Watchmen Episode #9 // Review
HBO’s Watchmen Episode 9, “See How They Fly,” brings the season (and, possibly the series) to a close, but what do the final moments mean, and just how vague was that final scene meant to be? Previously, it was revealed that Angela Abar’s (Regina King) husband Cal (Yahya Abdul Mateen II) was actually Doctor Manhattan in disguise. Even worse, two separate parties, the genius trillionaire Lady Trieu (Hong Chau), and the white supremacist leader Joe Keene (James Wolk) know who he is, and are looking to kill him and steal his power. Now, Angela must rescue her husband from the would-be power mongers, and save the world from those that covet the omnipotence of a god.
If this episode has a weakness, it’s that it’s cramming a lot of plot resolution into a little bit of space. Every character has an arc to wrap up, and that leaves a less-than-satisfying amount of room for some. If this were just the season finale, it wouldn’t really be an issue. After all, you can do more, and dig further into the characters next season. Unfortunately, showrunner Damon Lindelof has made it clear that this was the story he wanted to tell, and the ending is the ending. He has no clear ideas for a second season, though he seems hesitant to shut the door on the possibility of it completely. Point being, the audience should assume that this is all he had to say about these characters, and they ended where they ended purposely. This might leave some people feeling put out or cheated, but it’s not necessarily an entirely bad thing.
The positive of the episode is that, even with limited space, the character work that was present was executed brilliantly. Scenes between Veidt and Trieu, and Angela and Will, reveal so much about each character and give you big payoffs that you’ve been waiting weeks for. They represent an oasis of emotion among a desert of action and larger-than-life moments. Not that the action and larger-than-life moments are bad (they’re still pulled off brilliantly). After all, it’s not likely you’re tuning into a sequel to one of the most acclaimed comic book stories of all time for the quiet, intimate moments. It’s just that the audience has been spoiled with excellent character building throughout the season, and this final episode does a hard gear shift in the other direction.
It’s been said before, but it bears repeating: every major actor in this series deserves to be nominated for an Emmy. King, Gossett, Chau, Irons, Smart, Nelson, Mateen—EVERYBODY! It’s not opinion, it’s just a straight-up fact. Gossett proves here that he has always been a superstar, especially in the beautiful scene he shares with the incomparable Regina King near the end of this episode. Similarly, the verbal sparring between Irons and Chau is top-notch and makes you wish there had been more screen time shared between these two over the last 9 episodes.
Much like the rest of this series, its finale will be divisive, and much like the rest of this series, you will either be down for what Lindelof and his crew are doing, or you won’t be. Some want a dose of politics with their sci-fi (that’s actually how the best sci-fi became known as the best sci-fi, by the way). Some people like to think about a show, rather than have it spoonfed to them. Others, they just want to sit down, enjoy a television program at face value, and be entertained. There’s nothing wrong with either of those things, but if you have ever read and really understood the original story of Watchmen, you’d know that it wasn’t just a story for pure entertainment purposes. It was saying something about the state of the world and humanity, and what it had to say wasn’t very nice. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons didn’t pull their punches or worry about who they might offend with their opinions on society. They set out to elevate a genre by telling a mature story that would make people think. Lindelof and his stellar team of writers set out to do the same. If you didn’t like it, then you might have missed the point of the original story. In which case, maybe you should give both the show and the books, another look.
