What Show are you currently watching?

I sail the pirate seas as well... so I'm really double dipping to the 9th degree. Thank you anyway M'Lady .

 

This is so good. Maybe just a little bit too relatable, but so very good.

 

I just started Cyberpunk on Netflix.

 

"Dense" sure is the right word, but I would say it grows easier to consume halfway through, when the story takes a more familiar action-drama style.

(Also, if you've read the series you'll find the show quite different. They're filming an unfilmable book series, and the story, while pretty faithful, is shown from very different angles, the plot approached with a more consumable take. And, of course, they collapse a lot of story, similarly to Rings of Power, but they absolutely have to for these kinds of generation-spanning epics. I loved the books and enjoy the series; can't wait for season 2

 

Isn't it irony that one needs to log into the cantina to find someone speaking positive about star trek. The trek sites are sometimes so negative.

 

Gosh, that must be exhausting. Good thing Star Wars fans are so supportive and optimistic.

Now, if you will excuse me, I just eyerolled myself dizzy. Hehehe.

 

I'm enjoying the sci-fi series, The Silo. I suspect that fans of Andor would too.

 

I've read the books years ago. I actually wanted a movie adaptation for quite some time. The shitstorm about "diverse casting" kinda held me back watching though. How's the acting and the visuals?

 

Hey there Jayson, I'm autistic as well. I have AD(H)D and PDD-Nos.

I used to have an "okay" relationship with my mother and a strained one with my older sister. When I finally got diagnosed about 15 years ago and they both read the lengthy report (from the Autism Centre Groningen) about the results of their assessment of me, they finally understood!
My sister even joked "Aah... so that's why you were always so annoying!"
She always figured I did things on purpose! Now she finally sees things in the right context.

Now both relationships are so much better and to me that was almost a bigger relief than finally knowing for sure what was going on in my brain...

Ps. I like that term "Highly adapted", mind if I poach that from you?

Well said!

But there-in lies the issue, I think... Because we are so good at adapting (i.e. hiding it from the outside world), nobody notices!
It's not relatable to the greater public, because we blend in too well... so people assume it's not that big of a problem.
Basically... we're not vocal enough!!

On top of that, the movie industry conclude (viewer-ratings and theater-attendance in general has kind of confirmed their findings) that subtle, rarely brings in the big bucks, the masses want big, loud and spectacular! So the obvious stories are easier to adapt and slapped into bite-size chunks with loud and in your face flavours tat ae mst likely to bring in the largest audience possible!

I'm actually surprised they took the chance at all, with projects like "The Big Bang Theory", "Sherlock", "The Immitation Game" and "The Equalizer".

 

Currently watching The Vow, and exposé series about the NXIVM, multi-leve-marketing cult.

Crazy stuff, if a bit slow-paced, but one of the principle voices in it is Bonnie Piesse who we know as Beru/Beru Lars/Aunt Beru in AotC, RotS, and OW-K. I had no idea that she was a cult survivor! Also, she's very strong and likabel in this one, a vulnerable witness who goes all in (all out?) once the veil drops and she recognize the cult for what it is. Inspiring stuff.

 

Wednesday and catching up on Andor. Loving both.

 

I had only seen a few random episodes and it had been on my list for a while. Damn. Outstanding. To take such a played out and basic premise for a TV show, and make a masterpiece like this is truly an art form. The writing, the acting, the direction, the cinematography, the music, are all superb and work together perfectly.

This gets me uncontrollably excited to see what the Brothers Glover have in store for Lando.

 

Just rewatched Top Gun: Maverick scenes for about the 50th time….”that’s what my Dad would’ve done”

 

Great movie. Every time I see it I can't help but think its what Rogue Squadron COULD have been.

 

Hotel del Luna is the most recent thing I've watched, and man... what a trip.



Okay, yes. Let's get it out of the way. This is straight up K-Drama soap opera.
That said, as far as soap operas go, good lord - they are leaving the west in the dust.

I got into this because my wife was watching it. I didn't pay much mind to it at first, but then they started doing these marvelous cinematographic tone poem montage sequences and I stopped playing with my phone and started paying attention.

Now, most westerners probably won't find it digestible if they're not soap watchers. They'll cringe at the corniness and melodrama.
Well, get over it (if you can), because as someone working in the industry, this has my attention.

It does because it completely challenged everything I knew about what a movie/show is and what the form language is.

