Tag: the man in the high castle season 3

Coming to a Multiverse Near You: TMITHC Season 3 Review!

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There is so much I wanted to say, but I couldn’t fit every little detail, scene, and character interaction that amazed me into a single review. I may go back and do a Little Details I Noticed post in the future. 

The Man in the High Castle (TMITHC) Season 3 is different from the first two, and while there were rumors of it having a positive outlook, I felt that it is the darkest and most depressing season of the show so far—this isn’t a criticism. If you haven’t watched it yet, strap in for the ride and grab a box of tissues while you’re at it.

You will need them.

Before I tread into spoiler territory, I just want to say that the acting, the visuals, and the costumes blew me away. Everyone involved with the show did such an exceptional job! Kenneth Tigar (Himmler), Rufus Sewell (Smith), and Chelah Horsdal (Helen Smith) deserve Emmys for their performances (well, everyone involved in the making of the TMITHC does!).

And now for some spoilers!

I’ve broken down the review by my favorite characters this season.

Admiral Inokuchi
My favorite new addition to the show! I mean, it doesn’t hurt that he has a fleet of badass ships with him. I loved his peaceful pragmatic approach to everything, “We need to win them over.” Finally a high ranking official in the Pacific States that gets it (other than Tagomi, of course!). I want to see more of him in Season 4.

Tagomi
He continues to be a beacon of hope and goodness while possessing a calm, peaceful demeanor. Himmler greatly underestimated him, and the scene where he defends himself against his would-be assassin was perfection, right down to the solemn expression on his face. He did not want to do it, but it was the last resort because it was him or the assassin.

I loved the meeting between Tagomi and Smith. It was so well written and acted on all fronts. I’m glad the two characters got to see each other face to face. They are so very different. I’ve always wanted to see an interaction between the two.

Kido
One does not mess with Chief Inspector Kido.

I enjoyed watching him go to the Neutral Zone posing as a member of the Yakuza and having to tolerate other people to blend in.

Clerk: Information isn’t free.
Kido: *Slams his head against the desk*

Well, he tried. 😉

I didn’t expect him to actually catch up with Frank, so when *it* happened, I was shocked. I found it interesting how he drove out to the site of a WWII Japanese Internment camp and how he changed into his uniform to give him a ceremonious execution. I’m still trying to figure out if it was a sign of respect, or if Kido felt an immense amount of guilt because the bomb happened under his watch and, therefore, he was honor bound to execute the culprit.

Ed, Robert, Frank & Jack 
I absolutely adored these four. I loved every second they were on screen. It was so nice to see Frank showing remorse for his actions in Season 2.

As for Ed, I am happy they gave him a boyfriend (Jack). It’s been established that he is gay since Season 1, and I always wondered if they’d ever put him in a relationship. I felt that this relationship fit perfectly into the story because Ed is a character we’ve cared about since Season 1, and Jack seamlessly flowed into the storyline and helped progress the plot. He is a likeable character that you can’t help but root for. I loved the dynamic between him, Ed, and Robert. I look forward to seeing more of them in Season 4.

The trio unfurling Frank’s banner in San Francisco was such a beautiful way to protest without causing anyone harm, and I wish they were the leaders of the resistance because it was just so pure, honest, and good. It was my favorite scene of theirs.

Before I move on, I loved the reunion between Frank, Ed, and Juliana.

Smith
The home he’s built for himself and his family is collapsing around him. The sins of his past and present are catching up with him. Thomas’s death shattered his world. The perfect, warm family life he’s enjoyed for so long is now a mere shadow. Everyone he cares about is either dead or gone. He’s lost Wagner, Thomas, Erich, Joe, and Helen whisked the girls away from him.

His storyline was the darkest and most depressing of all. Watching Helen fall apart during the first half of the season was heartbreaking. When she left and told him that she was running from him, I wanted to cry (Chelah Horsdal deserves an Emmy for that performance).

As the season progressed, he grew more stoic and distant, and she embraced her emotions—her heart led her to do what she thought was best. The contrast between the two was chilling and a so beautifully sorrowful.

One thing is for certain, Smith is reaping what he’s been sewing for the past 15 years. I don’t want redemption for him. I want him to get what he deserves. Remember the memory dream sequence involving the little girl in Cincinnati.

Let us not forget that.

With that being said, he is my favorite character, and Rufus Sewell is an extremely talented actor who portrays the character so perfectly!

Here’s to looking forward to what Season 4 has in store for us, and hopefully we won’t have to wait 2 years. 😉

10 Days and Back Again

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I am watching through Season 3 of The Man in the High Castle and am feeling the urge to write because I haven’t written anything substantial in a long time—that show has a way of inspiring the muse.

I’m watching the final episode tonight, and the fictional stakes couldn’t be any higher, oh how turbulent my emotions are right now.

I’ve been avoiding spoilers by limiting my Internet access all week, while it is easy to do on days I work, the weekends are another story. I can’t wait until this self-imposed Internet exile is over with. I feel like I’ve been missing all the High Castle action on Twitter, but I just can’t binge good, thought provoking shows. I honestly tried!

