When Damon Lindelof took charge of
Watchmen, it's fair to say that fans had mixed feelings. However, after a somewhat slow and confusing start, all the pieces came together for a truly breathtaking piece of television which ultimately served as a damn near perfect sequel to the original story.
We had a lot of unanswered questions heading into last night's finale, and while many fans assumed those would go unanswered in order to set up a second batch of episodes, we got all the answers we needed and it seems that this may have been envisioned as a standalone story if Lindelof is to be believed. Either way, it was a mind-blowing hour of television!
Now, we're delving into all the biggest reveals from the episode to bring you an in-depth recap of what happened and how it all ultimately tied into everything else we've seen.
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Lady Trieu Is Ozymandias' Daughter
One of the biggest reveals comes early on in the episode when we learn that the smartest woman on the planet is, in fact, the daughter of the smartest man on the planet. Her mother used one of his hidden semen samples to impregnate herself back in the 1980s and when she asks for her father's help to fund an experiment which will help her steal Dr. Manhattan's powers, he refuses.
That's because her mother essentially stole his seed and just as he gave his inherited wealth away as a young man in order to make his own, Ozymandias believes Trieu should do the same.
The Truth About Europa And The Game Warden
It turns out that much of what we saw on Europa was scripted by Ozymandias to stave off boredom and to stop himself from going insane. Everything from the horseshoe in the cake (the reason he gets frustrated with Mr. Crookshanks and Mr. Phillips giving it to him in an earlier episode) to The Game Warden himself was by Adrian Veidt's design.
The Game Warden was meant to serve as a suitable foil for Ozymandias, and as he knew he would be trapped there until his daughter's satellite passed over (she mentioned during their first meeting that she had sent one to Europa to take photos of Dr. Manhattan), he was simply killing time.
Ozymandias' Return To Earth
It turns out that Ozymandias was actually spelling out "Save Me Daughter" with those bodies. That meant Trieu was able to send a rocket to bring him back to Earth, and that was what we saw crashing to Earth when Lady Trieu was first introduced and bought that farm from the childless couple.
Ozymandias, meanwhile, was encased in gold and Trieu left him that way until it was time to enact her plan to steal Dr. Manhattan's powers and finally make the world a much better place.
How The Seventh Kavalry Knew About Dr. Manhattan
When Cal unwittingly used his powers to save Angela during that attack by the Seventh Kavalry, he teleported one of their members over 900 miles away and didn't actually obliterate them. Well, he let his fellow White Supremacists know what had happened and it didn't take Senator Keene long to figure out that Dr. Manhattan was right there in Tuska, Oklahoma.
They aligned themselves with Lady Trieu and helped fund her experiments in exchange for Keene being granted Manhattan's powers. Judd Crawford, meanwhile, got close to Angela so he could keep an eye on her and Cal, and all those watch batteries from the first episode were needed by the Seventh Kavalry to power the machine that would ultimately trap the superhuman.
Looking Glass' Fate
You hadn't forgotten about Looking Glass, had you? Well, it turns out that when those members of the Seventh Kavalry attacked his home, he managed to take all of them out and infiltrate the group. He lets Silk Spectre know of his presence and is later teleported to Karnak alongside her and Ozymandias, where he learns what Veidt did to the world all those years ago.
After Keene's attempt to transform into the new Dr. Manhattan turns him into literal goo, the real version is able to use the last of his power to send that trio to the Arctic, as he knows that Ozymandias is likely the only one capable to stopping Trieu from becoming a God among men.
Lady Trieu's Plan Revealed
Trieu always knew that Keene wouldn't be able to become Dr. Manhattan because they didn't filter his atomic energy. She only used the Seventh Kavalry so Manhattan would have no way to know what she was up to, and destroys them as part of her partnership with the one-time Hooded Justice.
Ozymandias knows his daughter is just like him and won't do what's best for the world, instead wanting to be worshipped. He comes up with a plan to use those "alien" squids as a weapon against Trieu and teleports them to her location where both she and her machine are destroyed. Her daughter/mother survives, as does Angela who quickly runs for cover.
Dr. Manhattan Always Knew He Would Die
Shortly before that happens, a confused and disorientated Dr. Manhattan says goodbye to Angela and is promptly destroyed. However, we later learn from Angela's grandfather that "Cal" always knew it was going to happen and that he told Will Reeves to pass on a message: "You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs."
Angela has no idea what it means, and while she may have set these events in motion, Dr. Manhattan was always the one pulling the strings because it seems he had a backup plan of sorts...
Ozymandias Gets What He Deserves
Before we get to that, though, we return to Karnak where Ozymandias is happy to send Laurie and Looking Glass back to Oklahoma in Nite-Owl's old ship (which he repaired years before).
However, Silk Spectre makes it clear that Veidt is going to pay for what he's done and that he under arrest (Looking Glass has the DVD with his confession on it and Laurie doesn't care if taking him means means having to take down the President as well). Just as he launches into another speech, Looking Glass knocks him out.
A New Dr. Manhattan...We Think!
When Angela returns home and sees the eggs on the floor she smashed in the previous episode, she recalls a conversation with Jon about how he could potentially put his powers into an egg and that the person who eats it could then inherit his abilities. That message finally makes sense, and it appears as if Dr. Manhattan always hoped/planned that Angela would be able to take his place.
She eats the egg and heads outside. Remember how Cal said it was important that she see him walk on water? Well, she places one foot on the pool and the season ends, leaving us to wonder whether she really has become the new Dr. Manhattan or whether her husband's message meant something else altogether. Based on interviews with Lindelof, though, it sounds like she has his powers!
What did you guys think of the season finale of Watchmen? Did it live up to expectations or was it not a worthy sequel to the stellar graphic novel? Let us know your thoughts down below.