This is a series about … well, series. I do so love stories that continue across volumes, in whatever form: linked short stories, novels, novellas, television, movies. I’ve already got a list of series I’ve recently read, re-read, watched, or re-watched that I plan to blog about. I might even, down the line, open myself up to letting other people suggest titles I should read/watch and then comment on.
I am one of those people who felt that Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen twelve-issue comic book series (or “maxi-series,” as DC called them back in the day) did not need a sequel. Or Prequels. Or any addendum or continuation or expansion at all. I actually feel this way about most of the 12-issue maxi-series DC produced at the time, including Camelot 3000 and Silverblade.) I’ve reread Watchmen a few times since the original publication in monthly form and still feel it’s a complete, beautifully constructed, layered, and yes dark/cynical story. (The fact that it and Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns almost irrevocably shifted the tone of mainstream comics towards the dark and fatalistic, and how I feel about that, is a discussion for a different post.) I should admit at this point that my last reread of Watchmen, in graphic novel form, was well over a decade ago, just as a warning that I may not remember every single story nuance. Maybe it’s time for a reread.
This explains why it took me quite a few months after Damon Lindelof’s live-action Watchmen sequel finished running on HBO before I decided to bow to the pressure of friends whose opinions I trust and just watch the darn thing.
And I still say: Watchmen the comic book series didn’t need a sequel. But if it had to have one, I’m glad HBO’s Watchmen the television series is the one we got. Damon Lindelof and company did a great job telling a story that builds off of the original without negating, contradicting, or being a simple re-tread. The writers matched the themes, motifs, and style without being slavish. They gave us a world we can believes follows from the stunning events of the original graphic novel’s finale, through the introduction of new characters interacting with some, but not all, of the characters who survived the original story.
The script is an excellent example of how to use the brevity of the short season format to make a story truly compelling. If there are any extraneous or wasted scenes, they’re hard to find. Okay, I’ll admit, I would have been happier with fewer Jeremy Irons scenes. I respect the man and his abilities, but in this case I think a less would have been more. His scenes went from “oooh, mysterious, I wonder how this fits with everything else” to “oh god, just get him out of wherever he is and into the action with everyone else already.” (That’s about the best I can do expressing my reaction without spoiling anything for the probably few of you reading this who haven’t watched the show and still intend to. Although I think who he is becomes obvious pretty quickly.)
The time-jumps, flashbacks, and pacing of the big reveals are perfectly crafted. Mysteries simmer just long enough, secrets come to the fore at just the right moment. (Okay, with the exception again of the Jeremy Irons sub-plot, which does drag – but when the sub-plot collides with the main plot, it does so explosively. I’d have maybe liked it a little earlier, but I’m not sure it would have fit as well anywhere else.) The dialogue is sharp, managing to be intelligent and witty without condescending to the audience.
The cast also deliver at the top of their game.
Regina King is absolutely mesmerizing from first scene to last. As the focal point of the story, the character off of whom everything else flows, you have to believe her from beginning to end. King plays Angela’s strength and sensitivity with such nuance that you can’t help understand the anger that extends as a mixture of both and pushes so much of the action forward. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II does a fantastic job matching her in their scenes together, but truly, truly shines in the last two episodes (about which I can’t say more without spoiling a big reveal, but suffice to say Abdul-Mateen plays it brilliantly). Jean Smart is just seriously bad-ass throughout, playing the conflict of her character’s storied history against the practical realities of the day. Tim Blake Nelson always brings humanity to the socially-awkward characters he plays; Wade Tillman could have been a one-note character but Nelson explores all the depth the script implies, especially in the Wade-centric episode. Louis Gossett Jr., Don Johnson, and Frances Fisher shine in supporting roles; other directors might have been tempted to let them steal the show from the main cast but they are expertly utilized. This might be the first thing I’ve seen Hong Chau in, and her performance as Lady Triue really walks that line between sickly-sweet and sweetly-psychotic; when she finally has scenes with Jeremy Irons the similarities and counterpoints of their characters are expressed with looks and words left unspoken. Jeremy Irons himself is the consummate scenery-chewer (I swear I saw glimpse of his twin characters from Dead Ringers in certain scenes), ably abetted by Tom Mison and Sara Vickers (another new face to me). And let’s face it: it’s never easy portraying a main character who spends most of their time divorced from the majority of the cast/plot. Irons rises to the occasion. And I would be remiss if I didn’t compliment Dylan Schombing (as Topher) and Jolie Hoang-Rappaport (as Bian). Both kids exhibited a haunted quality perfect for their characters’ damaged childhoods that some adult actors would be hard-pressed to pull off. Neither kid was hugely important to the action, but they needed to be solid to give the adults in their orbit something to play off of. I expect we’ll see more of them in the future.
And for the record? I’m one of those people who thinks Watchmen (2019) does not need a sequel. It tells the story Lindelof and company wanted to tell and is complete in and of itself. The small unanswered questions viewers are left with are food for thought, just like what Moore and Gibbons left us with back in 1987. I know HBO has said they’ll only do another season if Lindelof is on board, and he has no interest in the project. I really hope HBO sticks to their guns.