The Man in the High Castle Season 3 review: A season on point with the characters
The Man in the High Castle Season 3 dropped earlier this month. After catching the full season and seeing the twists and turns, it’s time to share my thoughts. This is a season certainly worth watching.
I remember getting to the end of The Man in the High Castle Season 2 and wondering about the decisions on the storylines. Some of them felt forced or abandoned. That’s definitely not the case for Season 3. Everything was on point.
It took a while after sharing my thoughts on the first five episodes, but I’m finally ready. I’m through the whole season, a strong one to say the least. Yes, there are plenty of questions, but that’s something for another season.
More Ed and Robert, yay!
One thing I wanted in the earlier seasons was more focus on Ed and Robert (or is he Bobby now?). They are so integral to the story, especially Frank’s story. I wasn’t sure whether we’d get anything considering there was that belief Frank had died in the explosion–and boy, was I glad he wasn’t and we got the twist (and development) we did in the end.
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The Man in the High Castle delivered us more Ed and Robert. I’ll admit that I’m not a Robert Childen fan. While I love that he wants to preserve American history, it’s only for a price. He doesn’t quite understand what he’s playing a part in.
But that’s where Ed comes along. He is the heart of the series; the one who wants to preserve American history and all that is good. Sure, he didn’t at first but I feel like that’s more because we didn’t get to know him. By the second season, you could see the resistance fighter in him.
The fact we got far more development for him in Season 3 is simply exquisite. We saw a side that was, honestly, a surprise but a happy one. And I love that none of his friends cared that he was gay. Did Frank and Juliana already know? It’s never brought up and I love that it was just a matter-of-fact part of his character and he was finally able to meet someone who is a good guy.
And while Ed wanted to be with this guy, he remained loyal to his friends. He even found a guy who accepted and understood that, choosing to be part of a fight that technically wasn’t him.
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Excellent character development for all
Throughout The Man in the High Castle Season 3, we got far more character development than we could ask for. It’s hard to go through everyone, so I’ll go through the main characters.
First, we have Juliana. I think she got the least but that’s because her character has already been developed fairly well. In this season, we got to see more of the resistance fighter in her; the woman that we see in some of the videos.
The Smiths got some amazing and heartbreaking developments. I truly felt for Helen, who was struggling with the loss of Thomas, who was being honored everywhere for his sacrifice. There was hope at one point that the power couple of the series up to this point would find their way back together, but they kept drifting apart as John moved up the ranks.
Now, they’re lost completely. Helen is, understandably, scared and only a change in the regime or John choosing to defect could possibly help to change all this.
Tagomi got the chance to help guide Trudy back to her own world while offering his support and guidance to Juliana. The moments between them are some I’ve hoped to see throughout The Man in the High Castle and it’s been enjoyable to finally see them play out. I do hope that wherever Juliana now goes we’ll have the chance to see them as friends again.
Frank was able to have a redeeming end. And I call it redeeming because I don’t always think that two wrongs make a right. Blowing up the Kampetei did kill and injure some innocent people in the name of revenge against Kido. Frank found some sense of purpose and happiness. He was able to be free.
The ending for Frank was certainly sad but there was a bittersweetness to it. He and Kido had that beautiful moment just before the execution. At no point was Frank scared, and that’s because he was ready.
Kido also had his own development, as we learned more about who he is as a person and not just as this inspector for the Kampetai. Joel de la Fuente has discussed how he didn’t view himself as a villain during an interview with NYCC and this season allowed that development and truth shine.
More focus on the Jewish community, less on the resistance
Considering the Nazi regime and the actions against Frank’s family in the first season, I’ve always been surprised there hasn’t been much on the Jewish communities throughout the show. That changed this season, as we got to see the hidden community in the Neutral Zone.
With bounty hunters out for them, they came together and found a way to live out their lives the way they see fit. That’s not without its dangers and we got to see them play out throughout the season.
My only complaint is that there may not have been enough, but I’m looking forward to what The Man in the High Castle Season 4 brings. It’s clear they have to come out more then.
The resistance storyline didn’t show up that much. We got glimpses of people who could be part of the resistance here and there, but nothing major. One person showed up from the previous season but it’s clear that the resistance is still scattered.
I thought there’d be more with the #ResistanceRises going around everywhere. However, this resistance is rising slowly and it’s through Juliana that it’s happening. Only in the final episode did we see more of this potential resistance rising as they learned the truth. It was well done, in a way.
You were constantly tuned in to see when the resistance would show up and whether Juliana would recruit more. They didn’t all believe the tape and refused to leave their community for what looked like fake news propaganda.
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Overall, The Man in the High Castle Season 3 felt more contained and focused than the previous season. We got some good introductions of new characters and storylines, while we said goodbye to beloved ones, but is it forever? Now, when will we get Season 4?
What did you think about The Man in the High Castle Season 3? Is it a season you’ll watch again? Share your thoughts in the comments below.