This week, we not only got the season finale, but seemingly the ending of this particular part of the story. We had a lot of finality with this one. My name is Kent, and I ask 5 weekly questions and then people answer them. Any comments in BOLD are written by me. I hope you enjoy and if you or someone you know may want to do this blog, contact me, leave a comment, etc.
1. Were you at all disappointed that Angela was the character that ate the egg? Do you expect her to have most of Jon’s powers/abilities?
Jim: I wasn’t disappointed. She was really only one of a handful of characters who could have received it and fit the “no one who wants the power of a god” storyline. She still shouldn’t have the ability to take apart/put together things, as Jon had that pre-accident, so I really don’t know what she would inherit. (I would be intrigued by what she inherits in regard to powers.)
Kent: Disappointed isn’t the proper word because I’m not. I would have preferred Topher. Now that I know that this may be the end of this particular story and that this may be more like AHS in regard to an anthology show, Angela makes the most sense. If this were to continue, I would argue for Topher or even Rosie or Emma.
2. Whose death(s) were more satisfying: Sen. Joe Keene or the rest of the 7K?
Jim: Though Keene Jr’s death was awesome, it was a plot tool so his puddle could be used to teleport our “heroes” to Karnak (Antarctica). The 7k’s death was purely for death’s sake, which made it that much better. I kind of wished Will was there to see it, but I understand why it couldn’t happen. (It truly would have been satisfying to have Will there, but given the construct and scenario, there were no other characters that made sense to have the kids, unfortunately. They could have simply kept Jane as a good guy and it wouldn’t have altered the story THAT much. If she’s still a good guy, the kids could have been there.)
Kent: 7K all the way. That was such a satisfying scene. I have rewatched it twice since then. I admit that I am the right audience for anything with a high body count. Joe’s was fine, and Jim already said it, no need to rehash it.
3. Lady Trieu was revealed to be Ozy’s daughter, then tried to take Jon’s powers and got got, I think. Do you think that Lady Trieu has already made a clone of herself or given Bian instructions on how to do so? Where does Bian’s character go from here? Will we ever find out more about the elephant?
Jim: Bian could easily be the way to bring back Trieu, and it was Bian who bore Trieu. Without saying anything, she did seem broken up about everything that happened (though it’s tough to sense whether or not there was remorse). The more I think about the elephant, the more I see the elephant as a Sci-Fi memory vault, waiting to have them dumped into someone/thing to help to make them all-knowing. (So what you’re saying is that the elephant will be the main villain next season? You have my attention.)
Kent: I’d speculate that there is a clone or instructions on how to build or activate the clone. I would also guess that Bian is the only one that is in charge of executing that or not. I feel like Bian would maybe try to make the best out of life, and I think she may even live a quiet and peaceful life with her knowledge. I want more elephant information! They just left me hanging on that one. You bastards!!!
4. Ozy finally gets rescued from Europa by his daughter. He then puts a stop to Trieu’s masterplan. Then Blake and Wade want to arrest him. Did this seem like an incredibly ungrateful act for possibly saving the world or did justice need to be served? Will Ozy actually serve time? Will we see Nite Owl next season?
Jim: Working backward, I hope there is a next season, and I hope Nite Owl is part of it. They teased him extensively, in that his company made a lot of the police equipment and Keene used him as emotional leverage against Blake. Ozy stopping Trieu did not seem ungrateful, as she did need to be stopped. He didn’t plan to mess with Trieu’s plan, in the beginning, he seemingly respected it, but the more he saw who Trieu (his daughter) was, the more he knew she needed to be stopped. Blake and Laurie, though it wasn’t explicitly ungrateful, it seemed a little more ungrateful given that Ozy did just save all of Tulsa, and really the world. Yes, he did again kill innocent people doing it (ironically again with squids) it wasn’t the carefully calculated and planned move the original was. I was surprised the Blake seemed to be the lead, as she has known for years what he did, and it seemed odd for her to change her mind. I was not as surprised by Wade, as he only just learned the truth, and almost died for it. (You’re right about being surprised about Blake given her prior knowledge. I don’t know if it’s a gripe or a nitpick, but I don’t fully accept it.)
