The Man in the High Castle
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How do you end a four-season show based on a what-if premise?
How do you endThe Man in the High Castlein way that feels resonant and faithful to what came before?
Of course, we have to start with John Smith.
He knows he made the wrong decisions.
He wasnt just a victim of difficult circumstances, he was complicit in destruction, death, and murder.
As his wife points out to him, he failed everyone in his life.
Its this realization that leads to his suicide, and the most satisfying arc from premiere to finale.
This was a show about people inspired by an alternate reality to change their world.
That same alternate reality only proved to John Smith that he was a monster.
While were on the Smith family, lets talk about Helen.
Chelah Horsdal did consistent, underrated work as a counter to Johns evil.
The best scene in the finale (and maybe the season) really delineates Helen and John.
Helen is aghast she would never ruin her sons life by bringing him here.
So how did she get here?
In terms of writing and development, Juliana was the major weakness ofHigh Castle,especially this season.
The performances here were solid, but it all felt a bit underdeveloped.
Some elements here felt like too little, too late.
If you think about it, this arc is kind of the inverse of John Smiths.
Could people who died in the camps post-WWII in a world where the Nazis won walk through?
Is it even possible that the Doppelganger Dilemma of the portal is now defunct?
Hawthorne isnt willing to wait he heads to the other side, likely in search of his wife.
Its time for him to stop dreaming and start searching.
Join the Resistance
MVP of the series has to be Rufus Sewell.
But to whom would you give runner-up?
Overall, Id say Rupert Evans never got quite the credit he deserved.
For the final season, it would have to be Joel de la Fuente or Brennan Brown.
They were both very strong.
Do you wish the show wasnt over?
They left just enough threads dangling for a fifth season to be developed, at least in fanfiction.
Does Childan find happiness in Japan?
What happens to Jennifer and Amy Smith with their parents dead?
Could they find happiness in the alt-world with a still-alive Helen and (for now) Thomas?
How does Kidos Yakuza employment play out?
How does the development of the Negro State progress?
We wouldnt want a show like this to end too definitively.
Although that balance is tough.
Thanks so much for reading all these years.
Its been fun writing about this show, and I really appreciate those who have read every recap.
