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Dr Manhattan

Background:

-Osterman gets caught in a radioactive chamber which transforms him into a superhero with strength and powers, to many on earth he is viewed as a God.

-It is believed that he leaves humanity and earth to live life on Mars which is later revealed to be a lie.

-Instead he takes up a secret identity as Calvin Abar (married to Angela/ Sister Knight) which lasts for 10 years until ‘tragedy’ strikes causing Angela to wake him up from the ‘tunnel’.

Mask characters

Ozymandias

Dr Manhattan

Seventh Kavalry

Real name: Jon Osterman

Job: Superhero/ nuclear scientist/Adventurer

-Adrian Veidt takes his name from the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, and views himself as a God like man who is saving humanity.

-He creates supernatural occurrences on earth such as squid falling from the sky, in order to protect humanity from killing one another as he believed one common enemy / issue would unite mankind.

-He is responsible for the Psychic attack that killed half of the city which ‘Looking Glass’ (Wade Tilman) was also a victim of.

Ozymandias

Seventh Kavalry

Real name: Adrian Veidt

Job: Adventurer/ CEO of Veidt Enterprises/ Billionaire

White Supremacy group, with beleifs similar to the Nazi's and Ku Klux Klan.

Villains of story

terrorist organisation

Based off of the Ku Klux Klan, they are a white supremacy group and the overarching villains of the series based in Tulsa Oklahoma.

Some key members of the group include:

-Joe Keene (Republican senator)

-Judd Crawfor

The Kavalry members are general members of society, hidden within everyday familys , they work from the back of supermarket and abandoned warehouses.

They go by a secret code knwon as the cyclops and their beleifs are based off of the teachings of Rorschack.

Creators

Mask characters

DC comic, HBO series, Damon Lindelof

Hooded Justice

Real name : Will Reeves

Job: Masked vigilante

In the Tv show, two different verisons of Hooded Justice are shown;

- The real Hooded justice (reeves)

- American Hero story adaptation

- Watchmen, was a 2019 tv series based off of and inspired by the 1987 DC comic which TimeMagazine describes as "a remix of the original material set in the present day" (Timemagazine, 2019)

- Comic creators: Alan Moore , Dave Gibbons

- Watchmen Director: Damon Lindelof

Overview

Looking Glass

Sister Knight

Sister Knight

Works alongside Sister

knight, real name- wade tilman

suffers from severe PTSD as a result of a phsycic attack.

Looking Glass

Main character in series

Real Name : Angela Abar

masked detective works for the police department.

- Angela Abar is a central character to the watchmen tv series, as the episodes unravel so does her past and her connections to Hooded Justice(Will).

- Angela is married to a man named Calvin, who it is later revealed to be the real Dr Manhattan.

- Angelas unsteady upbringing leds her astray from her real family, not having any knowlegde of her decendency from Tusla until her Grandmother arrives at the orphanage to colect her.

-The use of Angleas mask or masked personality she believes is in an effort to protect her family and her identity after being attacked previously.

Key Characters

Real name: Wade Tillman

Job: police detective

Severe PTSD

Background

Tillman was a victim of the 1985 attack which targeted people Psychologically. Tilman now goes by the name of looking glass and he wears a reflective mask to avoid psychic manipulation again.

He specializes in interrogation, and live’s doesn't go anywhere without some form of reflective headwear either on his mask or under his cap.

Hooded Justice

Plot summary

"You cant heal under a mask

Angela" - Will Reeves

Themes

Hooded justice as a masked vigilante was created by the character Will Reeves.

Reeves is the first character we meet in the show when his parents are killed in the Tulsa Massacre. Later on in life Reeves joins the police force but as a result of racism is beaten and lynched by his colleague.

This event leads to the creation of Hooded Justice. The costume consists of a full body suit, cape and rope used to represent the one he was hung from the tree by. Additionally Reeves paints across his eyes with white face paint to disguise his race.

Later on in 2019 a tv show ; American Hero Story portrays hooded justice as a white male.

“You ain't gonna get justice

with that badge Will Reeves

your gonna get it with that hood,

and if you want to stay a hero

townsfolk gonna need to think

one of their own under it”

(Ep6, June Abar)

Plot summary

Heros and Villains

The theme of Heros and Villans is essential to the plot and story of Watchmen.

It can be seen that many of the characters in the Tv series who were supposed to be viewed as ‘Heros’, are in fact just as violent as those who play the role of Villain. This correlates with the theme of masked vigilantes and asks watchers to question the role of masks within both the sorry and the justice system.

do they enable or prohibit violence

Episodes

- "Its summer and we're running out of ice" (1)

- feats of Comanche Horsemanship"(2)

- "She was killed by spacejunk"(3)

- "If you dont like my story, write your own"(4)

- "Little fear of lightning"(5)

- "This extraordinary being"(6)

- "An almost religious awe"(7)

- "A God walks in Abar"(8)

- "See how they fly"(9)

“Men who end up hanging from trees with secret compartments in their closets tend to think of themselves as the good guys” - Laurie Blake

Summary

Opinion

Brief Summary

Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma 2019 the Tv series of Watchmen follows the story of Angela Abar (Sister knight) and her grandfather Will Reeves (Hooded Justice). The short series explores the role of masked vigilantes within the police force and society, asking us to question whether or not the masks enable or prohibit violence and injustice. The series follows a range of sub-plots and character storylines which in the end all come together exploring themes of Race, Corruption, and violence.

Masked Vigilantes

Watchmen

As defined by the Oxford Dicitonary :

1)“originally U.S.A member of a vigilance committee.”

