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HBO's Watchmen - Discussion Thread w/ Spoilers thru Current Episode

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Jack Brickman

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Figured this would be better than taking over the TV thread with a bunch of stuff in spoilers. This is clearly going to be one of those shows that begs for a lot of discussion, theories, and people who have read the source material providing insight on the comics for those who haven't.

Discuss away.
 
My first theory is that the Seventh Kavalry specifically organized the White Night in order to fill up the ranks of the police with their own people, all of whom get to hide behind masks and the anonymity that provides them with. Note that I am not saying that all the cops are Seventh Kavalry, just some and perhaps many. Wouldn't be surprised if Senator Keene, who was introduced in this episode and appears to be running for president, was in on it.
 
Okay, so after watching 2 episodes with no knowledge whatsoever of the comic or the movie....

What the fuck is up with the squids?
 
I'm specifically curious about how Veidt will play into the overall narrative. He's out in his own thread recreating Dr. Manhattan's story with overzealous clones, but how that ties in will be anyone's guess.
 
Okay, so after watching 2 episodes with no knowledge whatsoever of the comic or the movie....

What the fuck is up with the squids?

So Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias is the character played by Jeremy Irons in the show. In the book, he creates this giant squid monster with the assistance of Dr. Manhattan, and teleports it to drop onto NYC. It kills tons of people and freaks out leaders across the globe, thinking there is an alien invasion coming. It effectively stops the cold war and the threat of nuclear holocaust. Not weird at all.

Edit: the falling squids in present time are some sort of callback or odd residual effect of the initial squid incident.
 
Watchmen was one of the few graphic novels I consistently reread just to appreciate all the details and world building Alan Moore and David Gibbons did in those issues. The series is doing a great job of doing its own thing, but providing enough fan service and nods to the source material. The raining squids, random posters, and even some quotes (like the Kavalry taped video) are just some examples I caught right away.

I'm certainly invested because I'll be curious how an English lord (Veidt) will be connected to racism in Tulsa. Also, if the series does do more with Dr. Manhattan beyond the cameo on Mars (and that castle just happened to be the same one Veidt is living in).

Next week introduces what looks to be a detective or something with the last name Blake. That's familiar to the graphic novel as Edward Blake was the anti-hero named The Comedian who set the whole story in motion. Another nod, or something more substantial?
 
Watchmen was one of the few graphic novels I consistently reread just to appreciate all the details and world building Alan Moore and David Gibbons did in those issues. The series is doing a great job of doing its own thing, but providing enough fan service and nods to the source material. The raining squids, random posters, and even some quotes (like the Kavalry taped video) are just some examples I caught right away.

I'm certainly invested because I'll be curious how an English lord (Veidt) will be connected to racism in Tulsa. Also, if the series does do more with Dr. Manhattan beyond the cameo on Mars (and that castle just happened to be the same one Veidt is living in).

Next week introduces what looks to be a detective or something with the last name Blake. That's familiar to the graphic novel as Edward Blake was the anti-hero named The Comedian who set the whole story in motion. Another nod, or something more substantial?

Laurie Blake, introduced next episode, is Silk Spectre from Watchmen and is the Comedian's daughter. She's now an FBI agent, apparently.
 
So is this show taking place after the events in the comic/movie? Should I go back and watch the movie first?

I'm intrigued by the show but I'm fucking lost.
 
So is this show taking place after the events in the comic/movie? Should I go back and watch the movie first?

I'm intrigued by the show but I'm fucking lost.

Yeah, it's a sequel to the comics (not the movie, although the movie is pretty close) set in present day America, so it takes place roughly 35ish years afterward.
 
So is this show taking place after the events in the comic/movie? Should I go back and watch the movie first?

I'm intrigued by the show but I'm fucking lost.

It’s more of a sequel to the comics than the movie, but watching the movie will at least give you some clarity/familiarity on some of the things you see on the show.
 
My first theory is that the Seventh Kavalry specifically organized the White Night in order to fill up the ranks of the police with their own people, all of whom get to hide behind masks and the anonymity that provides them with. Note that I am not saying that all the cops are Seventh Kavalry, just some and perhaps many. Wouldn't be surprised if Senator Keene, who was introduced in this episode and appears to be running for president, was in on it.

One popular theory making the rounds right now is that Judd was the one who attacked Angela on the White Night. What do you think?
 
One popular theory making the rounds right now is that Judd was the one who attacked Angela on the White Night. What do you think?

Hmm. Interesting. It would explain a few things. For instance, how Angela survived the White Night. She had a shotgun pointed at her head just when she lost consciousness and appeared to have died. That made it seem like the trigger man left her cause he thought she had died, but why not waste another bullet on her to make sure she was dead. Maybe Judd had second thoughts about what he had done. Plus, how did he and his wife survive their attackers when every other cop and spouse on the force besides he and Angela had been killed.

Now the question is, for what purpose? I would guess it’s so some higher up could implant their own people on the force while discrediting the Kavalry, with the added bonus that they can now operate with anonymity wearing masks. And I don’t think Judd was the top of the chain. My guess is that he became a liability after the White Night since he didn’t finish off Angela and seemed to genuinely care about his officers. Maybe it’s possible he was going to the hospital to meet the officer that was shot at the beginning of episode 1 when he was murdered.

Thanks a lot Marcus, thanks to you, now my mind has went down that rabbit hole and now I’m going to over analyze every detail of this show instead of enjoying it like I did the first 2 episodes.

By the way, what’s the chances Silk Spectre and Owl man had a kid together? You just know that kid is showing up later.
 
One popular theory making the rounds right now is that Judd was the one who attacked Angela on the White Night. What do you think?

As soon as she found the Klan outfit in his closet that's where my mind immediately went; and that they became close because he felt guilty about what he had done and he became protective over her.

I honestly didn't see that coming though, definitely thought it was the Kavalry that strung him up before that happened. Still might be, if they think he was a traitor due to his relationships with his officers. He did seem to genuinely care about them, regardless of race.
 
Hmm. Interesting. It would explain a few things. For instance, how Angela survived the White Night. She had a shotgun pointed at her head just when she lost consciousness and appeared to have died. That made it seem like the trigger man left her cause he thought she had died, but why not waste another bullet on her to make sure she was dead. Maybe Judd had second thoughts about what he had done. Plus, how did he and his wife survive their attackers when every other cop and spouse on the force besides he and Angela had been killed.

Now the question is, for what purpose? I would guess it’s so some higher up could implant their own people on the force while discrediting the Kavalry, with the added bonus that they can now operate with anonymity wearing masks. And I don’t think Judd was the top of the chain. My guess is that he became a liability after the White Night since he didn’t finish off Angela and seemed to genuinely care about his officers. Maybe it’s possible he was going to the hospital to meet the officer that was shot at the beginning of episode 1 when he was murdered.

Thanks a lot Marcus, thanks to you, now my mind has went down that rabbit hole and now I’m going to over analyze every detail of this show instead of enjoying it like I did the first 2 episodes.

By the way, what’s the chances Silk Spectre and Owl man had a kid together? You just know that kid is showing up later.

Not every cop was killed. Judd mentions that a lot of them quit after the attack.

One popular theory making the rounds right now is that Judd was the one who attacked Angela on the White Night. What do you think?

I feel like it was either him or Glass.
 

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