Amazon Prime Video hosted a joint panel focusing on The Man in the High Castle and Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams as part of New York Comic Con 2017. Members of the cast and crew from both shows shared their thoughts on the work of the legendary sci-fi writer, and its continued relevance in light of contemporary social issues. MHC stars Rufus Sewell, Alexa Davalos and Jason O’Mara joined Executive Producers Eric Overmyer, Dan Percival and Issa Dick Hackett to talk about the show’s upcoming third season.
The Man in the High Castle got off to a roaring start in its debut season, but the second lost some of that momentum, thanks partly to the abrupt departure of showrunner Frank Spotnitz. Variety said the show’s sophomore outing “doesn’t seem to know what it’s about… but to its credit, it still manages to engage with its ideas in interesting, evocative ways.” Vox was harsher in its criticism, calling Season 2 “the worst TV show of the year” and “deeply irresponsible television.”
There’s no way to sugarcoat it: it’s a tough time to be making a show about Nazis, no matter how many Emmys it earns. When asked about the show in light of the recent resurgence of Nazi-influenced views in the U.S., Dick Hackett acknowledged, "sometimes it's challenging working on the show with the iconography, and everyone's very sensitive to it.”
She added, “I think [my father] said it best forty years ago, when he said 'the enemy is fascism, wherever it exists.' That will continue to be what we dive deep into with our storytelling. Maybe now is a more important time to watch it than ever."
According to the showrunners, fans can expect a more American story this time around, with less action in Berlin. But don't expect things to feel pedestrian. "We play a lot more with multiple realities,” explained Dick Hackett. “It's interesting, because there are so many people that are making their own realities right now -- not to get too political -- but it's a strange time to be working on this."
From the sound of things, Sewell’s John Smith will be front and center for all this multiverse spelunking. "The world does start to crack open for John Smith. The worlds start to crack open,” Sewell said. “I like the fact that it's been eked out slowly, so that by the time you get to these major story changes, we've travelled with these characters, got to know who they are. It starts to get deeper and stranger, and I'm glad to say, not too soon."
O’Mara also dropped some hints about what his new character, Wyatt Price, will bring to the show. "He and Juliana get on very well when they first meet each other. Exceptionall y well," he revealed, only to realize immediately after that he may have given too much away. "He's Irish. I'll say that. And his name is probably Wyatt Price."
Will you be tuning into the third season of The Man In The High Castle? Or did the wobbles in the second season put you off for good? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