2)“A night watchmen''

The series takes viewers on a journey of how masks have been used to both assist and prohibit violence. On the one hand characters such as Looking Glass and Hooded Justice feel as though their mask helps them to fulfill their roles to a stronger extent as it offers them their own form of protection and hidden identity. The need for security is both individual and collective as many wear the mask with the belief that it removes any preconceived notions about a person's race or gender for example. Conversely the mask also enables violence to prevail without any consequence for either party as their identities are kept hidden. The use of the mask simply allows individuals to take on the role of the police or justice system hence the term vigilante.

An Exploration

Race and racial Violence

Overall, Watchmen explores how people, in this instance heroes and villains, use Masks as a form of hidden identity. Through wearing a mask characters whether good or bad are enabled to act through an alter ego. Violence is enabled and allowed to prevail because no one’s true identity is exposed. Watchmen explores themes such as Race and Gender at the show's core and its political stance is ultimately the driving force behind the storyline. It reveals to viewers the corrupt history of America and brings to light key historic events such as the Tulsa Massacre. The show combines fiction and reality to create a compelling and detailed watch, It highlights key political issues throughout and presents them to watchers in a fictional setting.

It makes watchers question the role of the superhero in fiction? are they truly a force of good or is it more complicated in its approach? At the end of the day characters such as Laurie Blake demonstrate how masks are not essential to fighting crime instead if anything they aid the violence.

The show also demonstrates how violence can be both hidden and explicit, racism lies hidden within the most obvious of places and people. It portrays a lack of trust within society as no one is who they are initially believed to be- Judd Crawford is initially presented as a force against the seventh Kalvary yet it is later discovered by Angela that his ancestors were members of the KKK which he keeps the robes of in his closet.

The first scene of the show is from The Tulsa Massacre of 1921 which The New York Times describes as “one of the worst outbreaks of racial violence in American History” (NYT,2019). The Tulsa Massacre of 1921 lasted for two days and was an extreme demonstration of racial violence and hatred.

“I’ve got a nose for white supremacy and he smells like bleach” - Angela Abar

The theme of Race is constantly portrayed within Watchmen as the causal and explicit forms of racism are demonstrated through the Seventh Kalvary. It is a key plot point to the story as the divide between Black and White society through each episode becomes more prevalent. At the heart of the injustice represented within the series is the issue of race and is what inspires the seventh kalvary, as they draw on motifs created by the German Nazi’s and the Ku Klux Klan.

Identity

The exploration of Race and racial injustice is specific to the Tv adaptation of Watchmen as all of the original comic characters and heroes were in fact white, with the exception of Dr Manhattan. Ultimately the show draws attention to events such as the tulsa massacre and also highlights the way in which Racism lived within society forcing watchers to acknowledge America's corrupt past.

The theme of identity along with the use of Masks demonstrates an overarching loss of identity, or insecurity within one's identity. On the one hand the use of masks is suggested to be a form of protection with characters claiming that it helps to hide their identity from others. Conversely it can also be seen that the masks are also used as a way for individuals to reinvent themselves or to take on an alternate identity. When characters put on their mask they are then able to enhance and delve into an almost alter ego, it enables them to act differently compared to their true identity which in some cases can lead to increased violence. The use of Masks also implies a lack of identity within the real characters as many of them have hidden desires and feelings which are only revealed when they wear the mask as they know they cannot be judged personally. A sense of power is achieved through the use of the masks and by having secret identities which in many cases leads to an abuse of power.

References used

Appearance V reality

“vigilante, n., sense 1 and 2”. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, July 2023, <https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/8413415003>

“Watchmen” Opened with the Tulsa Race Riot. Here’s What to Read about It.” The New York Times, 21 Oct. 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/10/21/arts/television/watchmen-tulsa-race-riot.html.

Female Leads+ Gender

There is a common underlying theme of how appearances are never the reality.

First and most obviously is through the use of Masks yet again, where characters are able to portray and become completely different versions of themselves.

Secondly is the way in which characters themselves are often not what they originally appear to be. The first example of this being Judd crawford, who at the start of episode 1 is portrayed to be fighting against the Seventh Kalvary and racism. Which by the end of the episode it is revealed that he to was involved in the history of the KKK as he stores an old costume in his wardrobe. The next obvious example is through Dr. Manhattan who lives under a secret identity for 10 years as Calvin Abar, this is only revealed towards the end of the series and is one of the plot twists that comes as a surprise to many watchers.

Supermarkets are in fact hidden Seventh Kalvary Dens, police offices are secret members of the Kalvary, Angleas Grandad hides his identity from her for years before revealing the truth to her in episode six.

Ultimately nothing within this show is as it first appears which in a sense is what makes it so engaging to watch. It requires constant attention as viewers are never sure which way the show will go.

The show also comments on the role of strong powerful female leads, with characters such as Angela Abar as well as Laurie Blake.

Laurie Blake is a driving force of the show and an FBI agent hired externally to come to Tulsa to help investigate the death of Judd crawford.

Blake is against the use of masks in the police force and instead believes that they are merely worn by people who have been involved in traumatic experiences thus the mask is used as a form of protection or to hide their own anxieties.

Blake as a character is extremely engaging to watch on the screen and her blunt tone and language represents her as a powerhouse within the narrative.

The role of gender is in many ways subverted within the narrative through characters such as Abar and Blake which is even more obvious when compared to the rest of the police force who are predominantly male.

Additionally, the show demonstrates the gender struggle for power, in order to be respected and valued the female character in many ways have to become ‘masculine’ in their approach.Abar is able to use her costume and mask to assert dominance and authority, in comparison to Blake who simply embodies masculinised qualities such as her blunt tone and aggressive language to assert dominance.

"its not a hero its just a woman... the woman looks at god and she quietly says 'im the little girl who threw the brick in the air...God looks up but its too late he never saw it coming... game over- ep3

“People

who wear masks are driven by trauma”

- Laure Blake

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