Watchmen 1.06 and 1.07
Dec. 3rd, 2019 12:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakI managed to watch the two latest Watchmen episodes after all and - wow. Several times.
1.06: Or, Will Reeves gets screwed (over) by white people in every way while becoming the first superhero and then the proto-Rorschach. This show continues to be so smart and manages to simultanously be entirely its own thing, engage with the present and engage with the original narrative it's based on. By "proto-Rorschach" I mean that Will's position in this new story is in several way that of Rorschach in the old story, as the superhero whose backstory has one clear divide - early on, formed already by an abusive background, he has a go at heroism in a semi-legitimate way, then the event happens that show him that something is basically rotten about humanity, that the superhero team existence he's so far lived isn't an adequate response, and he "becomes" his final self, the self that kills without hesitation. But Will isn't Rorschach, he's a black man formed by the systematic racism he endures on every level of his life, on every micro and macro level, and the climactic event(s) that make him go from non-lethal vigilantism to the lethal version and "become" the mask isn't, as with the former Walter Kovacs, finding a murdered and raped child, i.e. something coming from outside, but something that's intimately connected to everything he's experienced up to this point. Also, Dan Dreiberg in the backstory quitting superheroing, while perceived by Rorschach as a betrayal, isn't really one; Nelson aka Captain Metropolis revealing himself as solely interested in superheroing for the commercial gain and exploiting Will both on that and on the emotional/sexual level, otoh, is a betrayal while simultanously fitting with the systematic racism pattern of his life.
It's also a great way to update/retcon the Minute Men backstory from Watchmen, where Hooded Justice wasn't identified, but the first Night Owl speculates he might have been (white) Robert Muller, circus artist, which contributes absolutely nothing to the overall tale. And not that it's necessary, but it gives even more justification for opening the season with the Tulsa massacre.
(Also? The opening excerpt from the fictional tv show about the Minute Men in which Hooded Justice is white and "only" upset because Captain Metropolis cheated on him with J. Edgar Hoover is a black humored spoof if ever there was one, as well as a commentary on white superheroes getting their grievances not through the system but through the personal.)
The way the episode is filmed, Angela sliding in and out of Will's memories visually as well as emotionally, is also superb. And while Regina King doesn't have a lot to do, the final memory - of Will using the mesmerizing tool to tell Judd to hang himself - is simultanously an acting show case due to the directing choice of letting her be the one in this scene; her body language is completely that of Louis Gossett, and it's fantastic.
1.07.: Wherein we get Angela's own memories, as well as present day progression of the plot. This one delivers on the previously hinted at "Angela spent her childhood in Vietnam" front as well as delivering a stark picture of conquered "51st state" Vietnam, and delivers a huge whopper of a reveal. Did I guess? Not until very late in the episode, I confess. I mean, when Senator Shady McShady told Laurie that the 7th Calvary wanted to make white men blue, it was clear that they wanted to aquire Jon's demi divine superpowers, but even then I did not deduce the final reveal, that only came when Trieu brought up Cal having had an accident and amnesia and the dialoge let her point out total amnesia just (almost) never happens in rl, only tv.
So: Jon Osterman made himself a human black man and took his memories awayin a stopwatch as his latest attempt to deal with his divinity. Go figure. I am sorry, because I had liked Cal, but it totally fits. (It also makes Laurie's previous comments to Angela on finding Cal attractive foreshadowing, I guess.) (BTW, Laurie, of all people, having been the young woman Jon falls in love with because he already remembers being in love with her while still being with Janey his first love whom he has already seen breaking up but also sees falling for in perpetuum will be utterly unsurprised too, I bet.)
As for the evil plan reveal, both the part Laurie deduced - Joe Keener, aka Shady McShady, indending to make himself President via essentially using Palpatine's plan to take over the Republic from the Star Wars prequels - and the part she didn't - why stop as President, when you can make yourself God(s) - worked superbly. And chillingly. Again, because of the rl engagement - white men (and women, see also Mrs. Crawford) considering themselves wronged because of having had to give up (some) privilege and responding by turning the police force into an unaccountable strike force and taking more and more powers, aiming at zero restraint, through anything? No kidding.
