The Man In The High Castle - General Discussion

[DoctorAtomic]

I think portals opened all over when the nazis used the machine, and all those people were wandering in. Not the universes collapsing in to the single one. It's ironic because in the process of trying to conquer all the universes, the nazis in Julia's world basically are hastening their own demise. 

[Ottis]

The very end of season 4/the series was pretty dumb, IMO. Yet another show using the "we like to let viewers make their own interpretation" excuse when they come up empty at the finish line.

I had actually skipped the eps from mid-season 3 to the last three eps of season 4, because while I loved the first season, it was clear in 2 and 3 that they were just dancing around in circles before making it to whatever ending they had in mind. I don't feel like I missed much.

The last ep was powerful, with the daughter's realization, Helen's self-awareness and John's horror at what he had become. No issues with any of that, well done.

That last scene, though, made no sense. It seemed like it was supposed to be some kind of relief for the folks stuck in the world where the Allies lost. But why? The people who came over weren't soldiers, armed with knowledge and a plan. No one was coming to help. It was just a bunch of random people who really should have gone back to where they came from given the Nazi-controlled world they were entering (unless their worlds were even worse, which is a terrifying thought).

It also wasn't people who had been lost in the Alt world, coming home. Not as far as we can tell. There were no tearful reunions, or recognition. 

At best, it was the freedom of at least a handful of people to go seek whatever kind of world they wanted. But it was only a handful, and don't think the Nazis wouldn't have shut that down fast (or at least access) as soon as they could.

And that skips the mechanics of whether people can find an open portal from world to world, to go on to new places. Or would have the freedom to do so. Who knows whether the world they would find would be better or worse than the one they had left.

If we are supposed to make our own interpretation, there is no interpretation that makes that ending a clearly positive one. At best, it drags the problems of this world into other worlds. Disappointing.

[CaptainE]

Why no episode threads.  PITA if you don’t want to be spoiled.