Oh and yeah, Lube Man is Petey, the skinny FBI guy. You can read about him on Peteypedia: www.hbo.com/content/dam/hbodata/series/watchmen/peteypedia/09/memo-dale-petey.pdf Alt Shift X Patreon: www.patreon.com/AltShiftX
"I didn't want to die alone." Someone pointed out that Jon's final moments as a human was watching the woman he love leave the room while he was disintegrated because there was nothing she could do and didn't want to see him die. It would make sense that he would later fall in love with a woman who when told there's nothing she could do just grabbed a gun and went to try anyway.
@@Dasanie what? Doesn't matter what you want to call him God, Demigod, super man (2 words). The fact is if it's made from matter then he can manipulate it. No goddamn lithium battery gonna slow him down let alone stop him. He's not even really there in his body as far as I know. It's a representation of such that allows him to communicate with others.
@@Coalemos I do agree that it is a leap in logic regarding Manhattan. The story told intrigued me enough that I let it pass. But it is a problem I have with the show that I found otherwise quite extraordinary.
Small note here but Wade survives the original 1985 attack because he is in a house of mirrors which protect him from the psychic attack, leading to him wearing reflectix around his head in the future (both mask and in the hat) to protect himself from future psychic attacks.
@@averydotavi what you are saying is that the source material doesnt mean squat and anyone can change it for their own needs...i hope moore sicks the snake god on all you bastards hbo watchmen was crap
Wade I think is kinda supposed to be a “good Rorschach”. Both experience an intense trauma early in their lives, but Looking Glass, in his search for truth, chooses to do good and try to help others rather than be whatever Rorschach was
There are also many parallels between Angela and Rorschach: 1. Both investigate a murder in the beginning of the story and find a secret cupboard with a suit (Judd's KKK robe vs The Comedian's superhero costume). 2. Both are the POV character of the story, but does not affect it. 3. Both see the world in black and white. 4. Both use torture to get people to talk. 5. Both see themselves are morally superior.
@@db7213 Not to mention the significant focus of black and white on both characters' costumes to reflect each character's black/white view of the world.
@@AntonAdelson Not really no, apart from being a hero/vigilante, thats all he's good for. Just watch Alt's video on the Watchmen comics and he's really not a good person
@@isham2044 First off Watchmen is all about "What is Good/bad" the point of the Watchmen is that Good and Bad DONT EXIST... Second Roschach sought TRUTH and unveiled it and even took it upon himself to be the greater good when systems built by a corrupt society wouldnt hold. Go give the original a READ not a WATCH
I really liked how the show homages clue moments from the comic: - the Tales of Black freighter in Ozymandias’ subplot. - Looking Glass being basically the modernized version of Rorschach - Manhattan still being referenced as “Superman” (Cal = Kal El) - The Cyclops/7th Cavalry being basically the legacy of Nixon in the comic - Turning Hooded Justice a Black man actually fits with the OG cómic since his costume was displayed the same way the KKKlan used to be but this time on a total dark suit to bring his justice to the white supremacists - Angela Abar being the love interest of Manhattan since she is also a consequence of Manhattan’s own actions in Vietnam
@AlanNoMoney what? What did they retcon? He is a gay black man, in the comics he was gay and i believe alan may have wanted him to be black too since hooded justice being purple instead of black is an odd choice, unless he is referencing purple as a color for things like the black panther party. Not to mention the obvious that he has a cone shaped mask with a noose, which can blatantly be a black person representing their trauma
There is a veiled reference to giving Night Owl a pardon. When the Senator sees the caged owl in Laurie's apt he mentions how a President can give out pardons. Thats the deal that gets Laurie to Tulsa.
@@KennethKaniff999 i took it as a multiple purpose comment during that scene. Showing his willingness of corruption as well as a reference to Night Owl getting pardoned. Also that Lori still held a candle for Dan.
This is phenomenally comprehensive, organized, concise, and enlightening. I can’t praise your video essay enough. Thank you for your hard work in breaking down the themes and allegories to this amazing show. I feel like you are distilling the ideals the writers of the show wanted to convey. Excellent work!
Yes, but the black superman movie reference is also intentional (although it applies to Cal Abar, not Angela). It's actually mentioned in the peteypedia files.
I believe that the elephant works as an absorber in the entire memory process they go through. The elephant is supposed to neutralize or take the bulk of mental damage inflicted
@NizzyNizerson I'm not even angry at you, I'm just confused. What the fuck does that mean? I'm brainwashed because...I liked a tv show, and...I don't buy anything, which is connected to this conversation through...delusion? Seriously what the fuck are you talking about, did you forget to take your meds today?
I think the only weak spot in this breakdown is not properly dissecting Lady Trieu in her own section; Much like her father, she is named after a real historical figure whose life dovetails nicely with that of the character (for him, a king that oversees an empire that eventually crumbles, for her leading a war against oppression in Vietnam that eventually fails). The historical Lady Trieu even rode an elephant, which is referenced in several places throughout the show as representing her or her help in some way.
A few other gems: Veidt's escape plan is also a play in 5 acts: - Act 1. Veidt is testing the boundaries of his bubble with Philipses, which return frozen. - Act 2. Veidt catapults dead Philipses and Crookshankses out of the bubble. - Act 3. Veidt catapults himself, forms the message with the corpses and get captured by the game warden. - Act 4. The mock trial. - Act 5. The escape, using the Trojan horseshoe that was inside his cake. The tomato tree: in some German dialects, 'tomato' translates as 'Paradiesapfel', 'apple of paradise'. The tomato tree is the Tree of Knowledge, which he created for the Philipses and Crookshankses because he's frustrated with their stupidity. In particular, he wants them to be smart enough to play along with his elaborate escape plan, so that they can give him the horseshoe at the right time to dig himself out.
My fav gem is the truth drop Manhattan gives while he is talking "nonsense" during his cage scene. "We only see old photos of the stars", taking a direct jab at the mockery and coverup that is our so called "space program" which is still showing us low res pictures of the planets in our solar system and of distant stars, while they have had HD camera technology for decades. I actually smiled when he said that... Also another truth drop is when Adrian complains that he has given humanity all kinds of clean energy systems and they still prefer to use dirty nuclear energy and a-bombs. Again, a jab at the fact that humanity has very advanced technology today and yet we still use the old grimy tech for some reason...
@@mancamiatipoola don't agree with you on the space stuff but you are right that for some reason with access to wind, solar, and using nuclear power as a gap filler, its insane that we choose to poison our air, and destroy our planet using fossil fuels.
Greek, too: Baby Hermès defended himself, when questioned as to why he stole Apollo’s sheep, by farting. This causes all the gods to laugh and embrace him as one of their own.
Yeah I mean, I know the show supposedly leaves it open, but she _had_ to get his powers. Otherwise it means he did the whole bit with the egg when they first met, then the very deliberate callback to it later on the night he died, and the whole walking on water bit, all so he could prank her into eating a raw egg and face-planting into the swimming pool which... I mean if that's what he was going for, I'd have to commend his commitment to comedy.
Another great video! I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention Dr. Manhatten saying "It will be important for later" when he showed Angela that he could walk on water. That carries huge implications for the ambiguous ending imo.
SpirusOfH in my mind, she falls into the water, only to spring up glowing blue dripping water. Jon oyster man was destroyed and rebirthed as dr Manhattan. Laurie being baptized and then walking out of the pool after she floats back down to it seems right.
I kinda like how rorschach and angela have so much similarities in how they believe in things( she believes that she can give others justice and rorschach believes he can do everything and he hates everyone) that at the end one dies and other becomes a God. Considering she would go through same misery that Dr Manhattan goes through. Really really great
The thing people keep forgetting because noone took the time to read the comic is that 1. Dr Manhattan can't time travel. 2. He can't interact with his past or future self. He can only see what's going to happen because it's already has, will happen. He can see it because it will happen and can't be changed. 3. He can't give up his power, simply because he is the power. You can't kill him. You pull him apart he puts himself back together again. It's now what he is. He's no longer a human, he no longer thinks like a human because in fact he's a God, to who human emotions no longer matters and who can't love anyone anymore because he can't think that way anymore. And if you don't believe me, go read the comic.
@@eliselianaboyd2547 I strongly disagree with your interpretation that Dr. Manhatten no longer is human. His entire arc is about him desperately trying to relate to other people. His perception of the universe and time means that he is unable to connect with anyone because everything is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. That's why he didn't do anything to stop that Vietnamese woman being shot, he knew it was immorral but he just didn't care enough to do anything. That's the true tragedy of Dr. Manhatten - he isn't just a God among men, he's a human being who has lost the very thing that makes him human. Laurie was the only thing that made him care about humanity, but as the Comedian points out, Manhattan is only pretending to care and he can never truly love Laurie. That combined with her leaving him is what pushes him over the edge. If he was just an unemotional God then he wouldn't have cared about that either. But he isn't. He's a guy who knows he loves this woman and wants to relate to people again but he is completely unable to.
When I began watching “The Watchman” I really had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into. I had no idea that it was a spinoff of a comic, and all of the characters were based off of that comic. This video was very informative, and gave the backstory for every major character and really kind of caught me up as to what was going on. So I’m now going to re-watch the series with this new revelation about how the story unfolds. Very well done thank you.
