Summary: A flashback to Tulsa in 1921 shows a black boy escape the 1921 Tulsa massacre. In 2019, a police officer pulls over a man suspected of being involved in the 7th Kavalry, a modern day KKK organization. The officer is shot but he lives. The police chief Judd is informed by this. Elsewhere, Angela is enjoying a quiet life with her family. However she is secretly a cop who hides her identity to remain safe. She learns of the 7K's return and brings in a suspect to the police. The suspect is questioned by Wade and beaten by Angela, revealing the 7K's location. The police attack the 7K and kill most of them. Judd's family joins Angela's for dinner and Judd and Angela discuss the upcoming war with 7K. Later that night Judd hears that the injured police officer has woken up and goes to see him, but his car is stopped. Angela receives a phone call and is told to come to a specific hill. Once she arrives she sees that Judd has been hanged and there's an old man in a wheelchair next to him, likely the same person from the Tulsa flashback. Elsewhere, a master lives in a castle with two servants who constantly praise him.
Before I get into things, I want to mention that I have never read the Watchmen comics or seen the 2009 film. My reviews for this show will be from somebody who knows nothing about this universe. So if you want somebody who will appreciate all the connections and callbacks in this show, you've come to the wrong place. The Good: I thought that the presentation of 1921 Tulsa was magnificent and it started the show in an affecting and horrifying way. I'm not a big fan of most modern superhero films and TV shows, but I was surprised to see this superhero show start with a big focus on racism, showing that there is perhaps a bigger message here than just showing us cool superhero characters doing cool things. This subversion continued throughout the episode. I came into this show expecting superheroes, but so far all we have seen are ordinary people, making this one of the more unique takes of superheroes I have seen. The parallels between the masked 7K members and the masked cops are not lost on me, and it seems like the show is already setting up to make a point about how these masked heroes aren't so different from the people they are putting away, particularly when we see how the cops beat down a suspect without even a shred of evidence to get what they need to catch the bad guys. It feels more like vigilante justice than legal justice. I was not expecting any themes like this, so it was a welcome surprise. That being said, I can plainly tell that this is a Damon Lindelof show. There are so many genuinely strange and confusing moments throughout this episode, such as the squid rain and the master (see: The Unknown) which I'm really unsure how to feel about currently. I think this stuff could have been implemented better (see: The Bad), but it catches my interest as really creative worldbuilding that lets me know that it is worth learning more about this world and its history. I thought that the action and writing in this episode was solid. I enjoyed the ridiculous action sequence against the 7K which decided to butcher dozens of cows. I also really appreciated the foreshadowing of the final reveal with Judd saying "my funeral" and the old man being seen earlier in the episode asking Angela if she thinks he can lift 200 pounds. It's really satisfying to see the twists and reveals telegraphed in advance, just you don't notice it at the time. I hope the rest of this show's complexity is revealed as satisfyingly as this. The Bad: This might be because I'm not a comic reader, but this was too much for me. The world has so many differences from our world but none of these differences were presented in a way that felt easily accessible to me. I feel like I'm drowning in an ocean trying to learn the rules of this world and it is far too difficult. Seeing that I know nothing about this universe at all, I would have liked the show to offer some information on how superheroes operate in this world and why things are the way they are. Instead all I've been given are tons of questions as the show builds mystery. There's nothing wrong with mystery but I need to be given something to grasp onto before I get invested in the mystery. This show hasn't given me enough detail about the world to really care. Furthermore, I thought that the characters were really weak in this episode. Nobody has caught my eye yet and I feel like there isn't anything for me to emotionally engage with currently. Lindelof likes to create his mysteries, but there's one thing that he seems to be lacking, as he did in "The Leftovers" as well: creating compelling characters in the first episode. The story in "The Leftovers" was brilliant but it took me 9 episodes before I was fully engaged in the overall narrative. It looks like that is going to happen here as well since all we have gotten in this episode is mystery and intrigue without even a hint of relatable characters. A show like "Lost" was far better in this regard because it spent the pilot episode making likeable characters before delving into mystery. I wish this show had done the same. The Unknown: It's a Lindelof show so I already have plenty of questions. Was the old man at the end of the episode the same boy from the Tulsa flashback? He was holding the same "watch over this boy" note so I think that's a fair assumption. Who is the baby he picked up in the flashback? Anybody important? What is causing this squid rain? It's very strange and I'm not sure it will be explained. I'm hoping that it's not something I should already know from the comics. Why does everyone hide their face in this world? Where did the 7th Kavalry come from? What else is different about this world from our world? I'm sure there are many other questions I had that I can't recall right now. We are thrown into the deep end as we are introduced to this world. I've heard the name Dr. Manhattan thrown around before. Who is he? What is his story? A newspaper shot says he is on Mars. Will he be important? Are Angela's children all adopted? Will this have importance in the story? Who is this master character? The scenes with him were incredibly strange and left me baffled. I have no clue what to think of this character so far or the people who serve him. I can only assume that he will become important later on. Perhaps this is the main villain of the story. Best Moment: The final visual of Judd hanging while the mysterious old man from before sits next to him, his words from earlier in the episode finally coming clear. It's engrossing and it was the moment that really got me interested in this mystery. Character of the Episode: Judd. Conclusion: This was an interesting pilot. There's lots of mystery to get engrossed in, but unfortunately there hasn't been nearly enough characters to get engrossed in. I am interested in the show for sure, and I think there is plenty of potential for it to be good. But none of that has been realized yet, and this first episode proves to be frustrating more often than it is compelling. I'm interested in the show, but that doesn't mean that what I've seen so far has been particularly good. Score: 59
2 Comments
Joe Y
1/3/2021 12:34:00 am
Have you read the Watchmen graphic novel? You'll be lost if you haven't.
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Aaronic
1/3/2021 10:57:24 am
I have not. I thought it would be a unique perspective being somebody who is not knowledgeable in the lore to watch this show since I firmly believe that most TV shows should be accessible to watch and enjoy without any outsider knowledge. As of writing this I have completed the show and I have several rough notes reviews that I will be fully completing over the next few days. It was a surprisingly rewarding and fun experience to go through the show like this, combing through the few details I was given to see if I could better understand the story and the world.
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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