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Last week Amazon released the last season The Man in The High Castle and its conclusion received a lot of mixed reactions, to which we will add our own.
Season 3 ended when Reichsmarschall John Smith (Rufus Sewell) shot Juliana (Alexa Davalos) when she was escaping from imprisonment by seemingly crossing to another timeline. In the first minutes of the season, we learned that she had indeed successfully traveled to another universe, where she meets that world’s John and Thomas Smith (Quinn Lord). The episode quickly jumps a year into the future, where the Black Communist Rebellion (BCR), led by Bell Mallory (Frances Turner) is slowly gaining ground against the Japan Pacific States (JPS), whilst the Rebellion, led by Wyatt Price (Jason O’Mara) is trying to fight the Reich, with no success.
Personally, I’m divided about this season. While getting the satisfaction of seeing some of the characters’ arcs completed, there are instrumental characters missing in this season, characters who were key in the development of this story. Their absence is felt throughout the season and viewers don’t get the closure needed to say goodbye to them. However, there are also a couple of nice surprises, characters that previously didn’t particularly stand out now, who now have come to their own and became the most interesting parts of these last episodes.
The greatest weak point of this season is the pacing, it feels too rushed. The story reaches an inflection point in the last episodes, where one expects this explosive resolution but instead, we get a quiet, albeit dramatic, ending. This can be a matter of great discussion, as this show isn’t really about that action and drama, it is very much introspective, thought-provoking and such an ending is fitting in that aspect. Nevertheless, it feels as though the story needed a bit more time.
I do have to say this series was criminally underrated and didn’t get the attention such a production deserved. Yes, it was quite uncomfortable to watch at times, seeing such horror being carried out, but that’s where the heart of the story lies. It reminds us that such atrocities did occur and even though we think we’ve learned from history, the danger of them happening again is still very much present. It is in our hands to stand up to injustice, fight for what is right and prevent them from becoming reality once again.
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