I really enjoy that you put your videos out as one solid chunk instead of 3, just to try and max your ad time.. Revenue on youtube is garbo anyways, thank you for the amazing content :)
Every time I watch your videos, I feel like I just earned a degree. Your ASOIAF vids are great too! The visuals, photos, text, all help lock in the themes you're expressing
Thank you for compiling everything so well, especially with the analysis on Laurie and Wade's character arcs! I wish you would've included Lady Trieu, she was the most interesting and misinterpreted character imo.
Well, I mean all we know is his form was disintegrated and it was in that machine of Trieu's (quantum particle accelerator or whatever?) before the frozen squidfall blew it up... basic physics says that energy must have been dispersed into some medium but couldn't have been destroyed. I'm no quantum physicist, but even if Manhattan was scattered across the very small world, he'd probably eventually be able to reconstitute himself--that was, after all, the first thing he learned to do.
@@Hylianamused Well, it was never outright stated he was permanently killed, either. It's worth noting that he knows being on the pool will be important for Angela to see later, after he's 'dead'. He can only see his lifetime, so he's likely still in existence, somewhere. Potentially within Angela.
I read original Watchmen and saw the movie, both amazing! But this post film Watchmen stuff & all the new characters are quite fascinating. Especially how Ozymandius & Dr. Manhattan are used as well as newer characters.
@@tomgebarowski8156the film, and ESPECIALLY the show were horrendous. While Moore is infamous for disliking any adaptations, he put some extra oomph in his dislike of the Watchmen show. Completely warranted imo, as it calls itself watchmen, but strips down every point the comic tried to make, and besides the same general tone and purpose (using realism and moral grayness for expression) it either goes against the points the comic tried to make, does character slander, or puts in new points that dont mesh with the original (dr Manhattan being the perfect example of all 3). Read the comic my g, its seriously one of the best in the artform, and youd like it even if you're not into comic books.
Oh my god, that would be awesome. I'm thinking of becoming a patreon to cast a vote. Dunno if ASX has seen it though. He seems to have a lot on his plate. (Not that the watch time matters in comparison how long it must take to make his analysis videos)
What story did Hooded Justice really get in the original? lol I'm glad Moore dropped his KKK backstory,* it left some good room for Lindelof and co. to fill. * as a member of the Klan.
I don't think that there's a point to adding onto an already told story. Hollywood directors are just afraid to try new things. The new Watchmen is as dumb and unnecessary as the Star Wars sequels.
It's not so complicated if you get through the whole show, and if you've read and watched the formers than it makes it even more exciting to unfold. I'm so glad to see Alt Shift X reviewing this 😍
@@GPerla26 honestly I still think that a lot of reviews are missing out on how the soundtrack in this show had that eerie effect Sometime it was the music that kept me invested and interested during some scenes and episodes :D
@@bigred2989 i didn't see those 2 movies so I can't say if it's good or not But I read that for Watchmen, he really wanted to do the score and insistent so HBO hired him
The Giant Blue Dildo is called "EXCALIBUR" .! Dr Manhattan is Laurie' "Ex", and his human name is "Cal Abar". Ex-Cal-Abar.!!!........ the clue was there all the time ⌚ on Dr Manhattan' identity. Cool😀 I thought HBO's Watchmen was great and i think it should be left alone now. This video was a great breakdown of the show. 👍
What I respect most about this is you were able to weave together and incredibly and over complicated thread into a cohesive story. This is why there’s no second season. It’s not needed, but also they jammed way too much into it for it to be easy to soak in. Beautifully done, my friend!!
Veidt's video to Redford...his eyes bulging, overwhelemed by the magnitude of the adrenaline Redford will be feeling when he views it, is the best part of this limited series. His eyes make you feel ...like it's all...real. IRONS is top 5-living.
ISwedeishCarl Excalibur = Eggs Caliber As in the caliber of the egg As in the quantification of worth within the egg. As in the worth of life. The answer is dong. Is the worth of life to procreate? Or perhaps since it's a fake dong its everything we do but the biological that decides the caliber of the egg. Or maybe the worth of life is jovialism, to make fun of and jest in the face of the eternal clock.. Tick tock.. Ding 'dong'.. It's eggs all the way down man! I think im trippin.. ah woops, cracked some... fuck man lets make an omelette.
I really wish they showed more of Judd planning shit with the Seventh Kavalry. We only get to see his warm, friendly side then are told after the fact that he was a secret racist, but I feel it would've been more interesting to actually see this in a flashback instead of an exposition dump. Don Johnson already crushed it as a KKK guy in Django, I'm sure he'd do an excellent job turning nasty here too.
Late reply, but you forget- he was part of the cops AND the 7K during the "White Night", meaning he helped the plan to kill all the cops, inculding trying to kill Angela. Him "surviving" the White Night was most likely planned hoax. TL;DR Judd tried to kill Angela, helped plan to kill dozens of Cops on their homes and is a big racist, but always pretended he was nice
If I'm being honest, I think the writers were just being lazy and pretentious. They wanted to create some twist that Judd who has being established as friendly and righteous, is actually and evil mastermind, who ends up killed and the audience can cheer for Angela, when we learn that she was the one who told Will, via Manhattan's perception of time, that Judd was a part of Cyclops. She was the one who caused his death and supposably kicked off the events of the story. But while you think this would be a devastating blow to her, because they made Judd working for a bunch of irredeemable monsters so evil, we're expected to cheer for Angela instead. Which I find to be a pretty lazy move. Now I'm gonna assume that writers didn't like the idea of Angela feeling remorse, since they made Judd is exactly like the 7th Kalvary, her showing any remorse wouldn't make sense. But I'd argue that it would have been more interesting to see Angela's conflicting feelings. Seeing her cause the death of someone who was like family to her, regardless of what he truly was as a person. I also was hoping that they'd show Judd feeling regret for joining the 7th Kalvary and maybe do something similar to the character Omni-Man (Invincible), like stalling them long enough so they won't attempt to take Manhattan's powers. Especially when in Episode 6, before Will kills him, he says, "You don't understand. I'm trying to help you people.". Now some have argued that this was just him trying to save himself at the moment. But the way the line is delivered and the tone of it all, it seems pretty odd. Now I thought that the writers were gonna have Judd either reveal that he was infiltrating the 7th Kalvary. Or if he did join without question, begin to regret what he was doing, due to his close relationship to Angela, and was attempting to sabotage their plan. In fact, this would have made the revelation that Angela caused his death much more impactful. Have Judd abandon the 7th Kalvary's beliefs and stop them, but was killed by Will before he could do so, because of Angela's actions. It would have made for a massive twist and Angela would have to grapple with the result of her actions. Would she feel guilty for being the cause of her friend's death, who despite having racist beliefs, attempted to change his ways and decide to repent? That would've added so much characterization to both Angela and Judd, and so much moral complexity for the narrative to explore. BUT NO, Judd's evil for the sake of being evil. Therefore, we don't feel bad when Will kills him or that Angela's involvement caused his death. Just for writers to have us go, "Yeah, F-U Judd. You go Angela, girl!!!". And to make things worst, the only reason these character dynamics aren't explore is because Damon Lindelof and Co. were WAY to focused on such an overly contrived plot that it really doesn't focus on character, ESPECIALLY with the new ones. Which is why this show kind of went wrong. Lindelof was so focused on changing the original characters to fit with his narrative, that not only did he character assassinate all of them, but their insertion into the show's story is pretty incoherent and unnecessary. And every time we watch the new characters, almost all of them (including Angela) get short-changed at one point or another.
@@osmanyousif7849idk man i never “cheered” for angela when judd died. that seems like an odd reaction to have. he was just a side character. i don’t get why you feel like he had to be something more/sympathize with him
@@peanuts7324 , as much as I would agree with that, as I mentioned in my comment a little bit: Even if YOU personally feel that way when seeing the characters, the show itself really DOESN’T. Which I stated, comes at the fault of the creators. Since they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They wanted to portray Angela as a psychologically damaged individual due to her trauma, but still have her at times be heroic and virtuous. Even when she is committing some morally questionable acts, the show never portrays any of them as bad, but more as a reason to cheer for Angela. Therefore, the show does kind of a terrible job at displaying any of this, pulling several fast ones, in order to move the plot along.
Watching through your great analysis just reminded me how much I LOVED Laurie's character in the show. While I'm a huge fan of the comics, I always felt her character was kind of underwritten compared to the other main players- maybe in part because she frequently was included through the lens of Dr. Manhattan's/Dan's motivations. But the miniseries really let her be her own flawed person, and Jean Smart absolutely crushed the performance.
