M.L. Crabb's Blog: The Command Deck, page 3

Seriously Secret Santa

Today’s post is part of a Seriously Geeky Sundays secret Santa prompt exchange where we came up with 6 questions tailored to the person we got. Here are the questions I received; let’s dive right in! 1. Which fictional character’s wardrobe are you raiding for the Christmas party (just pretend we can have parties this […]

A Very Wintery Sunday

Pack your bags, Grasshoppers! We’re taking a trip to the icy tundra that is the Antarctic. This week’s Seriously Geeky Sundays takes us to the edge of the world, the snowy unknown! Edge in the poetic sense of the world, and it pains me to have to clarify such an obvious metaphor, but there has […]

Around the World in 8 Sundays – The Americas

Its our third trip here at Seriously Geeky Sundays! Today’s trip takes us to my world, the Americas! Around the World in 8 Sundays – North America Week three of our Around the World in 8 Sundays (a multi-week theme taking us around the world) takes us to North America as the United States celebrates […]

top 10 High Castle Characters

With Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle finale dropping two months ago, I thought it would be fun to sit down and figure out who my favorite characters have been across all four seasons. It was not easy narrowing them down to just ten, but I somehow managed to do it.

Without further adieu, my top ten #HighCastle characters!Honorable Mentions Admiral Inokuchi & the Crown Princess - I adored their practical, yet humane, approach to everything. 
Juliana - Her curiosity and determination to solve the mystery about the films and her sister's death in Season 1 captivated me and forever turned me into a fan of the show. 
10. Joe Blake - One of my favorite scenes throughout the series is when Joe discovers his past. His gut wrenching reaction and how he eventually swore loyalty to his father made the character all the more interesting for me, so he has earned his place in my top ten!

9. Bell Mallory - She makes it onto my top ten because she went from a cold hardliner to a kind heroine offering peace to everyone who defected from the Reich and Wehrmacht. I can see myself in her shoes. I wish we could have seen more of her.

8. Helen Smith - I adore Helen. She had one of the most interesting character arcs in the series. She went from a loyal wife of the Reich (with all its ideals and obedience) to the ultimate betrayal of those values.

7. Rudolph Wagner - I will always love Wagner. He did terrible things in the name of the Reich, and unlike Smith, his guilt devoured him. When he came face to face with the man he grew to hate, his humanity took over, and rather than end Hitler, he ended himself to save his family.

6. Ed McCarthy - There is no way the sweet, innocent Ed is not going to be on this list! He was a welcome respite to all of the terror and horrors experienced in the Pacific States.

5. Robert Childan - Like Helen, he had one of the most intriguing arcs. I touched on this briefly on Twitter--he went from the selfish, greedy antiques dealer to sacrificing it all for his wife.

4. Frank Frink - He was my favorite character in Season 1. His story that season was the most relatable. You have this ordinary guy just trying to keep his head down and follow along, obeying his Japanese occupiers who, by no fault of his own, was thrown into tragedy and chaos. He could no longer be ‘that’ guy. His life was forever altered, and he had an understandable reaction to it. I was thrilled to see him go back to his Season 1 roots in Season 3.

3. Takeshi Kido - Kido is someone I’ve always loved to hate. He was such a bastard, but I couldn’t help but want to see more.

2. Nobusuke Tagomi - Let’s just say that if Tagomi ran for president, he’d have my vote. He was the ultimate bastion of peace, tranquility, yet held a firm hand when he needed to.

Speak softly and carry a big stick - Theodore Roosevelt

Coming in at #1, my ultimate favorite High Castle character (and possibly favorite character of all time)

1.  John Smith - Smith was unlike any character I’d ever seen, which is what drew me to the show after watching the first episode. He possessed such confidence, cunning, and ruthlessness, yet he was also a family man. He managed to climb the ranks of a dark, vile organization all the way to the top, unphased all the way up until the very end when he was forced to look at himself. I cannot stress enough how relieved I am that he did not get an inane redemption arc. His ending only made me like the character more.

Excerpt from Alice and a New Decade

With a new decade upon us in just a few days, I am going to throw myself in the the cliche tradition of coming up with New Year resolutions. Worry not, dear friends, these aren't your run of the mill, generic, go to the gym every single day and stop going after a week or start eating stuff I hate to go on a diet and fail because gross who wants to eat crap they don't like?

I want to start writing again.

That's it. That's my resolution.

I haven't written much at all since 2018 and it's high time I got back  into it. I've got a novel planned and outlined that hasn't been finished since...you guessed it, 2018!

Here is the first chapter, and let me raise a glass to everyone; may the 20s be roaring.

It’s all in the Details.

As I am reading through Mike Avila’s The Man in the High Castle, Creating the Alt World , I am reminded why I was drawn to the show in the first place: It’s all in the details. I’m going to focus on Season 4 and the things that stood out the most (if I were to write about every little background prop, this would be a door stopper that I'd never finish!).

Battle of Denver Accurate street names - when they mentioned Colfax ave., I was ecstatic at the attention to detail and taking the extra time to get it right.

On the left is a map from my trip to Denver back in February. Colfax Ave. is circled in red.Winter SolsticeI was amazed at how much thought and research went into creating the alt worlds of High Castle, especially when they had to figure out how societies would evolve and what kind of holidays would they celebrate.

Himmler (the real Himmler) was big into paganism and incorporated it into the SS [1][2]. I wondered what a Reich Christmas would look like, and the creative team at High Castle did their homework. Circled on the lower left is a cutout of Odin, a prominent deity in Norse Mythology [3]. It appears as though he is a replacement for Santa Claus.

Circled in the upper left is a banner that reads, "Winter Solstice," commonly referred to as Yule. For brevity's sake, I'm going to quote Wikipedia on this:

Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time" or "Yule season") is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.

