Set in a dystopian future in which the Nazi regime won World War 2, The Man in the High Castle imagines an America split between the Nazis and Japanese Imperials.
With the two forces holding power over the United States for nearly two decades, a series of myserious film reels find their way into the hands of a woman; such films display a completely different reality to what they've been told.
In a regime riddled with lies and hidden agendas, various figures want to get their hands on the film reels by any means necessary. With the Imperial Japanese also with their own agendas, things become heated for the few civilians getting caught up in a web of manipulation and what seems to be the birth of a resistance.
The Man in the High Castle is certainly a slow burner, but it's one that performs in a successful manner as time is taken to unravel the story at large. The viewer is given time to process various happenings, to really learn about the characters and their ways, whether they're a civilian, or an Obergruppenführer within the Nazi Party, we learn not only of their agendas, but why they have such agendas. Its narrative holds a strong backbone, and it justifies the somewhat slow-feeling episodes.
Its world building allows for some incredible cinematography and structure design; detailing how our largest cities may have looked if Axis forces were in control. The various propaganda advertisements and buildings holding flags showing both their power and a reminder of who is in control. The areas in which the oppressed people live in show the true poverty of most in a society that promotes labour for the government over genuine freedom.
Over the span of ten episodes there's a lot to take in, and the show's writing is fully aware that giving the viewer time to breathe is the best way to introduce the world and narrative it has planned in future seasons. Its claustrophobic manner makes for a very thrilling experience overall.
