Anyone else watching the Man in the High Castle series?

[CoffeeCat]

I'm posting this here (and asking) because the series is political and I feel like I need a support group after watching the first two episodes.

This series is mind blowing. Very frightening depiction of what America would America be like if the Nazis had won WW2 and took over the United States.

Haunting!

If others are watching it (or have watched the entire series), I'd love to know what you thought.

Trailer:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My husband and I have now seen the first two episodes.

I find it very intense and chilling. In fact, I told my husband that I only want to see one episode a week. I can't take it any more often than that.

I haven't read the book, but the series looks well done to me.

It's scary.

[CoffeeCat]

4. Im pacing myself too, Peggy...

I binged watched Breaking Bad like a crazy person. However, like you, I am finding myself only able to tolerate one episode in a sitting.

It's very intense, complex and realistic. The production values are like nothing I've ever seen. The lighting, the scenery, wardrobe, acting, scenery--it's all so absorbing and it pulls you in. I feel like I am transported into this world because it looks and feels so real.

You are right, it is scary!

[Stevepol]

16. It may not be as scary as the reality that is unfolding every day in America.

The thread calls the program a "very frightening depiction of what America would be like if the Nazis had won WW2 and took over the United States." But the Nazis are daily winning in America and when conditions are right there will be cadres of true believers ready to bring about the changes needed for a fascist like Trump or Carson or somebody else like them to rise and send the US on a mission to destroy the unbelievers halfway across the world.

We only need to read the news of the latest "home-grown terrorist" attack at Colorado Springs to know that we are coming closer and closer to a Nazi state. It is being egged on by Fox News and the other far-right TV stations (often under the guise of fundamentalist religious networks) along with the almost universal flooding of US radio with far right fear and hatred. This is how Nazism developed in Germany and how it always develops.

We have met the enemy and he is us.

[Enthusiast]

18. It is unmistakable.

I remember the abortion clinics being firebombed with regularity under Reagan given offhanded mention in the media. Seems like the media is now ignoring the string of black church arsons.

The media almost makes light of right wing terrorism while highlighting acts by Muslims or minorities.

[applegrove]

2. Yuck. I will never watch.

[CoffeeCat]

5. It is "yuck"...but the sad truth is that...

...this series is about living under oppression--and how people behave when they are oppressed. And this series is as much about modern-day oppression and politics, as it is a dystopian fantasy.

That's what makes it so scary for me.

The series is brilliant because it compels you to scream at the tv, "But how can they just live like this and tolerate it????". But then you have to look at where our government is today and you notice--how we're tolerating quite a bit that maybe we shouldn't--and that deference could lead to dire results (much like we see in the series).

It's also haunting how much of life appears normal. People go to work. People live in the suburbs with their white-picket fences. People are driving cars and going about their business. The streets are busy. However, the undercurrent of oppression runs deep.

Again--begging the question, how deep is our own undercurrent, how much are we being desensitized or accustomed to it and how much worse can it get? And what are we going to do about it?

Just so thought provoking.

[TransitJohn]

6. Lol

Nice display of prejudice. Do you realize that the source material won a Hugo?

[Marrah_G]

9. Not sure why you would say yuck without seeing any of it

[tkmorris]

3. Haven't yet, but I will

Because I love Philip K. Dick. I am a little apprehensive though because Dick never seems to get translated well to movies or TV. What do you think Albert? Does the show capture the vibe Dick laid down in the book or no?

[nationalize the fed]

7. SInce Ridley Scott is one of the main producers

it's a bit like Blade Runner. Excellent visuals, and there's a dream like quality to the episodes I've seen. There are some differences with the book but for the most part it's a decent adaptation.



Scott was originally going to make this a 4 part BBC series but that fell through and this is what took its place. Some have commented that the story drags a bit in the middle (the result of stretching 4 episodes into 10) but I don't think so so far, anyway (I'm on 5).

Personally I think it's the best US tv in months or years. Here's a great source for show recaps and other info: https://www.reddit.com/r/maninthehighcastle/

[Marrah_G]

8. I watched the whole thing and want more

I thought it was awesome and thought provoking and I really loved to see classic scifi/dystopian fiction made into such a well done series.

[SadWingsOfDestiny]

10. It is good to expose folks to these thought experiments.

For example, I am thrilled that my teenage daughter takes interest in "The Hunger Games".

I want her to ponder what oppression might be like.

[beam me up scottie]

11. I love ... the author so I'll have to check this out.

Seriously this looks like a great series, thanks!

[Behind the Aegis]

28. You will enjoy it.

It is interesting to hear the hate of "Semites" (Jews) intertwined in dialogue. Frightening similarities. If you have an Amazon Fire, link it, it gives great facts throughout the show.

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. Youtube; The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick Audiobook Full

Youtube; The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick Audiobook Full

A pretty good reading of the complete novel
eight hours long

The Man in the High Castle (1962) is an alternate history novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. The novel is set in 1962, fifteen years after the end of a fictional longer Second World War (1939–1947). It concerns intrigues between the victorious Axis Powers—Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany—as they rule over the former U.S., as well as daily life under the resulting totalitarian Fascist and imperialistic rule.