There's that old adage, "Show, don't tell". Pfff. No one told South Korea that. Especially not in this show. This is a straight up unashamed "Teller".
But there's a marvelous artform to Tellers I had never considered before - because over here, whenever someone tells more than shows, it's because they're sucking at storytelling. They aren't doing it as a narrative device and art form.

However, in this case, that's exactly what's going on. It's like someone wrote a radio soap opera and sandwiched that in between experimental tone poems. There's flashbacks flying around right and left, even flashbacks to a mere few minutes ago. There's freeze-frame music video credits at the end.

And yet, the story they are able to accomplish is vast, epic, operatic, and imaginative as all heck!

Yeah, they tell a lot of it, a heck of a lot of it. Anyone who's rolled their eyes at The Prequels will absolutely groan at first watch of this series.
Yet, if you stick around for a while, you'll get a heck of a solid story to sink your teeth into that's several layers deep and multidimensional.

Let me start with just a little example... The lady in the middle? She's dead. Guy to her left? Dead. Lady on the right? Dead. Guy on the far right? Dead. Girl on the far left? Dead, but resurrected back into her murderer's body and her murderer's soul was flung into oblivion by her parents being tricked into a ritual they assumed would protect her... they still have no idea their daughter is actually dead and someone else's soul is in their daughter's body. And that guy in the middle? He's alive. Just a regular guy trying to cope with holding down a job at a hotel where the staff are dead and melodramatic.

Who knew ghosts have drama!

And if you think I'm giving away all the great twists... hardly. That wild bit of ironic twists over the girl on the left is a B plot. Heck, it's not even a B plot. It's like a C or D plot shoved into a couple episodes.

The thing I've been learning recently, from watching this show (and afterwards, a few other K-Dramas...though, none are as fantastic as this one to me) is that Tellers are their own art form when fully used. And they can do something "Showers" can't.
They can REALLY move - FAST. They can cover a marathon of plot, and swivel on a dime in a matter of seconds because it only takes a brief moment for people to say something - you don't have to see it all.

But they do also Show. In fact, it's more of a Show AND Tell and not really one or the other. I am typically an adimate hater of flashbacks. I loathe them with grand annoyance. Yet here, holy crap. No. They don't throw you flashbacks to simply give you a backstory to explain some benign bit of melodrama. Instead, every Flashback is one of two things: 1) A flip over to practically a whole other show with an entirely different setting and evolving plot, or 2) A sort of half-tone poem where they jump back to something that just happened a character is now reflecting on.

The second one seems like it's bad, and at first it really seems corny and cheap as all heck, but after a while you start to see the style and point. It's not just to do it so that they can fill in what the character is reflecting on. It's done like a refrain of a verse in a poem. So that they can have the artistic refrain, they have the character reflect. And so, the character's reflection is the excuse for the art - rather than the other way around.
It's more related to in action movies, typically older ones or Hong Kong action movies, they'll show the same kick two or three times in a row from multiple angles to give it the style and vibe they want - to give it the rhythm and beat of the action they're looking for.

It's like that. But with drama dialogue rather than punching and kicking. So, after a while, point 2 becomes really interesting because they sort of outline a sequence like how folk songs will have four lines for a verse and then a quick refrain line before moving on to verse two.

Type 1 flashbacks, however, man - that's just a trip. It really is like you're watching two, sometimes three, shows simultaneously that interconnect. And what's really wild is unlike most Flashbacks we have, these suckers go both directions with information. The flashbacks don't just recontextualize the present plotline, the present plotline recontextualizes the flashback's plotlines - and there's more than one flashback thread, so it's like a giant narrative weave constantly being threaded around what is otherwise corny soap opera melodrama.

I should also mention that it is VERY self-aware and turns its melodrama into comedy with regular occurrence. At first intake of a new tangent, you're not really sure if the current dramatics are going to be taken seriously, comedically, seriously but with comedic spurts in it, or comedic but with serious spurts in it. It's very wildly all over the place and not forced at all.

I encourage people to give it a solid five episodes. It has a total of 16, with only one season (it is not a cancelation - it was only planned for one season). Basically, it's a dark fantastical romantic comedy. Like... what it might look like if Tim Burton and Wes Anderson teamed up to make a Korean romcom soap.

Cheers,
Jayson

 

Just watched The English. Its really good and The Lioness is good as well.

 

@Darth Derringer -- You mean a movie like this? See below....

