Watchmen season 1, episode 3 review: She Was Killed by Space Junk

The second Silk Spectre from the original Watchmen graphic novel, and what she’s up to now, is the focus of the episode, as the mystery deepens.

In Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ Watchmen, a man named Edward Blake was murdered under mysterious circumstances in 1985. As discovered by the costumed vigilante, Rorschach, the uniform of the government-sponsored hero, The Comedian, was found in a secret closet at Blake’s apartment. At the heart of Blake’s murder swirled a conspiracy that potentially targeted other masked vigilantes, traced back to one Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. Ozymandias, and his plan to save the world from nuclear destruction.

In David Lindelof’s Watchmen, the Tulsa Chief of Police, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson), is also killed under mysterious circumstances in 2019. As discovered by detective Angela Abar, a.k.a. Sister Night (Regina King), Judd had Ku Klux Klan robes hidden in a secret closet. Another conspiracy rests at the heart of the murder, which may or may not have something to do with the attack on forty police officers three years ago, Christmas Eve. It may also be traced to one Will Reeves (Louis Gossett, Jr.), a 105-year old paraplegic who just so happens to be Angela’s grandfather.

As it so happens, the murder of Edward Blake, a.k.a. The Comedian, also had ties to a family member who was also another costumed crime fighter–his daughter Laurie Juspeczyk, a.k.a. Silk Spectre II. Now with the FBI’s Anti-Vigilante task force and taking her father’s surname, Laurie is now assigned to investigate the Crawford murder, and is the subject of the HBO series’ third episode, “She Was Killed by Space Junk.”

“I eat good guys for breakfast.”

In Moore and Gibbons’ graphic novel, Laurie, as a character, doesn’t come across as compelling as her male counterparts. That could be because she’s essentially “the love interest” first to Dr. Manhattan, then Dan Dreiberg, a.k.a. Nite-Owl. The Laurie we see in “She Was Killed by Space Junk” however–and as wonderfully played by Jean Smart–is reimagined by Lindelof into something else entirely.

Along with adopting her father’s last name, Laurie seems to have adopted her father’s cynicism and penchant for violence. She didn’t exactly hesitate shooting the “Batman” like crimefighter in the back during the FBI’s bank robbery sting that opens the episode. She certainly shows little respect towards pretty much everyone. This includes Senator Joe Keene Jr. (James Wolk), who wants her looking into the Crawford murder as a means of advancing his Presidential aspirations. The same goes for her assigned partner, Dale Petey (Dustin Ingram), whom she constantly belittles only to wind up sleeping with him.

More from TV

Behind her sarcastic, “don’t give a damn” demeanor, however, is someone who’s definitely nobody’s fool. During her scene with Det. Wade Tillman, a.k.a. Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson), Laurie deftly turns the interrogator into the interrogated after making his “racist detector” pod and mirror-like mask seem ridiculous. Moreover, she already has Angela’s number pegged. That she deduced the tire tracks at the crime scene belonged to a wheelchair, and that she also knows Angela took something from Crawford’s hidden closet, also shows she’s learned a thing or two about deductive reasoning since the graphic novel.

Yet as we see throughout her collect call to Mars (there’s special phone booths for those who wish to talk to Dr. Manhattan), it’s also obvious her tough old gal demeanor is her own kind of mask. Three decades of keeping quiet about what Veidt did has weighed on her conscience. Moreover, it’s hinted that Dan Drieberg is in federal prison and, that by investigating Crawford’s death, she could get him a presidential pardon. And if trying to reach Dr. Manhattan and tell him a very long joke isn’t enough of a clue that she’s still in love with him, then the glowing blue sex toy she keeps inside an aluminum briefcase confirms it.

But as terrific as Smart’s portrayal of Laurie is, it’s relies too much on audience assumption. The episode not only presumes you’ve read Watchmen, it presumes you’ve read the “Peteypedia” documents on HBO’s website. Those supplemental materials, acting like the back-matter from the graphic novel, actually hints at what happened to Laurie in the past thirty years. Granted, there’s enough clues in the dialogue to figure out some things, but there are still deliberate blank spots. It’s a little annoying that viewers will have to do a little homework just get an inkling of the full picture.

“I’m no Republic serial villain.”

Speaking of mysterious, let’s talk about Adrian Veidt. In one of the least surprising reveals ever, “She Was Killed by Space Junk” reveals that Jeremy Irons is, indeed, playing an older Ozymandias. (Kudos to the costume department, though, for faithfully recreating Ozy’s costume from the graphic novel.) Only it’s clear from these segments that the true mystery is not only what Veidt really up to, but also just where the heck is he? And what does this have to do with the rest of the story?

This time, instead of composing an awful, melodramatic play about Dr. Manhattan, Adrian is now building a trebuchet and what seems like an old diving suit with a space helmet. He then has one of the Mr. Phillips clones (Tom Mison) wear the suit and secure him to a rope. Then, sometime later, Adrian finds, much to his frustration, “Mr. Phillips” frozen to death inside the suit. Clearly, there’s some atmospheric barrier Adrian is attempting to breach.

Moreover, there’s a masked figure simply known as “The Game Warden” patrolling the grounds. After Adrian downs a buffalo, this Game Warden fires a warning shot at him, then, in a letter, reminds Adrian of the rules. Thus we learn that this Downton Abbey-like estate where Adrian lives is some sort of prison. And based on the candles on his “Anniversary” cake, he’s been here for three years. If it wasn’t clear before that we’re dealing with two different time periods, it definitely is now.

“Good joke. Roll on snare drum.”

As for the main plot, the Tulsa PD holds a funeral for Chief Crawford, where Angela sings “The Last Roundup” as a eulogy. The funeral is then interrupted by a Seventh Kalvary member in a suicide vest, who then takes Senator Keene hostage. Laurie shoots the terrorist in the head, which also triggers his dead man’s switch. Fortunately, Angela tosses him into Crawford’s grave before the bomb explodes. Naturally, Keene uses this situation to speak with the press, promising to take down the Seventh Kalvary in what sounds like an obvious presidential stump speech.

Laurie, Angela, and the Tulsa PD also find that the bomber came through a tunnel dug up through a nearby mausoleum. You don’t need detective skills to see just how suspicious this all is. For starters, how did the Seventh Kalvary know where in that graveyard Crawford’s funeral would be held? Moreover, why are the Tulsa PD having a funeral since, as Laurie points out, it’s an active murder investigation? Apparently, no one has even conducted a proper autopsy on Crawford’s body yet.

Next. Watchmen season 1, episode 2 review: Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship. dark

Even more mysterious is what happens at the end of the episode. Laurie finishes her joke about God judging Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Dr. Manhattan, and herself, only for God to be beaned by a brick. Then, as Laurie goes outside, she herself is nearly beaned by a falling car–the same car that Will Reeves was lifted away in the last episode. As Laurie looks up, she sees a bright, red-orange star and laughs. Does this mean Dr. Manhattan is still watching over Earth? Or is there something else we’re just not getting? Whatever is going on, it definitely has Lindelof’s technique of withholding key information to generate interest all over it.

Home/TV