Review: Watchmen season one episode one

Review of the new HBO series The Watchmen

Episode one: It’s summer and we’re running out of ice

by Sarah Michelle

I normally take notes while watching something I will review for, it’s a force of habit, so that I remember the small things that may come up mid episode.

I didn’t do it for this episode, I wanted to focus solely on what was happening, because I’m a huge Watchmen fan, both the graphic novel and the movie. It has a dark side that I find so appealing and sadly realistic, that it draws me in every time.

Also I was a smidge nervous to take on an HBO show, because the last season of Game of Thrones left such a bad taste in my mouth and I couldn’t bear the thought of them doing that to one of my favorite stories.

Watchmen in the past has brought to light all the ugly things that people tend to glaze over, sure you hear the awful stories, but they are put to such a minimal light, that you are not aware of how far they go and how dark it could be. And you forget it just as quickly as something else grabs your attention.

The show has not failed to disappoint, it showed a quick bright light on racism, and segregation, a sore subject and if we’re honest, an ongoing battle. A battle with police authority and brutality, a battle of being pulled over and treated a certain way based on your appearance alone. There is also a reminder that not all of either side are the same, but that it doesn’t matter sometimes, you will get lumped up into it. Two small children escape one of the most scarring situations in their lives, with their eyes open on what the world will be like for them.

We appear to be in later generations after the original Watchmen, our previous battle stars are older and we are dealing with a new generation.

Anonymity is key, for cops, for superheroes, for everyone, to avoid long term risks on each family. It makes sense, when a “hero” is known, they immediately go after their family or other loved ones, so why shouldn’t that same theory be applied to police.

We meet a masked cop, taken down by a “Kavalry” member, who appears to have taken on a mask in the style of the hero Rorschach, who you may not know, depending on if you are a fan.

Rorschach wanted the truth, all of it, no matter how dark, no matter if it was for the greater purpose, and he wanted it to be known to the public. 

He died for that cause, by the hands of his friends and teammates that he fought by, as they believed since there was no way to stop what had already happened, to try and bring the truth to the world would just make it worse.

We meet Chief Judd Crawford (Don Johnson), who looks in on the cop at the hospital, shot by a Kavalry member, the cop saw a mask in the glove compartment, and went for his weapon, why must people always assume the worst? All for a truck full of lettuce.

Our main character arrives Angela Abar (Regina King) aka Sister Knight, who I honestly think is one of the children for the opening scene, who used to be a cop until an event called “White Night” happens. What was this catastrophic event that happened internationally? She mentions being a cop in another country when it happened, and now pretends to be a baker opening a shop.

We meet the Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson), along with others, all in masks. Even at work, nobody can know each others identities, and it’s a haunting scenario. They’re working side by side with the police, the Panda controls the weapons and is non biased on when it comes to if they should be used. Also really? A freaking Panda? Come on. This is either a giant joke, or yet again another play on the term of things not always being black and white.

The “Seventh Kavalry” is like the nightmare multiple radical groups rolled into one, where it started with a purpose behind it, but it’s at such a cause of destruction and violence, just like the reason it was created to begin with. They say it’s white supremacy, but it’s too early to tell if it is just a way that they make the group to be an actual villain, or if they actually are part of that.

Can you really always tell who is fighting on the side for good?

If you were at San Diego Comic Con, they had a small pod that you could go in, and they would do graphics while you screamed to look like you were being pulled apart.

They had the pod here, it’s where they bring people for interrogation, with the mirror image of the Looking Glass and his mask.

Of course there will be a battle and a stand off, and I always flinch when stand by animals are wounded (even when fake), so be prepared for that.

The group had a hideout just to collect small batteries, there are multiple purposes for them, but it seems to be an unusual thing for a terrorist group to do while hidden. Synthetic lithium that apparently has made people ill, all while hearing a constant ticking of a clock in the background. Tick tock, Tick tock….

Why would a small group be imitating the face of Rorschach, and quoting the same things as him.

How would this tie together with a white supremacy plan? Is it the literal interpretation of black and white? Because it wasn’t meant for color of skin when it applied for Rorschach it applied to what people did to each other. But that’s what the world does, it takes one person’s view on something and apply it elsewhere, in a way it was never meant to be aimed at.

It is nice to see the return of Nite Owl’s ship, even for a moment before destroyed. It will be a disappointment if Ozymandias is the only original character that makes an appearance.

I’m hoping for even some flashbacks with some characters…

I’m excited for the reality that is to come.

In the end Sister Knight sees the chief gone, with a man in the wheelchair from the beginning of the episode. An old man in a wheelchair….with a note.

Still think that Chief was doing everything in the name of the law and justice? And will this make you think of that question every day?

Email: Sarahmichelle@fangirlzone.com

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