Kent: This was incredibly ungrateful, and it most certainly irked me. Yet, it gave me some ideas for next season, providing that there was going to be a follow-up season. That whole story could have been quite captivating with how strong those 3 characters are. Now, who the hell knows? I feel like Ozy really tried to “do the right thing” here, and he didn’t hurl a trash can through a window. He simply saved a lot of lives, and yet the past came back to haunt him. I think Ozy served time or will serve time, depending on how things go. Nite Owl makes sense to see in season 2 in some capacity. They alluded to him a couple of times and it only makes sense for his character to appear in some capacity.
5. Will is going to live with Angela “for a few days”. What does Will’s character offer moving forward?
Jim: I don’t really feel like he adds a lot going forward. I feel like he has filled the very specific role he needed to, and now, his “few days” is getting to know his family as a reward for everything he did.
Kent: If I am writing a script for season 2, I am killing off Will’s character by episode 3 and whoever does it will serve as a major antagonist for season 2. Maybe someone that felt wronged by him in the past. This would be an easy, almost too easy, of a story. But Will served his purpose in season 1. You could argue that Will had the biggest story for the season, and I think that I would argue that. But now, he would simply serve as a grandpa role but what can he pass on to the children? His death would be a big downer. It seems like the obvious thing to do.
6. There are a lot of characters whose futures are undetermined. Out of this list of characters, which ones will we see again, not in a flashback, but in a current role?
Dr. Manhattan/Jon/Cal
Lady Trieu
Philips/Warden
Crookshanks
Sen Joe Keene
Renee (Blonde 7K member who flirted with Wade)
Jim: Of all the characters you’ve listed, I’d really only like to see Trieu because she was an awesome villain (and we never saw a corpse), and Dr. Manhattan because he was/is an amazing character. I liked all the rest, however, I think all the ones you listed filled their roles, and we don’t have the need for anymore with them (unless someone creative writes a return for Puddle Joe Keene, and a need to have him). Trieu was a truly worthy adversary to everyone and would like to see more from her (or the future iteration of her born from 2nd Bian and more Ozy sample {which I don’t know yet how she got}). Aside from that, I would like to see Lube Man/Petey and Law Panda, on top of the fantastic main characters…. really, I just want another season, and I don’t care who they put in there because I know they will treat us well! (This decade, a show will be smart and say screw the theory of if you don’t see the corpse, the character may not be dead. It’s such an overly used tool now. I blame Glenn in TWD, although I am sure it has been used for many years prior, that may have been the biggest one.)
Kent: I would like to see Trieu come back with assistance from Philips and Crookshanks. That would really intrigue me. Jon is someone I would like to see again, but would be at peace if I didn’t. Trieu was almost too good to get rid of so fast, in my opinion. I have a soft spot for Philips and Crookshanks, so why the hell not? Trieu is such a good adversary because of her intellect and wealth. You can do so many things with her. Or give her a season away, but at the season 2 finale, show Bian finishing up her work on her mom/daughter. Tell me that wouldn’t get you pumped for season 3.
7. Give me your 3 favorite characters from this season and your 3 most underwhelming or least favorite characters.
Jim: I loved Looking Glass, Dr. Manhattan, and Ozymandias. Though I watched the show closely, whenever any of these 3 were on the screen or being discussed, I watched every detail more sharply. I guess I was underwhelmed in the end with Laurie and Petey, not so much that I didn’t love the characters (because I did) but because their stories resolutions weren’t as defined as they should have been. Laurie got to just watch Ozy save the world, then arrest him. Literally any masked cop could have done that. And Petey, after much speculation, was pitted as Lube man in the Peteypedia, and didn’t get any more airtime after episode 7 (just briefly checking Looking Glass’ house) he was such a cool character with the undersurface of masked life, that he should have gotten better. If I have to pick a third, I’d say Trieu just because she was such a great villain, I wish she had more airtime prior to her outing as the main baddy. Just to know her a little more. (Petey could make for a very interesting main character, but I feel like he would need to be sent on assignment, perhaps dealing with Nite Owl.)
Kent: Wade and Ozy are 2 obvious characters. Above all else, they owned my attention when on screen. I really loved Will’s character in general and he should be my third, but I am going with Judd. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance so much in episode 1. I liked far more than I disliked. Underwhelming for me would have to start with Pirate Jenny and Topher. Bother offered me high hopes, in my mind, and it didn’t deliver. Petey has to be my third, for all the reasons that Jim mentioned. He is the epitome of untapped potential that seemed to be heading somewhere. With Red Scare, for example, they never led me to believe that he’d have a bigger role, so I wasn’t as underwhelmed. You could argue that for Jenny, but I kinda thought that she was going to be used more, and the same for Topher. Also, just for the hell of it and I don’t think he has been mentioned in our blogs once, a shout out to Skip Gates!
