Watchmen Episode 2 Easter Eggs Explained

| October 28, 2019 |

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Regina King as Sister Night in HBO's Watchmen Episode 2

This article contains Watchmen episode 2 spoilers.

HBO's Watchmen episode two continues the pattern of the get-go episode, not just reminding audiences of its ties to the comics, merely too offering echoes of the original story in unexpected places. And just every bit we did with episode ane, we're here to track down all of the Watchmen Easter eggs on the HBO series.

If you spot something we missed, let us know in the comments or on Twitter and we'll get this updated!

THE TITLE

The episode'due south championship, "Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship" references the painting that the photographic camera ominously lingers on in Judd's house during the wake. That painting is a 1834 work by George Catlin, known for his depictions of Native Americans. Weirdly the episode title has rearranged the original proper noun of the painting a bit as it's titled "Comanche Feats of Martial Horsemanship." The Comanche were accomplished horsemen, and often fought on horseback. I'm not fluent plenty in Native American history or 19th century art to fully explain the possible significance, historical or otherwise of this painting. Please enlighten usa in the comments.

THE SQUID RAIN AND THE NEWS

– This episode gives us our first mentions of both the New Frontiersman and Nova Express , the right and left wing papers (respectively) of the Watchmen universe. Rorschach was a massive fan of the New Frontiersman , which in this timeline is also owned (surprise!) by Roger Ailes.

– While the squid pelting showers appear to have been going on for quite some time, information technology appears that the one that we saw in episode ane was particularly widespread, with people talking about them happening simultaneously in multiple cities across the globe. It's also interesting to note that people in this globe consider them "fake flags."

– And, of course, we get the newsvendor giving the audience the running commentary on the land of the world, just as nosotros did in the original book. While not the same character as the one from the book, this guy, Seymour, is roughly the same age and played past Robert Wisdom ( The Wire ), and also fabricated his start proper appearance in the second affiliate. Too note that in a world without the cyberspace, newspapers are yet far more important than they are to ours.

– Nosotros finally encounter Senator (and Presidential hopeful) Joe Keene. Robert Redford is currently serving his 7th (!) term in part and isn't planning on running for an 8th. Keene is the conservative candidate most likely to make a run for information technology. His male parent was responsible for the Keene Act which outlawed masked vigilante activity in the wake of the police force strike of 1977.

RORSCHACH

– To say that Detective Looking Glass is the Rorschach of this show would perhaps be a piffling too obvious, hence his display of emotion with "then why am I crying nether here." On the other hand, later on in the episode we see that even at domicile he eats with the mask on, Rorschach style. This COULD play into the idea that, similar Walter Kovacs, Looking Glass sees his mask as his true face.

We wrote more well-nigh Rorschach and his connexion to the 7th Kavalry right here.

SISTER NIGHT and THE WHITE Nighttime

– The flashback to "the White Nighttime" is the first piece of Angela's Sister Night origin story that we get in this show, and like information technology was for characters in the original book, this will exist teased out over futurity capacity.

– The version of "Santa Baby" that plays during the flashback sequence to the White Night appears to be Eartha Kitt'southward. Eartha Kitt wore a mask herself as Catwoman during the 3rd flavour of the 1966 Batman Television set series. It'due south interesting to note that the vocal slows down as danger increases, mayhap to illustrate how fourth dimension slows and senses sharpen in moments of peachy duress.

– Also, when Cal wants to open his present it'southward "two minutes to midnight." The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists tracks how shut humanity is to annihilating itself via its "Doomsday Clock." The clock began at "vii minutes to midnight in 1947, hit "ii minutes to midnight" in 1953, and has been as far away every bit 17 minutes in the ensuing decades. Information technology is at this moment once more prepare at "two minutes to midnight" in part to reflect the growing threat and reality of climate alter, every bit well as reckless nuclear saber rattling by world leaders who probably should know better but obviously do not.

It's as well a killer Fe Maiden tune, but you knew that.

– The blood spatter on Angela'due south confront almost could be another mirror of the "minutes to midnight" blood spatter pattern on the Comedian's badge which has long been considered Watchmen 's logo.

