Summary: In D.C., Agent Blake sets up a fake bank heist to take down a vigilante who has been going around the city. Later, Blake is met by Senator Keene who wishes for her to go to Tulsa, suspecting that Judd's death was the work of a vigilante. Blake brings another agent, Petey, with her to Tulsa. On the flight they see the Millennium Clock and Blake learns more about Petey, who reveals that he knows Blake used to be a hero. Upon arriving, Blake quickly interrogates Wade, learning that Judd's funeral is already happening, giving her very little chance to investigate the body. At the funeral, Blake introduces herself to Angela, knowing that she is Sister Night. Suddenly a 7K member arrives and threatens to blow up Senator Keene with a bomb. Blake shoots the 7K guy, but the bomb still goes off, and Angela saves everyone by throwing it in the grave and covering it with Judd's coffin. Blake speaks with Angela and reveals that she found Judd's secret compartment and passively threatens her. Throughout the episode there are scenes of Blake telling a joke to her ex Dr. Manhattan via a phone that goes to Mars. Blake leaves and suddenly Angela's car falls down right in front of her. Elsewhere, the master rides out in the countryside only to be reprimanded by the game warden. It turns out that his name is Adrian Veidt and he is imprisoned at this location.
The Good: 3 episodes in and already there is a formula break episode that centers on a completely new character that we haven't seen before. Lindelof did this in "The Leftovers" and he doesn't shy away from it here. The character of choice here is Laurie Blake who we learn a lot about in this episode as she is set up to be a potential foil for Angela. The character is really interesting and everything we learn about her is fascinating, certainly the best character work done all season. I love the idea of a former superhero who has soured on other people like her and as such is now specializing in vigilante hunting. She's a very interesting and complicated character who I suspect was explored more thoroughly in the comics that I have not yet read. But what I saw here was really engaging as Blake is set up as a thrilling rival for Angela. She's smart, experienced and ruthless in her approach and what comes next should make for some compelling viewing. Perhaps the most interesting part about her came from her relationship with Dr. Manhattan. The lengthy joke that she told him throughout the episode was incredibly interesting to me. Evidently, the heroes she mentioned in the story were all people who are established in the universe, and while I don't yet recognize all of them (see: The Unknown), this joke gave me tons of fascinating details about how the heroes operate and how things work in this world. But not only was this joke interesting and revealing of Blake's morals and value, I was also pleasantly surprised by the reveal that Blake used to be in a relationship with this Dr. Manhattan, the closest thing to a god in this universe. It was pretty sad to see her continuing to speak with him (if he's even listening), saddened by the fact that he has left, but understanding of why he has forsaken humanity. It's a very dreary perspective on humans as a whole, and it's a viewing that absolutely fascinates me. I can't wait to see more about Blake and Dr. Manhattan in future episodes. The show as a whole does have plenty of similarities in its approach to "The Leftovers". Not only from running a character centric episode like this, but also from telling its story in such a mysterious and convoluted way, encouraging us to analyze every scene in detail to get whatever information out of it that we can. In the first two episodes I have complained about it feeling like too much to be asked to invest without any engaging characters to help us through it. This episode helped repair this by centralizing on Blake and getting more information from her point of view while still raising more and more questions. I was thoroughly interested during the whole episode, which ended up being a spectacular example of how to reveal information about an unfamiliar world. I laughed when I saw that the mysterious contents of Blake's case was a vibrator that seems to be made to mimic Dr. Manhattan's manhood. That was quite possibly the last thing I was expecting to see in there, but it makes perfect sense considering Blake's relationship with Dr. Manhattan. The Bad: But not everything about the approach from "The Leftovers" works here, because it certainly did not entirely work in season 1 of that show. Despite my interest in the plot and the world, it feels like the show hasn't started to tell its story yet from an emotional perspective. I've only been engaged in a very basic level, invested in the plot and the world, but nothing has gotten me to engage with the characters or the story in a way that I get lost in them. In short, the show so far has felt hollow and flat in its storytelling structure, even though it has sucked me in with its world building. One key example would be the scenes with Adrian in this imprisonment of his (see: The Unknown). These scenes are well constructed and well acted, that's for sure, but they have utterly failed to emotionally engage me. In each episode they break the pacing of the story to offer me maybe one or two more answers, but in the process, they raise more and more questions. It's frustrating to see that the show hasn't even attempted to make me care about this character or his plight, whatever it may be (again, see: The Unknown). Instead the show is opting to test my patience with this strange storytelling. It's interesting, but I need something more engaging to latch onto in the early episodes of the show. Perhaps I am missing something from the comics, but even if I am I can't help but feel that knowing more information would only serve to make this storyline even more frustrating. That's because if you take out the mystery, there is nothing else left to make the Adrian story engaging. I do worry that this show is trying too hard to symbolic and artsy. At the moment I am only invested in the Blake storyline and the world, none of the other characters have piqued my interest yet. Symbolism is lovely to see in film, but it only works if there is a good story underneath. I hope that "Watchmen" proves that it is telling a worthwhile story instead of simply being artistic. The Unknown: Plenty in this section. What is the Millennium Clock? What is its purpose? Does it have a role to play in the story? Who were all of the people that were mentioned by Pete? Lady Trieu? Adrian Veidt? We learn that Adrian is the man in the castle we have seen in every episode so far. Why is he imprisoned? Who is holding him? It was stated earlier that Adrian has been declared dead. Is he actually dead? Where is he anyways? Why is he here? What did he do to merit imprisonment? Apparently Blake knows him and does not like him. Why? What is their history? Who were the three heroes mentioned in Blake's joke? The last one is certainly Dr. Manhattan. But who are the other two? I'm not yet sure about the first one, but I can guess that the second one might be Adrian. The way Blake described the character fits what we have seen from Adrian in his imprisonment. Apparently the second hero had teleported a giant squid into New York, murdering 3 million people to stop genocide. How did he do this? How did it stop genocide? Is this the reason why there is squidfall? If this hero is Adrian, could this mass genocide be the reason for his imprisonment? Was the falling car at the end the work of Dr. Manhattan? Why did he drop the car in front of Blake? What does this mean? Does this mean that Dr. Manhattan heard her? Why did he drop Angela's car though? Is he trying to help Blake? Does this mean that Dr. Manhattan is the one who lifted Will away in the previous episode? Are they working together? Best Moment: The end of Blake's call to Dr. Manhattan was a very sad moment for the character. Evidently she wants to be with him, but seeing that he has abandoned humanity evidently left a huge scar on Blake, causing her to seemingly forsake humanity as well. It's a fascinating bit of character work. Character of the Episode: Blake. Conclusion: This was a really interesting episode. The focus on Blake made for what was the most engaging episode yet, with some good character moments and lots of exciting answers about the world of "Watchmen". However, the show's continued emphasis on mystery and symbolism over story is getting frustrated, and even focusing on just a single character wasn't enough to overcome this problem. There needs to be more emphasis on characters and story for the show to hit that next level, and despite the exciting formula break in this episode, the flaws prevented it from being anything special. Score: 65
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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