8. Name 3 characters whose story intrigues you the most in season 2. Also, name 3 characters that you either want to see or you want to see get bigger roles in season 2.
Jim: Angela (Obviously), Nite Owl and Petey. Season 2 if we get it, has to involve Angela becoming a god, how she handles it, etc.. Nite Owl was teased heavily, and I believe should be freed from jail with Ozy now there. Lastly Petey…. finding out (finally) he was Lube Man, and seeing how much of a superhero fanatic he was, and then knowing he pirate dumped all the info he had on the internet previous to or after his firing makes him that much more interesting. Will he now have the real story to tell instead of the spin that will hit the news about the events? Will the Peteypedia become the new Rorschachs Journal? Hopefully, we will see!
Kent: I am counting this as one, but the conflict between Ozy, Blake, and Wade is something that could be incredibly well done. Nite Owl because they teased it, and if it involves an elephant, that’s even better. Jim touched on Angela and Petey, and both are great ones. I would really like to see Bian’s journey. I think that would be very interesting. Also, if this ends up as an anthology, then this question will turn out to be a complete waste of time.
9. I would say that the music was top-notch this season. What song or songs stood out most to you?
Jim: all of the names songs were stellar, but as really loved the original show score. Every note played behind dialogue or action just intensified what was already well visualized and acted material. Just a true holy trinity of television sensory enjoyment, ears eyes and mind! (I wanted to taste Ozy’s cakes.)
Kent: I’m going to truly limit myself here because there are a ton of good choices here. Don Johnson singing “People Will Say We’re In Love” in the first episode was something that I truly enjoyed. Episode 2 had “Egg Man” by the Beastie Boys and that will always get my nod of approval. Episode 3 gave us “Israelites which worked incredibly well for its use. Ep 4 gave us “Islands in the Stream” and “Time is on My Side” and those both worked very well. Okay, I said that I was going to limit myself, but I have to acknowledge “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, “I Don’t Want to Set the World on Fire”, “The Blue Danube”, and even “I Am the Walrus”, despite not liking the song, it worked really well. But in all honesty, “Careless Whisper” was the best for me by George Michael.
Final Thoughts – Finally, what was your favorite episode of the season? If you have anything else that you would like to add, now is the time.
Jim: My favorite was “A God walks into Abar” but there is no wrong choice. I just thought that trying to tell a story using Dr. Manhattan’s perception of time is such a challenge, and they absolutely knocked it out of the park! It is the one that I completely re-watched, simply to see if they tipped their hand or gave too much to early in the scenes, and they didn’t. As someone who has read and reread the original, and the Before Watchmen story or Dr. Manhattan, I know how he experiences time, and they captured it to perfection! I could have easily said the reveal in episode 7, the art of 6, the Looking Glass focus of 5, or the bow that was 9, but 8 took the yellow and purple cake for me!! (This was by far the hardest question for me to answer because I feel like I could easily argue for 5-6 episodes. I could easily argue for episode 1 because not many first episodes are constructed that well with so many seeds planted.)
Kent: Jesus, this is a tough one. I can tell you that the 3 best were 5, 6, and 8. I can nitpick some stuff in other episodes, but I enjoyed all of them. But when I think back on the best episodes, I am going to think of Wade’s episode, Will’s life and the color and effects of the episode, and how Angela and Jon got together. 4 episodes have a rating over 9 on IMDB and while I would love to have included 7, I felt the court scene with Ozy didn’t work for me. I think I am going with 6 being the best and 5 being my favorite. Episode 6 with the flashbacks of Will’s life was an absolute masterpiece in storytelling, visually, audibly, creatively, it truly was an actual experience as far as I’m concerned. How many times can you say that about an episode of a TV show that you have seen?
The only other thing that I have to say is that it was a pleasure to do this blog with Jim, Chris, and Johnny. I would love to have all 3 back for the second season, and maybe some new names as well. These guys were infinitely better than I was at predicting anything. I am not sure if I got a single prediction correct, and I am cool with that.
Oh yeah, one other final thing. I am so happy to not have to alter the spelling every time somebody tried typing Kavalry and failed miserably. That was my albatross around my neck all season, haha. I think that is my only complaint, so that’s a pretty solid season.