There’s just something about the anticipation of waiting for the next episode and wondering about your favorite characters that I can’t resist. I love thinking about the previous night’s episode—What is John going to do next? How will Kido react when he sees something? Will Robert survive the trip home? —until I rush home from work to watch the next one. I wish I could beam that feeling directly into your mind! No other show has ever affected me this way.

The only thing I can compare it to is looking forward to the next chapter of a good book and devouring it on your lunch break because you are captivated by its story (okay, so it actually is a great book, but that’s beside the point!).

Here’s a sample of the great lengths I’ve gone to to avoid spoilers:

Smile and laugh, ha ha!

I couldn’t disappear completely, so I blocked off my monitor each night to tweet about each episode. That’s only some of my efforts to avoid spoilers. And with that being said, The Man in the High Castle is the only show I’ve ever gone to such great lengths for.

…Speak of the devil, my phone just alerted me with my weekly usage report, and my “screen time” is down. That’s going to change drastically tonight, ha ha!

After this is all said and done, I might do a how to avoid spoilers in 2018 post. I can’t say my tactics are successful yet since there’s still an episode to go!

Until next time (which will most likely be a review of Season 3), Tschüss!

***

Here is a painting I finished this week in an effort to avoid spoilers. When I break out the paintbrushes, it is a solid chunk of time without being distracted or tempted by the Internet. 

TMITHC S3 is Just Five Days Away!

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Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle Season 3 will be here on Friday! THIS FRIDAY!

I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to it. I mean, we’ve had to wait two years for it.
I’m already plotting avoid-spoilers-at-all-costs tactics because anything short of not using the Internet for 10 days is risky.

10 days = 1 episode per day because I like to savor each and every one! No show captures me quite like this one. I know that if I binge watch it, I’ll forget half of it…and then there is the fact that I cannot sit still for that long.

Here’s to hoping my tactics work!

Don’t forget:

EDIT:  The official TMITHC Twitter account says that it will be in the Hammerstein Ballroom at 6PM EST.

Link: Official  Tweet

Details:
October 04, 2018, 12:45 PM – 1:00 PM
NYCC Live Stage – Booth 174 – Javits Center

Guests:
Isa Dick Hacket
Alexa Davalos
Rufus Sewell
Joel De La Fuente
Chelah Horsdal

The Man in the High Castle S3 Trailer!

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I’ve been meaning to make a recap post ever since they dropped that badass trailer, but every time I sit down and think about it, I change my S3 theories and have more and more questions.

Here is the trailer for those of you who haven’t seen it yet or just want to enjoy 2 minutes of badassary:

Season 3 Official Trailer

I don’t even know where to begin! There are so many things going on in a multiverse of directions, that my head hurts (in a good way)! One thing is for certain: Season 3 is going to differ greatly from the previous two seasons. Is that good or bad? Only October 5th can tell.

My Takeaways:

1. The Resistance plays a huge role in this season with Juliana at the helm, gathering support, sharing the films, and lighting a fire under people who were otherwise complacent.   

2. There is a growing movement against Chief Inspector Kido that turns violent at one point (the clip they played at SDCC made it look like they were angry about fuel prices, but it seems to be more than that).

3. Someone new is controlling things at the Reich now that Hitler’s dead, someone even more insane—or so it appears, because the destruction of American artifacts like the Statue of Liberty looks like it came straight out of the mind of a comic book villain (my other theory is that the “Americans” decide to do this as some warped display of loyalty).

4. Joe’s loyalties remain ambiguous, but that’s the strength of his character.

5. John has a much more powerful role now (not that he wasn’t powerful before).

6. John is directly involved with the multiverse machine and may even travel to one of the other realities.

7. What is this possible war John mentioned? You could hear the fear in his voice as he spoke to Helen. Is the Japanese empire going to head for war after all? 

8. A nuke explodes in the trailer, and my guess is that it is a test because of its location. The Japanese empire got the blueprints for building nukes all the way back in Season 1.

A book based theory:
If you’ve read the book, you know what happens to Joe Blake at the end. I have a gut feeling that Jason O’Mara’s character ends up being like the book version of Joe. It makes so much sense from clips of him I’ve seen.

1. He’s very friendly with Juliana
2. He knows she can get to the Man in the High Castle
3. It makes sense that someone would send a spy into her circle

Here’s to October 5th! 
I want to go back and look at my theories after S3 airs and see if I’m spot on, barely missed the mark, or am completely and utterly off base.

High Castle is Coming to SDCC!

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I have been a bad blogger as of late! My apologies for the lapse in posts. Part of it is due to no news on the High Castle front (but that just changed!) and the fact that I haven’t finished my WWII era wall yet. Shame on me! 😉

Let’s dive right into the exciting High Castle stuff! After months of silence, we finally have a whisper of news! I was beginning to think that we might not get a Season 3.

There will be a High Castle panel at San Diego Comic Con with Alexa Davalos, Rufus Sewell, Jason O’Mara, and Stephen Root!

Panel info:
Saturday, 21 July
4:15 to 5:15
Room 6A

Rumor has it that Amazon will drop a trailer, but don’t quote me on it. I can only hope. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us. There are bound to be some good Season 3 hints and maybe a release date. I look forward to watching the panel online (and of course, coming up with my own theories based on what they say).

And so, I leave you with my latest High Castle drawing: