Jump to content

HBO's Watchmen series


mdmost

Recommended Posts

10 hours ago, Liquor and Poker said:

I want a Leftovers prequel. 
 

This show was better than I expected. I hated the movie (when I could stay awake), so I did have low expectations.  It was in a good spot time wise, since pretty much every series I like has either ended or is still on extended hiatus.

But I didn’t love the “all mysteries revealed!” rapid-fire Marvel-style finale, complete with the James Bond villain’s monologue and last second save from certain doom. 

Put me down as OK if it’s done and OK if it’s not.

I’m here as well.  Happy with the overall series but it came down to the villain wanting an audience that led to her downfall.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, NotActuallyALonghorn said:

Maybe a holiday special where they do song/dance and comedy routines?

 

19 hours ago, 52-80 said:

Give this man a Netflix contract.

 

18 hours ago, Liquor and Poker said:

Taped in front of a live studio audience.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

I’m here as well.  Happy with the overall series but it came down to the villain wanting an audience that led to her downfall.

It's not a coincidence someone who felt themselves worthy of becoming a living god wanted an audience of someone who felt she wasn't worthy.  

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought overall it was pretty great, but something bugs me about how it all wrapped up. I can't wrap my head around one thing.

So Dr. Manhattan can't change the future he sees since he experiences all time at once.  Meaning he can't say, "This ends in tragedy in 10 years, I need to be sure to not stand in front of the cannon across the street" because for him it's happening at the same time as any other moment in his life.  I think I get that much.

Why not when he was at the bar with Angela, or at dinner, or in bed fighting, or at any point did he not say, "Hey, here's HOW it ends in tragedy.  It's 10 years from now, and the 7K are waiting outside of our house to kill you and trap me on _____ 2019 at 8:32 p.m.  Take preventative measures."  He went out of his way setting up Will Reeves to take care of the kids in the theater that night,  but had to leave everything a mystery to Angela for some reason? 

I get that would kill the entire storyline of the show, but it just seems like a huge plot hole to me. In the book/movie he made a point to Adrian that [paraphrasing] "even the smartest man in the world is no more a risk to me than a cockroach."  That didn't seem at all the case in this show.  He just seemed willing to let whatever happens happen.  Am I missing something obvious here?

Edited by Tom
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Knowing how everything ends would be a curse. Telling Angela too much would 1) be painful, and 2) change the outcome.  But since he didn't tell Angela everything, he can't tell Angela everything.  But he obviously could and did share some things with her, because he did.

The idea that someone is experiencing the past, current and future at the same time is impossible to decipher fully since it's alien to how we perceive the world.

I want to go back and watch how others interacted with Dr M, especially Don Johnson and his wife.  When and how did they learn Dr M was Cal. I do recall that Dr M refused to come out and speak with their children's biological grandfather, the one that Angela paid off.  That storyline seemed to die off quickly. I wonder why they left it in there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Tom said:

I thought overall it was pretty great, but something bugs me about how it all wrapped up. I can't wrap my head around one thing.

So Dr. Manhattan can't change the future he sees since he experiences all time at once.  Meaning he can't say, "This ends in tragedy in 10 years, I need to be sure to not stand in front of the cannon across the street" because for him it's happening at the same time as any other moment in his life.  I think I get that much.

Why not when he was at the bar with Angela, or at dinner, or in bed fighting, or at any point did he not say, "Hey, here's HOW it ends in tragedy.  It's 10 years from now, and the 7K are waiting outside of our house to kill you and trap me on _____ 2019 at 8:32 p.m.  Take preventative measures."  He went out of his way setting up Will Reeves to take care of the kids in the theater that night,  but had to leave everything a mystery to Angela for some reason? 

I get that would kill the entire storyline of the show, but it just seems like a huge plot hole to me. In the book/movie he made a point to Adrian that [paraphrasing] "even the smartest man in the world is no more a risk to me than a cockroach."  That didn't seem at all the case in this show.  He just seemed willing to let whatever happens happen.  Am I missing something obvious here?

The easy answer is that these "future" things already happened.  He can't change them because they're already a fixed part of the timeline.

