HBO is kind of like the mafia — once you think you’re out they find yet another way to bring you back in.
Once Game of Thrones ended earlier this year, a common theme you’d find on social media was people announcing, “Well, guess I can cancel HBO/HBO GO/HBO NOW/borrowing my relatives login.”
And if you looked at the premium networks’ lineup on paper, it’d be hard to blame you. However, this summer HBO dazzled audiences with the absolutely outstanding neon teen drama Euphoria, and then cultivated our latest obsession in delicious tragedy with the sophomore season of Succession.
And now, as October nears its end, HBO has delivered on its next big budget, must-see spectacle of a series — Watchmen.
Watchmen, which is set a number of years after the big screen adaptation ended, revolves around the re-emergence of a white supremacist group (The Seventh Calvary) who don the mask of former “Watchmen” Rorschach, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This city, as we find out in gut-wrenching opening scene, is no stranger to racial violence, as we see the African-American community of the city being slaughtered by KKK members — a horrific event that happened in real life, not in the hyper-fictionalized world of the series.
In the fictionalized Tulsa, police officers are forced to hide their identities after an event called “The White Night” where Calvary members systematically broke into the homes of police officers to assassinate them. Uniformed officers don yellow half masks that cover the lower parts of their faces, while certain officers, don not only full masks, but assume superhero/Watchmen-like identities like Red Scare (Andrew Howard), Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson), and Sister Midnight (Regina King).
To be blunt, the world building of Watchmen, is messy and a lot is left to be explained. First, Robert Redford is President, and a long-serving one at that. This is something I need explained. Second, the Calvary’s connection to Rorsach, and basically this series’ connection to the origin of the Alan Moore comic needs definite fleshing out. Finally, why certain police officers have superhero-esque personas really needs to be explained. The series is really banking on the audience to take massive leaps of faith in the premiere episode. It’s a bold strategy, and if the series does not pay off this leap quickly, this show could derail very rapidly.
But there’s something about the Watchmen Series Premiere that makes you want to take the leap without any hesitation. The world being built, while vague as all hell, is steeped in such a current, raw nerve that makes it all too relatable. Sure, at one moment there’s baby squid raining from the sky above (which isn’t explained at all), but the mere fact we’re watching a plot driven by people fighting against a resurgence in white supremacist terrorist groups steeps in a modern reality we can all sadly understand.
The performances, particularly from King, and Don Johnson, are just something to be marveled at. King, who just scored a much deserved Oscar, slides into the role of being both a loving yet no-nonsense mother, and a complete, utter bad ass, like she was born for the role. King, if the series allows it, should be the straw that stirs the drink as her character embodies so much of what’s happening in this series. Johnson, on the other hand, plays a similar role we’ve seen him in for, oh say 30-35 years, as the slicker than slick, cooler than ice, long Southern drawled law man with a deadly serious side. His chemistry with King, as well as his command of the screen is terrific.
For fans of the comic or if you have any inkling of the source material you’re just so intrigued to see how everything ties together — particularly when you see glimpses of Dr. Manhattan on television, and meet Jeremy Irons’ Adrian Veidt. These tidbits, along with a laundry list of Easter eggs, adds an element of intrigue — one you desperately want explained.
With the premiere of Watchmen, HBO has done it again. They’ve created another must-watch, destination television event on Sunday nights. Watchmen, while not perfect in its first episode, has created a world we want to learn about, a central conflict that taps into real life tragedy, and performances (particularly from King) that have you riveted. It does not matter one iota if you know anything about the original comics, or the movie, Watchmen is just damn good television.
Watchmen Series Premiere is now streaming on HBO GO, and HBO NOW.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-33JCGEGzwU
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