Of ourse, Keener (and allies) aren't the only ones with divine aspirations. There's the ongoing side plot with Adrian Veidt, currently put on trial by the long suffering clones (though the wink of the prosecutor clone makes me still wonder who has the control there) . And Lady Trieu with her genetic manipulations, as convinced her plan will save the world as Adrian ever was. Am satisfied I correctly guessed Beon (spelling?) isn't her daughter but a clone, though I guessed wrongly as to which clone - not Trieus own clone, but her mother's. Since Trieu pointedly does not answer Angela's question about her father, and since I know my genre tv and comics, I have a speculation there, too: remember in the original Watchmen the Vietnamese woman pregnant with the Comedian's child and Eddie killing her when she confronts him, capping the scene with pointing out to Jon that yes, he did that, but Jon didn't stop him when he could have so what does that make Jon? My current speculation is that Jon the all powerful went back and saved the woman and her child, that child is Trieu, which makes Beon the clone of her Comedian-murdered (and possibly Jon resurrected/saved from dying) mother, and Trieu Laurie's half sister. And it would fit into making the alt!Vietnam history from Watchmen important in this tv show - not just on a "American's sins come home" level but also because of half Vietnamese, half American children as the result of occupation are a thing and that's one which already (briefly) exists in the original tale.
Elephant: famous for memories in the proverbial sense, but for now, I'm guessing Lindelof just threw that in to mess with us, on a polar bear note. #Lost
1.06: Or, Will Reeves gets screwed (over) by white people in every way while becoming the first superhero and then the proto-Rorschach. This show continues to be so smart and manages to simultanously be entirely its own thing, engage with the present and engage with the original narrative it's based on. By "proto-Rorschach" I mean that Will's position in this new story is in several way that of Rorschach in the old story, as the superhero whose backstory has one clear divide - early on, formed already by an abusive background, he has a go at heroism in a semi-legitimate way, then the event happens that show him that something is basically rotten about humanity, that the superhero team existence he's so far lived isn't an adequate response, and he "becomes" his final self, the self that kills without hesitation. But Will isn't Rorschach, he's a black man formed by the systematic racism he endures on every level of his life, on every micro and macro level, and the climactic event(s) that make him go from non-lethal vigilantism to the lethal version and "become" the mask isn't, as with the former Walter Kovacs, finding a murdered and raped child, i.e. something coming from outside, but something that's intimately connected to everything he's experienced up to this point. Also, Dan Dreiberg in the backstory quitting superheroing, while perceived by Rorschach as a betrayal, isn't really one; Nelson aka Captain Metropolis revealing himself as solely interested in superheroing for the commercial gain and exploiting Will both on that and on the emotional/sexual level, otoh, is a betrayal while simultanously fitting with the systematic racism pattern of his life.
It's also a great way to update/retcon the Minute Men backstory from Watchmen, where Hooded Justice wasn't identified, but the first Night Owl speculates he might have been (white) Robert Muller, circus artist, which contributes absolutely nothing to the overall tale. And not that it's necessary, but it gives even more justification for opening the season with the Tulsa massacre.
(Also? The opening excerpt from the fictional tv show about the Minute Men in which Hooded Justice is white and "only" upset because Captain Metropolis cheated on him with J. Edgar Hoover is a black humored spoof if ever there was one, as well as a commentary on white superheroes getting their grievances not through the system but through the personal.)
The way the episode is filmed, Angela sliding in and out of Will's memories visually as well as emotionally, is also superb. And while Regina King doesn't have a lot to do, the final memory - of Will using the mesmerizing tool to tell Judd to hang himself - is simultanously an acting show case due to the directing choice of letting her be the one in this scene; her body language is completely that of Louis Gossett, and it's fantastic.
1.07.: Wherein we get Angela's own memories, as well as present day progression of the plot. This one delivers on the previously hinted at "Angela spent her childhood in Vietnam" front as well as delivering a stark picture of conquered "51st state" Vietnam, and delivers a huge whopper of a reveal. Did I guess? Not until very late in the episode, I confess. I mean, when Senator Shady McShady told Laurie that the 7th Calvary wanted to make white men blue, it was clear that they wanted to aquire Jon's demi divine superpowers, but even then I did not deduce the final reveal, that only came when Trieu brought up Cal having had an accident and amnesia and the dialoge let her point out total amnesia just (almost) never happens in rl, only tv.
