[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Director: Nicole Kassell
Writer: Damon Lindelof
Starring: Regina King, Jeremy Irons, Don Johnson, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson, Louis Gossett Jr., Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Hong Chau, Andrew Howard, Tom Mison, Frances Fisher, Jacob Ming-Trent, Sara Vickers, Dylan Schombing, and James Wolk
Reviewed by: Brad Filicky
Summary
Our return to the world of Watchmen begins with a horrific events of the Tulsa Race Rot of 1921. We then flash forward to 30 years past the events of the Watchmen. September of 2019 to be precise. Th graphic novel centered on a whodunnit and the show does too, after a routine traffic stop turns into a bloody crime scene. The rest of the episode centers on how the Tulsa police department (who all wear masks except the captain) deal and investigate the cause. It seems the 7th Calvary has returned. Who are the 7th cavalry you ask? A rouge white supremacist militia so inspired by Rorschach that they paraphrase his journal and wear masks very similar to the one he wore. After agent Angela Abar is called into duty to capture and question a member of the group, the police raid a farm where the group is hiding. The cops are ambushed and some cows have a REALLY bad day. We get to see the Owl Ship back in action. Yay! But it crashes. Boo! Angela’s family has dinner with the Captain’s. The captain drives off, but doesn’t end up where is supposed to be. In the midst of all this it rains squid and we visit an English manner where a eccentric old man cuts a cake with a horseshoe surrounded by his servants.
Positives
The very premise of the Watchmen show is risky. It’s not based on the source material and few, if any, characters are from the graphic novel. But don’t fear, this definitely feels like a Watchmen story. The allegorical heft and the overall gravitas of the story telling is there. Maybe in our current geo-political state we need a new Watchmen story. Damon Lindelof has managed to say a lot about the times we are living in and does so in a way that even Alan Moore might appreciate if were to ever watch it. The acting is top notch and the pacing is untouchable.
Negatives
For me the main failing of the 2009 Watchmen film is that it failed to bring a new audience to the book. This show may not either because it is pretty removed from the events in the comic. Viewers tuning in expecting a more typical superhero show won’t necessarily get it. There’s never been a superhero show like this and as exciting as that is, I hope it can find an audience.
Verdict
A very strong debut for a show that has as much to say as the source material, but reinterpreted for our modern times. Great acting and pacing. Judging by the first episode we have a worthy successor of the Watchmen legacy. I just hope it finds its audience.
