Distributor: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Episodes: 6
Duration: 60 min (per episode)
The Plot Against America (DVD) – Series Review
With The Man in the High Castle we saw a potentially different outcome of the Second World War, where Hitler won and even annexed the United States. The series proved to be a very interesting view through the looking glass and it also sent some shivers down our spine. This time we’re going to explore another possible twist in our history, namely where Charles Lindbergh would end up becoming president. Lindbergh shared a lot of views with the Nazi party, and this would also mean the oppression of the Jew population in the United States, as well as America staying out of the ongoing war in Europe.
As the introduction stated, this alternate history revolves around the election of Charles Lindbergh (Ben Cole), who shared a lot of views with Hitler. While gradually toning down in his speeches, he is determined to let Hitler raze through Europe, while supposedly keeping America out of the war. At the same time we get to know the Levin family, a Jewish family, living in the Jewish neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey. The patriarch of the family, Herman (Morgan Spector), is rightfully concerned about what it would mean if Lindberg would get elected. He is afraid that his people will suffer the same fate as they do in Europe with Hitler marching down the streets. His concerns are slowly becoming reality as we see the family gradually getting oppressed, shunned and being treated like lesser beings.
The Plot Against America is a slow-moving series that tries to build the proper atmosphere, presenting you with a lifelike setting for the scenario at hand. You won’t have any real action sequences in this series, but only the events that occur in the life of the Levin family. You’ll go back and forth between the different family members in their day-to-day lives, as well as see the political side of things. The series is well-balanced and does paint a proper picture.
Acting performances in this one are top-notch. You’ll have a lot of familiar faces portraying the different members of the Levin family, as well as other key figures. You’ll see big names such as Wynona Rider, Morgan Spector, John Turturro and several others appear on the screen quite frequently. Everyone plays his role quite well, and there’s never a moment you see the quality waver. We were thoroughly impressed with the casting and the ongoing quality and character evolution throughout the course of the six episodes of the show.
When it comes to the special features on the DVD box, you’ll have to make do with less than ten minutes of extras. You’ll get a few insights into the series in a ‘making of’ kind of way, where cast members discuss the heavy topic of the series. Other than that, there’s nothing really to explore or experience.
Conclusion
The Plot Against America is a nice (and bleak) ‘what if’ situation if the events surrounding World War II would have gone differently. The series is a slow-moving drama, but it hits all the right buttons for you to watch it from start to finish. While it could have explored certain avenues a bit more, it’s certainly worth a watch for fans of (alternate) historic shows.
The Plot Against America (DVD) - Series Review,
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