It is finally here, and I am thrilled to own one of the Man in the High Castle promo packages from 2017 at long last!
Resistance Radio Promo: Inside the paper record player
I remember when everyone was posting their photos of it on Twitter, and though I knew there was a 0% chance that I’d be surprised by one in the mail, I still checked every single day in hopes of mysteriously finding one inside my mailbox. In my, oh so fan, defense, they had my mailing address already. I won a signed promo poster for Season 2.
I’ve mentioned how much I wanted one before (and let’s just say how much = A. LOT. A hell of a lot.), and I still cannot believe I was able to get my hands on one. Yes, I really have longed for one over the past four years.
I’m still blown away by the creativity behind it. It was such a clever way to slip Resistance Radio inside a fictitious GNR songbook, immersing you into the world of Philip K. Dick. It honestly feels like a traveler from their universe brought it to ours!
Let’s dive into the closeups
Record sleeve: On the surface it looks like it’s GNR propaganda…
Back of the record sleeve
The Resistance slipped something inside!
Yes, this is a real, playable 45.
The paper record player and needle
Back of the paper record player
Resistance Radio Promo: Inside the paper record player
Mine did not come with the fold-able leaflet with the convention details on it or the original box (you’ll see photos of them in the link below). I haven’t used the paper record player (I am terrified of damaging the record with the needle, ha ha!). I am looking at used record players as I write this.
As I poked around the Internet, reminiscing, I stumbled about on great blog post by Christy Dena. She gives a full (and detailed!) account of receiving hers, trying to play the record, and finding references to Resistance Radio in season 2.
As I am reading through Mike Avila’s The Man in the High Castle, Creating the Alt World, I am reminded why I was drawn to the show in the first place: It’s all in the details. I’m going to focus on Season 4 and the things that stood out the most (if I were to write about every little background prop, this would be a door stopper that I’d never finish!).
Battle of Denver
Accurate street names – when they mentioned Colfax ave., I was ecstatic at the attention to detail and taking the extra time to get it right.
On the left is a map from my trip to Denver back in February. Colfax Ave. is circled in red.
Winter Solstice
I was amazed at how much thought and research went into creating the alt worlds of High Castle, especially when they had to figure out how societies would evolve and what kind of holidays would they celebrate.
Himmler (the real Himmler) was big into paganism and incorporated it into the SS [1][2]. I wondered what a Reich Christmas would look like, and the creative team at High Castle did their homework. Circled on the lower left is a cutout of Odin, a prominent deity in Norse Mythology [3]. It appears as though he is a replacement for Santa Claus.
Circled in the upper left is a banner that reads, “Winter Solstice,” commonly referred to as Yule. For brevity’s sake, I’m going to quote Wikipedia on this:
Yule or Yuletide (“Yule time” or “Yule season”) is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
The Twilight Zone
Whoever came up with this alternate spin on one of my favorite childhood TV shows deserves a fucking medal. It was pure genius, and I loved every second of it. The writers have stated time and time again that there are parallels between worlds, and this was one of them. Everything was true to the original show in our universe, right down to the music and narrator. It was such a creative twist using Abendsen as the host as a way to turn it into propaganda.
Realistic Technology
During the scene pictured below, the children are being eavesdropped on. When the camera pans to the device on the right, we can hear crackling and static. My immediate thought was there are at least two different factions listening in on them. When you have two different groups using radio to transmit or receive at the same time within close proximity to each other, there will be static and interference on both sides.
I was delighted when we later saw that the children were, in fact, being watched by the Resistance and Hoover and that the static wasn’t just there as a LOOK THEY ARE BEING SPIED ON attention grabber.
And can we just appreciate the alt world maps for a second?
If anyone from @HighCastleTV is reading this, please reproduce this map and sell it! I would love to own one! I still want one of those promo radio sets they sent to random people a few years back…
Hello, and welcome to the one and only Exemplary Television Awards! Today we celebrate the greatest television show of all time. It has earned its mark in television history for its poignant themes, stunning visuals, exceptional acting, and soundtrack. The individuals involved with the creation of the show have earned this medal a thousand times over.
Let’s give it up for Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle!
“Truth, she thought. As terrible as death. But harder to find.”
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
Season 4 far exceeded my expectations, and by exceeded, I mean jumped onto a rocket and left me behind in the dust to gawk at the beautiful complexity of it. The cast and crew weren’t kidding when they said it is the best season yet.
I got a shout-out during the Facebook live stream when they discussed S4. ❤ You can watch the full video here.
If you haven’t finished the finale, go no further. There are spoilers ahead.
The season exposed humanity at its best and worst. We saw the very best in Childan, the Crown Princess, and Admiral Inokuchi. Despite the odds, they gave everything for the greater good. Childan threw away the rare antiques and treasures that were integral to his greedy character to be with his wife and ensure her safety. The Crown Princess saw the need to give the Pacific States back, and. Inokuchi was willing to die for her.
Characters like Chief Inspector Kido and Helen were forced to face their life decisions face on. The way it all unfolded for them had me at the edge of my seat. Everything was beautifully executed and woven into the story–I enjoyed watching those two unravel into despair and suffer the repercussions of their actions and then to try to do the right thing. It was so wonderfully written in that it didn’t feel like the audience was being beaten over the head with it.
Smith was humanity at its worst. Talking about him and how his story came to a close will be a post of its own. Alt-Smith explained it best when he told Juliana why he didn’t pursue a career in the military–he saw how easily power corrupted him. I was worried that they’d give him a cliche redemption RAWR ‘MURICA arc, and am beyond happy that they didn’t.
His thirst for power and the twisted being he had allowed himself to become was his undoing.
The BCR
I was skeptical that they added an entirely new set of characters, but it turned out that I was worried over nothing. The addition of the BCR helped make this season the best. The BCR characters were fully fleshed out, each with his or her own opinions and underlying (deep) reasons for the things they do. The story wouldn’t have been the same without them. Bell and her crew were a great addition to the TMITHC universe!
A Solid 5 Stars
As I said at the beginning of this review, S4 far exceeded my expectations. I was honestly afraid that S4 would derail into yet-another-RAWR ‘MURICA-freedom-saves-the-day ending that I’ve seen so many other shows and movies fall into. You have no idea how glad I am that it did not.
Just finished S4: E8. I feel the need to expand my vocabulary, because nothing I say will bring the intriguing story that is unfolding in this episode justice. I am honestly at a loss for words because everything about this season has far exceeded my expectations! #HighCastle
The finale to Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle is just 5 days away. Yes, I am emotional, and yes, there may have been a tear or two while typing this post up. As everyone knows, this show has been a huge part of my life since the beginning. I just want to say that it has been an amazing journey of friendship, art, and blossoming into a better me.
I remember the cold, snowy day in February when they announced that Season 4 will be the finale. Part of me was shocked and saddened, but the other part was thankful that TMITHC wouldn’t go the prolonged, dragged out route that so many shows in the past have gone. To be honest, I am glad they aren’t going to grind the show into the ground like that–It’s a bittersweet feeling.
I just want to say thank you to everyone I’ve met on this journey. I’ll cherish the memories TMITHC has given me forever.
<3
With Season 4 airing on the 15th, there will be no #FanCastleSunday next week or the week after to give everyone a chance to catch up (and avoid spoilers!).
#FanCastleSunday will resume Sunday, December 1st
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What are your #HighCastle S4 predictions? When #FanCastleSunday resumes December 1st, we’ll see if anyone got close!
