In a dystopian America dominated by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, a young woman discovers a mysterious film that may hold the key to toppling the totalitarian regimes.
Tagomi enlists Kido in a deception to save Japan from destruction. As Smith's life crumbles around him, he makes a dangerously bold play to hold onto his power. Joe tries to do the right thing but ...
Tagomi faces a dilemma: to stay with his family or return to the world he left behind. Desperate to escape the Reich, Juliana strikes a final, dangerous deal with the Resistance. When Ed reveals a ...
Smith and Helen's true loyalties are placed on trial by an old nemesis. The BCR struggles to maintain order across the JPS. Kido is forced to confront his atrocities. Bands of roving vigilantes ...
'Edelweiss', the opening theme song, is commonly believed to be an Austrian folk song, but was actually written for the musical 'Sound of Music' which would never have been written if the Nazis had won the war. In addition, the song would never have been written in Nazi-occupied America even in the absence of the musical as Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein were from Jewish families (although Hammerstein was raised Episcopalian). In "The Sound of Music", the song was sung as a patriotic protest by an Austrian opposed to the German annexation of Austria into the Reich, to create sentiment for the independence of Austria. Presumably the song is sung as the theme song to this series for a similar purpose, to recall the independence of the United States before it was conquered. See more »
Goofs
The post-occupation state refers to itself in all series officially as Great Nazi Reich. In reality Germany of Hitler era never used "Nazi" as an official or unofficial name, because "Nazi" is a pejorative term used by Hitler's opponents. "Nazi" is a short form of name "Ignaz" and is a synonym of "redneck", "village idiot", "low brow". The Hitler party called itself "National Socialist party", and the state was commonly referred to as "German Reich" ("Reich" = "realm", "rule", "empire"). See more »
Quotes
Mark Sampson:
I don't plan on dying, Frank. But you can't live your life in fear. I was back east at the end of the war, in Boston.
Frank Frink:
Oh, Jesus.
Mark Sampson:
Yeah. You had to see it to believe it, Frank. Overnight, lynch mobs were murdering Jews because suddenly we were less than human.
Frank Frink:
And what did you do?
Mark Sampson:
Well, those of us who came out in one piece. We buried service weapons underground, well wrapped in oil, and we vowed revenge. I got a life to lead, got kids to raise. And Hitler and the Nazis - I mean, I don't care how it ...
See more »
Crazy Credits
During the opening credits, we can hear the sound of a reel projector whirring up to play speed. Film reels are central to the plot of the series. See more »
What is ostensibly Amazon's attempt at developing its own 'House of Cards' provides an intriguing backdrop with a promising but somewhat- shaky implementation. The show, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, is one of five pilots that Amazon is promoting for a potential run at a full 2015 season. Right from the start, the show stays close to its source material in both plot and setting. While following the book certainly has its merits, the script so far lacks in its portrayal of the characters' psychological intricacies and in several cases comes across as heavy-handed. For example, in this episode we learn (and are reminded of) how evil the Nazis are through generic torture scenes and murder-- typical "bad guy" stuff. I don't recall the text depicting any accounts of Nazi violence to this extent, but rather their presence loomed on all characters due to the claustrophobic effects of their propaganda and fascist scheming. The acting was competent but the script felt oddly-paced, in particular it seemed that not much thought had been given to the character Joe Blake (he did not exist in the book) as he didn't really convey any emotional or logical motivation for wanting to become a political dissident besides hoping to "do the right thing". That being said, the characters Nobusuke Tagomi and Juliana Crain were especially brought to life in this adaptation. Based on the direction of the pilot, I fear that the show may attempt to play-up the "American resistance" theme which is irrelevant and antithetical to one of the major messages of the book. What was intended as a commentary on paranoid diplomacy in a totalitarian world could all too easily become a trite Star Wars- style action/adventure series. On the other hand, one cannot expect fully fleshed-out characters in the pilot episode so it will take some more time to fairly judge the writing quality. I am cautiously optimistic about this show's future-- for a pilot it certainly succeeded in establishing an alluring setting, and I was not surprised to learn that Ridley Scott was involved as the set- design and ambiance was superb. Overall, I am excited to see if this will manage to thrive alongside both the classic novel and other contemporary political-drama TV shows.
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What is ostensibly Amazon's attempt at developing its own 'House of Cards' provides an intriguing backdrop with a promising but somewhat- shaky implementation. The show, based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, is one of five pilots that Amazon is promoting for a potential run at a full 2015 season. Right from the start, the show stays close to its source material in both plot and setting. While following the book certainly has its merits, the script so far lacks in its portrayal of the characters' psychological intricacies and in several cases comes across as heavy-handed. For example, in this episode we learn (and are reminded of) how evil the Nazis are through generic torture scenes and murder-- typical "bad guy" stuff. I don't recall the text depicting any accounts of Nazi violence to this extent, but rather their presence loomed on all characters due to the claustrophobic effects of their propaganda and fascist scheming. The acting was competent but the script felt oddly-paced, in particular it seemed that not much thought had been given to the character Joe Blake (he did not exist in the book) as he didn't really convey any emotional or logical motivation for wanting to become a political dissident besides hoping to "do the right thing". That being said, the characters Nobusuke Tagomi and Juliana Crain were especially brought to life in this adaptation. Based on the direction of the pilot, I fear that the show may attempt to play-up the "American resistance" theme which is irrelevant and antithetical to one of the major messages of the book. What was intended as a commentary on paranoid diplomacy in a totalitarian world could all too easily become a trite Star Wars- style action/adventure series. On the other hand, one cannot expect fully fleshed-out characters in the pilot episode so it will take some more time to fairly judge the writing quality. I am cautiously optimistic about this show's future-- for a pilot it certainly succeeded in establishing an alluring setting, and I was not surprised to learn that Ridley Scott was involved as the set- design and ambiance was superb. Overall, I am excited to see if this will manage to thrive alongside both the classic novel and other contemporary political-drama TV shows.