Star Wars Standalone movie – “RED LEADER”

Focused on life of Garven Dreis and the rise of the “Rarefied Air Cavalry” on the planet Virujansi. Main plot line is the attempted Imperial takeover of Virujansi (led by Governor Vanek Gaines) and the development of starfighter pilots and Virujansi’s own home-defence Rarified Air Cavalry “Air Cav” by Antoc Merrick/Dreis. Side plot the secret development of "Project X-Ray" (Beolar Bribbs, Dr Julett Vanokk), and Incom Corporation’s clandestine efforts to get Project X-Ray to the Rebellion while the company was under scrutiny by the Empire. These two plot lines come together as Incom seeks the Air Cav’s experience and ideas in the secret development and deployment of the X-Ray. Woven through the movie is the main theme -- the rise of Garven Dreis as a friend, expert pilot, and leader in the critical early days of the Rebellion. Also, his mentorship of younger pilots, and how he learned to be a leader from Antoc Merrick. The squadron scenes of this movie will be shot in the spirit of the WWII "Battle of Britain" and the outstanding 1969 movie of the same name. By this I mean that the Air Cavalry squadron pilots will be shown to be young, and mostly inexperienced, against a great foe in numbers of enemy spacecraft (TIE fighters). If you are familiar with the movie Battle of Britain there is a rousing score covering the actions of the British pilots and my vision is for this movie to have the same "feeling" and also a rousing score as well when the young pilots scramble to intercept the Imperial forces.

Special Note: This movie will bring cinematic starfighter space combat to the “next level” in moviemaking, with new and imaginative camera angles, powerful sound, and an effort to portray starfighter cockpit dynamics at the most realistic level ever seen. We will use the “Volume” technology of The Mandalorian to bring complex space fighter combat to the next level.

Director

- Neill Blomkamp

- Experienced in hyper-realistic sci-fi with District 9, Elysium, and Chappie. Arguably some of the most realistic spacecraft and futuristic structures (“Ringworld” in orbit in Elysium…the sight of the monstrous spacecraft over Johannesburg in D9) seen in modern movies.

- I am expecting Blomkamp to take cinematic space combat to the next level

Composer

- Hans Zimmer

- One of the most accomplished composers in movie history. I have always wanted to experience Zimmer’s “take” on Star Wars. The closest we have gotten I guess is Samuel Kim Music’s channel on YT (Zimmer and Star Wars mashups).

ScreenWriters

- Michael Stackpole and Tony Gilroy

- Stackpole is an expert in starfighter combat writing with his numerous novels, all well-received.

- Gilroy’s Star Wars experience with Rogue One is superb, his re-imagining of the 3rd Act of that movie was amazing. His “war movie”-like experience will go well with our movie.

Cast

- Jake McDorman as Garven Dreis AKA “Boss” AKA “Red Leader”

- Ben Daniels as Antoc Merrick AKA “The Old Man”

- Sharlto Copley as Imperial Governor Vanek Gaines appointed to Virujansi

- Angela Bassett as Dr Julett Vanokk, Chief Engineer of Incom Corporation

- Steve Buscemi as Beolars Bribbs (Sullustan), the CEO of Incom

- Daniel Kaluuya as Skade “Shooter” Tornrider, pilot in Rarified Air Cavalry

Supporting Cast

- Dev Patel as Dat “Viper” Vepel, pilot in Rarified Air Cavalry

- Colin O’Donoghue as Niloc “Dagger” Egonodo, pilot in Rarified Air Cavalry

- Lock_S_Foils as an Aerospace Engineer, Incom Corporation, Incom HQ Building, 28th Floor, Cubicle # 28B6, on Fresia


OPENING CRAWL

The Galaxy is in transition. After centuries of rule, the Galactic Republic is being challenged by the rise of the EMPIRE.

On the small planet of Virujansi, a young GARVEN DREIS has dreams of being a star pilot. Soon even Virujansi will feel the coming of the EMPIRE, forcing DREIS and his friends to make a decision, either surrender or join the REBELLION. They choose to fight, and young DREIS has to grow up quickly and become a leader.

Our story begins sometime before this strife....

-------

Opening Scene – NOTE: The Star Wars fanfare for the opening crawl will be done by Hans Zimmer. I am asking him for his take on this theme…..same John Williams theme, just by Zimmer.

Opening Crawl then camera pans down to the planet Virujansi, and the small moon Epsilon-12……

A GR-75 Transport from the Onderon Freight Corporation is departing orbit…..cut to shot of interior, pilot transmits “Sector Control, OFC-6 requesting departure clearance..”

