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Amazon's 'The Man in the High Castle' S2 |OT| Alt-Right History

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Curufinwe

Member
I read some reviews and recaps after watching the last episode, and I didn't see this mentioned.

It seems clear that John Smith is going to go from savior of the Reich to its biggest enemy within once he finds out that his son volunteered for extermination because of their monstrous "useless eater" ideology. I think that easily justifies all the time that was spent on that plot line this season.
 

Sibylus

Banned
The One and Done™;227336127 said:
I'm on episode 8 and I'm confused

Has the one Secretary guy been on Earth 1 this entire season?

If you're referring to
Kotomichi, the trade minister's assistant, yes, he came from our Earth. The radiation burns from the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs were what tipped the minister off.

If you're alternatively referring to
the trade minister himself, yes, he traveled to our Earth. The shot where he meditated and gradually slipped out of the universe (and everything that followed) were pretty clear tells.
 
If you're referring to
Kotomichi, the trade minister's assistant, yes, he came from our Earth. The radiation burns from the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombs were what tipped the minister off.

If you're alternatively referring to
the trade minister himself, yes, he traveled to our Earth. The shot where he meditated and gradually slipped out of the universe (and everything that followed) were pretty clear tells.

Thanks in on rp 10 now. Cold open. Here we go
 

jond76

Banned
I don't know if its possible for me to ever root for Smith.
The open when we see him in his US Army uniform seeing bomb go off really drove home that he's a traitor piece of shit.

I know we knew he was American from earlier, but that open really drove it home for me. I really can't must up any sympathy there. It's still very interesting.

Great show. I just hate that I blew through it so fast.
 

kirblar

Member
I read some reviews and recaps after watching the last episode, and I didn't see this mentioned.

It seems clear that John Smith is going to go from savior of the Reich to its biggest enemy within once he finds out that his son volunteered for extermination because of their monstrous "useless eater" ideology. I think that easily justifies all the time that was spent on that plot line this season.
Yup. He clearly joined to save his family, and now they've taken that from him.
 
I don't know if its possible for me to ever root for Smith.
The open when we see him in his US Army uniform seeing bomb go off really drove home that he's a traitor piece of shit.

I know we knew he was American from earlier, but that open really drove it home for me. I really can't must up any sympathy there. It's still very interesting.

Great show. I just hate that I blew through it so fast.

Remember his speech at the funeral; he will do anything to protect his family.
 

jond76

Banned
The One and Done™;227337517 said:
Remember his speech at the funeral; he will do anything to protect his family.

So much for that. Get in bed with the devil, the devil will fuck you.
 
I read some reviews and recaps after watching the last episode, and I didn't see this mentioned.

It seems clear that John Smith is going to go from savior of the Reich to its biggest enemy within once he finds out that his son volunteered for extermination because of their monstrous "useless eater" ideology. I think that easily justifies all the time that was spent on that plot line this season.

I just hope that the
change from harcore nazi to rebel
doesn't happen way too fast. I think that the show needs Smith to be hated and loved at the same time.
 
I just hope that the
change from harcore nazi to rebel
doesn't happen way too fast. I think that the show needs Smith to be hated and loved at the same time.

I agree. The reason he's everyone's favorite character is because he's so complex. Interesting antagonists are really hard to do and he's one of the better ones I've seen in a while. He's also an excellent actor, I really hope to see him in meatier roles in other series/movies.
 
Frank, Joe and the resistance in general turned out to be pretty bland (and radical at times). Ironic that the supposedly good guys are the worst part of this show. Really found it difficult to root for them.

See, at this point I have to wonder if its intentional, because almost every scene involving the Smiths and and the Trade Minister are gold.
 
One thing I am curious about is now that
both countries are close to leaderless, does that mean the war between japan and germany has gone on the backburner for a while?
 

RoKKeR

Member
Just finished Season 2. Really damn good and definitely better than S1 in my opinion. As you all have been saying, Smith/Tagomi/Kito are the undisputed highlights of the show. Some amazing acting between the three of them and generally intriguing character/story arcs. Juliana/Frank/Joe continue to be the worst parts of the show, but I thought Juliana was much improved this season and watching her
try to survive in the Nazi regime was really interesting.

The atmosphere, aesthetic, and music also continue to be top notch. No idea where the show goes next, but I'm there day one regardless.

That scene where the Nazi generals were describing their all-out nuclear assault was fucking chilling.
 

E92 M3

Member
I enjoyed this A LOT. Can't believe I was actually sympathizing with Nazis at certain points (
Smith's family issues and his best friend from the war
).

Amazing writing and can't wait for season 3.

Smith and Kito were by far my favorite characters.
 

kirblar

Member
I enjoyed this A LOT. Can't believe I was actually sympathizing with Nazis at certain points (
Smith's family issues and his best friend from the war
).

Amazing writing and can't wait for season 3.
Who was
his friend?
 

NetMapel

Guilty White Male Mods Gave Me This Tag
I think our reality is getting closer to this alternative reality. We call our "useless eater" welfare queens and other nasty names.
 

Saty

Member
Better season than the first one but still quite odd. I think separating the two protagonists did favors for both so gotta give them credit for going against what S1 seemed to shoot for between the two. Was also cool to see that they weren't rushing to get Juliana and Joe back at the same city even they had ample opportunities to, with Joe himself shooting down the option to return NY.

Now i can why viewers would be lukewarm towards Joe and his character but i'm not sure what's the issue with Juliana. This sort of oppressed, under-the-thumb and under-the-gun woman trying to keep her head down, trying to run between the raindrops. The actress is just nailing it down and i just like her mannerisms and expressions and the air about her (others may recall her as Gwen in 'Angel'). This weird mellow\ forced to be mellow demeanor.

