The Man in the High Castle

[Jeremy Blackman]

New Amazon show from Frank Spotnitz, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick. What if we lost WW2? Etc.


Has anyone been watching this? I'm on Episode 7. The pilot is pretty great, the second episode is good, but from there it gets a bit... mixed.

I'll say this, the worldbuilding is immaculate. No complaints there. The writing, however, is a little uneven. There are moments — lynchpins of episodes, even — that are so clearly telegraphed and predictable that I want to pull my hair out. I don't want this potential to be wasted.

I also have a problem with Frank, who unfortunately is a lead character. (Medium spoilers follow.) The thing is, Julianna is so effortlessly and thoroughly likable. And Frank is decidedly not. He's so freaking mean and cold to Julianna 99% of the time. Doesn't even say hi to her when she comes home, just turns the side of his face at her and stares at the wall. When she has basically been traumatized and seeks affection, he literally gives her the cold shoulder. That in particular made me viscerally angry. It genuinely approaches emotional abuse. This begins to change only in Episode 6, but it's too little too late. The pseudo-apology she managed to barely coax out of him sort of only made it worse for me. I am actively rooting for them to break up.

The acting differential between the two is perhaps a contributing factor. Frank is not exactly expertly rendered; he feels like a mopey shell of a man who is shut down most of the time and then sometimes emotes by contorting his face for a minute. Julianna is fully realized, and her performance has all manner of subtlety, especially when Frank is hurting her in those small ways. Frank needs a hard reset; I imagine a swift kick to the head would work. Is that part of Aikido?

Back to the writing. Here's one of the more egregious examples of expository dialogue:

"Joe!"
"Hey buddy, how you doing?"
"Better now!"
"Yeah? Everything okay?"
[The boy's mom chimes in] "Oh, some kids down the block were teasing him cause he doesn't have a dad."
"Well you got me, right? ... How'd you get on with that homework that we did?"

[polkablues]

Yeah, it's a weird combination of really compelling and kind of terrible. The very end of the season leaves me intrigued enough to see where they intend on going with it, though.

I have exactly opposite reactions to Frank and Juliana, by the way. Consider the events of episode two when you're judging his reaction to her returning. He earned the right to give that cold shoulder.

[Jeremy Blackman]

SPOILERS

I have exactly opposite reactions to Frank and Juliana, by the way. Consider the events of episode two when you're judging his reaction to her returning. He earned the right to give that cold shoulder.

I understand where you're coming from, and your reaction is probably closer to the intended one, but it didn't work for me in the same way. Frank earned the right to be distraught, certainly. The fact that he blames Julianna to the extent that he does is what bothers me. Well, more than that, it's that he seems to turn against her so easily. They could have talked a little, commiserated, or behaved at all like they were in this together. I think we were supposed to feel like Frank's silently boiling resentment was the inevitable byproduct of events, but it lasted sooo long and was so thoroughly cruel that it just made me hate him.

We should have seen Frank's sister and her kids at least begin to die. It hasn't sunk in for me that that actually happened, because it seemed so fake and surreal. So I don't feel like Frank's sacrifice was entirely real. That's a production failure.

After that tragedy, Frank supposedly has nothing to lose. Instead of doing something remotely useful, like helping the resistance in some way, he does the dumbest thing one could possibly do. It's not even an impulsive decision; he plans it over, what, several days? Julianna going to Canon City (after also experiencing the death of her sister) at least has a legitimate purpose. Frank's actions are emotional and idiotic. He is a child.

[Jeremy Blackman]

SPOILERS

That revelation at the doctor's office blew my head right off. Was seriously not expecting that. It's the strongest moment of the series for me so far. Had so much more impact than other more ostensibly terrifying things, like Frank almost being shot by a firing squad, or his relatives being gassed (such a wasted opportunity). Why did it work so well? Was it the way Rufus Sewell's cheek twitched? No, not really. I think it was that we were allowed to discover the truth of the situation for ourselves, more or less following the process of horrific realization that would actually happen in such a moment. Even if you don't get it at first, the doctor's words coax you into the reality of the situation, step by step. "Institutional matter." Then when he placed the syringe on the desk and started describing what should be done, my jaw was already dropped by that point, and I was like "whaaaat?!?" For a show that so frequently fails to stick the landing, this was really hardcore.

[Jeremy Blackman]

'The Man In The High Castle' Renewed By Amazon For Season 2

http://deadline.com/2015/12/the-man-in-the-high-castle-renewed-season-2-amazon-1201669352/

No surprise here — after overwhelmingly positive response from critics and fans, Amazon's original drama series The Man In The High Castle has been renewed for a second season to stream next year. Based on Philip K. Dick's alt-history novel, the series hails from creator Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files) and Ridley Scott's Scott Free. The project had been a standout at Amazon since the pilot stage, becoming the service's most-watched pilot to date.

[Jeremy Blackman]

'The Man In The High Castle' Showrunner Frank Spotnitz Exits Amazon Series

http://deadline.com/2016/05/the-man-in-the-high-castle-showrunner-frank-spotnitz-exits-amazon-series-1201759933/

Frank Spotnitz has exited The Man In The High Castle. Sources tell me that the showrunner behind the Amazon series based on Philip K Dick's 1962 alternative history novel left High Castle in the past few days after clashing with the streaming service over the production of the Season 2 of the show. No new showrunner is being brought on board to replace the Europe-based Spotnitz and the current production team will take over his responsibilities.

The sudden departure of  Spotnitz has also seen the Vancouver-shot show today go on an immediate hiatus. Right in the middle of production on High Castle's second season, that break could last up to 2-weeks. In typical fast fashion, this went down so quick that Spotnitz's UK-based Big Light Productions was happily tweeting about the show as recently as May 11:

@FrankSpotnitz  Our production design dressed Vancouver streets! #mithc @HighCastleTV #season2 #vancouver #setlife

With its tale of an America sternly ruled by victorious Axis powers, The Man In The High Castle first appeared on Amazon on January 15, 2015 after the Spotnitz developed project had bounced around unsuccessfully for several years beforehand. The deal with Amazon came just before the producers option on Dick's book was to expire the EP told the TCA last summer. With the High Castle pilot quickly became one of the most watched pieces of original content on the streaming service, Amazon picked the show up for series the next month. On November 20 last year, a full 10-episode first season debuted.