“OFC-6, Sector Control, standard departure vector approved”

OFC-6 changes course and begins departing Virujansi orbit…..as they pass Epsilon-12 three small fast moving XS-class light freighters begin an intercept course. The freighters are painted garishly and armed with twin pulse cannons. As they pull in behind the OFC they fire several warning shots across their bow.

“SECTOR CONTROL…OFC-6…..WE ARE BEING INTERCEPTED AND FIRED UPON……LOOKS LIKE BETA PIRATES AGAIN….NEED HELP”

OFC-6 raises their light shielding.

Cut to interior of one of the XS class, a scruffy looking humanoid captain transmits “This is Thrakk from the Beta Cartel….drop your shields and prepare to be boarded…”

OFC-6 Captain requests priority secure channel from his comm officer and transmits “Any Air Cav units in sector 32 Alpha, this is OFC-6, we need IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE we are under pirate attack…”

Cut to nearby orbit, three Z-95 Headhunter fighters in tight formation……Flight Lead Antoc “Boss” Merrick, with Garven “Dave” Dreis and Skade “Shooter” Tornrider. Cut to shot of the fuselage , a prominent yellow and black emblem shows a horse with 3 symbolic starfighters streaking skyward…..

Cut to cockpit of lead Z-95….

Antoc Merrick….“OFC-6, this is Razor Flight lead…..we have your position….we are enroute at max speed….”….Merrick transmits to his flight…”Dave…Shooter…on me. We have company..push it up and put your deflectors on, double front….”

Cut to Dave and Shooter’s cockpits…..”Roger, boss”

[The rousing "Air Cav" theme starts and we are introduced to the young pilots protecting this planet...]

The Z-95’s break and ignite engine boost…..meanwhile the OFC is jinking and juking, attempting to throw off their pursuers.

Razor Flight blasts in from under the OFC and they split immediately in a breathtaking maneuver in 3 different directions. They hunt down the pirates and eventually destroy 2 while the Pirate lead Thrakk is forced to break off…during the fight, Dreis makes an incredible maneuver, pulling back at max G and thrust and turning inside the pirate to line up for the kill….Shooter makes some amazing maneuvers as well but nearly overheats his engines as he runs it at “redline” nozzle temperature for too long (rookie mistake)…..

Razor Flight reforms into a tight wedge formation and flashes across the flightline at their base on Virujansi, peeling off and landing in sequence…..once on the ground the three pilots meet up as they walk off the flightline.

Dreis, to Shooter : “Hey Shooter what happened up there…..too long at redline?”

Shooter: “Yep I lost SA in the fight and didn’t watch engine temps…”

Dreis: “The Z-95 is pretty forgiving but you’ve gotta watch those nozzle temps…..we’ll work on it some more with you…..”

Shooter, to Dreis “Thanks….Hey Dave that was an amazing move…..you need to teach me that someday….”

Dreis: “Yep, thanks, learned that a long time ago here in the caves…”

Dreis (to Boss Merrick): “Hey boss….seems like a million years ago…..remember the south ridge borecrawler run…?

…………screen fades to flashback………..

Young Merrick and Dreis are flying T-16s down the South Ridge run, a series of borecrawler caves on Virujansi…..

==========================


Act 1 (Just before Clone Wars, around 23 BBY – Clone Wars 22 – 19 BBY)

Opening crawl, opening scene with Air Cav intercepting pirates. Flashback to young Dreis and Merrick (may need to de-age Ben Daniels) flying T-16s down the borecrawler caves on Virujansi (borecrawlers were giant larval creatures that lived in large cave networks), wild flying, close quarters, just both of them having fun. Show some of the flora and fauna of Virujansi , which is a lush, temperate planet with sweeping plains and deep forests, show a herd of Equanni’s, which are horse-like creatures, with a large head and short neck, 6 legged (note this will tie in later to Dreis coming up with the name "Air Cavalry" for their planetary defense squadron)

We are introduced to Vanek Gaines, backstory he is a ruthless and maniacal military leader in the Empire that is to be assigned as the new Regional Governor over Virujansi. Flashbacks to his time as Imperial officer including TIE fighter pilot and later squadron commander. A shot of him ordering his troopers to execute local indigenous humanoids/aliens on Imperial-seized planets. After his latest battle in which the Empire was victorious although at high casualties, Vanek is summoned to his Commanding Officer, where he is told he is being transferred to Regional Governor over the “quiet” Virujansi sector.

