Tag: season 4

TMITHC’s Finale is an Gripping Tale of Human Nature

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“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

— Ms. Luna (@MishiWan) November 22, 2019

TMITHC finale was bittersweet perfection that exposed humanity at its rawest form. I give it a solid 5 stars and a 11/10!

Stay tuned for future posts where I dive into Smith’s character and talk about the little details like their spoof of The Twilight Zone!

The End of the Worlds: High Castle at SDCC19

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 “The ending is epic, it is conclusive, yet ambiguous, and delicately done.” – Daniel Percival *

They released a clip from the opening of Season 4, which you can watch here:

I’m going to paraphrase the quotes from the panel that intrigued me the most, and then I’ll dive right into my thoughts. Here’s the link to the recap video on the official @HighCastleAmazon Facebook page.

“At one point we see Helen at her happiest. We see the true Helen.” 

“As you know, Kido has a wife and two sons. We get to meet one of his sons briefly.” 

“Before the war she and her family were in segregated Alabama. After the Axis won, they were sent to a labor camp which became an extermination camp. She escapes and flees to the neutral zone.”

The official synopsis:

In the climactic final season, America will witness rebellion on both coasts as Juliana and Wyatt join forces with an emerging Black insurgency led by Bell Mallory. Takeshi Kido will be forced to reckon with the demons of his past, and John and Helen Smith’s lives will be forever changed after Smith steps through the Die Nebenwelt portal and travels the path not taken.

I’ll begin with saying that I have no idea what to expect. These aren’t exactly theories and are more like questions, hopes, and dreams. I mean, this is High Castle, after all!

Now that we know Smith steps through the portal, will he try to take a living Thomas? What world does he end up in? It can’t be “our” world because his other self is alive and well—blasting the Beach Boys. I have so many questions about that Smith. Is he a good guy? Or is the footage of him misleading? I can’t wait to see what the writers have come up with for him!

I hope Juliana finds another Joe in that world. The Joe in the nuclear war world knew, and he shot that world’s Juliana so that the one in the primary universe can traverse between as many worlds as possible. And this makes me wonder if more Joes know the stakes.

I hope we get to see the utopian world mentioned in the book. I hope some of our favorite characters end up there after everything they’ve suffered through.

That’s it for now! I am sure I’ll have more theories and questions as we get closer to November.

What are your hopes for Season 4?

* Paraphrase, but that’s the summery of what he said.

The End of the Worlds

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My favorite show, Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle is coming to an end this fall. The announcement and teaser trailer dropped when I was away on a work trip (in case you missed me!).

I haven’t gotten a chance to fully process the fact that Season 4 will be the last of the show that I love and have dedicated a considerable amount of my time and energy to—I wouldn’t trade all of the High Castle things I’ve created for the world! It’s been a huge part of my life ever since I saw Season 1 in 2016.

The melancholy mood of this sketch says it all! 

I honestly don’t know what I’ll do after Season 4. As I said, High Castle has been a huge part of my life for the past three years. It is a bittersweet feeling for me. While I’m glad they aren’t dragging it out, I am sad to see my beloved characters go. I wasn’t quite ready for that announcement yet.

As I sit here thinking about all the wonderful friends I’ve made through the show, I smile, so I’ll end this by saying that I want to give the cast and crew a proper thank you for everything.

~~~