Watchmen (HBO series)

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Well, that was first episode was absolute trash. I can't think of anything positive to say. Maybe I'll give this show a second chance next week but even that's uncertain. Could someone explain why is this called Watchmen?
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Heh. I came in here to say it was good and, more than that, that the preview of what's coming the rest of the year looks very promising.

They got a lot of good, thoughtful exposition in the first episode. The bit in the interrogation about whether "transdimensional attacks were a hoax perpetrated by the U.S. government" was a nice way to explain what happened in the aftermath of the graphic novel, and--perhaps--explain the squid rain.

Also, only 80% sure Jeremy Irons is Veidt having faked his death, but more like 95% sure his servants are either robots or clones or something.



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A bucket of anxiety
I can imagine a show for Watchmen is better for it. There's just too many details and the lack of all them really bothered me watching the movie. I don't have HBO though so...meh. :/
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Ami-Scythe



Because it takes place after all the events of the graphic novel and contains some of the same characters.
I admit it's been years since I read it but I don't get any Watchmen vibe from the show. Change few names, put KKKavalry in traditional hoods and no one would think Alan Moore while watching.



I got a pretty strong Watchmen vibe off it, personally. Especially given that it was just one episode and there's a lot to establish.

More importantly, I got a really strong very very good show vibe.



I really thought Watchmen was going to be a bit more ambitious than that
The clips previewing the rest of the season suggest it will be.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Originally Posted by Yoda
The clips previewing the rest of the season suggest it will be.
I was being cheeky

There was a WHOLE lot of stuff going. I can only imagine how hard pilots are to make. How dense can you make it without the risk of people checking out.



Ah, I can't tell.

Yeah, pilots are super tough. You have to get a lot of basic information out without it feeling like a boring info dump. I'd say that's particularly true for a show like this.



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
I only saw the movie, but sans squid and Manhattan' outcome, it is reportedly close to the material.


This seems right in line to me. The murky, unclear, figure it out yourself. That said, the "helmets" and "the squids" are so cartoonish, that it did break a little for me.



What I'm probably trying to say, is this has to be HBO swinging for the fences for the next GoT. How else does something like this get made? If so, it is not an easy watch in the way the classic Sunday shows have been imb.






Heh. I came in here to say it was good and, more than that, that the preview of what's coming the rest of the year looks very promising.

They got a lot of good, thoughtful exposition in the first episode. The bit in the interrogation about whether "transdimensional attacks were a hoax perpetrated by the U.S. government" was a nice way to explain what happened in the aftermath of the graphic novel, and--perhaps--explain the squid rain.

Also, only 80% sure Jeremy Irons is Veidt having faked his death, but more like 95% sure his servants are either robots or clones or something.
Is the pilot very Comic Bookie, CGI, fighty? Reason I ask is that I've seen a few people say it's a departure from the movie etc.......... so I might actually like it. And I adore Regina King. Maybe I'll just give it a shot anyways.



Is the pilot very Comic Bookie, CGI, fighty? Reason I ask is that I've seen a few people say it's a departure from the movie etc.......... so I might actually like it. And I adore Regina King. Maybe I'll just give it a shot anyways.
Nah, not much CGI. Kinda fighty? I'd say to whatever degree it's similar to the movie, it's just aesthetically, and even that, not much.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
I'd say the only comic booky thing with the pilot is just accepting this world as a hyper-distorted take on our world and human prejudice. Everything is tweaked and just beyond realistic. If you can buy that then you should be fine. Action is not as much of a role as in the movie. At least in this ep. I think there was really only one "fight" scene. Even that could have been anything from your average cop flick. Well, the actual fight I mean. lol.
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That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Someone please clarify for me a few things?

WARNING: "details from the pilot - don't read if you've not watched it" spoilers below
I've not read the comics, but loved the movie short of the few flaws it had. All in all though, I loved the dynamic of the characters' ideologies and general common goal of trying to make something better, at least for their individual perspectives of what "better" is.

With that said, I do not remember Rorschach fighting racial differences. I thought his issues were more with social structure and morality. Unless the script of the movie really cleaned up his comic book personality, I can't think back to any specific racist lean that he showed. Yeah, he had some hard line principles that he would not budge on and really despised the filth of the city often associating it to liberalism, but that was against politics and criminals in general and not a race specifically. How then would this series bridge what Rorschach stood for to be so bastardized by what so far only seems to be a white nationalist faction? Sure, people can misinterpret the teachings of those before us and that may have been what happened between the end of the comic/movie and the timeline we start this series in with a political misrepresentation of Rorschach's Journal, but that feels like a pretty big stretch to me. And maybe oversimplifying even Rorschach's views, for as black and white as they were. Is it necessary to be so literal?