Introduce Incom Corporation on the planet Fresia, Beolars Bribbs and Chief Engineer Dr Julett Vanokk. Pre-Empire days they are premiere and imaginative starship manufacturers. Show their assembly line with Z-95s, ARC-170s, and UT-60 (U-Wings) in various stages of manufacture. A Republic representative is touring their facilities and getting a briefing on their activities, which culminates in a purchase of more ARC-170 fighters. At the end of the scene, Bribbs and Vanokk are summoned by one of their Intel Officers into a classified briefing room for an update on “Project X-Ray” [we see nothing about what this project is…]

We are introduced at this point to the young pilots led by Merrick, who form together to start a sort of “planetary defence squadron”, initially flying armed T-16s . At this point we will show Incom’s ties to Virujansi forming as they work with their planetary ruling council to convince them to move up to Z-95s.

Several scenes of the squadron in action, culminating in their successful service during the Clone Wars. Dreis comes up with the name for their squadron – Rarified Air Cavalry, from a flashback of Merrick and himself as children riding the Equanni’s bareback across the Virujansi plains.

Chief Engineer Vanokk arrives at Virujansi with a small contingent from Incom, and they gather in the Air Cav briefing room to talk about a new starfighter called “project X-ray”. They talk about the shortcomings of the Z-95 and what they would like to see in a new starfighter. Dreis mentions that they get a lot of new young pilots that are “backwoods pilots who cut their teeth on old bushhoppers and T-16’s. We need starfighters that are familiar to these young pilots….same basic controls and performance”. Merrick mentions that the new fighter should have more firepower than the Z-95s. Vanokk thanks them and rushes back to Fresia and Incom HQ.


Act 2/CLIMAX

Gaines arrives in Virujansi sector in the Star Destroyer “Vanquisher” along with embarked TIEs.
Dreis rises in the Air Cav, mentored by Merrick. His young “hothead” tendencies are tempered and turned into superb leadership skill by Merrick. At this time we switch back to the Planet Fresia, the headquarters of Incom, and CEO Beolar Bribbs hosting an Imperial group of visitors who see only part of their factory facilities. They deliver an ultimatum to Bribbs- troops will arrive shortly and his company will be taken over by the Empire. Bribbs puts on a show and promises the Imperials that Incom will be ready for them when they return. Vanokk returns from her visit to Virujansi and goes to their secret underground facility , telling their X-Ray project manager about what she heard from Dreis and the Air Cav pilots. The manager tells her “yes ma’am we will incorporate those into our production and will have prototypes ready soon”.

Cut back to Virujansi, during several battles the Air Cav starts to see the obsolescence of the Z-95 – the young pilots are pushed to their limits and are becoming more skilled, but the later models of TIE fighters and Pirate-modified freighters have more maneuverability and firepower than their Z-95s.


Cut back to Fresia. Some time has passed and we see Bribbs and Vanokk getting an update on “Project X-Ray”. We only see their faces however and do not see what “Project X-Ray” is. During the briefing they are interrupted and told that they received a message from local Imperial forces saying they now have “3 days to prepare for the arrival of Imperial occupation forces and to be ready to turn over operation of the Incom Corporation to the Emperor”. One of their supervisors rushes to them and breathlessly tells them “the X-ray prototypes are ready however we don’t have time to test them…”. Vanokk says “…don’t worry. I have an idea…..prepare all prototypes for immediate departure and spin up their hyperdrives….”


Back on Virujansi, the Air Cav is pushed to their limits, they have lost several young pilots and Z-95s. Just when they are on the ropes, Merrick gets a call from his sector surveillance that a “small force of fighters has just come out of hyperspace and is inbound. Their transponders are responding to our hails with authentic codes…they are not Imperial”


Merrick and his pilots rush to the flightline, we cut to a closeup of the cockpit opening on a strange new starfighter. Merrick sprints to the lead fighter and Engineer Vanokk yells to him “Nice to see you Dave…..heard you need some help……”


We pan back and see a force of ten brand new T-65 X-wings on the Air Cav flightline…..Merrick and Dreis smile and hug each other, pounding each other on their backs….


…..Project “X-Ray” has arrived!!!


Imperial Gov Gaines, during a temporary truce of combat, sends a message to the Air Cav asking their leadership to negotiate. Merrick calls Dreis and all Air Cav pilots into their briefing room and they put Gov Gaines on the speaker so they can all hear. Gaines offers all pilots of the Air Cav a choice to join the Empire as “The Emperor always needs good pilots, and your past transgressions will be forgiven”. Gaines gives them 48 hours to make their decision.