The Twilight ZoneWhoever came up with this alternate spin on one of my favorite childhood TV shows deserves a fucking medal. It was pure genius, and I loved every second of it. The writers have stated time and time again that there are parallels between worlds, and this was one of them. Everything was true to the original show in our universe, right down to the music and narrator. It was such a creative twist using Abendsen as the host as a way to turn it into propaganda.


Realistic TechnologyDuring the scene pictured below, the children are being eavesdropped on. When the camera pans to the device on the right, we can hear crackling and static. My immediate thought was there are at least two different factions listening in on them. When you have two different groups using radio to transmit or receive at the same time within close proximity to each other, there will be static and interference on both sides.

I was delighted when we later saw that the children were, in fact, being watched by the Resistance and Hoover and that the static wasn't just there as a LOOK THEY ARE BEING SPIED ON attention grabber.


And can we just appreciate the alt world maps for a second? If anyone from @HighCastleTV is reading this, please reproduce this map and sell it! I would love to own one! I still want one of those promo radio sets they sent to random people a few years back...


What was your favorite little detail?
Resources[1] Ideology of the SS: Attitude Toward Religion
[2] Further reading: Heinrich Himmler
[3] Further reading: Odin

The Exemplary Television Awards

Today is a very special #FanCastleSunday! Hello, and welcome to the one and only Exemplary Television Awards! Today we celebrate the greatest television show of all time. It has earned its mark in television history for its poignant themes, stunning visuals, exceptional acting, and soundtrack. The individuals involved with the creation of the show have earned this medal a thousand times over.

Let's give it up for Amazon's The Man in the High Castle! 

At the End of the Day, He’s Just a Man

Welcome to another #FanCastleSunday! Today I'm diving in and taking a deep look at Smith and why his fate was the perfect storm. Smith is one of the most well written and complex characters of all time, played by the talented Rufus Sewell (he truly deserves an Emmy for his performance as John Smith).

Smith - The Complex Character

TMITHC’s Finale is an Gripping Tale of Human Nature

“Truth, she thought. As terrible as death. But harder to find.”― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle

Season 4 far exceeded my expectations, and by exceeded, I mean jumped onto a rocket and left me behind in the dust to gawk at the beautiful complexity of it. The cast and crew weren’t kidding when they said it is the best season yet.

I got a shout-out during the Facebook live stream when they discussed S4. ❤ You can watch the full video here.If you  haven’t finished the finale, go no further. There are spoilers ahead.The season exposed humanity at its best and worst. We saw the very best in Childan, the Crown Princess, and Admiral Inokuchi. Despite the odds, they gave everything for the greater good. Childan threw away the rare antiques and treasures that were integral to his greedy character to be with his wife and ensure her safety. The Crown Princess saw the need to give the Pacific States back, and. Inokuchi was willing to die for her.



Characters like Chief Inspector Kido and Helen were forced to face their life decisions face on. The way it all unfolded for them had me at the edge of my seat. Everything was beautifully executed and woven into the story--I enjoyed watching those two unravel into despair and suffer the repercussions of their actions and then to try to do the right thing. It was so wonderfully written in that it didn’t feel like the audience was being beaten over the head with it.


Smith was humanity at its worst. Talking about him and how his story came to a close will be a post of its own. Alt-Smith explained it best when he told Juliana why he didn’t pursue a career in the military--he saw how easily power corrupted him. I was worried that they’d give him a cliche redemption RAWR ‘MURICA arc, and am beyond happy that they didn’t.

His thirst for power and the twisted being he had allowed himself to become was his undoing.

The BCR I was skeptical that they added an entirely new set of characters, but it turned out that I was worried over nothing. The addition of the BCR helped make this season the best. The BCR characters were fully fleshed out, each with his or her own opinions and underlying (deep) reasons for the things they do. The story wouldn’t have been the same without them. Bell and her crew were a great addition to the TMITHC universe!
A Solid 5 StarsAs I said at the beginning of this review, S4 far exceeded my expectations. I was honestly afraid that S4 would derail into yet-another-RAWR ‘MURICA-freedom-saves-the-day ending that I've seen so many other shows and movies fall into. You have no idea how glad I am that it did not.

Just finished S4: E8. I feel the need to expand my vocabulary, because nothing I say will bring the intriguing story that is unfolding in this episode justice. I am honestly at a loss for words because everything about this season has far exceeded my expectations! #HighCastle— Ms. Luna (@MishiWan) November 22, 2019

TMITHC finale was bittersweet perfection that exposed humanity at its rawest form. I give it a solid 5 stars and a 11/10!
Stay tuned for future posts where I dive into Smith's character and talk about the little details like their spoof of The Twilight Zone!

Fan Castle Sunday: The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End
It’s been an amazing journeyThe finale to Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle is just 5 days away. Yes, I am emotional, and yes, there may have been a tear or two while typing this post up. As everyone knows, this show has been a huge part of my life since the beginning. I just want to say that it has been an amazing journey of friendship, art, and blossoming into a better me.
I remember the cold, snowy day in February when they announced that Season 4 will be the finale. Part of me was shocked and saddened, but the other part was thankful that TMITHC wouldn’t go the prolonged, dragged out route that so many shows in the past have gone. To be honest, I am glad they aren’t going to grind the show into the ground like that--It’s a bittersweet feeling. 
I just want to say thank you to everyone I’ve met on this journey. I’ll cherish the memories TMITHC has given me forever.
<3
With Season 4 airing on the 15th, there will be no #FanCastleSunday next week or the week after to give everyone a chance to catch up (and avoid spoilers!).
#FanCastleSunday will resume Sunday, December 1st-----------------------------------------What are your #HighCastle S4 predictions? When #FanCastleSunday resumes December 1st, we'll see if anyone got close!

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