Yeah, sorry.... but I really would beg to differ. Laurie in the show EXTREMELY got on my nerves, and not in a good way. Not only because of the fact that her insertion into the story is extremely contrived and unnecessary, but the show creators, for whatever reason, seem to backtrack on almost all the character development that she goes through in the source material, which I'd argue is way better than in the show. And to understand why, allow me to actually break down her story in the show (or should I say the online PDF, as most of the information given is only shown online and/or given to us in big lazy exposition dumps, since many bulks of her past are only disclosed there): So Laurie and Dan pursue their crime fighting over the next several years. But at some point during this time, their relationship deteriorated, due to Dan believing (And somehow being right) that Laurie was still hung up on Jon Osterman/Dr Manhattan. Which I find to be measurably absurd (which I'll explain later, BELIEVE ME). In any event, they continued working together, on and off, until 1995. They successfully prevented the Oklahoma City Bombing, but were apprehended by the FBI. Dan went to in prison, while Laurie made a deal. It's implying that she revealed to the FBI the truth about the Squid Attack in 1985. Therefore, resulting in her being assigned to the Bureau's Anti-Vigilante Task Force. Now according to the show, one of the most prominent aspects of Laurie's character in the show, is her "hatred for vigilantes". When she's introduced, the show makes a short gag where's it's implied that she could have killed the Batman-clone. And here's where my first problem with show-Laurie occurs: WHERE THE HECK DID THIS HATRED COME FROM? Sure, in the graphic novel, Laurie was shown to be jaded by the concept of crime fighting, but this was linked more to the fact that her mother basically forced her into what she called "the family business". But later on, Laurie was able to find fulfillment and self-confidence through crime-fighting when it was on HER OWN TERMS. So at what point did this turn into such an extreme distaste for vigilantism? Especially to the point where she almost killed the dude because of it. And yes, I know someone might say, "But the writers wanted to draw parallels between her and her father. They want to show Laurie emulating The Comedian's cynicism about the world, as well as using his surname. Also the fact that Laurie's final word of the graphic novel, imply that she plans to mimic her father in her choice of costume.". Okay, but this is a FAR CRY away from her becoming as much of a jaded, loose-canon, maniac as her father was. How do you draw a line from Laurie at the end of the graphic novel, to the TV series, in terms of her view of vigilantism? You can't even break it all down, when it wasn't even fleshed out AT ALL. To have Laurie's arc in the novel be about her coming to peace with her parentage and finding fulfillment through her crime fighting, only to follow up with her years later being completely miserable, is something I don't buy for a minute. Again, it seems like the writers want this interpretation of Laurie, but didn't really think about how they could get her from Point A to Point B. Now let's talk about the second aspect of show-Laurie that really pissed me off: SHE'S STILL BEING HUNG UP ON DR MANHATTAN. Laurie's entire arc in the novel, was her realizing that Dr Manhattan could not give her a fulfilling relationship. He can't relate to her or empathize with her. This was the whole reason she left him and found a connection with Dan Dreiberg. The fact that the show has Laurie and Dan break up, due to her pining for Dr Manhattan is ABSOLUTELY ILLOGICAL. As well as the fact that Dan would make Laurie the Manhattan dildo as a middle finger to her, which is extremely out of character for him to do. Now again, I know someone's gonna say, "But the reason Laurie and Dan's relationship fell apart, is because according to the online PDF, in Laurie's FBI interrogation when asked why she and Dan stopped seeing each other, Laurie says, 'He wanted kids. I want guns.'." Now this is a reference to one of Dan and Laurie's final exchanges in the novel where Laurie, during their plan of settling down but wanting to continue their crime fighting ways. But in the novel, Laurie, when speaking about settling down and having kids says, "Not yet.". Implying that this isn't something that is totally off the table. Now I don't know if the show creators interpreted this as Laurie saying she never want to settle down with Dan, as that seems incredibly unlikely. But in any case, I'd argue that the fact that Lori is still hung up on Manhattan is telegraph very horribly. And considering the irrational statements from Damien Lindelof, on how he doesn't believe Laurie would ever leave Dr Manhattan, and "how could she date someone else?", really irks me. The whole reason Laurie left Manhattan was because he wasn't able to give her basic human needs, like comfort and empathy. And yet, this very clear aspect of her journey seems to have been completely lost on Lindelof. Laurie didn't just need someone to have sex with. She needs someone to understand her, who she could confide in, who could relate to her fears, wants, wishes and anxieties. Again, all things that Manhattan could NEVER understand. To see two human beings finding comfort and solace in their shared existential horror, only for it to boiled down to Lori just needing someone to cuddle with, is immeasurably insulting. Also Laurie still being hung up on Manhattan in the show is WAY MORE ridiculous, when you remember that Manhattan has been away from Earth for decades. So his detachment from humanity has probably only intensified. All in all, I don't understand how you can expect me to believe that her character in the novel was "underwritten" and way better in the show, let alone convince anybody otherwise. What the show did to Laurie is some of the biggest character assassinations ever done (As well as the other original characters, which I also found their characters written way off in the show.).
This was an absolutely incredible video. Like legit expert-level writing the way you summarized the whole show while contextualizing it with the comic. Earned my like.
It rhymes with "White" and derived from the Latin word "Vitus", which means "lively" or "full of life". And yes, it is always distracting when it's mispronounced on TH-cam. Which, sadly happens a lot. Glad Snyder got that part right, at least.
- Ozymandias' plan was all for nothing and gets exposed. - Rorschach isn't morrally grey, now he's only respected by evil Nazis. - Dr. Manhattan isn't a detached god, he's now very invested in humans. - Laurie and Dan broke up off-screen. Did the writers of this show even like the original story??
I've just finished watching this and went right here to summary because I was blown away and didn't quite get the whole concept. So i am so thankful you explained it to me through this great video.
this really helped clear all of the confusion i had while watching the show. At times i found it difficult to keep track of all the info being thrown about so this really helped ❤
It’s a bit more complicated. If Dan, Laurie and Jon exposed the new world peace as a lie, eight million people would have died for nothing. Nobody condoned his actions and everybody called him out for being monster, but their guilt forced them into silence - except Rorschach, of course.
To Mr. Shift X, very well done explanation. I've been watching The Watchman for the second and third time trying to figure it all out. I was never a comic reader DC Comics or Marvel but, your explanation of the Watchmen is very good. Thank you for this video, you help me to understand what it is that I'm watching, keep up the good work.
Solid analysis. This really simplified and laid out everything which makes it a great wrap up after finishing the series. I will say that while I think that Laurie still loved Manhattan, I don't think that she was IN love with him. The events in the comic seemed to show that part of their relationship faded away before we see them in 1985. He was her first love and beyond that I think she was in awe of him. She was in a relationship with a god. However he couldn't provide the companionship that she needed and when she ended things with him, she felt that Dan perhaps could. However, the reveal of her true origin planted a toxic seed with in her that was probably fed with the weight and guilt of the secret she had to keep about Veidt. Over time, something inside ate away at her until she was no longer the Laurie that fell in love with Dan. We accept the love that we think we deserve and they too became incompatible. She clearly maintained an affection for him though considering they joined forces in crime fighting up until their arrest. Also the biggest motivation she had for going to Tulsa and getting involved in this story was the suggestion by Senator Keene that if she helped him then he'd release Dan from prison. Perhaps at the end of this story, now that she has finally brought Veidt to justice, something of her former self can be awoken with in her. Perhaps she will feel worth being loved again. If there ever were a season 2, I'd really like to see her and Dan interact again.
When Laurie experiences nostalgia over her ex boyfriends. It is a nod to trieus idea of her medicine as she hoped that people will change by learning from their past.
The show is great, and the messaging and themes were good, but it's also very easy to understand everything to the point where a thematic analysis wouldn't really be interesting. The only thing worth analyzing is how the show differs from the comic and how those differences might affect the story in later seasons. For example, the comic is mostly mean spirited edgy schlock while the show has much more compelling characters, and there's no way Black Noir is the same person he was in the comic.
Fantastic rundown, Watchmen is easily in my top ten favorite shows of all time, hell probably even top five. It's such an incredibly clever and unique show, it's a shame Alan Moore is such a stalwart about not liking any of the adaptations of his work, because it really does make for a fantastic sequel.
I love that this is how DC and Marvel competes (and completes) each other in my view. They (DC) can't compete with marvel with their immersive continuity universe, But DC's victory lies with critically acclaimed and very adult oriented content (Joker, Watchmen). That's why Justice League failed hard. Marvel had a precise quality in most of it content, while DC is soo polarrizing, yet even though Watchmen and Joker is not about a cinematic universe, they suceeded in a stand alone format.
The opposite of MCU is that the quality lies with contunuity , but the quality never surpass "really good". It can never be "trully great". The Dark Knight, Watchmen (HBO), Joker, V for Vendetta in my opinion is a "trully great" Film/films. Iron Man, Infinity War, Endgame, winter soldier, (netflix)Daredevil, civil war, Guardians of the galaxy, Thor: Ragnaroc was "really good" films but not "truly great" films (IMO)
I really like these videos. Were you guys still thinking of doing a video for His Dark Materials? Another adaptation of a well-respected literary property you guys might find interesting is the upcoming adaptation by Neil Gaiman of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast.
Wasn't crazy about this one. It had some great elements, but not only missed the point of the comic, but admittedly changed key aspects of it because they didn't like them. They shouldn't have brought back Manhattan that is what ended it for me. He was becoming less invested in humanity because of his powers. He was more impressed with humanity at the end, but had largely moved on. He is turned around by the love of a good woman.
I love this show, it was fucking awesome! And with your video i feel I’m getting a lot more out of it, Makes me want to watch the whole season again. Really Appreciate your incredible hard work!
This is really interesting! Some things I’m still not clear on however is that I’m not sure why Dr. Manhattan falls in love with Angela. With his arc in the original story being that he becomes disassociated with humanity and his connections with others, it seemed confusing to me that he would spend time on earth looking for this seemingly random woman. I suppose he saw the future and knew what she would become but it still seems out of character emotionally for him. Also, I’m curious why the Rorschach journal wasn’t brought up in the series. I was hoping that there would be a connection with it to the Kavalry/Cyclops, as if this alt right supremacist group read Rorschach’s already radical words and conspiracy theory and co-opted it under their racist belief system. Instead they use the video of Veidt, but I think the journal would have created a more clear link between the Klan and Rorschach.
