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- Written by: Ky Johnson | Features Editor
- Category: Reviews
It’s been almost a year since we first went nuts over the pilot, but on November 20th, Amazon Prime premiered all ten episodes of its first season of The Man in the High Castle and it was well worth the wait. We here at XFN are here to tell you if you never buy a single thing, every penny of that Prime membership will be money well spent. If you read no further, read this: Man in the High Castle is the must-watch new show of the season.
In Frank Spotnitz’ and Ridley Scott’s new drama, it’s 1962, in the former United States of America, and the characters are living in an alternate universe where the Axis has won World War II by beating the US to the atom bomb and devastating Washington D.C. This is no idealized Mad Men type of show, people. This is a gritty look at what might have been.
The country is split into two, with the Nazis controlling the East, Japan controlling the West, and an ungoverned and somewhat Wild West-like Neutral Zone splitting the country at the Rockies. To make matters worse, the two former partners are locked in something of a cold war themselves and Hitler’s rumoured impending death might be the lightning needed to spark the fire.
Post WWII America is not a particularly happy place for our main characters, or for the population in general; the post-war peace is shaky and Americans are oppressed from both sides. Some accept the occupying forces, some even seem to embrace their new lifestyle, but there’s an active resistance made up of people who remember how things used to be and they intend to fight.
Juliana (Alexa Davalos) and Joe (Luke Kleintank), our main characters, are drawn together by a separate but mutual quest revolving around the underground opposition: deliver a newsreel that depicts an alternate history where the Allies have won the war. The films are highly sought-after, especially by the Nazi’s, who won’t rest until they are all destroyed. Not much is known about the newsreels other than a mysterious man known only as “The Man in the High Castle” is possibly behind them.
The attention to detail and world-building in this gloomy and intense series is stunning and the visuals will blow you away. The narrative is swift but effectively played, weaving multiple storylines into a fluid whole that leaves you on the edge of your seat and wondering who you can trust. Though the action is fairly low in this series, it's the quiet moments that draw you in and keep a low-level hum of dread thrumming in your veins.
Hit the jump for a spoiler-filled recap and more in-depth review of episode one.
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- Written by: Sophie Brown | Staff Writer
- Category: Reviews
This week on Millennium, Frank Black visits North Dakota in an attempt to prevent the birth of a psychosexual killer who has been mutilating horses. Read our recap of "Broken World" after the jump.
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- Written by: Avi Quijada | Editor-In-Chief
- Category: Reviews
Did you catch this week's Scorpion? We did and here's our recap and review! Click after the jump for our rambly thoughts about "Cuba Libre."
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- Written by: Sophie Brown | Staff Writer
- Category: Reviews
When we last left Mulder and Scully they were facing an ultimatum: which one of them would die first? Read after the jump for our recap of “Home of The Brave” Part two: “A Question of Ownership”.
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- Written by: Sophie Brown | Staff Writer
- Category: Reviews
This week on Millennium, Frank Black faces his demons, more literally than most people. Find out more after the jump in our recap of "Powers, Principalities, Thrones, and Dominions".
Read more: Millennium Monday: Recap of 'Powers, Principalities, Thrones, and Dominions'