The Man in the High Castle

What a blast. A series with a retro vibe that revisits a past that never happened. Great theme and script, with great acting performances, held together by an excellent soundtrack. I couldn't tear myself away from the first season. Plus, the creators cast Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, my favorite B-movie bad guy, so they got on my good side and made me turn a blind eye to certain things that struck me as rather odd. The strange developments in technology, for instance. While planes and automobiles have advanced since the end of the war, small arms have not. Walther 38s and Erma-Werke MP40s are still in use. Despite the minor flaws and the first season’s weird finale, I can't go lower than a 5. I’m looking forward to the next season. // After having finished the series, let me just add that I found Season 4 somewhat underwhelming. Especially the finale was badly written. It's a shame, otherwise, this show was exactly my kind of thing. (01.09.2016)

I was very satisfied with Season 2. I was worried that it might be a significant downgrade after the first season as is often the case, but despite a few weaker moments I was very pleased overall. I'm sure I've said this before, but the premise is very close to my heart. The writing is excellent and captures the gulf between the two superpowers perfectly. As for the cast, I want to highlight Rufus Sewell, I enjoyed every scene he was in. To sum it up, the season was excellent, I enjoyed it and can’t wait to see the next one. (06.11.2017)

The first episode of the second season solidly followed on from the previous series not only in terms of the plot but also the atmosphere. In addition, it surprised with action scenes that I didn't expect, I was rather counting on a larger portion of planning in dark corners and alleyways. (05.11.2017)

The fact is that after two episodes of the new season, I have nothing to complain about, the creators have kept everything good from the first season and added action scenes as a bonus, so I'm enjoying it and I hope the series will continue in the same direction. Just a small note: the end of the episode reminded me of several movies that ended in a very similar way (for example, No Escape from the more recent ones). (05.11.2017)

I'm starting to question if I am too uncritical towards the series. The problem is that I really enjoy the theme with an alternative end to the war, besides the creators have done a really good job here in my opinion, so I have great difficulties taking away stars. So far, I'm having a great time. (05.11.2017)

The fourth episode was slightly weaker compared to previous parts, there was less action, which I expected, but I missed more illegal activity, which was limited only to drilling into a bomb. On the other hand, I was surprised at how close the resistance is to football, even here, the jerseys were exchanged after the action ended. (05.11.2017)

Well, please, one well-placed death and things are happening right away, as if someone had kicked an anthill. Although this time there was no major action, unless we count the final retribution of Obergruppenführer Smith, there was still something to watch, because the scheming was in full swing. A very high-quality episode. (06.11.2017)

Excellent, the final episode of the second season turned out exactly as I imagined. Intrigues and power struggles dominated the entire episode, and Rufus Sewell seemed to truly enjoy his role. And now, the dreaded waiting begins again... (06.11.2017)

Not even Season 3 was a disappointment, excluding the unfortunate fourth episode. Thankfully, it was just a one-off slip of the creators, who otherwise kept up the good work, making the series entertaining as usual. It is definitely not intended for fans of frantic action scenes. The pace of the story remained rather slow as usual, but I was okay with that since the plot and dialogue were interesting enough. Again, I have to highlight Rufus Sewell's performance, without which it wouldn't be the same. (13.01.2019)

If it were an episode of a different series, I would definitely rate it four stars and complain about the slow pace and possibly weaker action, but it's The Man from the High Castle, I always rate subjectively, so it's worth five pieces. The pace was really slow, but that's kind of part of this series, there was also not much action, but I enjoyed every conversation and the creators immediately addressed my complaint about the lack of proper weapon development in the first scene, gentlemen Heckler & Koch obviously stepped up their game. (11.01.2019)

Alright, this episode was a bit too slow even for me. The happenings (or lack thereof) in the Smith family dragged down the pace, though I understand the reason and appreciate the effort to delve into Helen’s perspective. SS-Oberstgruppenführer John Smith remained the standout character as usual. The CGI team almost brought Yamato back to life, with just a few details off — probably from post-war reconstruction. (11.01.2019)

Things took a turn for the better, allowing me to give it a full rating again. The story progressed nicely, there were some interesting encounters, and I learned more about the relationship between the films and real life. Overall, I was thoroughly entertained, which is what matters. (11.01.2019)

Well, that was an unpleasant surprise. It felt like the creators weren’t sure what to give us, resulting in a strangely inconsistent episode that was all over the place. I didn’t learn anything particularly new. (12.01.2019)

The previous episode left me disappointed, but this one turned things around for me. Rufus Sewell got more screen time and proved once again that John Smith is an indispensable character (at least for me). The story took an interesting turn, and the resolutions were truly satisfying. (12.01.2019)

I was satisfied once again. I have a soft spot for villains — they’re usually much more interesting. I enjoyed the storylines of Chief Inspector Kido and John Smith, while Frank Frink didn't grab my attention until the end. The intertwining of both celebrations was perfect. (12.01.2019)

This episode was less action-packed, but paradoxically, I found it extremely interesting. The story progressed in a very intriguing way, finally addressing some of the most important themes. The entire episode had a great atmosphere, and I couldn’t tear myself away. (12.01.2019)

While the previous episode thrilled me with its interesting developments, this one felt a bit stagnant. Apart from the border crossing, it focused more on less significant storylines. On a positive note, the tension between the Reich and the Empire escalated, and it's clear that Mr. Tagomi takes his kendo very seriously. (13.01.2019)

In my last review, I mentioned a slight stagnation in the plot. This time, there's no chance of that happening. The events picked up nicely, bringing more action and tension than usual for this series. I just hope the creators have saved something exciting for the season finale. (13.01.2019)

Well, they certainly delivered. The final episode was packed with interesting dialogue and events. The Reich's machine for controlling worlds strongly reminded me of the Perchorsk Project from Lumley's Necroscope series (note: this is a book series). I was also struck by the level of effort the Reich forces put into eliminating one elderly French lady. (13.01.2019)

When I was rating the individual episodes of the final season, I got carried away twice. My overall rating got as high as four stars, but it was definitely the weakest season. It really pissed me off a couple of times, and it really couldn’t compare with the previous ones. And what a botched ending... 4*- (25.01.2020)