Dr. M was no longer disassociated with humanity by the end of the book, which was why he went to create some of his own (turning in a rather unimaginative effort). His failure was that what he created was not truly unpredictable as real humans. He also has as a fundamental part of his character a need to feel love. It ties to the trauma of the accident that created him, which he faced alone. The journal was brought up. It's mentioned a couple times, I believe. The idea was that the paper that published it did so selectively, in support of what they cared about. Cyclops at some point hijacked that and his costume to rebrand themselves (a commentary by lindelof on how Rorschach's image and intention has been misunderstood and co-opted). Some of this info goes by quickly, sometimes in the form of a comment. Also, go read the peteypedia for more info.
Because the show just didn't seem to care, and relied on lazy writing. Seriously, I can't ever understand why this show is being praised or like by everyone. The plot is riddled with holes and inconsistencies in order to facilitate a horrendously forced endgame, it fails to maintain the characterization of the major players of its source material, short changes the original characters it has developed its main thesis, is antithetical to the thesis of the source material, and does a horrible job of properly demonstrating its own thesis. But even worst, said thesis, despite its lack of development and coherence, is in itself highly problematic.
@@osmanyousif7849damn ive been reading the comments and ive found now like 7 full on essays, written by you, about how badly this show failed😂 you must rlly like the comics man
@@peanuts7324 , I’m just a dude who just feels the need to express the fact that not everything needs to be an adaptation. As someone who dreams of becoming a writer, you are going to adapt something, you have a duty to whoever created the original IP of something to consult with them about the changes you’re about to make and whether or not you truly understand the reason behind changing something or why the author specifically wrote the story the way they did. Say what you will about about Alan Moore, but I honestly don’t feel bad for his beliefs about comic book adaptations, for the fact that a lot of filmmakers who tried to adapt his work ended up making certain changes that end up deviating from the whole point of his stories.
I may not like the ending of the show I like how well constructed this video is and it might as well give me another look at the show to pinpoint why I felt those initial feelings towards the ending.
I think this video is.... Da Bomb! Dude, you're amazing with these breakdowns. Having recently watched HBO's 'Watchmen', I can see how expertly you break down the series (which, in my humble opinion.. is a worthy followup to Moore's 'Watchmen'). Your concise and graphical breakdown of characters, symbols and themes makes your videos a 'must-watch' for anyone following these type of series. Major Freaking Kudos!
Wow man, I really appreciate the work you guys did on this video! Kudos to you and your team. I only have one grip I didn't get on Watchmen, do you remember that scene when Angela tells Cal to ask her grandfather if he knows Judd Crawford and he sounded confused, then she freaked out and asked herself if she started all this? I don't know if it was a twist from the writers, or if it actually has meaning?¿
![[TH] 2024 PMGC League | Survival Stage วันที่ 1 | PUBG MOBILE Global Championship](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FVFT-PFwU80/mqdefault.jpg)
![IMAX. They call me Dr. Manhattan | Watchmen [+Subtitles]](/img/n.gif)
Oh and yeah, Lube Man is Petey, the skinny FBI guy. You can read about him on Peteypedia: www.hbo.com/content/dam/hbodata/series/watchmen/peteypedia/09/memo-dale-petey.pdf
Alt Shift X Patreon: www.patreon.com/AltShiftX
Hi. :)
Hint: Click on "canola oil" in that document.
Are you planning to talk about doomsday clock the comic book sequel to the 1986 Watchmen
It looked nothing like him though?
Could you consider looking into the Witcher Netflix series? Pretty please?
"while Dr. Manhattan is God-like, he is not very original. His real name is John"
The satire in Watchmen is on point.
Whats wrong with John?
@@Longtail626 John Jones is the Martian Manhunter, so there's that
@@Longtail626 John is the least original name there is
@@Longtail626 John is the most used name of all time.
Really John out of all the news the creator could've it'd John no offense to the Johns of the world of course
"I didn't want to die alone." Someone pointed out that Jon's final moments as a human was watching the woman he love leave the room while he was disintegrated because there was nothing she could do and didn't want to see him die. It would make sense that he would later fall in love with a woman who when told there's nothing she could do just grabbed a gun and went to try anyway.
You can't kill Dr Manhattan! It's stupid.
Suddenly lithium is some sort of Kryptonite?
@@Coalemos no its not, hes a bi-product of science not a God, hence there's a means to an end.
Im not crying. Youre crying.
@@Dasanie what? Doesn't matter what you want to call him God, Demigod, super man (2 words).
The fact is if it's made from matter then he can manipulate it. No goddamn lithium battery gonna slow him down let alone stop him.
He's not even really there in his body as far as I know. It's a representation of such that allows him to communicate with others.
@@Coalemos I do agree that it is a leap in logic regarding Manhattan. The story told intrigued me enough that I let it pass. But it is a problem I have with the show that I found otherwise quite extraordinary.
Bass Reeves being the inspiration for the Lone Ranger isn't speculation, it's true. (Also, its Bass like the fish, not Bass like the instrument)
That’s what he said, bass.
3 years later and he said bass, not bass. :p
It's speculation. Just looked it up.
@@Obi-ThreeKenobi No, no, I distinctly heard him say bass instead of bass.
@@pepperman2385 lol
Small note here but Wade survives the original 1985 attack because he is in a house of mirrors which protect him from the psychic attack, leading to him wearing reflectix around his head in the future (both mask and in the hat) to protect himself from future psychic attacks.
Wow its so obvious but i didnt put that together. Good catch
mirrors protect from psychic attacks? be serious
@@thewkovacs316 psychic attacks exist? be serious.
@@averydotavi what you are saying is that the source material doesnt mean squat and anyone can change it for their own needs...i hope moore sicks the snake god on all you bastards
hbo watchmen was crap
@@thewkovacs316 you should break into their houses and eat all thier beans in from of them
Wade I think is kinda supposed to be a “good Rorschach”. Both experience an intense trauma early in their lives, but Looking Glass, in his search for truth, chooses to do good and try to help others rather than be whatever Rorschach was
There are also many parallels between Angela and Rorschach:
1. Both investigate a murder in the beginning of the story and find a secret cupboard with a suit (Judd's KKK robe vs The Comedian's superhero costume).
2. Both are the POV character of the story, but does not affect it.
3. Both see the world in black and white.
4. Both use torture to get people to talk.
5. Both see themselves are morally superior.
@@db7213 Not to mention the significant focus of black and white on both characters' costumes to reflect each character's black/white view of the world.
Roschach was good though. What are you talking about?
@@AntonAdelson
Not really no, apart from being a hero/vigilante, thats all he's good for. Just watch Alt's video on the Watchmen comics and he's really not a good person
@@isham2044 First off Watchmen is all about "What is Good/bad" the point of the Watchmen is that Good and Bad DONT EXIST... Second Roschach sought TRUTH and unveiled it and even took it upon himself to be the greater good when systems built by a corrupt society wouldnt hold. Go give the original a READ not a WATCH
I really liked how the show homages clue moments from the comic:
- the Tales of Black freighter in Ozymandias’ subplot.
- Looking Glass being basically the modernized version of Rorschach
- Manhattan still being referenced as “Superman” (Cal = Kal El)
- The Cyclops/7th Cavalry being basically the legacy of Nixon in the comic
- Turning Hooded Justice a Black man actually fits with the OG cómic since his costume was displayed the same way the KKKlan used to be but this time on a total dark suit to bring his justice to the white supremacists
- Angela Abar being the love interest of Manhattan since she is also a consequence of Manhattan’s own actions in Vietnam
Hooded Justice was Austrian originally. His main thing was being against Nazis and any nazi like groups like the kkk
Bro hooded justice was a gay man who was black. They retconned some many things for this terrible show
@AlanNoMoney what? What did they retcon? He is a gay black man, in the comics he was gay and i believe alan may have wanted him to be black too since hooded justice being purple instead of black is an odd choice, unless he is referencing purple as a color for things like the black panther party. Not to mention the obvious that he has a cone shaped mask with a noose, which can blatantly be a black person representing their trauma
Bruh dr manhattan did a reverse Michael Jackson
😂😂 I think the technical term is a Dolezal.
@@joshuaj.aguero2225 re-vitaligo...
@@BENYJOSE1 uncle manruckus
@@bijtmntongaf Dr. Boondocks
A reverse Michael Jackson is a normal frontward walk.
There is a veiled reference to giving Night Owl a pardon. When the Senator sees the caged owl in Laurie's apt he mentions how a President can give out pardons. Thats the deal that gets Laurie to Tulsa.
Yeah but that was like him saying that if he became president and she helped him then he would get the pardon, right? So no pardon
@@KennethKaniff999 i took it as a multiple purpose comment during that scene. Showing his willingness of corruption as well as a reference to Night Owl getting pardoned. Also that Lori still held a candle for Dan.
Ddddds
This is phenomenally comprehensive, organized, concise, and enlightening. I can’t praise your video essay enough. Thank you for your hard work in breaking down the themes and allegories to this amazing show. I feel like you are distilling the ideals the writers of the show wanted to convey. Excellent work!
