15, 2016 4 hours ago, Trebla said: I hope season 2 won't have the plodding narrative that bogged down the middle of season 1. Agreed, although I didn't think it was bogged down that much, because I blazed through it so quickly with it being only 10 episodes. Really looking forward to season two. I've been rewatching it when working out the past week and a half, and should be completely caught up by Friday morning. ETA: and I also agree about the villains being the most interesting. They were so well acted as well (and Tagomi) that I don't know why people always complain about "the leads" being boring, because Smith and Tagomi were definitely "leads." Kido was a supporting character, even though he's credited for 20 episodes on imdb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 I recently rewatched this show and found I liked it a whole lot more the second time around. Even all the characters. Really looking forward to the new season tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Pesci Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Does anyone know if season 1 covered the entire book? I swear I read an article last year stating that, and that season 2 would be how the showrunners decided to take it, but I couldn't find it and I have just begun to read the book. Regardless, this was one of my favorite shows of the last year and can't wait to get back into it tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChampion Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 I think it did mostly cover the book in broad strokes. I read the book's wikipedia page, and was rather surprised because I barely remember reading the book, but it has most of the same characters in the same roles, it lined up the plot a bit different but came to many of the same points. Tagomi even experiences somehow an alternate universe San Francisco were the Allies won the war but it is still not our universe, more like something between ours and the main one in the novel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Channel4s-JonSnow Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 5 hours ago, SpaceChampion said: I think it did mostly cover the book in broad strokes. I read the book's wikipedia page, and was rather surprised because I barely remember reading the book, but it has most of the same characters in the same roles, it lined up the plot a bit different but came to many of the same points. Tagomi even experiences somehow an alternate universe San Francisco were the Allies won the war but it is still not our universe, more like something between ours and the main one in the novel. Its a VERY broad stroke really. The book sort of has the same characters.. some of the same events, and its all in the same setting. But I wouldn't consider it a particularly rigid adaptation of the story Dick wrote. I have to admit I can barely remember much that happened in S1 either though. Its quite a forgettable show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The BlackBear Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Two episodes in, it's got me again. This won't take long. My main problem, Joe, is still a troublesome character but seems to be a little better so far. He was overly flip floppy, which is fine when you can see why he's doing it, but Joe is also doing this stoic thing that isn't so much enigmatic as frustratingly opaque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ded As Ned Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 I'm starting Season 2 tonight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebla Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 3 hours ago, The BlackBear said: Two episodes in, it's got me again. This won't take long. My main problem, Joe, is still a troublesome character but seems to be a little better so far. He was overly flip floppy, which is fine when you can see why he's doing it, but Joe is also doing this stoic thing that isn't so much enigmatic as frustratingly opaque. I watched them as well and started ep. 3. Things are happening much quicker this season and I'm pleased with that. Only complaint I have is one that can be said of many shows: Spoiler main character plot armor. Frank and Ed getting out of that beggars belief. Juliana running to Reich, though, was much better and should be VERY interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Sigil Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Seven episodes in.... The thing that bothers me most about this show is how they've changed the reality of the Nazi's being a Christian movement... Their history with the Roman Catholic Church (Hitler was Catholic) is well documented.... and yet for some reason --maybe to make it easier for American Christians in denial to read?-- they've completely changed this dynamic about Nazi sociology... As with their contemporary American skinhead/white supremacist/Nazi brethren, the Nazis we fought in WW2 rationalized their inhumanity --and extermination of Jews-- through Christ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 3 hours ago, Martini Sigil said: Seven episodes in.... The thing that bothers me most about this show is how they've changed the reality of the Nazi's being a Christian movement... Their history with the Roman Catholic Church (Hitler was Catholic) is well documented.... and yet for some reason --maybe to make it easier for American Christians in denial to read?-- they've completely changed this dynamic about Nazi sociology... As with their contemporary American skinhead/white supremacist/Nazi brethren, the Nazis we fought in WW2 rationalized their inhumanity --and extermination of Jews-- through Christ. Who's to say that they would not have turned against Christianity had they won the war and this reality was achieved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 21 minutes ago, Corvinus said: Who's to say that they would not have turned against Christianity had they won the war and this reality was achieved? ^ Yup, this. As Nazism spread, the story suggests that the Reich adapted and evolved to maintain control. A dictatorship like that is probably best served by having worship be to the state rather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Sigil Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 19 hours ago, Corvinus said: Who's to say that they would not have turned against Christianity had they won the war and this reality was achieved? 