The challenge that a series like "Watchmen" faces stems from the towering legacy of gritty, masterfully crafted superhero narratives that have paved the way. With "Swamp Thing" masterfully weaving horror into its fabric earlier this year and Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy soaring to new heights of realism, "Watchmen" endeavors to fuse the jarring with the satirical, weaving a slow-burning tale in an attempt to carve a unique niche amidst this crowded landscape. However, the end product finds itself yearning for a jolt of energy, ultimately feeling more tedious and mundane than its potential promises. It's not a flawed endeavor, but neither is it a particularly exhilarating or groundbreaking one, perhaps better suited for a marathon viewing session than a weekly episodic indulgence. Given the pre-release hype surrounding it, the sense of disappointment lingers, undeniable.
Episode 4 commences with a bucolic idyll, two farmers contentedly sharing their lives until the midnight intrusion of Lady Trieu, a billionaire with designs on their humble abode. She presents them with an ultimatum, sweetening the deal with the conjuring of a babe, and the farmers, in haste, sign away their home only to witness a meteoric spectacle as they step outside.
Meanwhile, Angela embarks on a destructive mission, dismantling Will's wheelchair with saw and flame, erasing traces of their past. A call from the Ancestry Centre interrupts her endeavors, revealing a familial link that confirms Will as her grandfather. But before she can dwell on this revelation, a crash outside jolts her into action, rushing to the street where Detective Blake stands, gazing skyward with a maniacal grin, echoing the cliffhanger from the previous episode.
As Angela and Blake delve into the mystery of the falling car, Blake's revelation that she knows Angela's true identity as Sister Night adds a layer of intrigue. Back at home, Angela confides in Calvin before seeking out Looking Glass, sequestered in a shelter amidst the chaos caused by the meteor strike. She entrusts him with the Klan attire, noting his eccentricities as she departs. And speaking of eccentricities, Angela's pursuit of a bizarre superhero through the streets, who eludes her by slipping into the sewers, adds a surreal touch to the proceedings before she returns to the station, the night's events lingering heavily in the air.
Upon her arrival, Angela discovers that Blake has traced fingerprints from Angela's car back to Will, a revelation that swiftly follows a deluge of additional evidence, prompting them to embark on a joint drive. Along the way, it transpires that Blake harbors familial bonds with the Minute Men; her parents, none other than The Comedian and Silk Spectre. After a fleeting moment of awkward silence, they arrive at their destination, face to face with Lady Trieu, who has erected an impregnable edifice as a cornerstone of her envisioned "new world."
Mid-conversation about the car and its technology, Lady Trieu abruptly switches to Vietnamese, inquiring about Angela's grandfather and the mysterious pills. Angela, her tone laced with hostility, reciprocates in kind, while Blake remains oblivious to the undercurrents of their exchange. As they depart, armed with a list of potential culprits behind the car's appearance, we shift our focus to Ozymandias, sequestered in his estate, where he engages in the creation of clones, his voice heavy with regret over his four-year imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Angela returns home to confide in Calvin about Blake, while Lady Trieu and Will delve into the future, revealing a shocking truth: Will's ability to walk. As he strolls out, his words echoing with reflections on time, the episode—and indeed, the series—leaves us dangling with a myriad of unresolved queries. Who was the elusive superhero who vanished into the sewers? Will Dr. Manhattan grace our screens this season? Are we destined to witness the return of The Cavalry? And what of the colossal squid that has lingered in the shadows?
Watchmen has adeptly woven a tapestry of bizarre and captivating questions over its recent episodes, yet with just a few installments left to tie up loose ends, the show risks leaving a trail of unanswered mysteries and fragmented character arcs. Thematically, it excels at maintaining a palpable sense of tension and racial intricacies, yet it struggles to replicate the razor-sharp edge that has defined groundbreaking superhero series of the past. Nevertheless, it's still early days, and there's ample opportunity for a transformation. This episode, unfortunately, falls short of propelling the central narrative forward, leaving us hopeful for a more substantial shift in the coming week as we approach the climactic finale, praying for a conclusion that resonates with an earth-shattering impact.