15:57
Angela Abar was named so the showrunners could make the joke "A god walks into a bar"
Also Laurie's ex, Cal Abar - Excalibur.
this is gold
@@Glidus The man, the myth, the legend Glidus himself is here! Love your stuff man, been a sub since your Preston video.
Yes, but the black superman movie reference is also intentional (although it applies to Cal Abar, not Angela). It's actually mentioned in the peteypedia files.
noice
Just realized that Ozmandias is turned into a statue like in the poem that his name is based off
YES I completely missed that!!
As someone that started to watch it without knowing ANY lore and being very confused for 4-5 episodes, thank you, now many things make a lot of sense.
Same
My biggest questions I had after watching the show were: 1) What's up with that elephant? 2) Why didn't we get to see more Lube Man?
1. Elephants never forget.
2. Who knows?
Also, it lends to a visual pun, as Angela and Trieu don't talk about the elephant in the room.
Lube Man was Petey. I think he was just keeping an eye on Angela either for himself or for Laurie.
The elephant could also be because lady trieu was named after a Vietnamese historical figure/legend that was said to ride an elephant
I believe that the elephant works as an absorber in the entire memory process they go through. The elephant is supposed to neutralize or take the bulk of mental damage inflicted
Another excellent video that ties everything together with expert precision. Like a skilled watch maker!
AltShiftX is the new Dr. Manhattan confirmed.
Very well put!
Except the Watch turned woke and it will fade into “The Leftovers” obscurity while Watchmen remains the pinnacle of excellence. Nice try, though.
@@SuperOmnicronsj44 We get it, "racism not bad, show too political, me get angry at black people". Fuck off.
@NizzyNizerson I'm not even angry at you, I'm just confused. What the fuck does that mean? I'm brainwashed because...I liked a tv show, and...I don't buy anything, which is connected to this conversation through...delusion? Seriously what the fuck are you talking about, did you forget to take your meds today?
I think the only weak spot in this breakdown is not properly dissecting Lady Trieu in her own section; Much like her father, she is named after a real historical figure whose life dovetails nicely with that of the character (for him, a king that oversees an empire that eventually crumbles, for her leading a war against oppression in Vietnam that eventually fails). The historical Lady Trieu even rode an elephant, which is referenced in several places throughout the show as representing her or her help in some way.
Her mother even quotes the real historic figure Lady Trieu -as she impregnates herself with the stolen DNA sample in the office
A few other gems:
Veidt's escape plan is also a play in 5 acts:
- Act 1. Veidt is testing the boundaries of his bubble with Philipses, which return frozen.
- Act 2. Veidt catapults dead Philipses and Crookshankses out of the bubble.
- Act 3. Veidt catapults himself, forms the message with the corpses and get captured by the game warden.
- Act 4. The mock trial.
- Act 5. The escape, using the Trojan horseshoe that was inside his cake.
The tomato tree: in some German dialects, 'tomato' translates as 'Paradiesapfel', 'apple of paradise'. The tomato tree is the Tree of Knowledge, which he created for the Philipses and Crookshankses because he's frustrated with their stupidity. In particular, he wants them to be smart enough to play along with his elaborate escape plan, so that they can give him the horseshoe at the right time to dig himself out.
And where's the gem of hooded justice, sleeping with capitalism? Sorry, I meant CAPTAIN METROPOLIS?? This couldn't hit home ANY BETTER on every level
omg
My fav gem is the truth drop Manhattan gives while he is talking "nonsense" during his cage scene. "We only see old photos of the stars", taking a direct jab at the mockery and coverup that is our so called "space program" which is still showing us low res pictures of the planets in our solar system and of distant stars, while they have had HD camera technology for decades. I actually smiled when he said that...
Also another truth drop is when Adrian complains that he has given humanity all kinds of clean energy systems and they still prefer to use dirty nuclear energy and a-bombs. Again, a jab at the fact that humanity has very advanced technology today and yet we still use the old grimy tech for some reason...
@@mancamiatipoola they're low resolution because the objects are millions of miles away. Do you not understand how vision works?
@@mancamiatipoola don't agree with you on the space stuff but you are right that for some reason with access to wind, solar, and using nuclear power as a gap filler, its insane that we choose to poison our air, and destroy our planet using fossil fuels.
the story with Veidt and his daughters mother is akin to Isis and Osiris, lots of Egyptian mythology in here.
It's such an underrated series.
Greek, too:
Baby Hermès defended himself, when questioned as to why he stole Apollo’s sheep, by farting. This causes all the gods to laugh and embrace him as one of their own.
Rss Reader
@@Vecha302 no they werent
@@savagecocktorture they were Arab
This show is so underrated, a perfect addition to the watchmen universe
Everyone you said was wrong
Notice how on the shows poster, Angela is literally blue. This is definitely a hint that she does in fact acquire Dr Manhattan's powers.
Lindelof confirmed she got the powers
Yeah I mean, I know the show supposedly leaves it open, but she _had_ to get his powers. Otherwise it means he did the whole bit with the egg when they first met, then the very deliberate callback to it later on the night he died, and the whole walking on water bit, all so he could prank her into eating a raw egg and face-planting into the swimming pool which... I mean if that's what he was going for, I'd have to commend his commitment to comedy.
@@soufian2733 Source please?
@@m-ray5956 www.elitedaily.com/p/is-angela-dr-manhattan-the-watchmen-poster-may-have-the-answer-19495512
@@soufian2733 Thank you, that's a good interview
Jean Smart and Regina King are just incredible performers. Whether it's comedy or drama, they both bring it so hard.
Why does dr Manhattan look like a live action squidward here 😂 3:01
*live action HANDSOME Squidward
He looks like a live action extremely handsome Squidward
*ultimate handsome squidward
No no he has a point
@@mangenkiou you're attracted to Squidward? Eww...
Another great video! I'm a bit surprised you didn't mention Dr. Manhatten saying "It will be important for later" when he showed Angela that he could walk on water. That carries huge implications for the ambiguous ending imo.
SpirusOfH in my mind, she falls into the water, only to spring up glowing blue dripping water. Jon oyster man was destroyed and rebirthed as dr Manhattan. Laurie being baptized and then walking out of the pool after she floats back down to it seems right.
To me it seems 'important later' to see him walk on water so that when she splashes in she will have closure and know that he is gone.
I kinda like how rorschach and angela have so much similarities in how they believe in things( she believes that she can give others justice and rorschach believes he can do everything and he hates everyone) that at the end one dies and other becomes a God. Considering she would go through same misery that Dr Manhattan goes through. Really really great
The thing people keep forgetting because noone took the time to read the comic is that 1. Dr Manhattan can't time travel. 2. He can't interact with his past or future self. He can only see what's going to happen because it's already has, will happen. He can see it because it will happen and can't be changed. 3. He can't give up his power, simply because he is the power. You can't kill him. You pull him apart he puts himself back together again. It's now what he is. He's no longer a human, he no longer thinks like a human because in fact he's a God, to who human emotions no longer matters and who can't love anyone anymore because he can't think that way anymore. And if you don't believe me, go read the comic.
@@eliselianaboyd2547 I strongly disagree with your interpretation that Dr. Manhatten no longer is human. His entire arc is about him desperately trying to relate to other people. His perception of the universe and time means that he is unable to connect with anyone because everything is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. That's why he didn't do anything to stop that Vietnamese woman being shot, he knew it was immorral but he just didn't care enough to do anything. That's the true tragedy of Dr. Manhatten - he isn't just a God among men, he's a human being who has lost the very thing that makes him human. Laurie was the only thing that made him care about humanity, but as the Comedian points out, Manhattan is only pretending to care and he can never truly love Laurie. That combined with her leaving him is what pushes him over the edge. If he was just an unemotional God then he wouldn't have cared about that either. But he isn't. He's a guy who knows he loves this woman and wants to relate to people again but he is completely unable to.
When I began watching “The Watchman” I really had no idea what exactly I was getting myself into. I had no idea that it was a spinoff of a comic, and all of the characters were based off of that comic. This video was very informative, and gave the backstory for every major character and really kind of caught me up as to what was going on. So I’m now going to re-watch the series with this new revelation about how the story unfolds. Very well done thank you.
you should really read the original graphic novel, its phenomenal and although I enjoyed the show nothing can top that masterpiece.
The comic and film were better.
@@saytax buuut buuut muh racism
@@saytax The show was straight up embarrassing
The comic is a million times better, pls just read it instead lol
Phenomenal breakdown! You were missed
I really enjoy that you put your videos out as one solid chunk instead of 3, just to try and max your ad time.. Revenue on youtube is garbo anyways, thank you for the amazing content :)
For this info I will upvote. I mean I would have anyway... But now I definitely will, probably. I'll do it.
Greta Garbo wouldn't be too happy about your statement. XD
Every time I watch your videos, I feel like I just earned a degree.
Your ASOIAF vids are great too! The visuals, photos, text, all help lock in the themes you're expressing
Thank you for compiling everything so well, especially with the analysis on Laurie and Wade's character arcs! I wish you would've included Lady Trieu, she was the most interesting and misinterpreted character imo.
Didn’t anyone else notice that the theater had the letters “Dr. M” still hanging on the marquee after Dr. Manhattan “died”? I highly doubt he’s dead.
I noticed that too but we’ll never know if he’s dead or not as it’s been confirmed there won’t be a season 2
Well, I mean all we know is his form was disintegrated and it was in that machine of Trieu's (quantum particle accelerator or whatever?) before the frozen squidfall blew it up... basic physics says that energy must have been dispersed into some medium but couldn't have been destroyed. I'm no quantum physicist, but even if Manhattan was scattered across the very small world, he'd probably eventually be able to reconstitute himself--that was, after all, the first thing he learned to do.
@@RossOfRoni Indeed! Recombination was also the first thing the universe itself learned to do as well so seems appropriate.
@@Hylianamused Well, it was never outright stated he was permanently killed, either.
It's worth noting that he knows being on the pool will be important for Angela to see later, after he's 'dead'. He can only see his lifetime, so he's likely still in existence, somewhere. Potentially within Angela.
@@bajscast now thats an awesome comment
I read original Watchmen and saw the movie, both amazing! But this post film Watchmen stuff & all the new characters are quite fascinating. Especially how Ozymandius & Dr. Manhattan are used as well as newer characters.
I need to get into it more, the more recent Watchmen sequel stuff and origins stories.
@@tomgebarowski8156the film, and ESPECIALLY the show were horrendous. While Moore is infamous for disliking any adaptations, he put some extra oomph in his dislike of the Watchmen show. Completely warranted imo, as it calls itself watchmen, but strips down every point the comic tried to make, and besides the same general tone and purpose (using realism and moral grayness for expression) it either goes against the points the comic tried to make, does character slander, or puts in new points that dont mesh with the original (dr Manhattan being the perfect example of all 3). Read the comic my g, its seriously one of the best in the artform, and youd like it even if you're not into comic books.
I never leave comments, but this is THE best, most concise analysis of the characters in this show I've seen. Thank you!
Your analysis of Dr. Manhattan was so well written and delivered. Loved every second of it.
Damn, that was quality. And the work that must have gone into that was serious. Thank you. I've never been to patreon but I'm heading over.
Thank you!
Can you do Mr. Robot please? No one has good analysis videos for some weird reason
Can you imagine a 30 mins video about Mr. Robot ending by ASX? Jesus
It is too smart for most TH-cam creators. Alt Shift X could do it though.
That's be awesome.
Oh my god, that would be awesome. I'm thinking of becoming a patreon to cast a vote. Dunno if ASX has seen it though. He seems to have a lot on his plate. (Not that the watch time matters in comparison how long it must take to make his analysis videos)
YES TO THIS!!!
Nicely done. I concur. Hence, no second series/season. The egg was the perfect ending.
Season 2, and all subsequent seasons, should be reboots. New sequel, new story, unrelated to the others.
@@PhilHibbs Or they can just do with the one because its not like the next season is going to be anywhere near as good as the first
They could do a second season if it made sense...or they could highlight the original minute men in it's own season
They've already said they're not going to do a second season. At least Lindelof (creator/writer/ep) has said he's not interested. :-(
I agree, but it would be nice wouldn’t it?
From all of this , what I truly can say is:
I Hope that fucking owl is okay, it looks sad in that cage.
I really like Hooded Justice's story in this, arguably better than the comic in my honest opinion.
I love the HBO Watchmen series
What story did Hooded Justice really get in the original? lol I'm glad Moore dropped his KKK backstory,* it left some good room for Lindelof and co. to fill.
* as a member of the Klan.
Highlight of the show tbh
I like it but I kinda wished they went with the German guy from the comics I actually want to see that story
I don't think that there's a point to adding onto an already told story. Hollywood directors are just afraid to try new things.
The new Watchmen is as dumb and unnecessary as the Star Wars sequels.
It's not so complicated if you get through the whole show, and if you've read and watched the formers than it makes it even more exciting to unfold. I'm so glad to see Alt Shift X reviewing this 😍
One of the coolest revelations to me was about the Dr Manhatten dildo. Excalibur. Ex-Cal-Abar. Manhatten being her Ex with the new name Cal Abar.
There's one thing that made this show a very good show : the music
It was perfect imo
I still think about that arrangement of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" that played when Dr. Manhattan was fully introduced
@@GPerla26 honestly I still think that a lot of reviews are missing out on how the soundtrack in this show had that eerie effect
Sometime it was the music that kept me invested and interested during some scenes and episodes :D
Oh yeah. Had no idea Trent Reznor did movie/TV scores. Just looked up he did work for The Social Network and Gone Girl.
@@bigred2989 i didn't see those 2 movies so I can't say if it's good or not
But I read that for Watchmen, he really wanted to do the score and insistent so HBO hired him
I think so too, music was perfect , sound effects too
The Giant Blue Dildo is called "EXCALIBUR" .!
Dr Manhattan is Laurie' "Ex", and his human name is "Cal Abar".
Ex-Cal-Abar.!!!........ the clue was there all the time ⌚ on Dr Manhattan' identity.
Cool😀
I thought HBO's Watchmen was great and i think it should be left alone now.
This video was a great breakdown of the show. 👍
holy shit!!!
@@seniorpeepers lol, 😂... 👍
Wow great catch!
Holy shit dude.
@@KennethKaniff999 lol. 😂.... 👍
What I respect most about this is you were able to weave together and incredibly and over complicated thread into a cohesive story. This is why there’s no second season. It’s not needed, but also they jammed way too much into it for it to be easy to soak in. Beautifully done, my friend!!
Veidt's video to Redford...his eyes bulging, overwhelemed by the magnitude of the adrenaline Redford will be feeling when he views it, is the best part of this limited series. His eyes make you feel ...like it's all...real. IRONS is top 5-living.
the part about wade is incorrect. he isn’t seduced, and he wasn’t “trying to get his watchtower wet”. he was coerced and assaulted.
He was taken advantage of. SA on men is still not really in public conscious, but i think the show made it clear it was SUPER traumatic for him.
I didn't realise how deep this show actually was. I need to give it another shot. Amazing breakdown
Keep the content coming, missed that voice and commentary!!!
Excalibur = Ex Cal Abar.
Reading into it too much or a intentional easter egg. I doubt Dan knows about Cal and Angela, but still funny.
ISwedeishCarl
Excalibur = Eggs Caliber
As in the caliber of the egg
As in the quantification of worth within the egg.
As in the worth of life.
The answer is dong.
Is the worth of life to procreate?
Or perhaps since it's a fake dong its everything we do but the biological that decides the caliber of the egg.
Or maybe the worth of life is jovialism, to make fun of and jest in the face of the eternal clock..
Tick tock..
Ding 'dong'..
It's eggs all the way down man!
I think im trippin.. ah woops, cracked some...
fuck man lets make an omelette.
It's an intentional pun, Lindelof confirmed it in an interview.
@@Pulsar77 Pun by Lindelof, not pun by Dan.
I really wish they showed more of Judd planning shit with the Seventh Kavalry. We only get to see his warm, friendly side then are told after the fact that he was a secret racist, but I feel it would've been more interesting to actually see this in a flashback instead of an exposition dump. Don Johnson already crushed it as a KKK guy in Django, I'm sure he'd do an excellent job turning nasty here too.
Late reply, but you forget- he was part of the cops AND the 7K during the "White Night", meaning he helped the plan to kill all the cops, inculding trying to kill Angela. Him "surviving" the White Night was most likely planned hoax.
TL;DR
Judd tried to kill Angela, helped plan to kill dozens of Cops on their homes and is a big racist, but always pretended he was nice
If I'm being honest, I think the writers were just being lazy and pretentious. They wanted to create some twist that Judd who has being established as friendly and righteous, is actually and evil mastermind, who ends up killed and the audience can cheer for Angela, when we learn that she was the one who told Will, via Manhattan's perception of time, that Judd was a part of Cyclops. She was the one who caused his death and supposably kicked off the events of the story. But while you think this would be a devastating blow to her, because they made Judd working for a bunch of irredeemable monsters so evil, we're expected to cheer for Angela instead. Which I find to be a pretty lazy move.
Now I'm gonna assume that writers didn't like the idea of Angela feeling remorse, since they made Judd is exactly like the 7th Kalvary, her showing any remorse wouldn't make sense. But I'd argue that it would have been more interesting to see Angela's conflicting feelings. Seeing her cause the death of someone who was like family to her, regardless of what he truly was as a person. I also was hoping that they'd show Judd feeling regret for joining the 7th Kalvary and maybe do something similar to the character Omni-Man (Invincible), like stalling them long enough so they won't attempt to take Manhattan's powers.
Especially when in Episode 6, before Will kills him, he says, "You don't understand. I'm trying to help you people.". Now some have argued that this was just him trying to save himself at the moment. But the way the line is delivered and the tone of it all, it seems pretty odd. Now I thought that the writers were gonna have Judd either reveal that he was infiltrating the 7th Kalvary. Or if he did join without question, begin to regret what he was doing, due to his close relationship to Angela, and was attempting to sabotage their plan. In fact, this would have made the revelation that Angela caused his death much more impactful. Have Judd abandon the 7th Kalvary's beliefs and stop them, but was killed by Will before he could do so, because of Angela's actions. It would have made for a massive twist and Angela would have to grapple with the result of her actions. Would she feel guilty for being the cause of her friend's death, who despite having racist beliefs, attempted to change his ways and decide to repent? That would've added so much characterization to both Angela and Judd, and so much moral complexity for the narrative to explore.
