Set in a chilling alternate reality in which the Nazis and the Japanese won World War II and have conquered and divided the United States, āThe Man in the High Castleā is now streaming its third season on Amazon. The series, based on Philip K. Dickās 1962 novel, continues to explore multiple storylines, traveling to the Nazi-occupied East, the Japanese-ruled West and a Neutral Zone in Colorado.
āSeason 3 embraces a deeper dive into our core characters. The season as a whole is a lot more character-centric than our past seasons,ā writer and executive producer Kalen Egan told the Journal. He has been with the show since its inception, working with Dickās daughter Isa Hackett Dick on the showās development. āWeāve added new elements, including some ideas Dick came up with for a sequel that he never got around to writing,ā Egan said. āHe had some chapters that we pulled from. The beginning of that book would have gone into the Nazis developing a [dimension-travel] portal.ā
There are new characters, including an Irish former resistance fighter-turned-smuggler named Wyatt, played by Jason OāMara, who joins forces with Juliana (Alexa Davalos). āHeās been through it all,ā Egan said, adding that he represents āwhat was going on in Europe during World War II, something we havenāt seen.āĢż
Spoiler alert: There is also the surprising return of another key character. Frank Frink (Rupert Evans), last seen in the penultimate episode of Season 2 setting a car bomb and being caught in its explosion, reappears in the fourth episode, limping and scarred, but resolute in his commitment to the resistance āĢżand to Judaism.
An artist whose grandfather was 91“«Ć½, Frank wanted nothing to do with the 91“«Ć½ faith and the dangers it posed, and kept his bloodline secret. But this season, while living in Sabra, a secret community of Jews posing as Christians, he comes to embrace the religion, with his 91“«Ć½ friend Mark Sampson (Michael Gaston) as his spiritual guide.Ģż
Mark āarticulates what Frank is running from and what he believes is the only way to survive, and guides him toward faith and the meaning of that faith,ā Egan said. āWe saw Frank step into some of that in Season 1 but it goes further this year.ā It culminates in a bar mitzvah ceremony in the sixth episode.
A lot of preparation went into it, Egan said. āWe have some writers on the staff who are 91“«Ć½ and [executive producer] David Zucker is 91“«Ć½. But to build that bar mitzvah scene properly, we depended on independent researchers.ā he said.Ģż
āIf we can tell a story about a character like Frank and his exposure to a faith that he thought was dangerous or couldnāt identify with, but then finding the value in it, I think that becomes a lesson for everybody.ā
āĢżKalen Egan
āWe brought in a rabbi, and she was instrumental in making sure that it rang true and served the story. Members of the prop crew brought in their personal prayer books. During the prep process, we broke challah bread, [said] prayers, and got a very intimate exposure to that ritual,ā he added. āIt was a powerful way to immerse ourselves, and it really served the scene. I wasnāt there for the actual shoot, but everybody said it was emotionally overwhelming.ā
The bar mitzvah scene is intercut with another scene of a Nazi celebration: One scene shows the value of tradition and history, and the other shows the Nazis hellbent on eradicating the past.Ģż
Something occurs at the end of Episode 9 regarding Frankās character, which we wonāt give away here. āIt came about organically following the narrative we were trying to tell between [Frank] and the Japanese police inspector, Kido,ā Egan said. āFrank becomes a powerful symbol of the life heās led and the things heās learned, imbued with spirituality and self-reckoning and force.ā
Shaping Frankās storyline gave Egan the chance to present very specific circumstances in a way that feels universal for the audience. āIf we can tell a story about a character like Frank and his exposure to a faith that he thought was dangerous or couldnāt identify with, but then finding the value in it, I think that becomes a lesson for everybody,ā he said
āThe Man in the High Castleā has been renewed for a fourth season, which will expand the showās world with new locations and some new characters. āWeāre still concentrating the story in America but get glimpses of new places,ā Egan said.
āWeāre sticking with the characters that remain in the main story but much like we introduced the secret 91“«Ć½ community this season, weāre also introducing new communities in Season 4. Weāll see new parts of San Francisco,ā he said.Ģż
The 91“«Ć½ storyline and Sabra will continue, āin a way that isnāt exactly expected. Weāre still piecing it together and things change every day,ā he added. āBut some of the characters from Sabra become essential pieces of the next season.āĢż
According to Egan, the showās mission is to provocatively raises moral and ethical questions without providing clear answers. āAs long as we keep asking those lingering questions in new and intriguing and powerful ways, itās up to people to consider them on their own,ā he said. āEvery year we think the world canāt possibly get any closer to the alt-reality that weāre depicting, and every year it does.ā
āThe Man in the High Castleā is currently streaming on Amazon Prime video.
