The pilot episode for HBO's Watchmen has finally hit us and it couldn't have been more timely as I was getting bored with the long gap for a good TV series since HBO's Chernobyl ended many months ago. I'm a huge fan of the graphic novel (Tales of the Black Freighter and all!) but I disagree with Alan Moore's refusal to endorse the new TV series. Fans deserve to get more stuff from the world Moore/Gibbons created and just like George Lucas' disapproval of the new Star Wars stuff didn't stop Disney from producing new SW movies, we deserve to see more from the Watchmen's universe because there's just so much demand for them. Nuff said, right?
So how did the pilot episode fare? Your mileage may vary but these are my thoughts on the first episode of the TV series.....
I personally feel that those new to the Watchmen universe need not read the graphic novel or watch the 2009 film to enjoy the TV series although I highly recommend the former (at the very least!).
The story is set 30 years after Ozymandias' failed (did he now?) attempt to drastically alter the history of mankind by murdering countless innocent lives back in the mid 1980s. This alternate world does not have any cellphones nor any hints of the internet so I'm guessing people are less distracted because there are no annoying gadgets to disrupt your conversations.
Robert Redford has been president for three decades now since Nixon conceded defeat in the late 80s. Vigilantism is still a no-no since it was banned in the late 70s except for those who are endorsed by the government.
Sister Night is probably the only superhero/vigilante we got to see in this plot episode and I can understand HBO's plight to keep the momentum going albeit by employing a slow start to the series. Heck, even that opening scene felt like it didn't belong in the whole Watchmen universe but it was kinda important as it sets the tone for the new series by highlighting racism as the main central theme of this new TV series.
I think Don Johnson was great in his role as the police chief although at first my thoughts immediately went to the role that he played in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (coincidently he was leading the local chapter of the KKK instead of battling them).
Police officers now wear protective half-face mask to protect their identities so that they would remain anonymous at all times.This twisted alternate reality also see a group of racist individuals banding together under the KKK banner and adopting the late Rorschach's mask and personae while they commit indecent acts of racism. For those not in the know, Rorschach is a character which one can safely call an anti-hero because he was not a good guy, be it in the graphic novel or the 2009 movie.
The 'squid rain' scene is a homage to the alien squid plot told in the graphic novel. The ending to the 2009 film however was changed and no giant 'alien' squid was portrayed in the end scene. Zack Snyder (director of the 2009 film) instead shifted the whole blame on Dr Manhattan who coincidently just like his comic book counterpart, is still missing and purportedly still on Mars, living in isolation. I prefer the squid ending through and through.
I am however keen to know how Damon Lindelof (that's the guy behind the TV series) is gonna continue the 'lie' by maintaining that Dr Manhanttan was the common threat that led everyone to stop fighting and unite against the threat brought by ol' blue....or are we finally gonna see Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt, who is very much alive in the universe to say the least, coming clean and clear his forer team mate's name?
Speaking of which.....
The old Adrian Veidt/Ozymandias is still alive and well in the present but I'd like to know more about him e.g. what kind of life did he lead after the fiasco that he created back in the 80s or did he feel any remorse at all for betraying his fellow Watchmen? Although this new Watchmen series seem to be focusing a lot on the issue of racism, I'd love to see the original team members getting back together (sans The Comedian and Rorschach of course) at least for a brief while.
I'm looking forward to seeing them teasing the return of Dr Manhattan and the whereabouts of the Silk Spectre and the Nite Owl (if they are indeed still alive). Can we have all these in Episode 2 dear HBO?
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