When it comes to high concept dystopian fiction, things rarely get much more high stakes or imposing than the world depicted in Amazon's The Man in the High Castle. In this adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, characters from three different regions - the Japanese Pacific States, the Neutral Zone, and the Greater Nazi Reich - fight for control of America following an alternate end of World War II.
The series is packed to the brim with characters, some more developed than others, and it goes to great lengths to depict the complexities of its characters, no matter what ideology they subscribe to. But by the end of the series' four-season run, it's clear that some characters were worth investing in, while others were hardly worth the time at all.
10 Joe Blake
It's hard to find many things worth liking about the mysterious character of Joe Blake. When he's revealed as an undercover agent for the Reich at the end of the pilot episode, it's clear that his character has potential.
But time and again, Joe routinely proves that there's nothing remotely likable about him. From a lukewarm performance by Luke Kleintank to tired and predictable tropes used in his descent to the darkest depths, Joe is a poorly written character from start to the brutal finish.
9 Helen Smith
Helen Smith is another character the series never quite figures out what to do with. In her early sparse appearances, she is nothing more than a doting housewife, fully subscribed to the ideology she has been brainwashed into living.
Yet when she finally breaks free from the ideology, she does so only at the eleventh hour in a change of course for her character that is entirely lacking and does nothing at all to enhance her likability as a rather thinly drawn character.
8 Nicole Dormer
Nicole Dormer represents a turn in the series' depiction of supporting female characters, and certainly a good step forward for the series' understanding of characters being complex and in flux. When she first arrives in the series, she is nothing more than a spoiled elite woman with very little importance.
By the following season, however, she works her way up to a high-ranking role in the propaganda industry. But it's her storyline involving her romance with Thelma - ill-fated and illegal in every day within the Reich - that allows her character some nuance, and sympathy, too.
7 John Smith
The character of John Smith is arguably one of the series' most enigmatic ones. Wholly loathsome in his business and beliefs, John nevertheless manages to walk the fine line between villainy and complexity.
Rufus Sewell turns in what is arguably the series' strongest performance, managing to make John equal parts fearsome and empathetic, particularly in his willingness to do whatever it takes to keep his family safe - no matter how unsuccessful certain attempts may be.
6 Takeshi Kido
Another of the series' strongest performances comes from yet another likewise complex character. Artfully portrayed by Joel de la Fuente, Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido is a character who is always imposing and serious, even in his personal affairs.
While working on behalf of the Japanese Empire, Kido will do nothing to keep from serving his country and ensuring their sovereignty. But it is in his late-revealed relationship with his adult son that Kido becomes one of the series' most surprisingly endearing characters, sacrificing everything to ensure his son's safety as well.
5 Frank Frink
As the series' sole primary Jewish character, Frank Frink offers a much-needed perspective from a group that truly has everything to lose in this world. When the series begins, Frank is rather thinly developed as Juliana's boyfriend. But it's when their relationship ends that Frank truly begins to soar.
Frank goes all-in on joining Resistance efforts against the Japanese Empire, working his way up to lead the most daring of radical efforts. After being gravely injured in an explosion, he finds a new purpose in living a relaxed, almost meditative life, but still retains that same fire, that same wit, and that same artist's heart.
4 Robert Childan
High Castle is an almost overwhelmingly dark series, so it's crucial to enjoy the brief glimpses of levity and humor that the series so sparingly provides. Robert Childan, the series' quirky and unusual antiquities dealer with a bit of a fetish for things of Asian origin, provides many of such moments.
Sardonic and snarky in practically every encounter he has, unless Japanese royalty is involved, Childan is always a breath of fresh air whenever he appears on the screen, even if he finds himself in crisis.
3 Ed McCarthy
Arguably the kindest and sweetest of all characters in the series, and perhaps one of the only ones to get a happy ending as well, is the ever-loyal and reliable Ed McCarthy.
Adorably portrayed as a softspoken nerd with a nervous streak by DJ Qualls, Ed is a loyal friend to Frank, Juliana, and Childan, no matter what comes their way. When he unexpectedly finds love with a cowboy in the series' third season, it's one of the series' most exciting and earned moments.
2 Nobusuke Tagomi
Though the end of his character's journey makes scarcely any sense and comes all too soon, Trade Minister Nobusuke Tagomi is arguably one of the series' best-developed characters. With all the warmth of a loving grandfather, but all the intellect of one of the world's greatest minds, Tagomi is the first character the series presents as cognizant of the way in which its universe works.
His connection with Juliana, more than any other relationship in the series, is arguably High Castle's true heart. His warmth and wisdom are sorely lacking in the series' final season.
1 Juliana Crain
From the moment she enters the series, it's clear that Juliana Crain is the character worth rooting for - and time and again, she proves herself more than worthy of that. As the girl with possession of the tapes, and the girl that learns she is the key to all of this from the titular Man in the High Castle himself, Juliana is in many ways a magical girl in a less than ordinary world.
Beautifully portrayed with heart-rending vulnerability by Alexa Davalos, Juliana is a character who surpasses every trope of magic girls with unexpected responsibilities. She is fierce and flawed, vulnerable, and brave, and she proves to be the only one capable of saving the day on more than one occasion.
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