– Notation that during the flashback in the hospital, Judd's bandages correspond to the old bullet scars we saw on him in episode 1 when he was putting his shirt on.

– Angela'south phone number is 539-176-2442. At the moment nothing happens if you lot telephone call it. Not that I've tried or anything.

– In Nixonville, Blood-red antagonizing a crowd and then losing information technology when somebody throws a bottle feels very much similar the similarly antagonistic Comedian, back when he was partnered up with Nite Owl, taking on a oversupply of rioters during the constabulary strike in 1977 before the passage of the Keene Act. Of course, Red and the Comedian would share very little in common politically.

– Angela's discovery of Judd'due south…um…costume…directly mirrors Rorschach'southward discovery of the Comedian'due south costume in Edward Blake's closet in the first issue of Watchmen . Like Angela, Rorschach had no idea of his colleague'southward double identity. The difference here is that Rorschach and Comedian worked together professionally equally masked adventurers, and didn't know each other'south hole-and-corner identities. Rorschach instead stumbles on Blake'due south truthful identity while investigating his murder.

NITE OWL

– Angela and Cal's children are wearing "pirate" and "owl" costumes. The pirate remains a key pop cultural touchstone in the Watchmen universe, as pirate comics filled the void that superhero comics never needed to fill up, as illustrated past the "Tales of the Black Freighter" story that runs through the Watchmen book. "Feed 'em to the sharks" feels like a reference to that particularly macabre supernatural pirate story.

The "owl" is a reference to Nite Owl, and while Dan Dreiberg has so far been absent from this evidence, he's here in spirit in a number of means, perhaps especially in the goggles we Angela using to search Judd's closet at the end of the episode, which look suspiciously like Nite Owl engineering. In fact, betwixt the Owlship manner hovercraft we saw used as a law vehicle in episode i, this, and the revelation via HBO'southward official supplemental materials that Dan Dreiberg was arrested in 1995 for actions that violated the Keene Act, it might be possible that his punishment might involve creating technology for the police. Or it was simply handed over, confiscated, and and so duplicated.

DR. MANHATTAN

– The weird, floating magnetic castle that Topher is building looks very much like the ruby sand castle nosotros saw Dr. Manhattan building in the first episode. The big blue guy too dismissed that with a wave of his mitt. Both structures wait suspiciously like to the castle occupied by the guy who is most certainly not Adrian Veidt (ahem) that Jeremy Irons is playing.

– In the background of Topher'south room there's a reproduction of Salvador Dali'south "The Persistence of Retentivity," the "melting pocket watch" painting that could be the surrealist's well-nigh famed work. Considering Jon Osterman'south (and at present theoretical Adrian Veidt's) love for pocket watches, this could be significant, peculiarly when paired with the apparent analogousness Topher has with the dwellings/constructions of both characters.

– The play that the "mysterious admirer" is putting on at the end of the episode is a dramatization of Dr. Jon Osterman's transformation into Dr. Manhattan, right downwards to one of the "clones" (if that'due south what they are) adopting the character's blue skin tone and traditional nudity. It wouldn't be a Watchmen show if there wasn't some blue dong. If only it was glowing. I'm sure we'll get there.

AMERICAN HERO STORY AND HOODED JUSTICE

– Opening with "Fraulein Mueller" typing a piece of propaganda tin can't exist a coincidence in the aforementioned episode where nosotros have the "American Hero Story" episode about Rolf Mueller, Hooded Justice.

– The propaganda leaflet dropped on black American soldiers marching towards the line in Earth State of war I is word for word from an actual historical leaflet from 1917.

– The FCC warning on American Hero Story: Minutemen feels like a jab at the kind of self policing mutual in liberal circles. Robert Redford is apparently an exceptionally liberal President, and not everyone is thrilled about it. Note, for example, how the newsvendor jokes about Redford's "libstapo."

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– American Hero Story focuses heavily on the early days of Hooded Justice. The painting on the back of Rolf's corpse's jacket is from a particular Dave Gibbons illustration in the book, meant to be a photo of Muller as a circus strongman in his prime. The fact that the narrator hints that this isn't him is a nod to the fact that the corpse was so badly decomposed that they weren't able to make a positive identification on him.

