Watchmen (HBO) Season One (1 Viewer)

[TonyD]

I’m wondering how the result of that cannon will be any dIfferent then
When Ozy tried to kill him with his device.

From what I remember and it was portrayed very well in the movie,
Dr M just reconstituted himselfafter being zapped.

Also I wonder what we should make of a few things Dr M said to Angela.
Specifically when he told her she needs to be aware of his ability to walk on water and the importance of the possibility that he can literally feed his powers to another being.

There’s a lot of threads that need to be finished in the final ep.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’m also wondering if the material with Veidt is taking place simultaneously to what we’ve seen on Earth, or if we’re witnessing in his storyline events that have already happened.

Also, the show has demonstrated that new bodies can be grown through cloning and that memories can be transferred from one body to another. I don’t think they put that into the story just for window distressing. I don’t have any guesses that I’m willing to stand behind for how that’ll come up again, but I don’t think we’ve heard the final word on that topic.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I’m also wondering if the material with Veidt is taking place simultaneously to what we’ve seen on Earth, or if we’re witnessing in his storyline events that have already happened.

Each episode features an anniversary cake from Phillips and Crookshanks, so a year has gone by between each of Veidt's appearances.

We know from Sunday's episode that Doctor Manhattan met Angela in 2009. Six months later, he came to Veidt and made the arrangement to exchange the device for a one-way trip to Europa. Assuming six months later was in 2010 -- best as I can tell -- his storylines have taken place as follows:

1. First episode: 2011
2. Second episode: 2012
3. Third episode: 2013
4. Fourth episode: 2014
5. Fifth episode: 2015
6. Sixth episode: 2016
7. Seventh episode: 2017
8. Eighth episode: 2018

Assuming that they keep the one year jump between each episode for his stories, he should be all caught up to the present for the finale.

Also, the show has demonstrated that new bodies can be grown through cloning and that memories can be transferred from one body to another. I don’t think they put that into the story just for window distressing. I don’t have any guesses that I’m willing to stand behind for how that’ll come up again, but I don’t think we’ve heard the final word on that topic.

I wouldn't bet against you. That being said, I wouldn't be shocked if the season ended with the destruction of Doctor Manhattan. But I would be shocked if it ended with the triumph of godlike white supremacists.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I didn’t realize that much time was passing in Veidt’s world; it often seemed to me that we’d see him prepare for an action in one week’s episode and then conduct that action the following one, so I was assuming it was a faster passage with the cakes being more of a ritual than an actual literal birthday. But it does seem as though it could fit. You really have a great eye for that kind of detail

I agree with you about the ending. But this seems like a nice arc for Manhattan, who was still kinda barely human when he was just Jon prior to the accident. He’s at last found humanity within himself and there’s nothing more human, nothing more alive than having life end. It would seem almost like a success to me if he was able to have a human end after years of godlike abilities.

 

[TonyD]

Yeah Viedt seems to be there since 2009 and has a cake every year and looks to be up to seven I think.

I saw some talkthat he is on Tht moon and time passes differently while there so while in earth time it’s been over 7 years but on his time it’s on,y been 7+ days.

 

[TonyD]

That’s last ep is going to have to cram so much into It.
Still don’t know anything about what that thing was that crashed from space and why she bought that land and gave those people a baby for it.

 

[Hollywoodaholic]

They also collaborated on the Tomorrowland script.

I am glad that he continued to get work after that.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I didn’t realize that much time was passing in Veidt’s world; it often seemed to me that we’d see him prepare for an action in one week’s episode and then conduct that action the following one, so I was assuming it was a faster passage with the cakes being more of a ritual than an actual literal birthday. But it does seem as though it could fit. You really have a great eye for that kind of detail

The passage of time is crucial for understanding his character arc, how he goes from so seemingly happy and content in his first appearance to so desperate to escape so quickly. Each episode is one more year of this shit, another year more disillusioned by the bargain he made with Manhattan.

They even made a joke about how the trial after he was captured by the Warden lasted an entire year.

But this seems like a nice arc for Manhattan, who was still kinda barely human when he was just Jon prior to the accident. He’s at last found humanity within himself and there’s nothing more human, nothing more alive than having life end. It would seem almost like a success to me if he was able to have a human end after years of godlike abilities.

This is why, as the other Josh pointed out, the moment he fell in love with Angela is so crucial. It's an anchor for him, to the world and to his own humanity. Decisions he makes before and after that moment in time are shaped by the transformative effect of this woman who will attempt the impossible for him without a second thought. When causality flows both ways, as it does for Doctor Manhattan, the future can dictate that past just as readily as the past can dictate the future.