They chose right expanding the scope of the show and establishing Berlin as another front. I would like to continue in S3. The world-building might be the show's biggest strength.

Smith continues to be a highlight; Frink continues to be the weakest link. Can't say exactly what i would have preferred on his front but i guess we did get a full closure of his arc. (
I'm confident to say he's dead. He got flashback scenes that pretty much ensure that.
)

Pacing and progress on the 'big mystery' remain problematic. Maybe it's better to sideline it or de-emphesize its importance.
I'm now slightly confused as to what the writers think they are doing and what the characters think about it. What i used to think was clear cut is that they are accessing alternate universes but that there's no 'time traveling' per se - it's always the equivalent present of 1962. Obviously the characters treat it like the films depict their reality but they way they did that quick flash back to the film when
Dixon was shot
i couldn't tell how to read it. Is it also a signal to the viewers by the writers that the films prophesies the current timeline? That some films might be from the future of the current universe? Of course, if it is just parallel timelines you could say some stuff happen the same and that some stuff may have occurred earlier in one universe so that's why a film exists.

Dunno, i feel like the show needs one big dive on this subject. Hopefully we get one now
Trudy
has re-surfaced. BTW, did they recast her?

Anyhow, it's a peculiar show that at times is difficult to know how to approach or address. I'm not jumping for joy watching it or confidently recommending it to others but nor am i having bad time watching it and it is fascinating at times. I think they have the ingredients to be better and garner more attention but i don't how they should mix them up.
 

pestul

Member
Rufus Sewell is giving an amazing performance as John Smith in this series. I'd say it is his best work to date.
 

Sibylus

Banned
I think they'd do a disservice to
Frank's character to bring him back from the dead in S3. He's a firebrand and more than a bit of an asshole. Him dying with the bomb and a firefight is the only real ending that makes sense for him.

Rufus Sewell is giving an amazing performance as John Smith in this series. I'd say it is his best work to date.

He definitely carries whatever scenes he's in (just like Inspector Kido and the Trade Minister). Has that quiet charisma and menace that one associates with a Nazi leader.
 
It's still never explained how it is that 'John Smith' came to be a senior officer within the SS after serving in the US military, much less how he came to passionately adopt the Nazi worldview.

I read some reviews and recaps after watching the last episode, and I didn't see this mentioned.

It seems clear that John Smith is going to go from savior of the Reich to its biggest enemy within once he finds out that his son volunteered for extermination because of their monstrous "useless eater" ideology. I think that easily justifies all the time that was spent on that plot line this season.

Smith turning into a protagonist? I hope not. I hope he remains conflicted, but still a cold hearted SS officer. Joe's development in Nazi Berlin, however, could be interesting. I want to see him turn and eventually kill Juliana.
 
It's still never explained how it is that 'John Smith' came to be a senior officer within the SS after serving in the US military, much less how he came to passionately adopt the Nazi worldview.

I imagine he thought he would be more help to the US by being involved and slowly aligned his beliefs with the Reich.
 

Sibylus

Banned
It's still never explained how it is that 'John Smith' came to be a senior officer within the SS after serving in the US military, much less how he came to passionately adopt the Nazi worldview.



Smith turning into a protagonist? I hope not. I hope he remains conflicted, but still a cold hearted SS officer. Joe's development in Nazi Berlin, however, could be interesting. I want to see him turn and eventually kill Juliana.

Isn't it obvious? He fell in line, kissed ass, and became the model Nazi for the same reason he does most everything: to protect his family.
 

Sibylus

Banned
Yup. That flashback scene with him and his wife says it all.

Indeed. Pregnant wife and Washington just got nuked? His war ended right there for him, money on it. He broke with systemic murder of the ill as soon as it touched his own family.
 
Just finished the season over the weekend. Thought the first couple of episodes were slow, but once Berlin started factoring in more and Julianna got to Nazi America, the show got really interesting again. Thought the lead up to shit going down towards the end of the season was really well done and tense. That scene/image of Smith and his wife
witnessing the nuke on DC
was chilling. I found Tagomi's
whole trip to Earth 1
very touching. Just great stuff. My only problems with the season was Frank being insufferable as hell most of the time (even if they acknowledge it) which imo made most of his scenes uninteresting (though I got a kick out of Ed and Robert's scenes together and their burgeoning friendship), and the Man in the High Castle's
Joker/Zemo level of manipulation. I can kind of forgive it since he's not even sure it was going to work and he does have a lot of info on everyone involved due I guess to the tapes, but still.
Can't wait for Season 3.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
They've also named a new showrunner:

Bosch executive producer Eric Overmyer will assume the top post. He previously co-created HBO’s Peabody Award-winning Treme, as well as served as an EP on Showtime’s The Affair.

Source
 

Moff

Member
The second season was so much better than the first
the heroes were a lot more likeable but of course the obergruppenführer and the chief inspector were still the best characters. I also liked many of the new ones, like the resistance guys and the Berlin characters.

I do hope we get to see more of Berlin in season 3, loved everything there. who would have thought Heinrich Himmler saves the world?????
 

Zushin

Member
Just smashed both seasons in a week. Second season is miles ahead of the first and as mentioned Smith/Kido/Tagomi carry the show. I don't actually mind Juliana's scenes, but agree that Joe is just a dull character or actor, dunno which but either way he's uninteresting to watch. Looking forward to seeing where this goes!
 

Makonero

Member
Finally finished the season. I would say it definitely gets better and better as the season goes on. Hopefully the new showrunner can keep the momentum going. I love how everything came together. Can't wait to see what happens next.
 
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