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Smith family living too low-key for his title & power?

posted 8 years ago by mobocracy
15 replies | jump to latest

If John Smith is such a high-ranking Nazi, why does he live such an apparently low-key lifestyle? I'm watching S2E5 or 6 where Helen is complaining about the kids' schedules and grousing about being in two places at once, and I'm wondering -- why isn't there some staff car to haul her kids around?

Given his status and power, why wouldn't he live in a more stately home, possibly in some Reich-supplied mansion? If only for the security factor. He has no permanent guards and any enemy could walk right up to his house and kill him and his whole family.

There's also the question of stature -- wouldn't he more or less need a big estate for hosting official functions and so on.

[–] ehaas-3 8 years ago

It was a little odd but maybe it's an intentional statement by the big American Nazis to live below their means and seem sort of like ordinary people. Those houses are still far above average in both size and quality.

The neighborhood is probably exclusive and heavily patrolled by both uniformed and plain clothes police and security. Large scale official functions could be held at a ballroom in one of New York's fine hotels.

[–] mobocracy 8 years ago

I'd buy that "ordinary Joe" scheme for pretty much any other Nazi, but isn't Smith the big cheese for the SS in the United States?

[–] ehaas-3 8 years ago

Yea, he is the head of the American SS, so it does seem weird, though I do stand by my view that excessive displays of wealth would be smart to avoid.

From a plot and atmosphere point of view, the show makers probably wanted to have the top officials as neighbors rather than on isolated estates. There's more potential for drama when people are physically closer and a chance to make a dark parody of the ideal 50s American neighborhood.

But I've seen a few places with more expensive and secure looking houses than those where people are still in walking distance of some neighbors. It should at least have been a gated community where anyone would have to pass through a guard post to get in and with some kind of barrier like a brick wall or high iron fence between each house and the street.

[–] NotASpeckOfCereal 8 years ago

It should at least have been a gated community where anyone would have to pass through a guard post to get in and with some kind of barrier like a brick wall or high iron fence between each house and the street.

We really don't know that they aren't in a gated community. And all of Helen's female friends could also be spouses of high-ranking officials living in the same community.

Or the Smith's could be in a protected area, and Helen's friends are on the gate list.

Brevity is the soul of wit.

[–] Danusha_Goska 8 years ago

Yes, it is one of many implausible aspects of the show. I think they do it to parody "Leave it to Beaver' type family shows of the fifties and sixties.

If Smith were in an appropriate setting, that aspect of the show would be lost.

http://www.amazon.com/Save-Send-Delete-Danusha-Goska/dp/1846949866

[–] spudrudder 8 years ago

I think the entire area is heavily scrutinized and under guard. It seems to be a type of gated community, as described, just not with obvious "gates" that we have seen. Recall that Juliana appears to be in the neighborhood, or at least very close by, and her entire living facility was under surveillance; also, that the Resistance implied they hadn't had a clear shot at getting Smith whereas Juliana had managed to end up closer to him than any of them thought possible.

[–] mobocracy 8 years ago

Juliana was placed by Smith in a special facility explicitly wired for surveillance because of her intelligence value.

[–] smithjgs 8 years ago

To me, it's obvious the Germans want to keep the Americans humble.

That said, John Smith is living like a BOSS. His house is huge, he has security and it;s possible the whole neighborhood is well protected considering who lives there.

However, the nazis were never going to give him a castle. They're practically doing him a favor.

If I were you, I'd wanna be me too. 

[–] mobocracy 8 years ago

His house is on the upper tier of middle class, but it is hardly what I would call upper class by any stretch of the imagination.

The NY metro area has MANY actual mansions vastly larger proportions, with actual gates, large grounds, and so on. So who is living in those properties and how do those people rate over a man who by rank reports only to Hitler and Himmler and within the American Reich to apparently no one?

The ideal irony would be to have had Smith living at Hyde Park, Roosevelt's estate.

[–] smithjgs 8 years ago

His house is on the upper tier of middle class, but it is hardly what I would call upper class by any stretch of the imagination.

I would disagree, but most leaders are only making upper middle class salaries and he has no other source of revenue.

Again, what he has is what is given to him and there is no reason for Germany to give him a mansion and he sure as heck isn't going to take it himself. What is he going to do, go to Japan territories?

If I were you, I'd wanna be me too. 

[–] mobocracy 8 years ago

I would disagree with this. I would think the Nazis would want Smith, and uniquely Smith, because of his role as top Nazi in America, in a suitable estate as a projection of Nazi power and authority.

It's not about letting Smith live high on the hog personally, but establishing the power and authority of Nazism through a visual symbol, in addition to all the other practical elements that would come with it -- a kitchen staff for official dinners and functions, security, and so on.

It's like living in the White House is really about living in a roomy apartment, with the rest of the space given over to official functions.

I guess I get that the writers are trying to play with the notion of a Nazi Leave it to Beaver kind of scenario where instead of putting on a grey suit and going to a Manhattan office, he puts on an SS uniform and goes to an SS skyscraper.

But it seems anachronistic of how other -- and lesser -- Nazi occupation officials lived. Heydrich lived in a huge estate in occupied Czechoslovakia. Less occupation officials in France took over entire hotels.

[–] mikexmene 8 years ago

Considering in an episode in the first season when his car gets shot up and he mentions that he alters his route to work everyday and only a few people know the route, you'd think he'd have better protection at home.

If he is guarded, lives in a gated community, or such, it would make sense. But I'd like to see it shown on the show.

[–] smithjgs 8 years ago

I would disagree with this. I would think the Nazis would want Smith, and uniquely Smith, because of his role as top Nazi in America, in a suitable estate as a projection of Nazi power and authority.

He was made top Nazi in America and he could be replaced. In fact, he likely was being replaced.

Berlin does not care about him except that he is perhaps the best yes man in the States.

It's not about letting Smith live high on the hog personally, but establishing the power and authority of Nazism through a visual symbol,

Nazism is full of visual symbols. The government is the visible face of Nazism, not Smith.

There are a ton of places that Germans can have dinners at. They don't need Smith's house although it is certainly big enough to host them.

It's like living in the White House is really about living in a roomy apartment, with the rest of the space given over to official functions.

At best, Smith can be compared to a mayor.

Just because he controls a territory of Germany in no way means he has anymore authority than what he is instructed to have.

He's like the manager of a Walmart that has to make sure the store is run properly in order to enrich the Waltons.

But it seems anachronistic of how other -- and lesser -- Nazi occupation officials lived. Heydrich lived in a huge estate in occupied Czechoslovakia. Less occupation officials in France took over entire hotels.

He's more important. This is a cool thing about the show is that it continues to play with our notions of how different the US is.

The USA is simply not considered a major player. Europe is far more important.

If I were you, I'd wanna be me too. 

[–] There_Is_No_Sayid 8 years ago

He lives in a pretty big house, especially for the time.

[–] kaskait 8 years ago

He is in a huge house for the 50's/60's and the present, believe me. Besides the rich at the time of this show, didn't believe in conspicuous consumption or even revealing to other family members how much they had in the bank. They all still remembered the lessons of the French Queen who had her head chopped off.

However, Smith thinks strategically. Why make himself a big target by living in a huge Manhattan penthouse or Long Island estate? Why put himself in the middle of the other power brokers who are looking to take him down? It's much easier to make himself look better by living in a regular neighborhood and to appear "not interested" in furthering his own power.