# The Man in the High Castle on Amazon is astounding. \[no spoilers please\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 21, 2015, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163 "2015-11-21T03:45:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/21 "2015-11-22T22:50:14Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > **Ellis Dee** , there is no legal way to watch it free. Currently it does not even look like you can purchase episodes 2-10 but the 1st episode is free and of course all 10 free to Prime members. Well, poo. I’m not joining Prime for just one show, sorry. My entertainment budget is limited and I already spent this month’s budget on other things. Nor do I want a another monthly subscription bill. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/22 "2015-11-22T23:04:24Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, poo. > > I’m not joining Prime for just one show, sorry. My entertainment budget is limited and I already spent this month’s budget on other things. Nor do I want a another monthly subscription bill. I think it is clear they are using this show to sell subscriptions to Prime. It has also gone up to $99 per year, so I think it is now slightly higher than Netflix. Though there might still be some sales for Prime. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/23 "2015-11-22T23:08:48Z")
Ah. $99 a year? I might do that, then. For some reason, I had it in my mind that Prime was $50 a month and I wasn’t going to go there. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/24 "2015-11-23T01:09:55Z")
I’ll wait for the DVD to come out. Hopefully, I’ll be able to buy it other than through Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/25 "2015-11-23T12:07:02Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > I gave the book only a tepid thumbs up, and haven’t seen the TV series yet. > > For me, suspension of disbelief is tough because there’s just no way Japan or Germany could have invaded (let alone conquered) the USA. Heck, Hitler knew he couldn’t even mount a successful invasion of nearby England. I didn’t finish the pilot, but I got the impression the US surrendered because Germany beat us to working nukes, which seems feasible. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/26 "2015-11-23T12:19:09Z")
Yep, pretty much what the US did to Japan, except someone said it was DC that got eviscerated. Also that it was followed by a landing at Virginia Beach ---
**Author:** ![BlueOhio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@BlueOhio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueOhio)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/27 "2015-11-23T13:07:14Z")
[no spoilers please] Aw c’mon guys, he even wrote ‘please’. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/28 "2015-11-23T13:56:46Z")
Does someone want to try and sell me on it? I’m 2 episodes in and I can’t see a reason to keep watching. The world feels awfully small for what it is, it feels too outlandish to be relatable, and I’m not particularly interested in any of the characters. Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/29 "2015-11-23T14:22:11Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Does someone want to try and sell me on it? I’m 2 episodes in and I can’t see a reason to keep watching. The world feels awfully small for what it is, it feels too outlandish to be relatable, and I’m not particularly interested in any of the characters. Am I missing something? Nope. If you’re not digging it, you’re not digging it. Question for those who watched the whole thing: in the last episode, Who was the sniper who saved John Smith? Was that his son? ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2015, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/30 "2015-11-23T19:59:16Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I think it is clear they are using this show to sell subscriptions to Prime. It has also gone up to $99 per year, so I think it is now slightly higher than Netflix. Though there might still be some sales for Prime. There are some misconceptions in this post. I’m mystified by how much confusion there is about WHAT Amazon Prime is…not just on this board and elsewhere, but among my IRL friends. \ Amazon Prime has been $99/year for several years. It started out at $79/year way back when, and the ONLY benefit (and it was a \*\*considerable \*\*benefit for those of us who shop a lot at Amazon) was free two-day shipping. That was it. That was Amazon Prime. Free two-day shipping. NOW Amazon Prime includes lots of free movies and tv (although not ALL are free) and free music to listen to. I believe you can watch Man in the High Castle on the Amazon web site even if you do not subscribe to Amazon Prime, but you probably have to pay for it. For myself, I order two cases of cat food per week, dog food, vitamins, gifts, and TONS of stuff from Amazon, so the free two-day shipping appealed to me from the get-go. The movies and tv offerings are nice, too, and I take advantage. But Amazon is primarily a shopping site. I guess the $99/year is roughly comparable to Netflix, but who cares? (I DO subscribe to Netflix streaming, too.) It’s a couple of bucks either way. I can’t order cat food from Netflix. Or shoes and underwear for my 91-year old mother who lives 1,000 miles away. I would still pay the $99 per year for the shipping benefit even if there were no movies, tv, or music in the deal. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/31 "2015-11-24T00:58:46Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > I didn’t finish the pilot, but I got the impression the US surrendered because Germany beat us to working nukes, which seems feasible. There were a number of factors that, IMHO make it pretty plausible. Spoilered since you’d have to watch the whole series and listen closely for the clues to put it all together (several of the items are mentioned quickly or in passing). FDR was assasinated, the US never engaged in Lend-Lease with the UK, Russia never joined the Allies, Germany beat us to the Abomb and nuked DC. And it still took at least 2 years to subdue the US (the war didn’t end until 1947) ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/32 "2015-11-24T21:26:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > There are some misconceptions in this post. I’m mystified by how much confusion there is about WHAT Amazon Prime is…not just on this board and elsewhere, but among my IRL friends. \ > > Amazon Prime has been $99/year for several years. It started out at $79/year way back when, and the ONLY benefit (and it was a \*\*considerable \*\*benefit for those of us who shop a lot at Amazon) was free two-day shipping. That was it. That was Amazon Prime. Free two-day shipping. The confusion is from Amazon themselves, who’ve turned Prime into a content package in an attempt to rival Netflix, Hulu and iTunes. The discussions I’ve seen around are pretty much the original Prime members insisting that no matter what, it’s still all about the shipping. It was, but that ain’t why I signed up and I suspect many feel the same. IMO, Amazon should split it. Fold all the content under Amazon Unlimited. I wouldn’t pay $10/month to borrow books, but if you threw in movies, tv shows, and music, sure. Drop Prime back to the shipping discount it once was. It’s a decent little perk but I wouldn’t miss it since most of what I buy from Amazon is digital. I doubt shipping on my 70lb weight vest would have made it worth joining. For the people that feel differently, Amazon gets to double-dip. Sorry for the digression. Hopefully I can re-join the discussion on the show tomorrow; now that I’ve finished Jessica Jones I can binge-watch this during tomorrow’s workout. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/33 "2015-11-24T21:42:55Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > NOW Amazon Prime includes lots of free movies and tv (although not ALL are free) and free music to listen to. We get bit by the “not all are free” all the time. It seems like every meaningless episode of a 9 year old travelogue or cheesy never-aired docudrama that we end up watching cost extra. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/34 "2015-11-24T22:24:07Z")
> [@Icarus](#): > > We get bit by the “not all are free” all the time. It seems like every meaningless episode of a 9 year old travelogue or cheesy never-aired docudrama that we end up watching cost extra. 😕 In my experience, Amazon’s pretty clear about which videos are free to watch with Prime and which aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/35 "2015-11-24T23:01:47Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Well, poo. > > I’m not joining Prime for just one show, sorry. My entertainment budget is limited and I already spent this month’s budget on other things. Nor do I want a another monthly subscription bill. Amazon is really pushing that first free month. Just got a flyer in the snail mail today urging me to sign up for that free 30 days of Prime. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/36 "2015-11-24T23:36:23Z")
Already had a free 30 days when I got my Kindle 2 years ago, not sure if I qualify for another but I might ask. I enjoyed some of the perks of Prime, but the brutal fact is that my entertainment budget is extremely limited right now and I have to pick and choose carefully. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/37 "2015-11-25T00:06:26Z")
[Amazon thought it would be appropriate to pay for Nazi and Japanese occupation images on the seats of the New York subway system.](http://www.mediaite.com/online/amazon-to-remove-man-in-the-high-castle-nazi-symbols-from-nyc-subway-cars/) ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/38 "2015-11-25T00:24:54Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > [Amazon thought it would be appropriate to pay for Nazi and Japanese occupation images on the seats of the New York subway system.](http://www.mediaite.com/online/amazon-to-remove-man-in-the-high-castle-nazi-symbols-from-nyc-subway-cars/) And I guess it was appropriate, with the goal being publicity for the show. Non-Nazi ads on the seats would have publicized it with NYC subway riders only; images like that become news that publicizes it everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/39 "2015-11-25T03:00:10Z")
I figured out where the movies are coming from…it’s THESE GUYS!!! [http://reocities.com/joegrotowski/quinn/sea1-3cast.jpg](http://reocities.com/joegrotowski/quinn/sea1-3cast.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163/40 "2015-11-25T17:21:18Z")
I don’t particularly find any of the characters interesting or any parts well acted. I do find the premise and atmospherics compelling, but the story itself is pretty thin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-man-in-the-high-castle-on-amazon-is-astounding-no-spoilers-please/738163.md?page=3)