Watchmen (2019) based on one episode (HBO)

I turned on the first episode of Watchmen (2019) by myself. I avoided every spoiler I could so that I could take in what I assumed would be another iteration of a heroic character saving the day when all hope was lost.

What I got was a jarring, hurtful, terrifying opening sequence representing the events during the race riots in Tulsa, OK also know as Black Wallstreet in 1921. I almost turned it off.

It’s evident that no matter how “evolved” we Americans claim to be or how different times are supposed to be, moments in history like the happening in Black Wallstreet still bring hurt and pain to those who were and are still affected by injustice today.

Not only did the opening sequence make me tear up, but the following police shooting made my frustration worse because of the current state of affairs. Sure, this is supposed to be a semi-alternate universe, but there are a lot of similarities.

It’s painful to watch and it should be.

Finally, Regina King’s character Angela shows up on the screen. She’s a baker by day and a vigilante working with the police at night along with other people just like her in a world where police where masks to keep them safe from the 7th Calvary (this universes KKK).

The 7th Calvary is planning something big to wash the streets with the blood of blacks and those who support them. And even though Angela is awesome in every sense of the word while investigating the 7th Calvary, her efforts can not keep the ones she loves safe.

Judd Crawford, police chief and close friend of Angela’s, is murder along with her father. The 7th Calvary know who she is. We, the viewer, are left with an all but too real view of what black ancestors went through and Angela is left with the burden.

I have a feeling that this show is going to be hard to watch. It’s very straight forward. It’s dealing with a lot of real and sensitive subjects. But I am going to keep watching.