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Stardate 11.29.2019.A: Reichs Will Fall! A Reflection of 'The Man In The High Castle' Season 4

11/29/2019

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History fascinates me.  Coming to understand how what has come before largely shapes the road we’re all traveling on has driven me personally to seek out a handful of books on the American Revolution, the ‘great experiment’ that was U.S. Prohibition, and the era up to and surrounding World War II.  A man much wiser than I once proclaimed that those who failed to grasp our collective past would be doomed to repeat it; and – for the record – there’s no finer genre than that of Science Fiction to truly examine and exploit that premise.
 
Indeed, Alternate History has fueled much of SciFi’s growth beyond its core audience over the last few decades.  Books like Harry Turtledove’s “The Guns Of The South,” Stephen King’s “11/22/63,” and Robert Harris’ “Fatherland” were popular both with established genre fans as well as readers who tend to traffic in more mainstream fare largely because they explored alternate outcomes for seminal events in history such as the American Civil War, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and World War II respectively.  Motion pictures like Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards (2009) presented an unconventional look into events that never quite took place during World War II; while flicks like The Final Countdown (1980) and the crowd-friendly Frequency (2000) questioned the morality of tampering with fate – even at its worst – in order to produce a more acceptable outcome.  Even television has gotten into the business with programs like the BBC’s long-running Doctor Who, NBC’s Quantum Leap, Fox’s Slider, and UPN’s Seven Days questioning how a timeline’s subtle reshaping can produce devastating outcomes that reverberate across the space/time continuum.  While I’m not suggesting each of these are perfect examples of Alternative History as its own unique category, I am underscoring that all of them share that unifying thread of “what if” that almost magically captivates us all … and will likely do so as long as storytellers weave webs for interested audiences.
 
Arguably, one of the better authors of the 20th Century to explore whole ‘what if’ perspective as it relates to Alternative History was the late Philip K. Dick.  His “The Man In The High Castle” served as the inspiration for Amazon Prime’s streaming program of the same name, and the show recently bowed out of its original broadcast existence with the release of its fourth (and final) season.

​I thought it apropos to sound off on it just a bit.
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(NOTE: in the interest of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the following review will contain MAJOR SPOILERS necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or characters.  If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to stop reading right now.  You’ve been warned.  If, however, you’re accepting of some modest discussion into the shape of things, then read on …)

At the end of Season 3, Juliana Crane (played by Alexa Davalos) discovered that she had mastered the ability to move mentally between the various universes, thus escaping the clutches of the Third Reich but not without injury.  As Season 4 opens, time has passed, wounds have healed, and yet our heroine finds herself still drawn to world of her birth with a desire to set things right.  Eventually, an attempt on her life by universe-hopping agents serving Obergruppenführer John Smith (Rufus Sewell) propel her back into the Prime world, where she enacts a dangerous plan to end Smith’s reign once and for all.

Without divulging too many secrets (though I’ve already warned that there will be spoilers), not everyone returns to the popular program’s final season.  Fan favorites are noticeably absent (some departures serve as essential plot points while others don’t), and I found it hard not to be affected by their nonappearance.  Much of the High Castle’s past narrative appeal has been these characters’ various explorations of their own personal humanity and their struggle to maintain it when the greater world-at-large encourages an easier savageness (Nazism) or outright apathy (accepting one’s fate).  As a result, there’s nearly no discussion of the Jewish plight (much less any discussions of faith except to the state), but maybe that was by design: after all, the Nazis weren’t all that fond of the Jewish people, now were they?  Perhaps they'd wiped them all out by now?
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In its place, the showrunners and writing staff inserted a greater emphasis on race relations than what had come to the show before.  (Apparently, the Japanese occupation of America’s West Coast is now only possible via black labor, with little to no explanation as to what happened to all of the ‘white folk.’)  It’s all handled poorly, almost with a wink-and-a-nod: “this is the 1960’s, and American History of the 60’s was all about race relations.”  There’s even a ‘Martin Luther King’ substitute – a revolutionary named Equiano Hampton – whose assassination fuels much of the Black Communist Rebellion (BCR) and its insurgent agenda, calling for a “black state” of its own or there will be no peace.

Don’t get me wrong when I say that I thought all of this could’ve been handled better: and – just to be perfectly clear – my point has nothing to do with race, race relations, or people of any color (though I’ve no doubt some readers may infer otherwise).  All I’m trying to say is that given the show’s history – race had really only come up tangentially in previous seasons – much of the final season’s West Coast storyline felt like clunky posturing.  These developments never felt natural and organic, while the demise of the Japanese interest in occupying America against a growing militant threat did; and I think that narrative disconnect does a disservice to a more serious discussion of race the show could’ve easily begun earlier … but methinks no one thought of it until they knew they needed something of lasting critical import for their swan song of a season.

Now, if that’s nitpicking, so be it.  Nitpicking is a great way to voice frustration over something one cares about, and The Man In The High Castle has been a fascination of mine (and a growing audience) since developed on Amazon.  Even casual fans care about stories; political posturing at the last minute – regardless of who’s doing it or what program it’s a part of – cheapens a story whenever it’s tried.  Why?  Well, I’d say mainly because it pushes solely the ideological elements therein … and hasn’t that been our complaint against Fascism since it reared its ugly head?

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For those who thought High Castle was never a show somewhat grounded in politics, methinks many of them missed the big point: Fascism – of all kinds – is very real.  (Simply put, a Nazi invasion is just as morally repugnant as is the political silencing of a single voice.)  In fact, I’d argue that Facism has been, continues to be, and will always be mankind’s pervasive Achilles’ heel.  It takes so many forms that it’s rarely properly identified (although it’s long been the province of the intellectual class to align it with right-leaning philosophies); and perhaps not everyone understands the nuances of social, cultural, and political oppression … yet that doesn’t make it any less possible or dangerous.  A show predicated on not only what could’ve happened had the Nazis won World War II and reshaped the planet but also exploring the existence of countless other possibilities certainly requires a solid grasp on the political ramifications, though I’d be willing to concede that maybe Castle’s writers refrained from hitting that single drum once too often and/or once too loudly.  Still, I heard it.  I think others did, too.
 
And speaking about Fascists, what of John Smith?
 
Well, he fares about as well as any central villain can in any genre program.
 
He’s a flawed man who for reasons finally spelled out rather brilliantly in Season 4 has tied his, his family's, and his country’s future not so much to Nazi Germany as he has to his never-ending quest for power.  With a name as common as ‘John Smith,’ methinks everyone knew his original fall from grace wasn’t going to be about grand schemes (though there is one here, which I’ll get to shortly).  Instead, it was simply all over the need to be a good provider.  When history called, Smith traded his humanity for bread and water.  Given the circumstances, it’s an understandable betrayal but nonetheless necessary to put him on a path where turning one’s back on principle becomes the status quo.
 
Consequently, his moral epiphanies along the way up the political ladder are swallowed whole by his own wretched greed.  Just when you think he’s learned his lesson, he proves otherwise, as is the case when the Jewish soldier he once aided he now deserts.  He does this not because he’s written that way; rather, he does it to underscore that absolute power always has and always will corrupts absolutely.  History accepts no less.

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Unfortunately, Smith’s personal journey is also interrupted this season by High Castle’s writing staff with the introduction of a plot twist so unanticipated, so world-changing, so massive that even M. Night Shyamalan may’ve given it pause: he manages to singlehandedly outsmart the entire Third Reich.  I won’t spoil it more than that, other than to say it’s a hard pill to swallow for those of us who’ve been watching closely across four seasons.  It happens, no matter how much I might disagree with it, and I'll let it be.
 
And, what, pray tell, of the ending?
 
Anyone who’s followed the media surrounding High Castle’s conclusion has undoubtedly stumbled across articles which try to “explain” the finale’s closing moments, some writers even going so far as to ask the showrunners what it all meant: third season’s portal between the parallel worlds has somehow mystically opened up across the various universes, and now regular Joes and Jills are simply walking willy-nilly into the Prime one.  Was this meant to mean something greater about choice and chance, or will this go down in media history as Castle’s ‘jump the shark’ moment?

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Well ...

​​As humans, we possess an intellectual inclination to ascribe ‘meaning’ to events.  (Here’s where I get a bit philosophical, and – be warned again – others may disagree.  Such is life.)  We do this not because it’s a display of intelligence but rather because grasping the ever elusive ‘meaning’ implies that we understand it.  We understand Life.  We understand Fate.  We may not like it.  We don’t have to accept it.  But if we understand something, then we establish dominance over it.  Psychologically, this gives each of us the ability to get beyond tragedies and failures, and it also causes us to celebrate our respective achievements along the way.  We convince ourselves that ‘this’ happened only because ‘that’ happened first, and such rationalizations are the bedrock of truly being able to get through all of it intact.
 
Still, the wiser among us are quick to remind that accidents happen, and accidents are rarely if ever predicated solely on the results of happy little equations.
 
So do those last scenes mean anything?
 
Personally, I think not.
 
What I do think is that the writers were intent upon saying something cumulatively about the journey they shared with their audience, and perhaps this is all they could agree on.  (I’m of a mind nothing more was really needed after Smith’s self-inflicted departure as that told me all I really needed to know about what awaits most despots.)  Maybe it was an attempt to flesh out a measure of happiness from a tale so heavily steeped in dire circumstances, political skullduggery, and cultural oppression.  Or maybe it was an honest trick to show that every cloud has a silver lining, even a cloud brought to mankind by the National Socialist German Workers’ Party.
 
