Watchmen: Social drama set in a comic book universe

Do people responsible for protection need protecting? Vigilantes or criminals wear a mask to hide their identity. They use masks for protection from the law as they do not have the legal authority to carry out their activities. So, does it make sense for people with legal authority to wear a mask? Why do they need protection? This paradox forms the crux of Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen universe streaming on Hotstar in India.

This TV series is a sequel to the original 1987 DC Comic book series. Set in the same alternate universe, this is a world where the US has won the Vietnam War and is now their 51st state, Robert Redford (the American actor director) is the President and the Watergate scandal is never exposed. There are no mobile phones with people still using pagers. But there are inter dimensional portals and spaceships and satellites that travel across the galaxy. A white supremist group called the Seventh Kavalry, targets the police department in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This causes the police to wear masks to conceal their identities, enabled by the ratification of the Defense of Police Act (DOPA) pushed by Senator Keene (James Wolk). We, thus, see detectives in costumes with Angela Abar (Regina King) as Sister Night leading the way.

The reel story has its root set in the real-life Greenwood Massacre which has been described as the single worst incident of racial violence in the United States. Mobs of white people attacked blacks in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1921. This incident sets the tone for the series right from the outset and makes it clear that racial violence is going to be the pre-dominant theme.

Academy award winner Regina King as Angela Abar/Sister Night is assuring and struts around confidently. Her expressions emote the character's feeling brilliantly. Her chemistry with her husband, Calvin Abar (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) feels natural and organic.

Another noteworthy performance is that of Jean Smart. She plays the role of FBI agent Laurie Blake (formerly Silk Spectre - from the comic books) who is part of an anti-vigilante task force. She is bold, witty and fun when on screen. She has her own dark history and a spin off series with her as the main character would be interesting. However, apart from her, every other character takes themself too seriously. There are hardly any moments which break the tension.

It's hardly surprising that characters from the original comic books (such as Silk Spectre and Dr. Manhattan) appear or are mentioned in the series. Adrian Viedt/Ozymandias is one such character. What he does after the events of the comic is shown in parallel to the main developments in Oklahoma before they converge at the end. This entire storyline fails to have any material impact and could have been better developed.

Over the years, there have been multiple attempts at adapting this iconic series but none have succeeded to capture the audience's imagination. Not many would have heard about Watchmen as compared to Batman or Superman. But it does have a niche following. As per some fans, Zack Snyder's 2009 movie adaptation was possibly the most faithful representation ever of the original series. However, even that failed to impress audiences at large. It is, thus, interesting that Lindelof, instead of remaking the original, chooses to take the story forward.

Watchmen, although a series about superheroes, is anything like one in its approach. In fact, it's more of a social drama set in a comic book universe. And as is the case in most comic books, here too the bad guys engage in activities that threaten to end the world as we know it. But as Agent Blake puts it - "Everyone keeps saying that the world will end but it almost never happens". That's true for the real world as well - and given our current situation regarding the pandemic, we need to believe in it now more than ever.

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