That might sound contradictory, but that contradiction is also acknowledged by them -- the chicken vs egg reference.  (Their answer: both appeared at the same time).

The second answer why he doesn't do anything is that he simply doesn't care.  Since becoming DrM and having the entirety of the world's power and knowledge and foresight, mortality isn't really important to him.  He's aloof about life because life is insignificant.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, the 2nd 7th Kav guy got teleported to New Mexico, where Dr. Manhattan first formed. That gave Keene the clue that Cal was Dr M. Then Judd became friends with Angela as she was recovering from her gunshot wound.  

Edited by mdmost
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/18/2019 at 12:23 PM, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Knowing how everything ends would be a curse. Telling Angela too much would 1) be painful, and 2) change the outcome.  But since he didn't tell Angela everything, he can't tell Angela everything.  But he obviously could and did share some things with her, because he did.

The idea that someone is experiencing the past, current and future at the same time is impossible to decipher fully since it's alien to how we perceive the world.

I want to go back and watch how others interacted with Dr M, especially Don Johnson and his wife.  When and how did they learn Dr M was Cal. I do recall that Dr M refused to come out and speak with their children's biological grandfather, the one that Angela paid off.  That storyline seemed to die off quickly. I wonder why they left it in there.

still find it real damn difficult to wrap my head around experiencing all time at once.  Then he experiences amnesia for a period of time which is interesting because his whatever is blocked so he's not Dr. M.  I get this part though.  I try not to deviate too much in my questioning or I get confused.  I'm simple that way.  It's a real interesting story line though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 12/23/2019 at 12:39 AM, C-Man said:

Just finished the season finale. Really enjoyed the ride. Had no inkling to what Watchmen was before this series began. Will go back and watch the movie now.

Is this a one-and-done or will we get more seasons?

Reading the tea leaves, I think Lindelof’s preference is to hand it off to his Watchmen writing partner Jeff Jensen and go work on something else. I say this because 1) Lindelof heaps credit/praise on Jensen at every opportunity and 2) I believe him when he says he doesn’t have an idea for Season 2. 

Lindelof was inspired to remix the Watchmen story after the events of Charlottesville. So yeah, we really have no idea where his next idea will come from. 

HBO will eventually try to money whip Lindelof into coming back, but we’ll see. Will Ferrell turned down $29 million for Elf 2, so anything is possible. 

Variety has already asked Lindelof about a X-Men reboot, so maybe Hollywood is one step ahead of us all. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dr Manhattan doesn’t make conscious decisions. He doesn’t take opportunities, they’ve already happened.

There is no future. There is no past. Do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every facet.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/18/2019 at 12:55 PM, 52-80 said:

The easy answer is that these "future" things already happened.  He can't change them because they're already a fixed part of the timeline.

That might sound contradictory, but that contradiction is also acknowledged by them -- the chicken vs egg reference.  (Their answer: both appeared at the same time).

The second answer why he doesn't do anything is that he simply doesn't care.  Since becoming DrM and having the entirety of the world's power and knowledge and foresight, mortality isn't really important to him.  He's aloof about life because life is insignificant.

 

That is a really good analysis. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...
  • 1 year later...

It's incredible all the little stuff you'll notice the second time through that you couldn't have known was relevant or foreshadowing the first time.

I really enjoyed the re-watch. Finished it last night.

Fascinating series.

Irons was just brilliant as Veidt. Probably my favorite performance in the series.  Why couldn't I be lucky enough to get stranded for a few years in an idyllic locale with an endless supply of Ms Crookshankses?  Loved Veidt's completely nonchalant response to naked, and Black, Dr. Manhattan strolling into his compound, preceded by his schlong.

Obviously, Jean Smart would come in 2nd on my list, but Regina King was pretty damned great, as well.  And finally I was really impressed with the young actress playing Bian, Lady Trieu's cloned mother.

Every episode was great except for the one in which we get Will's history via Angela's ingestion of his nostalgia capsules.  That episode was the only one during which I experienced any boredom, and the "strobe light gives you mind control over people" was the only thing I found silly in a series with so much science fiction.

Edited by Augustus
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...