Reported inspirations for the work include Ward Moore's alternate Civil War history, Bring the Jubilee (1953), various classic World War II histories, and the I Ching (which is referenced in the novel). The novel includes the construction of a novella within the novel that constitutes an alternate history within this alternate history (wherein the Allied Powers defeat the Axis Powers, though in a manner distinct from this actual historical outcome). The Man in the High Castle won a Science Fiction Achievement Award (Hugo Award) in 1963

I binged watch the whole TV series be sure to check out IMBD
and the trivia section in each episode because they supply a lot of
good info on the series and the book and the great production values they used

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1740299/

Also you can read the book on line if you prefer

http://www.modernlanguageexperiment.org/assets/philip_k_dick_-_the_man_in_the_high_castle.pdf

[exboyfil]

13. Give a nod to Jack London's

The Iron Heel

[Xipe Totec]

14. I'm having to re-watch episodes several times to capture the subtler nuances

There's a lot going on visually and plot-wise and there's a lot of foreshadowing. So I'm often force to look at earlier episodes to see the evolution of the threads.

It is not a kiddie show.

[CoffeeCat]

19. I'll watch episode 3 today...

...and my 14 and 15 year old daughters are watching. They are riveted, and the series has sparked a great deal of discussion.

They're both interested in world affairs/history--living with two progressive, politically active parents. We discuss politics nearly every night at the dinner table and they usually bring up the subject.

In fourth grade my oldest had to dress up as a "famous person" and she picked Anne Frank. Both girls are very aware of what happened during the Holocaust, and have remained mystified as to how something like that could happen.

Given all of this, I am hoping that it is teen-appropriate. I'm watching with them.

[Xipe Totec]

22. Critics say the series doesn't really take off until episode 6. So if you like it already,

get ready for a wild ride.

[MADem]

15. Enjoying the hell out of it. It's nicely done!!! nt

[joshcryer]

17. It's great, I don't get the hate for it.

Seeing a lot of people say the characters are one dimensional and crap. Hello? They're Nazi's! The people are under a Nazi regime! I think the characters are perfect for this show.

[CoffeeCat]

20. Also, when I watch the show...

...and whenever I see the swastika, I have a visceral reaction. The symbol is not only on the military garb, but it's on buildings, neon signs, product packaging and in other random places.

I find myself seething and thinking, "How DARE THEY!!"

Same with the Nazi garb. The uniform/hats/symbols.

It's all very jarring to see those evil symbols as a routine part of everyday life.

[ThoughtCriminal]

21. Watched the entire season

yes, it's very grim, but well worth watching.

[DavidDvorkin]

23. It's gripping

But I hated the ending.

I read the book ages ago and don't remember it. That's probably a good thing; the TV series is quite different from the book.

[trumad]

24. I love the series...

You m a sucker for good writing and great acting. This show has both.

Lots of great television nowadays..

[Lionel Mandrake]

25. I read the novel and am watching the series.

Philip K. Dick was arguably the best science fiction writer of his time. His writing is so good that it shows up in reading lists for classes taught in the English departments of colleges and universities. Several of his other stories have been adapted for movies and TV shows.

I watched the first two episodes of "The Man in the High Castle" when they became available earlier this year. The powers that be at Amazon.com determined from audience reactions that it would be worthwhile to produce the rest of the season, but the remaining episodes were not available until this November, by which time my wife had become intrigued and decided she wanted to watch the show. I didn't mind watching the first two episodes again with her. The episodes are complex and well worth repeating. Now I'm waiting for her to recover from episode 2 (see her post in this thread) so we can watch episode 3.

To my mind, the most intriguing character in episodes 1 and 2 is SS Obergruppenführer John Smith. His discussion with his son at the dinner table is truly chilling. Smith shows great physical courage when he and another SS officer are ambushed by the resistance (which reminds me of the fact that the personification of evil, Adolf Hitler, was a decorated war hero). Obergruppenführer Smith is a complex character, not a caricature.

AFAIK this show is available only through Amazon streaming. We get it for free, because I subscribe to Amazon Prime. I buy a lot of books and other merchandise from Amazon.com and save money by not having to pay separately for shipping. The free streaming is icing on the cake.

[Doubledee]

26. Read the novel

a rather long time ago. It was written by Phillip K. Dick, a brilliant author unfortunately afflicted with schizophrenia throughout his life.

It has been my experience that the novel is always superior to the movie or, in this case, the series. But that is only my own opinion. I did begin to watch episode one but could not stay with it.

[yuiyoshida]

27. I did watch the first two episodes...

I don't know where to see the remainder, so if anyone wishes, please post a link to the remaining episodes. Of course, there is another series I am watching right now, with a more upbeat vibe...and I totally love it.

[lunatica]

29. Amazon.com is where you watch it

If you have Prime (you pay once for no shipping costs for a year plus you get all kind of discounts and this series for free). The show is created by Amazon.com.