What I’m Watching: The Man in the High Castle

The Man in the High Castle: Season 1, Episode 5 “The New Normal” (B)

This episode’s title is very fitting since its characters are now all back to where they started, and they’re finding that adjusting to the new state of things isn’t too easy. So much for the Marshal pursuing Juliana and Joe sticking with her – now Juliana is back in the Pacific States with Frank, who is not happy to see her at all. Going in to play dumb and pretend that she wasn’t doing anything wrong didn’t work out too well, and I did like how her being questioned was edited together with Joe being grilled and told that he hadn’t even come close to completing his mission. I’m back to a point of feeling that this show’s overarching concept is much greater than its actual characters and plot, and I’m hoping that the next episode will contain a bit more excitement that can move the plot forward than a turncoat Nazi being on the run and Juliana getting a mysterious visitor who sent her to an undercover job that she really shouldn’t take. Frank is in very bad shape, but the consequences of his time spent in Japanese custody continue to have frightening reverberations that underline just how frightening a world this is. With Juliana back on the West Coast and Joe back on the East, it’s becoming harder and harder to have a centralized storyline, and I’m eager to see things come together for a more cohesive and enticing second half of this season, which I’m hopeful will happen.

Pilot Review: The New Normal

The New Normal (NBC)
Premiered September 10 at 10pm

It’s hard to imagine that anyone who has even a passing interest in TV hasn’t heard about this show over the past few months. This premiere has been available on demand for a while, and the show made headlines after “family first” organizations condemned it and Utah affiliates declared that they wouldn’t air it. It’s true that the depictions of the two gay protagonists are extremely in-your-face, and the show doesn’t try to hide any of its pride. The presence of gay characters, however, isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that these characters are purely stereotypes, so one-note that they’re unbearable to watch. Bryan (Andrew Rannells) wears female clothing, David (Justin Bartha) is a doctor who’s into sports, Jane (Ellen Barkin) goes out of her way to insert bigoted comments into every sentence, and Shania (Bebe Wood) spends her entire precocious young life on social media. And the show’s main character, Goldie (Georgia King), doesn’t have any discernable qualities, good or bad, except her bland name, which suggests nothing more than blondness. Rocky (NeNe Leakes), who previously appeared on “Glee” as Sue Sylvester rival Roz Washington, asserts herself far too strongly as she constantly reveals how she treats herself to gifts on her boss’ dime. This show is loud and unsubtle, and all of its characters, Goldie aside, are fighting for attention throughout the first episode, never content to be sidelined even for a moment. Its concept of “new normal” tries much too hard, creating an infuriatingly irritating prototype for a show filled with tired references and a shocking lack of creativity.

How will it work as a series? I couldn’t even get past the first commercial break of the second episode. The show’s lack of adherence to reality and its absurdly quick plot development concerning the adoption suggests that this show will be completely untethered to reason, opting for the basest of obvious humor and plot points. It may not be a 90s sitcom, but this is hardly any better.
How long will it last? Its ratings aren’t bad, but they’re not as high as Matthew Perry’s “Go On,” which airs immediately beforehand, or “The Voice,” which leads out the night. So-so shows (other reviews haven’t been as negative as this one) with plenty of controversy don’t usually succeed, and I think one short season will be all this series gets.

Pilot grade: F