You give it the meaning you want.  I’ll give it whatever meaning I want.  ‘Nuff said.
 
Juliana’s struggle – finding her place in history in a world suddenly rife with possibility – managed to retain as much gusto as it had in Season 1; and, for that, I suppose viewers will always be happy with much of High Castle.  As often as she was the victim here, she pushed back to display only the best of her individuality.  She’s the hero, the waif, and the Kingslayer, all rolled up in one, though she never quite understood which role she was meant to play until History called upon her to complete the deed.
 
I’d like to think that’s who we all are.
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Stardate 11.18.2019.A: SciFi Shout-Out to The Web's Doux Reviews

11/18/2019

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In my travels across the vast Information Superhighway, I'm always stumbling across some of the neatest places I've never seen previously.  When I find something of interest, I do try to share it in this space with a respectable SciFi Shout-Out ...and today's is this nifty little corner of the web called Doux Reviews.

Essentially, Doux is this media review site that heavily leans toward genre properties like Star Trek, Doctor Who, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer (with many, many more also in tow); and it's writers are actively engaged in penning summaries and reviews regarding individual episodes.  For example, I was this morning search for a photograph I could use for a classic Doctor Who adventure: Google turned up one that lead me directly to one of Doux's writers waxing on about the strengths and weaknesses of that particular episode.  I ended up spending about twenty minutes shuffling around their site, checking out the who's, what's, and where's they've collected; and I have to say that I'm impressed with the quality of work.  As happens, some of it is a bit brief and flashy, but much of it is very respectful of what the storytellers are trying to tell us in some of the best hours (and half-hours) in the history of television ... and beyond.

Episode reviews are something I'd love to (eventually) add to SciFiHistory.Net's pages as well.  In the meantime, I'm happy to have found another place that enjoys genre work as much as I do.

Check them out!  You can find their mainpage right here.

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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Stardate 11.13.2019.A: In Memoriam - Virginia Leith

11/13/2019

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Growing up when I did, our family didn't have the luxury of what the modern household provides for entertainment.  These days, practically any program or motion picture is available at the click of a button; and future streaming promises to push the boundaries even more with each passing day.

But back in my youth, our television was lucky to receive six channels ... and even that was questionable if our town was hit with the occasional thunderstorm.  Naturally, you had the three major networks, and local affiliate stations would supplement the big choices with smaller, syndicated, and largely forgettable fare.  It was these secondary channels that held much of my interest for they'd play cartoons and kid-friendly live-action adventures -- many of them imported from Japan and the United Kingdom.

Well, it was on this podunk channel that I first discovered the beauty of 1962's The Brain That Wouldn't Die from Rex Carlton Productions.  In it, poor Virginia Leith was reduced to little more than a head (see picture above): her character was killed in a car crash, and her boyfriend -- a scientist on the cutting edge of tomorrow -- created a means to keep her alive so that he could find a replacement body.

Essentially, the movie was a twist on the classic Frankenstein mythos, and -- for her part -- Leith did a masterful job at emoting just as much as she could to keep the audience believing that the impossible was possible.  I've read that -- behind the scenes -- the actress hated the movie and her experience making it; and who could blame her?  She spends the bulk of the action clearly immobile with her head wrapped in bandages, and I can't imagine those circumstances alone would've made for a great day at work.

For some reason, it seemed like this particular movie was always playing on that channel.  I must've watched it a dozen times as a young'un.  Even though I'd seen it before, it kept my interest each and every time it came on the Boob Tube.  As formative experiences go, I probably should've turned out a serial killer -- or maybe a brain surgeon -- but I digress ...

I read this morning that the lovely Ms. Leith passed away recently at the ripe ol' age of 94.  For what was once just a head, that's no small reward.  May she rest in peace now that she's no longer actively portrayed 'in pieces.'

As always, thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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Stardate 11.08.2019: Buck Rogers' First Season Adventure "Flight Of The War Witch" Screencapped for the ages!

11/8/2019

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Those of us who seriously love our Science Fiction tend to seriously love "screencaps" of those particular episodes.  It's a somewhat daunting and time-intensive process -- you'd never imagine the number of actors and actresses who manage to somehow miraculously blink at the same time -- so I don't go about it as often as I'd like but, rather, squeeze it in when I have a few precious moments to give.  I won't bother you with how long it takes because -- at the end of the day -- celebrating SciFi is a labor of love as much as it is blood, sweat, and tears.

In any event, I took an afternoon (or more) to finally capture the fabulous first season ending "Flight Of The War Witch" from Buck Rogers In The 25th Century's first season, and parties interested in checking them out can do so by following the link right here.  Be warned: there's a lot of images there, so it might take some time for the entire page to load.  You may even have to hit refresh a time or two in order to see all of them.  Such is the nature of data.

So ... Happy Friday!  Thanks for reading ... and live long and prosper!
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