Whenever a television show changes show runners, the story architect in charge of the story, it’s common that the focus and tone of the story will shift. Through its four year life span, this show has had three different show runners, bringing inconsistency to one of the coolest shows I’ve seen.
The Man in the High Castle, available on Amazon Prime, is an alternate history post-World War II tale about what would have happened in America if the Axis powers won the war. East of the Rockies is controlled by the Nazis, west of the Rockies, the Japanese Empire, while the rough terrain of the Rockies themselves ends up being a neutral zone where the only real freedom still exists.
In this alternate history, films begin to appear, newsreels showing our history, with the Allies winning World War II, giving hope to those being oppressed and confusion as to how the films exist. The tale being spun is they are the creation of The Man in the High Castle, whatever that means.
The first season of The Man in the High Castle is the best season of television I’ve ever watched.
The show’s first show runner was Frank Spotnitz who, along with Ridley Scott, brought the Philip Dick novel to fruition. Spotnitz’s fingerprints on the first two seasons are evident and, in my opinion, the show suffered when he departed by Season 3.
Eric Overmyer, who also worked on Amazon’s Bosche. took over for season 3. You could see the change in focus, not only with story feel and reach, but by which characters became more important and which faded away. Season 3, though missing the Spotnitz dystopian flair, was satisfying. Yet, one couldn’t help but notice the obvious pandering to modern day social justice inclinations when they killed off some major characters while highlighting those who were suddenly living alternative lifestyles.
Daniel Percival and David Scarpa took over the show for Season 4 and this was the most jarring shift for the story arc and focus. The original love story died in Season 3 and a new one between the heroine, Juliana Crane, and a resistance fighter, moved center stage. It was interesting, but not as satisfying as the relationship the audience had been invested in through Season 1 and 2. And, at the beginning of Season 4, a beloved character is killed off camera in the first episode (I guess they didn’t want to pay the actor).
Disappointing.
Also, in this season, another societal check box was marked by introducing, as the co-main story focus, a black communist organization that was fighting behind the scenes in Japan-controlled California. It was a shame these characters popped up this late in the story arc, because they were an interesting group with talented actors.
The series still maintained powerful moments, revealing previously hidden history of some of the main characters and I was satisfied with the overall finale… until the last two minutes. The writers decided to make a vague, nonsensical open-ended ending. It was poorly considered, unacceptably explained and amateurishly executed.
It left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
Yet, this is the nature of a show that changes the show runner nearly every season. They have their own ideas on how to develop the fictional world and rarely is there a continuous through line that makes sense.
I wish such decisions about the story would have been planned out in its entirety. With binge watching now a common consumption model, it would be wise for a series to be fully sketched out before production begins. People don’t need a show to overstay its welcome. They want a series to make an impact, whether that be one or 20 seasons long.
If I had creative control of the show as a whole now, I would have had the new characters, like those in the black communist revolution, seeded back into the prior three seasons. I would have loved to see them as a rag tag group of people that are a minor sub-plot in Season 1, then become more organized and effective in Seasons 2-3, so that when Season 4 comes along, we’re not seeing them for the first time, but have been rooting for them the entire show.
Overall, The Man in the High Castle is still one of my favorite series, even if the last season was not nearly as memorable or powerful as the first two. And, if you ignore the last two minutes of the series finale, you’ll love it even more.