I watched the pilot last night and mostly enjoyed it. I chuckled at the poster of a squid on the classroom wall when (I never caught the character's name) was demonstrating baking. That reminded me of DD's comment of stopping halfway to start over, and I'm now keeping my eyes wide open for other little details. Over all, I enjoyed the setup. HOWEVER!!!! With my eyes wider than I'd stretch for other shows, I did catch a few details that I felt should have been caught. I won't bother with that here, now, and instead will wait to see how the next few episodes play out. I did question the racial tension. I felt for a moment that that topic is a bit dated. Yes, it is important. Unfortunately, it is still very important. But with the introduction sequence (which was powerful), and the very deliberate lines between not just police force and criminal but white and black are hard for me to step over to enjoy what else of the show there is to come. Why has race, in the world of the Watchmen, become so blatant? Are there not bigger picture items to worry over in the wake of Dr. Manhattan's flip out (or the giant squid, if this is a continuation of the comic that kinda makes sense given the squid showers) and learning of Veidt's agenda?

So I'm thinking I'm missing something that was in the comic book. Thoughts?



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Someone please clarify for me a few things?

WARNING: "details from the pilot - don't read if you've not watched it" spoilers below
I've not read the comics, but loved the movie short of the few flaws it had. All in all though, I loved the dynamic of the characters' ideologies and general common goal of trying to make something better, at least for their individual perspectives of what "better" is.

With that said, I do not remember Rorschach fighting racial differences. I thought his issues were more with social structure and morality. Unless the script of the movie really cleaned up his comic book personality, I can't think back to any specific racist lean that he showed. Yeah, he had some hard line principles that he would not budge on and really despised the filth of the city often associating it to liberalism, but that was against politics and criminals in general and not a race specifically. How then would this series bridge what Rorschach stood for to be so bastardized by what so far only seems to be a white nationalist faction? Sure, people can misinterpret the teachings of those before us and that may have been what happened between the end of the comic/movie and the timeline we start this series in with a political misrepresentation of Rorschach's Journal, but that feels like a pretty big stretch to me. And maybe oversimplifying even Rorschach's views, for as black and white as they were. Is it necessary to be so literal?


WARNING: "I'll take a swing" spoilers below
My guess is that the Rorschach mask/legacy is being contorted, misconstrued in order to push the Kalvary's agenda. In the comic, he "apparently" he had a harsh moral code. Like most of the characters, he wasn't a traditional hero
WARNING: "I'll take a swing" spoilers below
like Supernerd to begin with. Take his rough edges and throw it in a 4chan blender (or whatever the diaphanous website is in this universe) and voila. His harsh code is being adulterated to fit their agenda and rally the small minds.


And then there is probably a twist we don't see coming.


WARNING: "details from the pilot - don't read if you've not watched it" spoilers below
I watched the pilot last night and mostly enjoyed it. I chuckled at the poster of a squid on the classroom wall when (I never caught the character's name) was demonstrating baking. That reminded me of DD's comment of stopping halfway to start over, and I'm now keeping my eyes wide open for other little details. Over all, I enjoyed the setup. HOWEVER!!!! With my eyes wider than I'd stretch for other shows, I did catch a few details that I felt should have been caught. I won't bother with that here, now, and instead will wait to see how the next few episodes play out. I did question the racial tension. I felt for a moment that that topic is a bit dated. Yes, it is important. Unfortunately, it is still very important. But with the introduction sequence (which was powerful), and the very deliberate lines between not just police force and criminal but white and black are hard for me to step over to enjoy what else of the show there is to come. Why has race, in the world of the Watchmen, become so blatant? Are there not bigger picture items to worry over in the wake of Dr. Manhattan's flip out (or the giant squid, if this is a continuation of the comic that kinda makes sense given the squid showers) and learning of Veidt's agenda?

So I'm thinking I'm missing something that was in the comic book. Thoughts?

The thought that I've heard is that Lindelof has no restraints on what he can do.



OR.


It has been suggested that the timeline of this show's development is near that of the announced HBO Confederate show. Part of this may be a course-correction allowing HBO to distance itself from the S it stepped in over that debacle. You always need a bad guy and a ground level bad guy of sorts.



The Wiki page will tell you Lindelof read an Atlantic article about the Tulsa riots and wanted to bring attention to this little known part of history and was going to use it as a Doomsday clock equivalent.


I have no clue, I'm just piecing together articles read and podcast ruminations. I believe HBO released screeners of the first 6 of 9 episodes and the reviewers have said to not expect any answers.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Ok thanks for that. I had a sinister feeling that some of this may be influenced by real world events or politics. Your development timeline comment gives some perspective that I didn't have to run with. I don't know. It's a lot to read from one episode, but GOSH did it feel heavy handed!



“Sugar is the most important thing in my life…”
Oh buddy, I edited that post muy. I kept trying to eliminate the double spoilers' box in the same paragraph, among other things.