This series revolves a lot around common Hollywood themes...and the further it strays from them the better off it is.
First the good, surprisingly, there are no black and white characters...not even Hitler! Hollywood demands that Hitler die, even though we are rooting for him to live (the fact that we are rooting for him is a sign that the series is doing its job). The one nitpick is that it would have been far wiser to have the gun in Hitler's office not loaded (Hitler knew he was coming to kill him). Furthermore, the chief inspector is alternately willing to sacrifice his life for the state, but then immediately willing to sacrifice an innocent's life for his own.
Now the meh...the cliffhanger wasn't really a cliffhanger for those of us who read the book...it works great for those not familiar with it, but for those of us who have read it, the fuhrer decision is the real climax. Now, this series seems ready to set out from the book, for better or worse. This will probably become another forgettable show as the PC police ("How can you have Hitler be anything but a cartoon villain?") and network heads get a hold of it...but it has the potential to be a transcendent show.
And finally, they did give in to the Hollywood trope of the woman doing the moronic thing for unrequited love. It seems in TV that there is a requirement for there to be a love triangle (or quadrangle), and instead of following all that is sane, Juliana lets him go. Just once id like to see a woman on television not "give in" to her "heart"... "What have you done?" Indeed.
First the good, surprisingly, there are no black and white characters...not even Hitler! Hollywood demands that Hitler die, even though we are rooting for him to live (the fact that we are rooting for him is a sign that the series is doing its job). The one nitpick is that it would have been far wiser to have the gun in Hitler's office not loaded (Hitler knew he was coming to kill him). Furthermore, the chief inspector is alternately willing to sacrifice his life for the state, but then immediately willing to sacrifice an innocent's life for his own.
Now the meh...the cliffhanger wasn't really a cliffhanger for those of us who read the book...it works great for those not familiar with it, but for those of us who have read it, the fuhrer decision is the real climax. Now, this series seems ready to set out from the book, for better or worse. This will probably become another forgettable show as the PC police ("How can you have Hitler be anything but a cartoon villain?") and network heads get a hold of it...but it has the potential to be a transcendent show.
And finally, they did give in to the Hollywood trope of the woman doing the moronic thing for unrequited love. It seems in TV that there is a requirement for there to be a love triangle (or quadrangle), and instead of following all that is sane, Juliana lets him go. Just once id like to see a woman on television not "give in" to her "heart"... "What have you done?" Indeed.