We wrote much more nearly the convoluted mystery surrounding Hooded Justice right here.

You may too note that, like Judd'due south dead body, "Rolf" is only wearing one kicking.

– Incidentally, the manner in which American Hero Story is presented, from the utilise of ho-hum movement to the speed-ramping to the oversaturated colors and absurdly cocky-serious and unintentionally hilarious narration and tone, all feel a little like how Zack Snyder envisioned this earth in his 2007 Watchmen film adaptation.

– Interestingly, they use a child hawking newspapers to gear up the stage for Hooded Justice'due south first major hazard, and he's referring to Orson Welles' famous "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast and hoax. Nonetheless, Welles' broadcast took identify on October. 30, 1938, while Under the Hood sets the supermarket fight every bit Oct. 13, 1938. This isn't an inaccuracy on HBO's part, and is likely instead simply an example of the American Hero Story producers taking artistic license to identify the Hooded Justice fight in the fall of 1938 rather than tie it to a specific engagement.

OZYMANDIAS?

– Based on the candles on the cake, information technology appears to be Veidt'south Second anniversary wherever he is, even though but one day has passed for anybody else. Is this a sign of how time passes where he is, or perhaps the perceptions of those around him?

– "Nothing ends. Nothing ever ends," were Dr. Manhattan's last words to Adrian Veidt before departing for…redder pastures…at the end of the book.

– The stopwatch kicks off at 9 minutes to midnight. There are nine episodes of this testify, hence "it has merely merely begun." Incidentally, the Doomsday Clock has been ready at 9 minutes to midnight twice in history, once in 1974 and again in 1998.

THE GORDIAN KNOT

A Gordian Knot is an unsolvable problem, literally a knot that tin't be untied. Fable has it that information technology was Alexander the Great, Adrian Veidt's hero, who solved the problem of the bodily Gordian Knot.

From a Watchmen comics perspective, when Rorschach kicked in Dan Dreiberg's door, it was the "Gordian Lock Co." who came and installed a new, stronger lock.

MUSIC

– The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion" plays every bit Angela heads back to Judd's murder scene, which…seems a little on the nose equally far equally music cues go.

– The episode ends with "Egg Man" by the Beastie Boys over the closing credits. The egg has been a recurring theme in these two episodes, whether information technology was Angela making the "smiley face" with the yolks in episode i, or Will's affinity for difficult-boiled eggs (and the egg timer) in this episode. Await, any fourth dimension nosotros go a deep cut Beastie Boys needledrop anywhere it's cause for commemoration, and this song, which comes from their 2d LP, Paul'southward Boutique . The song is a simple ode to the joys of throwing eggs at people. Considering the original Watchmen story takes place effectually Halloween, and this episode airs mere days before "Gate Nighttime" when egg throwing and other mischief is a New York (and elsewhere) tradition, this is both playful and vivid.

MISCELLANEOUS STUFF

– The paparazzi are wearing wings, and referred to every bit "moths." This is likely an development of the crude flight technology that former Minutemen member Byron Lewis, the Mothman wore. The last we heard of Mothman in the original Watchmen volume, he had suffered a nervous breakdown and was institutionalized. His fate is explored further in DC's Doomsday Clock comic book sequel.

– Henry Louis "Skip" Gates is indeed a existent person, a prominent African-American historian, teacher, and literary critic and scholar. We wrote more about him right here.

– In the alley behind Angela's bakery you lot can see the same graffiti that the Knot-Top gang in the Watchmen comic painted. Information technology's a silhouette of 2 lovers, intended to evoke the shadows burned into the walls of Hiroshima past the atomic bomb. Somehow that motif made it to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

– Volition is 105 years former. He jokes well-nigh being Dr. Manhattan, which obviously he is not. 1 affair notable is that the Bass Reeves silent picture show in episode 1 featured him wearing a costume that looked an awful lot like Hooded Justice. And Will is fond of the red and regal color scheme of that old masked vigilante. It'south probably a coincidence, though. Right? Oh wait, there are no coincidences in the world of Watchmen .

Did you spot annihilation I missed? Let us know in the comments!

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