The next scenes show the young pilots taking the X-Wings up for the first time…..they quickly get used to them as the controls are similar to the old T-16s and Z-95s….but the X-wings are much faster, and better armed than anything they have ever flown.


TENSE SCENE – The 48 hours are up, and the Air Cav is in the briefing room on the speaker with Governor Gaines. Closeup of Dreis…. He looks around the briefing room into the faces of the other young pilots. They look him in the eye and start shaking their heads no…..every one he looks at, keeps their eyes locked on him , and shake their heads slowly…NO.

Dreis looks at Merrick…shakes his head no.

Merrick tells Gaines…..”Governor Gaines….your offer is REFUSED. You and your Imperial troops have worn out your welcome here. Depart from our sector NOW!”


Merrick cuts the audio feed to Gaines, turns to the Air Cav, and tells them …. “Well boys, that’s that. Flight leads to the ready room now…..tell maintenance to spin up all available fighters”


CLIMAX, Battle of Virujansi [this will be the BEST space combat scene EVER on film.....]. The young pilots in their new X-Wings turn the tide against Gaines’ and his Imperial forces. Woven into the battle will be Engineer Vanokk’s escape from Virujansi, with the help of Dreis. Gaines is forced to retreat with his remaining forces and Virujansi is liberated.

Falling Action/Resolution
After the battle, scenes of reconstruction on Virujansi. Merrick and Dreis are contacted by Mon Mothma who congratulates him on the liberation of his planet and his successful fight against the Empire. Mothma asks them to join the Rebellion and they concur. She asks them to transfer the bulk of their squadron to the planet Dantooine.

Most of Air Cav departs Virujansi to Dantooine.

Once there Merrick is hailed by Mothma again and urgently requested to go to a planet called “Yavin-four”

Merrick takes part of Air Cav and renames it “Blue Squadron” and tells Dreis “Well Dave it’s time for you to lead your own squadron. You’ve earned it. I am proud of everything you have done, and will be your wingman any time”

Dreis calls his pilots together and renames them “Red Squadron”

Dreis becomes “Red Leader”….or….to his young pilots “The Old Man”

Final scene and credits roll.

=================
Here is the Rarified Air Cavalry patch I designed. It has heritage from the US Army's 1st Cavalry Division


Here is Garven Dreis's Z-95 Headhunter for the Air Cavalry

 

Over the summer, the gf and I have binged through all four seasons of The Man in the High Castle on Amazon Prime. We saw the first two years ago, but sort of fell off the High Castle waiting for season 3. So, since we didn’t remember it all too well, we just started anew from the beginning.

I should also mention that I am a big Philip K. Dick fan, and I love the TMinHC novel, too. (Although, for the record, the TV show isn’t particularly faithful to the book, which is fine).


The basic premise is that the show’s reality diverged from our own in 1933, with the successful assassination of F.D. Roosevelt, which ultimately lead to the US and the Allies losing WWII, with the Japanese Empire conquering the US East Coast and the Third Reich the West Coast, with a lawless and destitute neutral zone in between. Characters live their lives and get embroiled in all manner of hardship as the central deep-plot (which I shan’t spoil) slowly unfolds.

Like most Amazon Prime (and also Apple TV) shows, TMitHC is a rather slow and contemplative experience, but also quite powerful and engaging. The actors are great and their characters fascinating with strong personal journeys all around – there’s not much black/white, but a whole lot of cascading gray.

But the plot and characters aren’t really what the show is about; it is more of an exploration of the alternate history’s fractured America and life & culture in the Nazi territories, the Japanese territories, and the Neutral Zone in between. The setting is the main character of the show, and the various cultures and sub-cultures is a central focus.


I like TMinHC a lot, but it is a slow and demanding show, and after 40 or so hours of it, you’ve had your fill. But it is a fascinating alt-history study, and some of it feels sadly relevant to our own reality, too. (The amount of actual Nazis and Nazi-sympathizers running rampant on IMDb and the fan forums and such, cheering the atrocities of the Third Reich and coveting a fascist America was disturbing to behold… That stuff definitely marred the experience for me. But just to clarify, the show is absolutely not a fascism advocacy platform, even though WAY too many butt-hats took it for that).

All in all, I strongly recommend TMitHC. And when you start it, and inevitably become a bit exhausted by it, do stay with the show to the end; it is well, well worth it.

PS: I'm so done with blasted Nazis... I'm gonna go watch Young Jedi Adventures now to balance out the awfulness...