Tag: the man in the high castle

Walking around NYC: Give me Those TMITHC Vibes!

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I just got back from the first trip of the new year, and let me just say that being in New York City has rekindled my love for The Man in the High Castle. I mean, these photos. Look at them. I can imagine Smith peering out his window or speeding down the streets in his staff car. I can picture Joe driving a delivery truck or walking along the sidewalk on his way to see Rita and Buddy.

 

I got myself a few souvenirs to go on my High Castle shelf. I couldn’t resist. The gift shop I purchased them from had all kinds of NYC trinkets (that goes without saying), and I probably would have purchased the entire store had I enough money. Needless to say, there will be some High Castle aesthetic photos in the near future.

With my passion for the show renewed, I got to thinking. What is my favorite season? Episode? Who is my favorite character (besides Smith)? I’ve never sat down and done an all-time favorite list for this show.

Top 5 episodes:
All of Season 1

  1. Three Monkeys (S1:E6)
    • I remember being blown away when I first watched this episode. I love everything about it, especially all of the cunning twists and turns on Smith’s part. When the camera pans on Smith’s face at the end as he holds his drink, his expression still sends chills down my spine.
  2. A Way Out (S1:E10)
    • I could spend an entire post discussing this episode and why I rank it #2. For now, I’ll just mention the final scene between Wagner and Hitler—powerful and tragic at the same time.
  3. Kintsugi (S2:E6)
    • Tagomi connecting with his family in the other world and trying to mend the damage his alternate self created is why I rank this one at #3. I cannot get over the touching way he repaired the mug with his grandson’s name on it.
  4. Duck and Cover (S2:E5)
    • Luke Kleintank deserves an Emmy for his performance (I know I say that a lot about High Castle, but I mean it). When he found out that he was Lebensborn and broke down in that abandoned nursery, I felt my heart break!
  5. Revelations (S1:E4)
    • This is one of those episodes where the soundtrack was spot on every second of the way. Frank’s most powerful moment was when he lowered the gun.

I’m going to talk about my favorite scenes in a future post because I feel that there are enough of them to rank—the same goes for characters too!

December Reflections

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We are in the second half of December, where the new year is glimmering just beyond the horizon. Christmas is almost here, and so is the season of setting new goals and striving to reach new heights–I realize I just sounded like a commercial for a gym membership, but hey, ‘tis the season!

I like to look back at my previous goals and see if I remembered what I wrote and if I accomplished what I had set out to do. Let’s take a look at December 2017.

My goal for 2018 is to finally—once and for all—to crack out of my shy Internet-self shell! I’m not a Marvel character with a quick, witty quip for every occasion. I’m not the most hyper active conversationalist, especially on the fast-paced platform that is Twitter (home of High Castle happenings).

Well…I definitely forgot I wrote that, ha ha! My how things have changed! Mission accomplished? I feel like this is an ancient fear I had back in the Beforetimes or something. The key to this endeavor was not giving a fuck. That’s it. I stopped stressing out over sounding “buzz worthy.” Trying to sound like someone else just because they get thousands of likes and follows is not the way to go. Trust me.

Let’s look at the short list of goals I made in 2017.

1. Taking my art to new levels

I’d say I improved a lot! I never thought in a million years I’d do realism. This is all thanks to the wonderful friends I’ve made via The Man in the High Castle and the amazing people who have worked on the show. You give me so much motivation to continue creating art! THANK YOU. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

2. Getting my novel, Sisters, polished and ready to publish

I am slowly getting there. 2018 made certain themes difficult.

3. Creating more black and white photo aesthetics

I forgot about this one, and I think this morphed into pencil sketches.

Okay, so now that’s out of the way, what do I want to do in 2019? 

I refuse to give up on Sisters just because of “the times.” I suppose this is my next fear to get over. I mean if someone doesn’t read the disclaimers I have plastered everywhere, then that is their problem. I don’t say this to be mean, but there is a frightening, growing trend of glossing over disclaimers, letters from the author, and wanting to ban books that may have something controversial in them. I’m going to be honest: this trend scared me away from Sisters for a time (no matter how fierce my disclaimer was or how Ann and Kathy began to question their environment, I was still terrified of moving forward). I ended up hiring a professional beta reader, and I’m glad I did! They gave me excellent, well written feedback that I’m going to use to improve the story.

Continue to improve my art!

Maybe make art/peg dolls a side gig and start selling it? I am giving this some serious thought!

Continue to fight my inner shyness. This has always been a struggle for me. I’ve lost count the number of times I didn’t get credit for something due to my inherent inclination to say nothing because people are scary (lol!). I made huge strides this year, especially at work (where it counts!) and want to continue this.

Here’s to hoping 2019 is a year of joy, progress, and peace!

What do you want to accomplish in 2019?

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