HBO’s Watchmen was the Most Important Show of 2019
…and not enough people are watching it.
I’m not a movie or TV critic, I don’t even honestly watch a ton of TV. All I know is that I spent nine Sundays in the Fall of 2019 glued to my couch with nobody to talk to about what I’m pretty positive is one of the best seasons of TV that I have ever seen.
HBO’s Watchmen is a sequel/spin-off of sorts to a graphic novel series by Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore that was originally published between 1986 and 1987 across twelve installments. Many of you may also remember Zack Snyder’s 2009 Watchmen feature film that attempted to bring to life the basic arc of the original twelve-issue series. The 2009 film changed many elements to the original plot (most notably the ending) and has been completely ignored in HBO’s new series, which does so in favor of continuing the storyline left from graphic novel.
While the original series focused primarily on the theme of how those in power choose to use (or not use) their nearly unlimited resources, series writer Damon Lindelof (The Leftovers, Lost) chose to expand on the source text’s themes to include race relations, trust in government entities, and fear of those we do not fully understand; all of which are deeply relevant in our society today.
However, despite the relevancy of its themes, expansion on existing comic book intellectual property (usually a surefire way to gain viewership), compelling writing, and fantastic performances from all parties involved Watchmen has not appeared to garner the attention that many, myself included, feel that it deserves. Why is that, you ask? Well, for one, it has the highest barrier-to-entry for any prestige TV show that I can remember.
The first and most difficult issue with acquiring and retaining viewers for this series: it requires its audience to read. Specifically, it requires that you have, at the very least, a fundamental understanding of the events that took place in the original 1986–87 graphic novel series.
Even if you’ve watched the 2009 film, the events that take place to open the first episode alone are tied so closely to the ending depicted in the graphic novel (which was changed to fit the 2009 film) that any viewer not having read the comic series is sure to be extremely confused by, among other things, millions of squid inexplicably falling from the sky.
The first episode alone will have you asking yourself things like “What the literal f**k is happening with this old guy?” and “Why is everyone wearing a mask?” On top of all of that, there is absolutely zero exposition until the latter half of the season. This is very much a “show, don’t tell” story. As such, you must give each episode your full and undivided attention in order to understand key plot elements to come later.
With all of that said, why should you watch such a show that requires you to think critically, read something before watching, and will still undoubtedly confuse you at every turn? Well, mainly because it’s an absolute masterpiece on nearly every level.
This is very much a “show, don’t tell” story.
Many people remember showrunner Damon Lindelof from his acclaimed (until the final episodes) series Lost and the lesser-watched The Leftovers, also on HBO. Visually, Watchmen outclasses either of his previous hits by a country mile.
Episode 6, titled This Extraordinary Being, delves into the issues of race, police brutality, homosexuality, and government oversight in ways that i’m positive have never been done with this level of skill and ambition. Nearly the entire episode is in black-and-white to illustrate the difference in timelines. Director Stephen Williams uses an extensive amount of long, slow takes to give us a sense of realism so that we fully understand the gravity of the situations the protagonist, Hooded Justice, is dealing with.
I rarely mention the musical score when talking TV, but Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (The Social Network, Nine Inch Nails) have made something that feels new, futuristic, and visceral that keeps you engaged while not explicitly dictating how you should feel. There are even a few tracks that have made it into my workout playlist, oddly enough.
Most importantly, though, is the writing. Damon Lindelof stated on The Ringer’s podcast The Watch last month that while he does have a team of writers around him, no decision was made without his approval. In that case, the highest compliment I can give him is that Watchmen holds up extremely well on re-watch. I actually think I may have enjoyed it as much, if not more, the second time around simply for the amount of clues and foreshadowing I never realized I was taking in.
“…the highest compliment I can give [Damon Lindelof] is that Watchmen holds up extremely well on re-watch.”
On first viewing, Watchmen goes to great lengths to challenge the audience. It challenges you mentally as you attempt to piece together the puzzle that is the story as it unfolds, peeling back the layers of its complex characters over the course of the first half of the season. It challenges the way we view superheroes; both the fictional ones and those that exist in our own reality. One of the last lines of the season was “He could have done more.” This begs the question, what responsibility do those in power, the billionaires such as Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, have to the world to use their vast resources to create enormous change?
It makes us think critically about the way our government has not only diminished the cultural significance of some of its most violent racial atrocities, but how they (and we as Americans) are allowing, and even promoting, an environment to exist in which such atrocities could certainly happen again.
I had an interesting conversation with a man the other day at work. We got on the subject of Watchmen after he mentioned the show to me in passing. I said that I loved the show thus far (this was the day after episode 6 had aired) and was excited to see how the season concludes. He said, and I quote, “I really wanted to like it, but they just had to go and make it so…racist!” Implying that themes of racial injustice were too much for him.
This is important. Sometimes we need to be made to feel uncomfortable. Consuming content and speech from only those you understand or agree with leads to being trapped in an echo chamber that has largely resulted in the increasingly divided world we live in today. Shows like Watchmen that intentionally challenge the way you think, all under the guise of a superhero action show, are few and far between. While it’s unlikely that Watchmen will return for a second season, and even more unlikely that Lindelof will take the lead were it to do so, what we’re left with is, in my opinion, the most important show of 2019 and one of the best of the 2010s as a whole.
Still not convinced? Well, I already told you, I’m not a TV critic. Watchmen really just hit its mark with me as a viewer. Judging by the reactions from others who have watched it, I’m assuming it did the same with them too. If you have the time, give it a shot. If you have seen Watchmen, let me know what you thought. Maybe you saw something that didn’t even occur to me. You can find me on Twitter at @kickedoutdrew. Thanks for reading!
