Wow. This is just terrible. There's no other word for it other than that.
Firstly, the casting is just plain awful. Diversity for the sake of diversity takes its toll yet again, with people being cast into roles with the wrong ethnicity for that particular part. This is even more insulting considering the fact that the world all of this takes place in, already has tons of diversity in it to begin with. Don't shove it in where it doesn't belong!
Storywise... ooh boy. So much has been changed. And look, I get that book adaptations need certain elements changed in order to better fit a visual medium. And some changes they made, are fine. But let me just list some things that are completely wrong:
The whole concept of the Dragon. The show opens with a very brief description of who the Dragon is. The Dragon is the reincarnation of a male Aes Sedai who broke the world in ages past. Concise, but true. Good enough. But then they go on and say that this reincarnation could be either male or female? That makes no sense at all! The Dragon has to be male, because he's the reincarnation of a male Aes Sedai, and he will break the world a second time, just like he did before.
Finding the Dragon. Nobody knows who the Dragon Reborn is. People find out because he starts fulfilling the prophecies written about him just by being born in a certain place and on a certain time. That's how Moiraine narrows it down to the Two Rivers, by finding out about some young people there that fit those criteria. In this adaptation, all Aes Sedai have some sort of spidey sense that can pinpoint the Dragon. Lazy writing at its best.
The world itself. It should be winter, due to the Dark One's grasp increasing on the world. This is a big plot point, which causes visible distress with pretty much everyone, affecting their doings and thoughts, and in this adaptation they just dumb it down to "something drove the wolves down the mountain". It's spring in this version, and birds can be heard in pretty much every scene.
Characters not acting the way they should. Nynaeve is much too serene, Moiraine isn't serene enough, Egwene is much too mature, Perrin is much too jokey, Mat isn't jokey enough and much too responsible, and so on.
Characters' backstories changed to completely change their personality even further. Mat suddenly has abusive parents. Perrin, who is consistently described in the books as a shy, awkward, careful, peaceloving guy, not only has a girlfriend in this adaptation (his finding his first love in Faile Bashere later on is also a huge plot point that they dismissed by doing this), but he murders her in a fit of blind rage. Nynaeve is suddenly a "lost child", just so they could add her to the possible list of nonsensical Dragon candidates. Because suddenly the Aes Sedai spidey sense doesn't work anymore. Rand and Egwene having a full on sexual relationship while they're supposed to be a coming-of-age story that never works out for them.
Forced edginess. Nudity and sex scenes, while sparse, are shoved in your face so forcefully that you can just tell one of the producers saw Game of Thrones and told the script writers to shove "some of that" in there.
There is a LOT more wrong with this cesspool of an adaptation in terms of story, but those are some of the big ones. Also just overall bad acting and bad CGI. The CGI looks like a videogame from the mid 2010's.
I really wanted to like this, but no amount of goodwill can save this absolute mess of a show.
Watching a great series finale is akin to saying good-bye to an old friend. So, as I write my final review of this stellar series, I'm feeling a little blue. But, let me walk you through my experience watching this series, which is now setting records as one of the longest continuing series by Amazon Prime.
Season One - (1 August 2017) This is my present binge watch, and I'm enjoying it. This series is based on a book by Philip K. Dick (author of BLADE RUNNER, TOTAL RECALL, THE MINORITY REPORT, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU). This series is a blend of genres, so there is a little of something for everyone. It is a period piece (with an anomalous mystery), a SciFi other-world creation, a thriller and a drama. So, just relax, suspend belief and follow the writer's breadcrumbs. It's a great ride. The cast is great. The story arch is compelling. There are some stand-out performances, but basically, it is a great ensemble piece. My ratings for the episodes went from a 7 (good) to an 8 (great) to a 9 (superb), and the season finale was a solid, "WHAT!" The series was now a 10 (WOW) out of 10.
Season 2 (4 August 2017) This season's story backtracked allowing the audience to recalibrate, but then, quickly, drew us back in to its thrilling pace. It continued to give us superb storytelling, engaging performances, dynamic character building, depth of production and the season finale was breathtaking, and I have nothing but high praise for this series - a solid 10 (brilliant) out of 10.
Season 3 (7 December 2018) Already on my TOP TV SERIES list, my only concern is that, for the whole series, we are waiting for the big reveal of how this universe works, and each season this reveal is delayed - how long can we defer resolve? An additional challenge of this season was to maintain the mystery without violating the original premise. There were interesting new characters, great storytelling and interesting challenges left for season 4. My rating for this series is still a 10 (well done) out of 10.