19 hours ago, Dr. Pepper said: ^ Yup, this. As Nazism spread, the story suggests that the Reich adapted and evolved to maintain control. A dictatorship like that is probably best served by having worship be to the state rather. OK.... I can see your points here.... it is plausible that a megalomaniac like Hitler would supplant Christ with himself as the national deity.... we see that exact circumstance in North Korea today... I just wish they'd at least have mentioned this sociological change, as it would have been significant --and I imagine, met with some resistance.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Pepper Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 But they did mention it, yes? Maybe not "Hitler supplanted Christ with himself", but they had a number of scenes that attested to this. It's like how they didn't say, "Hippie culture is evolving in this alternative reality" but they had several scenes that showed that this is true. I think this is what I really appreciated about this show. I don't feel spoonfed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Regarding the church thing, ep 7 has an interesting part about funerals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedEyedGhost Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 I thought the final three episodes were riveting. A lot of the first part of the season felt like the characters were a bit out of synch with how they were in season one, but all that setup was totally worth in the end. Amazing finale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetyrPunkinhead Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 On 12/16/2016 at 4:14 AM, Channel4s-JonSnow said: ...I have to admit I can barely remember much that happened in S1 either though. Its quite a forgettable show. Ditto. The premise was memorable for me though, and I thought it had potential. I was a bit iffy about starting S2 with so many other good shows out there I've yet to watch, but the consensus thus far seems to be S2>S1. On 12/20/2016 at 0:31 AM, RedEyedGhost said: I thought the final three episodes were riveting. A lot of the first part of the season felt like the characters were a bit out of synch with how they were in season one, but all that setup was totally worth in the end. Amazing finale. This is good to hear. I'm planning on watching this over Christmas break. This finale better be amazeballs or else I'm coming back in here for you REG! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corvinus85 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Finished it last night. The last couple of episodes were extremely strong. The season overall was solid. Tagomi's side trip into our reality threatened to slow down the story, but it paid off at the end. He still remains one of my favorite characters in the show. It’s also now clear that this is more of a fantasy show, rather than SF, since the people that cross over realities do it through meditation brought on by extreme suffering. Smith grew on me. Granted, he was an intriguing character from the start, but he really did it this season. And the Smith family drama was so well done that despite these people being Nazis, and John being such a ruthless and cunning bastard, it made you feel for them. I liked Juliana from the start, and she continued to be one of the strongest characters on the show. And I have to say that Alexa Davalos outdid herself in the finale. Just like with the Smiths, her final scene with the Man in the High Castle had lots of feels. I also liked Frank, and I didn’t think they would kill him off. I didn’t even think he was dead at first, because Amazon fooled me in thinking there were more than 10 episodes. But he did go out at the right time, I think, and it was yet another well done scene. Joe continues to be the weakest character. He played a small, vital role at the end, but until then all he did was whine about his life and get high at an orgy. Kido, another favorite character despite his own monstrous aspects, continued to show his honorable side as well. I liked the relationship that quietly developed between him and Smith. Unfortunately no good deed goes unpunished, and I actually felt sorry for Kido’s right hand man that he died in the bombing, despite doing a good deed previously by sparing Ed and Robert. And on the subject of those two, I liked how that duo developed in a more humorous fashion, bringing a bit of light to this grimdark and terrible world. Also how many Cylons are in this? I’m hoping their number grows next season so you can divert the story into having the Resistance win, but the secret robots embedded in the Resistance use the Nazi nuclear arsenal to destroy the Earth, but somehow a number of humans manage to leave the planet, thus making the Man in the High Castle a twisted prequel to Battlestar Galactica. A couple of things on the finale: - I found it hilarious that Smith ended up turning to Himmler of all people to stop the Reich from going to war and take down the traitor. - At the beginning of the episode we see the flashback when the Nazis nuke Washington, and the date is December 11, 1945. When I started watching this show, I had trouble accepting this reality just because of history played out. Considering the resources of the United States, the fierce determination of the British, and the manic determination of the Soviets, Nazy Germany really only had a small, small chance of actually winning the war. But I accepted this reality because of the premise that the Nazis developed the atom bomb first and used it on Washington. Yet, now they threw in another wrench in that with a date for the bombing that is months after the real war ended. So a bunch of other critical things must have happened before that to allow the war to be prolonged and have the Nazis reach that stage, thus making me question the premise of the show all over again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martini Sigil Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I think the takeaway here is that the bond between man and stapler is sacred. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.