Netflix Just Added 1 of the Best — and Scariest — Sci-Fi Shows of the Last 10 Years

Although Davalos has worked regularly as an actress for over two decades, she’s rarely received the spotlight that she had on this show. That’s unfortunate because Davalos is magnetic and compelling in this role. She initially portrays Juliana as a loyal citizen who has embraced Japanese culture. It’s only when she witnesses the cruelty of the regime firsthand that she rebels. Juliana is also one of the handful of characters who become aware of newsreels from other worlds that depict the defeat of the Nazis.

Over time, Juliana takes on bigger risks to bring down the Nazis, even when it may cost her the love of her boyfriend, Frank Frink (Bridgerton‘s Rupert Evans). She also captures the romantic attention of Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), a man with his own dubious loyalties.

The Characters Exist in Morally Ambiguous Territory

Ironically, Frank’s acts of rebellion go even further than Julianna’s, and without spoiling early events in the show, the Japanese regime brought that on itself through its own acts of cruelty. To attack the Japanese controlling his home, Frank has to morally compromise himself.

Regardless, Frank looks like a saint compared to John Smith (Rufus Sewell), a former American soldier turned Nazi collaborator. Thanks to his ruthlessness, Smith has become an SS Obergruppenführer and one of the leaders of the Nazi regime in America. Smith isn’t some cartoonish villain, even though he routinely does things that are evil. Sewell gives Smith an underlying humanity that lets him acknowledge the cost of his betrayal and his ideology. Smith even risks his life and standing to protect one of his family members from his fellow Nazis, only to see it backfire. Smith pays a high price for his power, and his story is one of the most interesting aspects of the show’s four-season run.

The Man in the High Castle is streaming on Netflix.