Season 4 (11 December 2019) I knew this was to be its last season, so, I began it with a bitter-sweet anticipation. Of course, it was following up on a cliff-hanger from the season before. There were some major character losses, none quite so jarring as the first one. (I felt like we had been robbed.) Although the finale left more questions unanswered, I knew that any finale would have left me longing for more. This was a wonderfully conceived premise, superb storytelling, a fantastic cast giving us enduring characters, timely existential questions and moral repercussions. This is TV at its best, 10 out of 10, all the way and I will miss it (and probably rewatch it, every 4 years, or so). [SciFi, Period, Mystery, Drama]
I'm writing this based only on the pilot, but OMG! There are Nazis and the Imperial Japanese, and they occupy America. This actually gives us a perspective on ourselves. In the show, the Nazis torture people, and the Japs invade someone's home, calling it a matter of "national security". In our reality, the CIA tortures people, and the NSA invades our homes, calling it a matter of "national security".
It's not simply a matter of an alternate reality. There is an object from our reality in theirs. That moves the show from pure fiction to science fiction. Our reality affects theirs. Does theirs affect ours?
Set in past, but not our past, the show requires a lot of careful details in the shots. The San Francisco skyline is an old one, and yet there are modifications for the increased Japanese influence.
The show is dense, and I found myself rewinding multiple times. One example is the origami unicorn. This was very significant in the movie Blade Runner (director's cut), and I'm guessing it is here too. Blade Runner is a movie that is like great literature, and I've always wanted a TV show that is like great literature, so maybe the Man in the High Castle is it!
Thank you Philip K. Dick!
Now that I’ve watched the entire series in literally one sitting, I’m ready to go back and go through it more slowly. Maybe take notes on each ep about the things I love and things that might trigger others.
There is just so much world-building for all that it is set right here and now. The layers of detail and the breadth of the world created is just fascinating.
Each location truly feels separate, probably because they did actually film on location heh. And each culture feels very distinct which creates such a sense of realism.
I am genuinely impressed with the technical aspects of this show: directing, writing, editing, cinematography, etc. But the heart of it is the chemistry between the main cast and how well they demonstrate the sudden intimacy that their new situations create.
Nothing felt inevitable, there was always a sense of risk and possibility. At the same time, the things that do happen feel right and true to the characters and situations. It’s masterful.
I feel so fortunate that this show exists and that I got to see it.
All that said, there are some incredibly intense moments in the show. There is a suicide in the early part of episode one. Later there is various levels of gore and violence. And if you have any bodily issues, the fact that the show in no way ignores the biological issues of cis women’s bodies might shock you.
As far as I can recall, however, there is no animal harm or rape/attempted rape. I specifically recall a scene where I was like, “oh thank fuck! he’s only trying to murder her.”
At the end of the day, the people I cared about survived and/or triumphed enough that the hardships they went through felt worth it. Intensity level-wise (language, sex, violence, plot) I would compare it to Starz’s Spartacus series. Quality-wise too, it’s that good.
The setting is contemporary, judging by the automobiles, but the ambience is decidedly 1950's era spy film noir. As for genre, I'm forced to call Counterpart science fiction, in that it involves parallel universes, but it's really like nothing else within that genre.
The general scenario is this: 30 years ago, for reasons unknown, reality split into two bifurcating, independent time lines. Until that point, all was unified, meaning that every character alive at that point shared identical histories. Now, things have begun to diverge. But there is a doorway between the universes in a building in Berlin.
Again, for reasons unknown, the two sides have been both communicating with, and spying on, one another through this doorway, and this is where our protagonist Howard Silk (J.K. Simmons) comes in. "Our" Howard is a low level functionary in this spy agency who hasn't a clue as to what is really going on until, one day, his counterpart arrives with news that a woman from "their" side has been sent over to assassinate people on "our" side, including Howard's comatose wife. No one knows why, which is the prevailing state of awareness in this decidedly curious story. "Other" Howard decides that "our" Howard is critical to his investigation and, thus, the strange alliance begins.
J.K. Simmons is a phenomenal actor, despite often being cast in secondary roles, and Counterpart is truly his opportunity to shine. He plays a single character, but one with two separate backgrounds despite shared childhoods, a role requiring some subtlety and nuance. He plays both characters to perfection as the similarities and differences between the two create something of a broader character that calls into question our notions of identity.
In a way, Counterpart is an examination of the concept of self, or soul, but it is also an engaging mystery/thriller. Like its main character, the sum is both greater than, and equal to, its parts.
