Nothing ever ends.
The second episode of Damon Lindelof's Watchmen series hit HBO at 9pm tonight and left another punishing chapter in its wake. Sister Knight's history is expanded on as a dominant Veidt begins to shows his true sinister nature.
After a nearly perfect first chapter last week, part two hit with an exacted continuation that proceeds to give us more hope for what's to come. With Regina King as the central character and an amazingly evil rendition of an aging Ozymandias played by the masterful Jeremy Irons, it feels like we might be quickly getting to the real plot of this show. Mixing obvious political themes that lie heavily on the spine of the original graphic novel and a properly placed satirical edge, Watchmen truly feels like an extension of its source material, just updated to today's violent climate with an excellent cast that does great work with their assigned characters.
Once again splitting the storyline, we're shown several different timelines including the past, the present, and a call back to retro cinema. Luckily, it all feels relative to the initial kick off of the first episode. Grinding out much more backstory and exposition this time, we're reminded of the Tulsa race riots as we're also shown that racism fueled cultural warfare will continue to be a central focus of the series. Via several brutal beatings/killings, this production has a certain cinematic feel that's definitely part of HBO's signature in their premium offerings. If done right, this will have much better legs than their Westworld show considering there are so many more ways to go with it. And its environment is not a confined shell.
For fans of the graphic novel and the movie, there are definitely many things that seem like a departure. Yet, it seems that the people behind the curtain know that this shouldn't be totally about fan service either. In that way, it's a complete creative success so far. We know we're in a future Watchmen arena that exists in a variant world from our own. The writers and directors are hanging on to thematic elements that fit in perfectly with what we've seen before and transmit those items into a more modern telling about a new batch of Watchmen. And it doesn't feel like they're pulling out a reboot that just retells the same old story. So far, this show rules.
This one is going to take some time to build. But when it does, it's surely going to be explosive. Honestly, this is worth watching just for the score.
Related: Watchmen S01 E01 - Reviewed
-Chris George
