Smith is shown a world where he is happy and his son is still alive, and, most important, what his life would be like if he had made a different choice, the right choice, at every turning point in his life: not joining the Nazis, not abandoning his Jewish friend, turning away from his drive for power. We live in constant fear and anger at the world around us and those we share this world with, and while that’s a terrible way to go through life, it is, ironically, the perfect way to watch the final season of “The Man in the High Castle.” Systems we thought were firm and unbending have been shown to be weak and easily manipulated. Am I talking about the show or real life? You tell me. Police abuse of the black population, brown children dying in cages, men subjugating women, Nazis walking in broad daylight shouting, “The Jews will not replace us!” and mass shootings happening almost daily. The mainstreaming of hatred and white supremacy, democratic systems breaking down here and across the world-I no longer shudder at the horrible things that happen in this show because they are horrible, but because I can see them in real life. While we still live in a world where America won World War II and the Nazis of the 1930s and ‘40s were destroyed, I don’t view this show the same way-I can’t. I took it as a lark, a worst-case scenario fantasy. Both this show and the reality we live in have changed since the show first aired.
When “The Man in the High Castle” first premiered in 2015, it was just as the 2016 election was ramping up.
So, here we are at the end of “The Man in the High Castle.” Before we get to my recap (with spoilers!) of the season, I think we need to take a moment to reflect and look back on where we were, where we came from and where we’re going.
0 kommentar(er)
