The Man in the High Castle: 20 things you need to know about the Amazon Original Series

12. The story and themes are unsettling

I feel like this goes without saying, but a show where America has been taken over by the Axis powers (Japan and the Nazis) after World War II is a very unsettling premise. It even goes deeper than that, though.

The show is brutally dark. There’s no real sense of justice or order; the Nazis and Japanese are the judge, jury, and executioners, literally.

In the first two episodes, there’s murder, torture, executions, and even worse happenings. Honestly, it’s tough to watch at times, especially knowing all about World War II and the atrocities committed by each side.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Spotnitz goes into detail on how another world power could fall into the same trap as Germany did prior to World War II. Here is his quote from the interview, via EW:

"“I think that the qualities that led to Nazism in Germany could lead to Nazism anywhere, fascism anywhere,” Spotnitz says. “There’s something unfortunate in the human condition, that we’re vulnerable to that kind of ideology. And I think that’s what’s most chilling about The Man in the High Castle are the scenes that are normal, are everyday, are really all-American, but you can see how it could happen here, too.”"

That theme really shows through in the first few episodes, and it’s terrifying!

Next: You have to pay attention!