[Review] Watchmen Season 1: Our Distance from God
Damon Lindelof's previous two series, Lost and the Leftovers, were both hailed as masterpieces. His new series, adapted from the similarly revered DC comic Watchmen, has lived up to expectations, becoming one of the best series of the year.
After watching the first episode, I immediately wrote a review praising how the series integrated racial issues into the world of the original comic. Unexpectedly, after watching the remaining eight episodes, I had a different feeling and even more admiration for the creator Damon Lindelof and the entire production team's creativity and courage. The series opens with the real-life 1921 Tulsa massacre, and the main story takes place in modern Tulsa, revolving around a plot by white supremacist terrorists. This main plot seems to be set in the comic book world of Watchmen but doesn't have much connection to the original comic. However, as the plot develops, we finally learn that the protagonist Angela Abar's (Regina King) grandfather, Will Reeves (Louis Gossett Jr.), was actually Hooded Justice, a minor character who only briefly appeared in the comic. The series' ability to turn a minor character from the original comic into the protagonist of this series and fill in his backstory to align with the series' theme of race is truly admirable.
The sixth episode primarily focuses on Will Reeves/Hooded Justice's memories. He was originally one of New York's first black police officers, but from the induction ceremony to his time on duty, he faced unequal treatment and oppression due to racial issues. He also witnessed how other police officers protected criminals, so he decided to fight crime as a masked vigilante. However, when masked, he had to paint his face white to conceal his race. This was likely because in the society of that time, only white people could be heroes, and only white heroes would be loved and trusted. In fact, before this episode, the series frequently showed clips from the "show within a show," American Hero Story, in which Hooded Justice was a white man, showing that the general public's image of this hero was also a white man. In the Watchmen comic, masks have a very important meaning, and the mask worn by Will Reeves represents the oppression suffered by black Americans: because of their skin color, they could not bring justice as police officers and had to wear masks, pretending to be white. This episode's flashbacks also explain the motivations behind Will Reeves's actions in the first episode. This episode speaks of the past and the present, and the production team presented these memories in black and white, which, in addition to adding a nostalgic and old-fashioned feel, also aligns with the episode's themes of race and good versus evil.
Another important theme of this series is love, family, and bloodline. At the beginning of the series, we thought the protagonist had little connection to the characters in the original comic, but unexpectedly, the series brought so many surprises later on. Will Reeves/Hooded Justice put on a mask and fought crime, hoping to bring a just world to his son and let him grow up in a safe environment. Therefore, when he saw his son imitating him by painting his face white and becoming a masked hero, he felt very angry, and I believe he was also ashamed of his own powerlessness. Unexpectedly, decades later in Tulsa, his granddaughter Angela also has to wear a mask while on duty to protect her own and her family's identity, preventing others from knowing she is a police officer. This also shows that decades later, black people still have to live in the fear and oppression brought by white supremacists.
In addition to being Hooded Justice's granddaughter, Angela is also the wife of Dr. Manhattan (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a significant character from the original comic. This identity was only revealed at the end of the seventh episode, which surprised many viewers. The eighth episode also brought me one of the most romantic stories I've seen this year, depicting the moments when Dr. Manhattan and Angela met, fell in love, and parted. The series, utilizing Dr. Manhattan's ability to see all points in time, used a non-linear narrative approach, initially planting many mysteries when they first met and then gradually explaining them in later scenes. At the end of that episode, Dr. Manhattan saw Angela selflessly protecting him, which was the moment he fell in love with her, echoing the scene from their first meeting. Moreover, he had already foreseen the moment their relationship would end but did not intend to change the future or save his own life, only hoping to give up his powers and spend ten beautiful and romantic years with Angela. I believe the audience will also be moved by this relationship. Following the fourth season episode Constant of Lost, Damon Lindelof once again uses time travel and non-linear storytelling to present a love that has endured hardship and been separated by time, and the content of these two episodes does not seem repetitive, remaining very romantic.
The final family relationship in this series is the twisted relationship between the comic character Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons) and his daughter Lady Trieu (Hong Chau). The latter not only inherited her father's genius intellect but also his harshness and ambition, and she became the ultimate villain of this series due to a lack of paternal love and affirmation. This series has nine episodes, and it has fully explained the stories of many protagonists. The only minor flaw might be that Lady Trieu's background and motivations are too simple and not complete enough. However, Hong Chau portrayed this character as cold, ambitious, and even mad, and her brilliant performance is enough to compensate for the lack of character development and plot.
Damon Lindelof's previous work the Leftovers was considered a masterpiece, with very detailed character writing, and Watchmen has inherited this. Some episodes spent the entire time delving into one character, including the loneliness of the original comic character Laurie Blake (Jean Smart) and the trauma of "Mirror Guy" Wade Tillman/Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson), making even minor characters stand out in their limited time and leaving a deep impression on the audience. Another outstanding element of the series is the score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Their score not only created the chaotic and tense atmosphere for most of the series but also played relatively peaceful and romantic melodies in the episode focusing on Angela and Dr. Manhattan, with many pieces of music worth listening to again and again.
As a sequel to the original comic, this series continues the stories of Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias (Jeremy Strong) and Dr. Manhattan, and explores the existence of "God" through their storylines. Ozymandias has always considered himself the smartest person in the world, so in the original comic, he arrogantly created a giant monster to attack New York City, killing hundreds of thousands of people to ease tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union. Apart from a few members of the Watchmen, the outside world had no idea that Ozymandias was the mastermind behind this event, likely believing it was an act of God. Moreover, Ozymandias later recorded a video for the newly elected President Robert Redford, pointing out that the series of events leading to his election were all "arranged" by him, showing that he felt he could control everything and rule the world, believing himself to be "God." Later, Dr. Manhattan gave him a chance to go to Europa to manage the life and environment he created there, in a sense becoming the "God" of that place. This seemed like the identity he had always dreamed of, but as the days there grew longer, he finally felt lonely and began to reflect on life, seemingly ashamed of the mistakes he had made in the past. On the other hand, Dr. Manhattan sees through different points in time, is almost omniscient and omnipotent, can even create life, and possesses god-like abilities. However, what he truly wants is to live the life of an ordinary person and experience love without his powers. Both of these characters once experienced being ordinary humans, then became god-like beings, and then chose to return to being ordinary. Their stories show our distance from God. If there really is a "God" in this world, what kind of being is he?
After the end of this season, many viewers are curious whether there will be another season of this series. Damon Lindelof's previous work the Leftovers became more and more brilliant with each season and introduced a new batch of characters beyond the original ones to explore other themes with new settings. Watchmen is one of the best series in my mind of 2019, and I have full confidence in Damon Lindelof, believing he will make the best decision for this series. If he decides to make a second season, it means he has sufficient ideas for the future plot development, and I will be very reassured and look forward to it.
Trailer:
Synopsis:
Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, this epic series from Damon Lindelof (Lost; HBO’s The Leftovers) embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, while attempting to break new ground of its own. Regina King stars as a lead detective in the Tulsa Police Force and a wife and mother of three.
Photo and Source: HBO