So: Jon Osterman made himself a human black man and took his memories away
As for the evil plan reveal, both the part Laurie deduced - Joe Keener, aka Shady McShady, indending to make himself President via essentially using Palpatine's plan to take over the Republic from the Star Wars prequels - and the part she didn't - why stop as President, when you can make yourself God(s) - worked superbly. And chillingly. Again, because of the rl engagement - white men (and women, see also Mrs. Crawford) considering themselves wronged because of having had to give up (some) privilege and responding by turning the police force into an unaccountable strike force and taking more and more powers, aiming at zero restraint, through anything? No kidding.
Of ourse, Keener (and allies) aren't the only ones with divine aspirations. There's the ongoing side plot with Adrian Veidt, currently put on trial by the long suffering clones (though the wink of the prosecutor clone makes me still wonder who has the control there) . And Lady Trieu with her genetic manipulations, as convinced her plan will save the world as Adrian ever was. Am satisfied I correctly guessed Beon (spelling?) isn't her daughter but a clone, though I guessed wrongly as to which clone - not Trieus own clone, but her mother's. Since Trieu pointedly does not answer Angela's question about her father, and since I know my genre tv and comics, I have a speculation there, too: remember in the original Watchmen the Vietnamese woman pregnant with the Comedian's child and Eddie killing her when she confronts him, capping the scene with pointing out to Jon that yes, he did that, but Jon didn't stop him when he could have so what does that make Jon? My current speculation is that Jon the all powerful went back and saved the woman and her child, that child is Trieu, which makes Beon the clone of her Comedian-murdered (and possibly Jon resurrected/saved from dying) mother, and Trieu Laurie's half sister. And it would fit into making the alt!Vietnam history from Watchmen important in this tv show - not just on a "American's sins come home" level but also because of half Vietnamese, half American children as the result of occupation are a thing and that's one which already (briefly) exists in the original tale.
Elephant: famous for memories in the proverbial sense, but for now, I'm guessing Lindelof just threw that in to mess with us, on a polar bear note. #Lost
no subject
Date: 2019-12-03 11:57 am (UTC)I have been wondering if Lady Trieu could be Adrian's daughter; if Bion the first is as brilliant as her clone, it seems entirely likely that he might have sought her out as appropriate breeding material -- in a very dispassionate way.
And yes, the Cal being Jon thing completely clicked into place when Trieu said the thing about amnesia. I just sat there going "Cal is Jon; Cal is Jon" and then of course, he was. What a marvellous choice of end-music to play a version of "Life on Mars" -- with the lyrics it would have been too much, but as it was, it balanced being on-the-nose with just enough subtlety.
Although I can see why my partner, who never read the graphic novel and only watched the movie on TV, not in the theater with me & whichever friend/s I went with, and possibly dozed through part of it . . . I can see why M gave up, so much that is satisfying to me was puzzling to M.
So this means that the whole time Jon was with Laurie, he knew he would come back to earth and be with Angela? And the whole time he was with Janey, he knew about both Laurie AND Angela. Wow all that would be emotionally confusing for both him and his partners. I assume Angela knows exactly who Laurie is.
no subject
Date: 2019-12-03 02:36 pm (UTC)Re: Angela and Laurie - sure. Angela is smart, she has has necessary Information, and even if she hadn't, Young FBI Fan Agent confirmed Laurie's identity for her in the car when he gave the summary of her backstory.
Trieu as Adrian's daughter - possible, though I'd be more inclined to believe he raised her, without any genetic contribution, simply because he needed a successor/public face, and then she surprised him by surpassing him and locking up. (I don't think he'd put much weight on a biological heir, it's not his type of vanity, he's more likely to prefer himself as unique.)
Jon - yes and no, since we do know he can be surprised, see Adrian pulling the stant with Janey having Cancer on him. His experience of time seems to work intermittently and overlap, i.e he knew how Laurie kissed before they became Lovers, but he did not know who her biological father was until Mars; he knew she'd tell him she had sex with Dan, but when she told him, he still felt it as if not knowing. Etc. With Janey, he had of Course the pre superpowers time where he didn't know anything, but he did know how it would end after becoming Dr. Manhattan.