Whether you loved the first episode of HBO's Watchmen , like I did, or found it intriguing but imperfect, like mentioned here in the IGN review , one thing's certain: Damon Lindelof's new show is a head-scratcher.

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The Mystery of Ozymandias

Lindelof drops viewers off in the world of Watchmen (specifically the comics' version, not the movie's) 34 years after the events fans are familiar with, with three decades worth of alternate history and alternate politics to catch up on. It's confusing, but purposefully so. Your enjoyment level of the pilot will correlate with how much you can stand not knowing up front.Well, I'm here to let you know, after having watched the first six episodes (of a nine-episode season) which were made available to press prior to the series' debut, it will all eventually come together, and the wait is absolutely worth it. If I have one thing I want everyone who's gotten this far and is even the slightest bit intrigued in Watchmen to take away from this piece, it's keep watching!Here are four reasons why you should stick with the show.Do any of the other characters from the original story play a role in this new tale? Well, not to spoil too much, but a few episodes from now the game board changes considerably. Again... keep watching!It's hasn't been stated officially by HBO, but it's already known that Jeremy Irons is playing Adrian Veidt, a.k.a. the former costumed adventurer Ozymandias (played by Matthew Goode in the 2009 film). But that reveal isn't as surprising, or confounding, as Veidt's current situation. Sure, that's Ozymandias, but... what is happening? Where is he? Why does he have two servants (played by Sara Vickers and Sleepy Hollow's Tom Mison)? Why do they seem like robots, or at least only semi-competent A.I. skinjobs? What "anniversary" is he celebrating? Is his play, The Watchmaker's Son, about Dr. Manhattan (Manhattan was once Jon Osterman, whose dad was a watchmaker, and the arrogant Veidt has always seen Dr. Manhattan as a quasi-adversary)?All this will be explored and more in later episodes, and fans who watched the first episode wishing for a clearer connection to the comics should use that one Ozymandias scene as the carrot that promises plenty more intriguing (and concrete) connections to come. Given the way the Watchmen comic ended, Adrian Veidt is one of the most significant characters who at least I wanted to find out what happened to three decades later, and the pay off to this mystery (at least through episode six) is perfectly bizarre and doesn't disappoint.

Watch IGN's review discussion for Episode 1 below:

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Agent Laurie Blake Is Worth the Wait

Dr. Manhattan Looms

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The Leftovers-Style World Building

Speaking of returning characters from the Watchmen comics, we know that Jean Smart is playing Laurie Blake later in the season. If that name doesn't ring a bell, Laurie Blake is Silk Spectre II, of the Crimebusters (played by Malin Akerman in the movie), the generation of heroes who rose up in the wake of the Minutemen. Key details to remember: She's the secret daughter of Silk Spectre I and The Comedian, and girlfriend at various times of both Dr. Manhattan and Nite Owl II.Laurie, as you can see in the trailer, and in new previews as well, is now FBI. And given the mess that just happened in Tulsa, what with the Seventh Kavalry shooting and the police chief, Judd Crawford, being hanged, it's understandable that feds would be sent in.Once Laurie enters the story several episodes in, everything starts to gel. The past and the present come together to solve the new puzzling goings-on, and what HBO's Watchmen is doing isn't dissimilar to the original story. A small band of costumed heroes -- in this case, ones working for, or directly with, Tulsa PD -- are on the brink of uncovering a conspiracy that goes way beyond the gross musings of a local hate group. Think of Judd's murder as the catalyst the way the Comedian's murder was for the original story, and it all starts to make a bit more sense what Lindelof is structurally going for this season.You can't have Watchmen without Dr. Manhattan, and it's clear from the pilot that he looms large -- albeit from Mars -- in HBO's Watchmen. If you'll remember, 20 years after the Minutemen formed, a real-life super-powered being was born when physicist Jon Osterman was "killed" during a lab experiment, only to return as a blue, naked, and practically omniscient and omnipotent entity. And yes, Dr. Manhattan is currently on Mars. Presumably, he's been there since 1985.Dr. Manhattan's reference in the pilot isn't a one-and-done deal. He weighs on the show in future episodes as well, with Laurie Blake's introductory episode offering a bit more context for what he's been up to. Lindelof has teased that Dr. Manhattan will show up this season -- as have the trailers -- if and when that happens, it's sure to be a memorable return.Not to get bogged down in details, but you get the idea in HBO's Watchmen that what you're watching is basically our world with slight tweaks. Some are bigger than others, sure, like how Robert Redford has been president for 30 years. Plus, it's raining tiny squids and the cops fly Owlships. If you're familiar with The Leftovers, Lindelof is tackling some of the same themes as he did in that other critically acclaimed HBO series. Like the Departure world, Watchmen is another timeline where huge bizarre events happened - thus changing the course of history, technology, and society in general. Upcoming episodes will offer explanations for most of the new changes, but for the full scope of the Watchmen-verse, you'll have to read the graphic novel. If you loved The Leftovers as much as I did, you'll be happy to know that this series ends up being as much of a spiritual successor to that show as it is to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen in a way that I can already tell will make this show truly special.So... keep watching!

Here's HBO's Watchmen trailer if you want some more teases of what's to come:

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For more on Watchmen, here's IGN's guide to the original Watchmen graphic novel and why Damon Lindelof chose the real-life 1921 Tulsa massacre in Greenwood as the backdrop to his pilot.

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN and a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBFowler