Watchmen Review: This Extraordinary Being (Season 1 Episode 6)
Nostalgia is a hell of a drug, as proven on Watchmen Season 1 Episode 6, “This Extraordinary Being,” where a journey down memory lane becomes physical for Angela as she learns of her family’s origin story.
Cynicism, it turns out, is quite potent. The episode provides a lot of cynicism, as the idea of caped crusaders being out for justice and only justice becomes crushed down by the minutiae of racial barriers, loss of self while becoming one’s true self, and how sometimes, all it takes is yourself to get things done.
The real star of the episode comes with Jovan Adepo, playing the younger Will Reeves. He’s a fantastic actor, with Netflix’s When They See Us, HBO’s The Leftovers, and Facebook Watch’s Sorry For Your Loss, continuing here with a heartbreaking performance full of altruism and anger, despite the efforts to keep him down. On a show filled to the brim with exceptional talent, Adepo joins with heart and spirit.
photo: Mark Hill/HBO
Will’s journey into avenging is tied to his very identity, from the passing over for his recognition when joining the police force, to the injustice done upon him from his fellow officers. His uniform becomes more of a mask than his Hooded Justice costume, as he is treated with disdain by Fred the arsonist (the always great Glenn Fleshler) and the trio of crooked cops.
That he defines himself from his near-death lynching, and uses that anger and power to overcome the hells of the streets and become a vigilante, digs deep into what makes Will Reeves who he is. His most defining moment before the lynching is witnessing the Black Wall Street massacre as a child, and even as an adult, the pain and horror of that still exists on the edges of the world he operates within.
Nelson/Captain Metropolis entering Will’s life reveals something even more with his sexuality. It’s integral through showing his need for connection in a world where, outside of June, he’s not accepted for who he is on the outside; the episode internalizes his struggle and when he thinks he finally finds someone just like it, it’s stolen away during the press conference scene by capitalism and coldness.
It’s what makes the idea of Hooded Justice so enticing for Will, that he can externalize that anger and tragedy against those who deserve it. The irony that the TV version inside of Watchmen makes Hooded Justice white shows that not only does Will keep his identity safe, but that the true rise to action is lost behind the white powder keeping his dark skin from view. It’s cynicism, rearing its head again.
photo: Mark Hill/HBO
His use of the mesmerism technology with his flashlight to cause Chief Crawford to hang himself causes Will to use his enemy’s weapon for his own designs. But it calls into question whether he knows the full picture, as Crawford mentions. His only proof of Crawford’s involvement is the same that Angela has, though perhaps this is because Angela is reliving the memory and only knows that information.
For that to work, though, would call into question everything we have witnessed on the episode. Maybe that’s the point, and that the cracks in memory are a sign that Angela is only getting fragments of fragments, as the Nostalgia appears to capture moments but not entire narratives.
Angela’s rescue by Lady Trieu hopefully brings her into the fold, as Angela now holds most of the answers she needs about her lineage. But first, a meeting between Angela and Will is needed, to see where they both stand with each other, now that they are on equal footing with equal information.
Co-writers Damon Lindelof and Cord Jefferson, along with Stephen Williams’ direction, are able to capture a tragic soul who suffers injustice after injustice and uses that to strike back against the impossible system. It’s a story that many have faced silently and with great pain, and this episode helps to reveal it behind caped hero trappings.
photo: Mark Hill/HBO
The use of black and white while showing a past where the black and white is so clear helps contextualize the plight. But it also makes the present, with its quick flourishes of color as the Nostalgia starts to suffer from the shot of adrenaline a great visual technique to show the effects coming and going.
It’s also through the continuous loop of time, much like the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where scenes flow into each other and sets and characters flow along with them, where Williams’ wonderful direction, and the show’s crew, are able to flourish and create a beautiful tapestry for the episode to play out on.
Watchmen Season 1 Episode 6, “This Extraordinary Being,” takes a life and exposes it bare, how the heartache and need to do something when no one else can is born through the hardness of injustices done upon someone. Will Reeves possesses a heartbreaking life made of loss and disenchantment of the system he wanted to use to do right.
But in creating a new persona, it exposes a brilliant episode of shining a light on a dark history that needs more attention, while also telling the story of Angela Abar, and how, like her grandfather, she dons a mask to hide who she really is. Will and Angela are on the same page now; it’s up to Watchmen to keep that genius momentum going. But as this episode continues to prove, we’re in excellent hands.
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Watchmen airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.