That is something, I suspect, that would be worth dying for in Doctor Manhattan's mind.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I had a million interruptions when I watched the first episode and probably missed some of the Veidt groundwork; if I can squeeze it in I’ll try to revisit it before watching the finale. Sometimes it can be fun to do that anyway just to see how much the end delivers on what the beginning sets up.

 

[Sam Favate]

Just catching up with episode 8. Really great stuff. I'm so glad I gave this show the time. Like all of you I am very much looking forward to the finale. It hasn't been announced, but I feel confident there will be another season.

 

[Walter Kittel]

So did anyone watch the segment after the credits? I normally stop at the credits because I prefer to not view the teaser for the next episode. A friend informed me there was more, so I watched it earlier today. I'll spoilerize this in case someone wants to call up the episode and check this out if they missed it during their normal viewing.

Spoiler

What was the deal with smashing the tomatoes on Veidt's face? Obviously some form of ritualized punishment, but is there more to it than just that? Origins, significance, etc? We did get confirmation as to the identify of the Warden. I believe that some had already identified him, but this was a pretty specific confirmation.

- Walter.

 

[Josh Dial]

I always watch the full credits for everything so I didn't miss the after-credit sequence (which is longer than most).

 

[AlexF]

I finally had a chance to watch this today and knew that there was a post-credits scene... despite that, I was still surprised when it hit the credits and, knowing the episode was just over an hour long, there was still a bit under ten minutes left.

I was very hesitant to watch this when it was first announced because I wasn't super impressed with the portions of "Before Watchmen" that I'd read... Like others, I'm glad that I decided to stick around and check it out... I'm impatient for next Thursday (as that'll be the first opportunity I have to watch episode 9...)

 

[TonyD]

Welp.

I did not care for the ending.

As soon as it got towards it I knew exactly what was goi g to happen in the final shot.

HATED IT.

 

[Josh Dial]

I loved the ending. Damon Lindelof has delivered another great show. Not perfect like The Leftovers, but almost there.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

As soon as it got towards it I knew exactly what was goi g to happen in the final shot.

HATED IT.

Why? I thought it was perfect. If the camera had lingered a second longer and answered the question posed, I wouldn't have liked it as much. As it stands, the ending is like Schrödinger's cat: Angela simultaneously is and is not the new Doctor Manhattan.

I loved the ending. Damon Lindelof has delivered another great show. Not perfect like The Leftovers, but almost there.

I liked the journey of "The Leftovers" more, but I think I liked the ending of this run of "Watchmen" more. It tied everything up in a neat little bow, which -- given Doctor Manhattan's abilities -- made sense.

The rendition of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'" from "Oklahoma!" as a lament gave me chills.

 

[joshEH]

That was a pretty damn good finale. I love that even the statue-theory panned out. Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Adrian Veidt engineered an escape from Europa (with help). Busting out of a Supermax will simply be the work of his first morning shit in the clink.

I could think of a couple paths for a potential season two...obviously, Angela trying to "do more" using Manhattan's powers and royally fucking things up, and/or Trieu's power-stealing machine being destroyed could've dispersed just a tiny taste of Manhattan's powers into every nearby survivor, letting us see how much, much worse Manhattan could've been.

 

[TJPC]

Not to be disagreeable, but any connection to the series “Lost” means that this show is contaminated for me. As I have stated before, we were excited and loyal viewers who watched every episode, and felt so stupid for doing so when we watched the final episode, that we try never to be sucked into anything created by the people involved again.

 

[Hanson]

There were like 4 reveals in the first ten minutes. By the time the statue was being offloaded, I had a huge smile on my face.

Turns out

Spoiler

Lady Trieu's downfall was monologuing like a Republic serial villain. Too bad she didn't know her dad knew how to do it better.

Also, Lindelof reveals in a interview that

Spoiler

Angela definitely has Dr Manhattan's powers, the ending was done because it was cinematic, but there is no doubt that the egg conferred her the powers

All in all, the series went well beyond what I hoped for. I'd welcome a second season, but just like the comic book series, I'm good with the way things were wrapped up.

 

[Walter Kittel]

While there was a lot to like in the season finale, my feelings about the final sequence are more uncertain. Hard for me to quantify exactly while my feelings are mixed. Kind of have some issues with the transfer mechanism, but they are hard to describe. Maybe related to the scale of the two sequences (big mega-science vs. something much smaller.) Maybe the idea of causality - Dr. M sets everything in motion, because he knows how everything will resolve. Just seems kind of like circular reasoning.

Still, a very enjoyable series despite some misgivings about how it wraps up.

- Walter.