This weekend, A.V. Club contributor Shelby Fero is watching all of the first season of The Man In The High Castle on Amazon Prime. After she’s finished with an episode, she’ll post a quick response. Though she’s working straight through the season, she’ll be taking some breaks, too, posting two reviews on Friday, four reviews on Saturday, and four reviews on Sunday. Weigh in on this episode in the comments below or discuss the whole season on our binge-watching hub page.
Here’s where we stand, about a third of the way through the series:
- There’s a new, sinister presence in the form of a bounty hunter called “The Marshal”
- Juliana and Joe dispose of the dead agent’s body together, discovering a list of rebels that includes Juliana’s boss at the diner
- Tensions continue to boil below the surface in the Pacific States, between Japanese and Nazi commanders
- Joe has serious daddy issues
Continuing its slow pace, this episode sees most of our heroes and villains dealing with the consequences of their actions in very human ways: Frank tells his brother-in-law that his family won’t be coming home, Joe and Juliana clean up their mess, and the Oberfurher learns how annoying it is to babysit somebody tripping on LSD.
Throwing in The Marshal as a new evil—as well as the Crown Prince and Princess as new neutrals—helps to keep our interest, but I gotta admit… I wanna know what’s up with those videos! Ya hooked me, television show, now gimme a little something! Wink at me and mention that you heard The Man in the High Castle’s name is “Stan!” Anything!
So, Frank’s a big character. It’s fascinating to watch an ensemble show decide who and what’s important enough to set up, and when. After the pilot, it would’ve been easy to dismiss him as the forgotten-about ex (possibly with a grudge). But after murdering his whole family it’s clear that he’s not going away quickly. It’s difficult; Frank kind of sucks. It’s nice to see a show about a resistance movement that provides a voice of reason and concern that most average people would have, but, still: Frank kind of sucks. But he’s got a wild set of cheekbones—and, now, a gun—so I’m willing to see where this all goes.
Grade: B+
Questions: Is it okay to be “black” if you’re born albino? During the Holocaust, did people with Jewish heritage who looked extremely Aryan have a chance to be accepted, or hidden? I should brush up on my AP Euro textbook.
Fears: The Marshal’s southern accent will get thicker and thicker until only horses and stacks of hay fall out when he opens his mouth.
Last thing: Carl should’ve kept his goddamn mouth shut, huh?