It’s March 29th, 2019 and I’m sitting in a tattoo shop awaiting the needle to pierce my skin. It is my wife and I’s five-year anniversary. It is also nearing two months following the ten-year anniversary of losing a friend to suicide. It is roughly February 15th, 2009 and I am picking up Watchmen for the first time. The monumental graphic novel that forever changed the landscape of comics is nearing my hands. I need something to distract me from the tragedy of Adam’s suicide. The more I learn, the more heartbroken I become. It is March 29th, 2019 and the needle hits my skin to form the infamous smiley face of Watchmen’s The Comedian. For me, this book is more than a book. It was a coping strategy – it is therapy.
It is October 10th 2015, Collider is reporting that Zach Snyder is rumored to do a Watchmen show for HBO. A month later, rumors fade to news as the development is officially announced. Zach Snyder’s name is no where to be found. Silence falls over the production for close to a two-year period. It is June 20th, 2017, Snyder has officially been removed from the story. Deadline is reporting that The Leftovers creator, Damon Lindelof, has entered negotiations with HBO to do the series. Shortly after, Lindelof signs onto create and develop the series for HBO. Over the course of the next two years, cryptic clues are littered throughout social media. It is December 15, 2019, I have watched said series twice within a week. Tonight the series ends.
HBO’s Watchmen picks up 34 years after the Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons’ comic of the same name. The series follows a war of racial tension following the death of Tulsa, Oklahoma police captain, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson). A war which eventually leads to a fantastical conspiracy. Watchmen is must watch television. Lindelof and his staff of writers manages to balance beautifully an homage to the source material with echoes of social justice that allows the show to thrive. While the comic is regarded as a classic, it does primarily an echo of how we treated the comic book characters as mostly a Caucasian cast. Lindelof, the cast and crew deliver the iconic characters into the modern age. Gorgeously depicting the evolution of racial tension within our backyard. Choosing in favor to tell stories through the eyes of African-Americans, a trait which was largely lost within its source material.
Even the attention of women is largely lost or downplayed within its comic book roots. However, its’ television counterpart is placing the lead charge within the capable hands of Regina King. King is incredible within Watchmen. A heartbreaking, fearless and empathetic performance which feels downright powerful. In every frame, that King enters she absolutely commands the screen. Whether it is for an inch or mile – King conquers this jungle in its entirety. Perhaps, even more than King though could be the argument for the show’s pacing from episode to episode. Lindelof and his writers are masterful in their storytelling aspects. While their story focuses primarily on present day Tulsa on King, her husband Cal (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), her grandfather (Louis Gosset Jr.), fellow cops in Wade Tillman (or Looking Glass, played by Tim Blake Nelson) & FBI alum, Laurie Blake (yes, that Laurie Blake – played by Jean Smart) it does manage to give us an interesting subplot featuring legacy character, Adrian Veidt (Jeremy Irons). Not to mention, flesh out the early days of the world thanks to the Will Reeves character.
No performance is wasted at all within Watchmen. Its’ echo of female empowerment & racial tension are undeniable but its cast is equally as strong. It’s a pleasure to see legacy characters like Irons and Smart bring a refreshing spin on characters from its source material. Somehow, Lindelof and crew manage to build beautifully and reinvent without ever spitting on what came before it. Its’ no secret that by now, Abdul-Mateen II, has been revealed to be another legacy character in the most powerful man, Doctor Manhattan. King is incredible, there is no denying that, but Abdul-Mateen manages the impossible and humanizes the deity. He is incredible enough as Cal, but with the Manhattan twist there is an elegance that he brings to the role. Abdul-Mateen II completely changes his body language, delivery but still manages to hit the heart strings for the audience. While his performance is one of the many strengths this show has to offer, his character design is one of the few flaws the show boast. Given its past with Game of Thrones and the popularity of Watchmen as a book, viewers would think we’d get a god-like design. Sadly, Abdul-Mateen II, as the blue giant feels like nothing more than a high class cosplay.
Overall, Watchmen, is an incredible viewing experience. Magnificently building off its source material as its backdrop. Watchmen manages to usher itself into modern age through its powerful and thought-provoking themes, world-class performances and a stunning narrative. Regina King demands the attention of viewers with one of not only the most impactful, but most important, performances not only of the year but perhaps decade. Adding in strong performances from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, Tim Blake Nelson, Jean Smart & Louis Gosset Jr. gives Watchmen an unbreakable foundation for importance, discussion and entertainment. Much like its source material before it, Watchmen commands conversation from its themes and relevance. From its opening frames to its stunning ending – Watchmen never once waits for air but rather ushers in twists, turns and world class entertainment. Damon Lindelof and every writer on this show is a master of its craft. Much like the squids of Tulsa, praises need to rain down on this one for a long, long time. Watchmen is stunning and breathtaking.
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