BUT NO, Judd's evil for the sake of being evil. Therefore, we don't feel bad when Will kills him or that Angela's involvement caused his death. Just for writers to have us go, "Yeah, F-U Judd. You go Angela, girl!!!". And to make things worst, the only reason these character dynamics aren't explore is because Damon Lindelof and Co. were WAY to focused on such an overly contrived plot that it really doesn't focus on character, ESPECIALLY with the new ones. Which is why this show kind of went wrong. Lindelof was so focused on changing the original characters to fit with his narrative, that not only did he character assassinate all of them, but their insertion into the show's story is pretty incoherent and unnecessary. And every time we watch the new characters, almost all of them (including Angela) get short-changed at one point or another.
@@osmanyousif7849idk man i never “cheered” for angela when judd died. that seems like an odd reaction to have. he was just a side character. i don’t get why you feel like he had to be something more/sympathize with him
@@peanuts7324 , as much as I would agree with that, as I mentioned in my comment a little bit: Even if YOU personally feel that way when seeing the characters, the show itself really DOESN’T.
Which I stated, comes at the fault of the creators. Since they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. They wanted to portray Angela as a psychologically damaged individual due to her trauma, but still have her at times be heroic and virtuous. Even when she is committing some morally questionable acts, the show never portrays any of them as bad, but more as a reason to cheer for Angela. Therefore, the show does kind of a terrible job at displaying any of this, pulling several fast ones, in order to move the plot along.
Maybe they should have just named the show "hatchmen"
Watching through your great analysis just reminded me how much I LOVED Laurie's character in the show. While I'm a huge fan of the comics, I always felt her character was kind of underwritten compared to the other main players- maybe in part because she frequently was included through the lens of Dr. Manhattan's/Dan's motivations. But the miniseries really let her be her own flawed person, and Jean Smart absolutely crushed the performance.
Yeah, sorry.... but I really would beg to differ. Laurie in the show EXTREMELY got on my nerves, and not in a good way. Not only because of the fact that her insertion into the story is extremely contrived and unnecessary, but the show creators, for whatever reason, seem to backtrack on almost all the character development that she goes through in the source material, which I'd argue is way better than in the show. And to understand why, allow me to actually break down her story in the show (or should I say the online PDF, as most of the information given is only shown online and/or given to us in big lazy exposition dumps, since many bulks of her past are only disclosed there):
So Laurie and Dan pursue their crime fighting over the next several years. But at some point during this time, their relationship deteriorated, due to Dan believing (And somehow being right) that Laurie was still hung up on Jon Osterman/Dr Manhattan. Which I find to be measurably absurd (which I'll explain later, BELIEVE ME).
In any event, they continued working together, on and off, until 1995. They successfully prevented the Oklahoma City Bombing, but were apprehended by the FBI. Dan went to in prison, while Laurie made a deal. It's implying that she revealed to the FBI the truth about the Squid Attack in 1985. Therefore, resulting in her being assigned to the Bureau's Anti-Vigilante Task Force.
Now according to the show, one of the most prominent aspects of Laurie's character in the show, is her "hatred for vigilantes". When she's introduced, the show makes a short gag where's it's implied that she could have killed the Batman-clone. And here's where my first problem with show-Laurie occurs: WHERE THE HECK DID THIS HATRED COME FROM? Sure, in the graphic novel, Laurie was shown to be jaded by the concept of crime fighting, but this was linked more to the fact that her mother basically forced her into what she called "the family business". But later on, Laurie was able to find fulfillment and self-confidence through crime-fighting when it was on HER OWN TERMS. So at what point did this turn into such an extreme distaste for vigilantism? Especially to the point where she almost killed the dude because of it.
And yes, I know someone might say, "But the writers wanted to draw parallels between her and her father. They want to show Laurie emulating The Comedian's cynicism about the world, as well as using his surname. Also the fact that Laurie's final word of the graphic novel, imply that she plans to mimic her father in her choice of costume.". Okay, but this is a FAR CRY away from her becoming as much of a jaded, loose-canon, maniac as her father was. How do you draw a line from Laurie at the end of the graphic novel, to the TV series, in terms of her view of vigilantism? You can't even break it all down, when it wasn't even fleshed out AT ALL. To have Laurie's arc in the novel be about her coming to peace with her parentage and finding fulfillment through her crime fighting, only to follow up with her years later being completely miserable, is something I don't buy for a minute. Again, it seems like the writers want this interpretation of Laurie, but didn't really think about how they could get her from Point A to Point B.
Now let's talk about the second aspect of show-Laurie that really pissed me off: SHE'S STILL BEING HUNG UP ON DR MANHATTAN. Laurie's entire arc in the novel, was her realizing that Dr Manhattan could not give her a fulfilling relationship. He can't relate to her or empathize with her. This was the whole reason she left him and found a connection with Dan Dreiberg. The fact that the show has Laurie and Dan break up, due to her pining for Dr Manhattan is ABSOLUTELY ILLOGICAL. As well as the fact that Dan would make Laurie the Manhattan dildo as a middle finger to her, which is extremely out of character for him to do.
Now again, I know someone's gonna say, "But the reason Laurie and Dan's relationship fell apart, is because according to the online PDF, in Laurie's FBI interrogation when asked why she and Dan stopped seeing each other, Laurie says, 'He wanted kids. I want guns.'." Now this is a reference to one of Dan and Laurie's final exchanges in the novel where Laurie, during their plan of settling down but wanting to continue their crime fighting ways. But in the novel, Laurie, when speaking about settling down and having kids says, "Not yet.". Implying that this isn't something that is totally off the table. Now I don't know if the show creators interpreted this as Laurie saying she never want to settle down with Dan, as that seems incredibly unlikely. But in any case, I'd argue that the fact that Lori is still hung up on Manhattan is telegraph very horribly.
And considering the irrational statements from Damien Lindelof, on how he doesn't believe Laurie would ever leave Dr Manhattan, and "how could she date someone else?", really irks me. The whole reason Laurie left Manhattan was because he wasn't able to give her basic human needs, like comfort and empathy. And yet, this very clear aspect of her journey seems to have been completely lost on Lindelof. Laurie didn't just need someone to have sex with. She needs someone to understand her, who she could confide in, who could relate to her fears, wants, wishes and anxieties. Again, all things that Manhattan could NEVER understand. To see two human beings finding comfort and solace in their shared existential horror, only for it to boiled down to Lori just needing someone to cuddle with, is immeasurably insulting. Also Laurie still being hung up on Manhattan in the show is WAY MORE ridiculous, when you remember that Manhattan has been away from Earth for decades. So his detachment from humanity has probably only intensified.
All in all, I don't understand how you can expect me to believe that her character in the novel was "underwritten" and way better in the show, let alone convince anybody otherwise. What the show did to Laurie is some of the biggest character assassinations ever done (As well as the other original characters, which I also found their characters written way off in the show.).
@@osmanyousif7849i agree with you so much, and you understand laurie so perfectly
This was an absolutely incredible video. Like legit expert-level writing the way you summarized the whole show while contextualizing it with the comic. Earned my like.
Thank you for this. Seriously; thank you. My 86 year old father just started watching Watchmen and trying to explain it to him is excruciating.
Amazing video, but was anyone else uncomfortable with how Veidt was pronounced?
I always thought of it as V-AYE-ght, like "night". Isn't he German?
Martin Wold Stavrum yeah, that’s how they pronounced it in the show too
It rhymes with "White" and derived from the Latin word "Vitus", which means "lively" or "full of life".
And yes, it is always distracting when it's mispronounced on TH-cam. Which, sadly happens a lot. Glad Snyder got that part right, at least.
“Bass”, of Bass Reeves, too. It should rhyme with gas.
Yeah my bad! In the show they pronounce it like "Vite"
- Ozymandias' plan was all for nothing and gets exposed.
- Rorschach isn't morrally grey, now he's only respected by evil Nazis.
- Dr. Manhattan isn't a detached god, he's now very invested in humans.
- Laurie and Dan broke up off-screen.
Did the writers of this show even like the original story??
I've just finished watching this and went right here to summary because I was blown away and didn't quite get the whole concept. So i am so thankful you explained it to me through this great video.
Another egg reference... Manhattan's name, Osterman, can be loosely translated to Easter man.
this really helped clear all of the confusion i had while watching the show. At times i found it difficult to keep track of all the info being thrown about so this really helped ❤
so basically, Rorschach had the right idea from the start, Ozymandias was always a pos, and all the characters in universe are finally admitting it.
Nah it's still meant to be ambiguous. It definitely doesnt side with Rorschach
Never compromise in the face of evil
the show needs a villain, so people who like Rorschach are now the discount KKK
It’s a bit more complicated. If Dan, Laurie and Jon exposed the new world peace as a lie, eight million people would have died for nothing. Nobody condoned his actions and everybody called him out for being monster, but their guilt forced them into silence - except Rorschach, of course.
Entire world: "v-eye-t"
Alt Shift X: "you mean.... v-eight?"
And in Germanic, you would pronounce it "fight." Wonder if that means anything.
To Mr. Shift X, very well done explanation. I've been watching The Watchman for the second and third time trying to figure it all out. I was never a comic reader DC Comics or Marvel but, your explanation of the Watchmen is very good. Thank you for this video, you help me to understand what it is that I'm watching, keep up the good work.
I liked how Angela was just as confused as to what was actually going on as the audience (mostly me) was.
