Ignore the critiques of the fragile "dude bros", This show's start is amazing! I never can tell when it comes to certain comic book culture fans, whether there tastes comes from a real viewers aesthetic, vs an unrealistic comic book readership, which to me, is arbitrary when viewing an adaptation.
In the case of Zack Snyder's film adaptation, (which let's face it, wasn't fully appreciated, and maybe for good reason at the time) We got a "COMIC BOOK READERS" nearly dead on version of the comic. Which box office wide was unimpressive, and got mixed reviews.
With this series premiere, Lindelof brings us BACK to the universe of ALAN MOORE'S "Watchmen", but accomplished something Snyder's couldn't. An ACTUAL REAL CONNECTION to our history in AMERICA. The episode opens with one of the most shockingly controversial opens for a "comic book" you may ever see. He recreates the TULSA MASSACRE of 1921, also known as the destruction of "BLACK WALL STREET ", in which 100 of black men & women many home & business owners were lynched, burned as well the entire community burned to the ground. Most don't realized this was an ACTUAL event in history. Others, simply fail to see how this opening serves as Lindelof's OWN THEMATIC TOUCH, (as opposed to word for word copy)to SYNC & parallel OUR human history, as does Alan Moore's original source material, USING Richard Nixon's Presidency as a device. We open with an actual historic event of America's ugly underside, witnessed through the eyes of child.
Next scene, we are artfully thrown through the timeline of the same Oklahoma town, in the WATCHMEN parallel universe, with one minor change in history being the clever link to our reality. America's current climate of racial tension isn't a secret, I think.
Regina King shines as the "vigilante" cop/heroine in a world where cops must hide there identity. Much like criminals..or Super HEROES? Which, depending on what you want to interpret, Is a great concept for this universe. The first "bad guy" we meet is a member of a supposedly white supremacist organization, known Only as the "7th Calvary" being pulled over by a black, masked highway cop. This introductory encounter shows us the world of policing has changed as the officer, who suspects the driver is a member, can't even draw his weapon, without permissive clearance, subsequently leading to the cops murder. Enter Don Johnson, (Who's likability as a good ol boy, is becoming more & more impressive) As the seasoned & war weathered sheriff in a town that apparently has had a tumultuous series of events, since its NIXON 80's alternate history. It should be noted, That we as viewers get a better, more inclusive look at the WATCHMEN universe, but from a RURAL, "Heartland America" setting as opposed to the novels more Industrial,City backdrop. For those who didn't like this premiere, I can only surmise are those aforementioned, sensitive "dude bros", whose precious literary world's cannot be bothered with anything touching what their minds idea of the "comic" should be. What Lindelof has done is add his own ACTUALLY CREATIVE touch, using all of the source materials TRUE elements. With multiple Certain events to Moore's work. I smiled when it starting raining squids midway through the episode. Original storylines BASED on the source material must involve a creator, but also a viewer having imagination. By the end of the episode He seems to be building his own "noir" like mystery, w our badassed main protagonist, (King)reeling from shock & loss, w a gun aimed at the man who happened to be the same child we followed in our traumatic opening scene. All in all, this was an impressive & purposefully secretive (plot wise) start. I like that we Didn't get an explanation for EVERYTHING that going on right away, rather more focus on connecting on how our characters are living an have assimilated to this world. I'm definitely gonna watch The next one.