Preview: The Man in the High Castle

Six episodes into The Man in the High Castle... Might sound strange, but I think this is a show my grandpa would have really liked. Lots of cool spy/espionage stuff that I really haven't seen done quite this way in a show before... It feels very tense and dangerous, just like what you might imagine a Nazi/Japan-conquered United States might be.

I find all the alternate history fascinating, and if you listen closely, you can hear subtle differences in the pop music that plays during scenes... It's eerie and unsettling. I find myself being creeped out by the stories they're *not* telling you. Makes you ask a lot of questions about this world and what exactly went on with the American culture post-WWII.

This isn't a "review" as I'm not done watching the show yet. I will say something interesting about this show is it has a very valid excuse for not being too diverse as far as race goes. Haha. Man, it's horrible...

But there's actually a lot more diversity than you'd think--especially Asian diversity, which in this world seems like a silly concept; they basically replace white people as the dominant race while white people are treated like black people once were. It's quite trippy.

Anyway, I will continue to watch more, but I really love this show now... I should also note that considering my occupation, I was naturally thinking of ideas for t-shirt designs while watching this... but considering the subject matter, that should prove quite the challenge. I don't think anybody wants to wear a Swastika on their chest.

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ASIDE POINT...

I was also wondering what the significance was of using Bing Crosby's version of "Mack the Knife" in The Man in the High Castle when Bobby Darin's version is really the only true version worth listening to, especially considering how big of a hit it was by 1962 since it had come out only a few years prior (in our history, mind you).

Well...

Turns out Bing Crosby was a total douchebag to his kids. Not just that, but he also campaigned against Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940's. FDR, as you know, enacted the "New Deal" in the US, bailing out Americans from the Great Depression in the 30's. The Man in the High Castle takes its chronological twist in our history in 1933, assassinating FDR, preventing him from ever enacting the New Deal. This would weaken our economy and military power and cause us to lose to the Nazis and Japan...

TL:DR: So basically, the Nazis probably allowed Bing Crosby to reach a higher level of fame, setting off a chain reaction that would cause Bobby Darin to be lost in the shuffle and never gaining traction as a musical artist.
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That's it for today. Stay tuned for my full review once I've finished!