Welcome to EWs weekly recap of HBOsWatchmen.
Christian:Well Chance, Im not sure where to begin discussing this barn-burner of an episode.
There are a lot of firsts about this scene.
Credit: Mark Hill/HBO
Its the first time weve really seen Jeremy Irons playing the Adrian Veidt ofWatchmen.
I just love hearing Irons finally saying comic book nonsense like I irradiated it with tachyon particles.
This scene is also the first time weve seen two characters from the originalWatchmeninteract.
Weve seen Laurie Blake and Veidt, but they never interacted for obvious reasons.
Now we get to see Veidt actually talking to Doctor Manhattan.
Jon actually has the opposite problem: Everyone thinks hes their savior, and he wants to be unnoticed.
This is the moment, says Jon.
I just told you you cant save me, and youre gonna take a stab at anyway.
In the bar the night we met, you asked about the moment I fell in love with you.
This is the moment.
Angela definitely didnt find that romantic.
Me on the other hand?
All this time weve been together, you fall in love with me now?
In fact, A God Walked into Abar handles Angela and Jons love story incredibly well.
This episode reminded me of some of the bestBatman-Catwoman material in Tom KingsBatmanrun, of all things.
But beneath that, theres this profound sense of longing from both characters that I found very moving.
As far as I know, the shows depiction of Jons youth isnt from the original comic.
What did you make of Jons backstory?
Christian:I have to say, I am not crazy about making Doctor Manhattan a Jewish immigrant.
Lindelof and Jensen are able to accomplish that just with their writing.
These lines enhance our understanding of the character without fundamentally altering his biography.
In any case, this refugee backstory finally gives us some answers weve been waiting for.
Its also part of this episodes subversion of classic ideas about gods.
Did God create man or did man create God?
is an age-old question akin to what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Can we even say Jon created anything on Europa if he just mimicked Earths environment?
Like any revolutionary transformation, this decision has consequences and pushback.
Chancellor:That does seem to be where things are heading.
Odds are thatll be answered in next weeks finale.
Now, manipulating events so that Angela becomes a god against her will?
That feels like something worth being concerned about.
And then theres the Veidt of it all!
We still dont know how he figures into the seasons endgame, but I have a feeling he does.
Notes from the Black Freighter:
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