She had that pretty big secret that we didnt know until the end but yeah other than that
Solid analysis. This really simplified and laid out everything which makes it a great wrap up after finishing the series. I will say that while I think that Laurie still loved Manhattan, I don't think that she was IN love with him. The events in the comic seemed to show that part of their relationship faded away before we see them in 1985. He was her first love and beyond that I think she was in awe of him. She was in a relationship with a god. However he couldn't provide the companionship that she needed and when she ended things with him, she felt that Dan perhaps could. However, the reveal of her true origin planted a toxic seed with in her that was probably fed with the weight and guilt of the secret she had to keep about Veidt. Over time, something inside ate away at her until she was no longer the Laurie that fell in love with Dan. We accept the love that we think we deserve and they too became incompatible. She clearly maintained an affection for him though considering they joined forces in crime fighting up until their arrest. Also the biggest motivation she had for going to Tulsa and getting involved in this story was the suggestion by Senator Keene that if she helped him then he'd release Dan from prison. Perhaps at the end of this story, now that she has finally brought Veidt to justice, something of her former self can be awoken with in her. Perhaps she will feel worth being loved again. If there ever were a season 2, I'd really like to see her and Dan interact again.
Looking Glass is probably my favorite character in all of Watchmen.
The fact that it added the Tulsa massacre is wild 😩and was much needed 💯
As always you've done an excellent job.
Well done
Doing what, shilling for a shitty canceled show?
What a great breakdown! I would have never understood what was going on having no knowledge of the Watchmen
Oh thank God, I thought this video would never come. Genius as always. Thank you for making my day.
When Laurie experiences nostalgia over her ex boyfriends. It is a nod to trieus idea of her medicine as she hoped that people will change by learning from their past.
Just reading "I'm in every moment all at once. I love you, Angela" made me tear up. What a show!
im furious you brought up excalibur without mentioning ex-cal-abar
Please do a video about “The Boys”
yus
I hardly think it requires it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but it's nowhere near as intricate.
The show was pretty straight forward, I don't think there is anything to analyse.
The show is great, and the messaging and themes were good, but it's also very easy to understand everything to the point where a thematic analysis wouldn't really be interesting. The only thing worth analyzing is how the show differs from the comic and how those differences might affect the story in later seasons. For example, the comic is mostly mean spirited edgy schlock while the show has much more compelling characters, and there's no way Black Noir is the same person he was in the comic.
same! mostly because i really like hearing people talk about shows i like, analyses or not lol
Fantastic rundown, Watchmen is easily in my top ten favorite shows of all time, hell probably even top five. It's such an incredibly clever and unique show, it's a shame Alan Moore is such a stalwart about not liking any of the adaptations of his work, because it really does make for a fantastic sequel.
Fantastic content as always sir.
PS: I'm pretty sure Bass's first name rhymes w/ the fish, not the guitar. Cheers! :)
Seriously amazing video. Love the clarity and the montage are so well edited and concise. Thanks for this!!! Needed it. Great show.
Great show that doesn't understand the source material
Very well done. Love the collage styling.
Great to have you back alt shift x! I've missed your channel dearly
OMG dude, i was about to study to get my life fixed, but nooo, alt shift x posted a new video.... great analysis by the way.
The first egg moment is a brief recreation of the smiley face in the bowl when Angela mixes the egg yolks.
I love that this is how DC and Marvel competes (and completes) each other in my view. They (DC) can't compete with marvel with their immersive continuity universe, But DC's victory lies with critically acclaimed and very adult oriented content (Joker, Watchmen). That's why Justice League failed hard. Marvel had a precise quality in most of it content, while DC is soo polarrizing, yet even though Watchmen and Joker is not about a cinematic universe, they suceeded in a stand alone format.
The opposite of MCU is that the quality lies with contunuity , but the quality never surpass "really good". It can never be "trully great". The Dark Knight, Watchmen (HBO), Joker, V for Vendetta in my opinion is a "trully great" Film/films. Iron Man, Infinity War, Endgame, winter soldier, (netflix)Daredevil, civil war, Guardians of the galaxy, Thor: Ragnaroc was "really good" films but not "truly great" films (IMO)
That's a hunk of Bull shit.
I really like these videos. Were you guys still thinking of doing a video for His Dark Materials? Another adaptation of a well-respected literary property you guys might find interesting is the upcoming adaptation by Neil Gaiman of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast.
Alt shift voice is pure gold
Looking Glass is like a Rorsach who was able to keep himself from falling into that abyss
25:27 the most important lesson I took away from this video essay is that people in the Uk call wrenches, spanners...
Took me out of the video ngl
Best description of the show yet. Glad I subscribed
Thank you for your amazing work on this amazing series. This show really needed your analysis!
Wasn't crazy about this one. It had some great elements, but not only missed the point of the comic, but admittedly changed key aspects of it because they didn't like them. They shouldn't have brought back Manhattan that is what ended it for me. He was becoming less invested in humanity because of his powers. He was more impressed with humanity at the end, but had largely moved on. He is turned around by the love of a good woman.
I followed everything in the show so I am only watching to see anything I might have missed and boy you didn't disappoint with that Excalibur factoid!
Finished it in three days loved every moment of it and by the end of it it completely made sense ... Amazing show
I liked the series more than the comic, probably because it's more relevant than ever, just like the watchmen comics were for their time
I love this show, it was fucking awesome! And with your video i feel I’m getting a lot more out of it, Makes me want to watch the whole season again. Really Appreciate your incredible hard work!
YESS FINALLY I LOVE UR VIDEOS. GOT HERE AFTER THRONES IM EXCITED TO SEE YOUR NEW JOURNEY. 😄✌🏽
I would say that this show is by far the most interesting and most important comic book adaptation to date. Certainly the best DC show or movie ever .
Love your videos, always astounded by the about of time and effort you put into them. Keep on keeping on!
This is really interesting! Some things I’m still not clear on however is that I’m not sure why Dr. Manhattan falls in love with Angela. With his arc in the original story being that he becomes disassociated with humanity and his connections with others, it seemed confusing to me that he would spend time on earth looking for this seemingly random woman. I suppose he saw the future and knew what she would become but it still seems out of character emotionally for him.
Also, I’m curious why the Rorschach journal wasn’t brought up in the series. I was hoping that there would be a connection with it to the Kavalry/Cyclops, as if this alt right supremacist group read Rorschach’s already radical words and conspiracy theory and co-opted it under their racist belief system. Instead they use the video of Veidt, but I think the journal would have created a more clear link between the Klan and Rorschach.
Dr. M was no longer disassociated with humanity by the end of the book, which was why he went to create some of his own (turning in a rather unimaginative effort). His failure was that what he created was not truly unpredictable as real humans. He also has as a fundamental part of his character a need to feel love. It ties to the trauma of the accident that created him, which he faced alone.
The journal was brought up. It's mentioned a couple times, I believe. The idea was that the paper that published it did so selectively, in support of what they cared about. Cyclops at some point hijacked that and his costume to rebrand themselves (a commentary by lindelof on how Rorschach's image and intention has been misunderstood and co-opted). Some of this info goes by quickly, sometimes in the form of a comment. Also, go read the peteypedia for more info.
Because the show just didn't seem to care, and relied on lazy writing. Seriously, I can't ever understand why this show is being praised or like by everyone. The plot is riddled with holes and inconsistencies in order to facilitate a horrendously forced endgame, it fails to maintain the characterization of the major players of its source material, short changes the original characters it has developed its main thesis, is antithetical to the thesis of the source material, and does a horrible job of properly demonstrating its own thesis. But even worst, said thesis, despite its lack of development and coherence, is in itself highly problematic.
@@osmanyousif7849damn ive been reading the comments and ive found now like 7 full on essays, written by you, about how badly this show failed😂 you must rlly like the comics man
@@peanuts7324 , I’m just a dude who just feels the need to express the fact that not everything needs to be an adaptation. As someone who dreams of becoming a writer, you are going to adapt something, you have a duty to whoever created the original IP of something to consult with them about the changes you’re about to make and whether or not you truly understand the reason behind changing something or why the author specifically wrote the story the way they did. Say what you will about about Alan Moore, but I honestly don’t feel bad for his beliefs about comic book adaptations, for the fact that a lot of filmmakers who tried to adapt his work ended up making certain changes that end up deviating from the whole point of his stories.
The pacing and flow of this explanation is on point, thanks for covering this 👍
I may not like the ending of the show I like how well constructed this video is and it might as well give me another look at the show to pinpoint why I felt those initial feelings towards the ending.
I think this video is.... Da Bomb! Dude, you're amazing with these breakdowns. Having recently watched HBO's 'Watchmen', I can see how expertly you break down the series (which, in my humble opinion.. is a worthy followup to Moore's 'Watchmen'). Your concise and graphical breakdown of characters, symbols and themes makes your videos a 'must-watch' for anyone following these type of series. Major Freaking Kudos!
Excellent summarization
Glad you talked about this show. It was my favorite show of 2019
Wow man, I really appreciate the work you guys did on this video! Kudos to you and your team.
I only have one grip I didn't get on Watchmen, do you remember that scene when Angela tells Cal to ask her grandfather if he knows Judd Crawford and he sounded confused, then she freaked out and asked herself if she started all this?
I don't know if it was a twist from the writers, or if it actually has meaning?¿