The Watchmen series, like the movie, is subject to criticisms from fans of all sorts. Especially given the writer of the source material is a very popular voice, and one that practically loathes every aspect of adaptations - definitely don’t expect this project to be any different. And to make matters even more ambiguous, the series offered a very open and esoteric promotional campaign, leaving audience members never really knowing very much about the show’s placement in timeline, and involvement of characters. Well, what we’ve been delivered is something more of follow-up, while also taking some interesting looks backwards, though overall: this is a follow-up in terms of the overall narrative. And the zeitgeist of the setting is pretty much on par with the deconstructions of the source material. Using the original characters as a baseline to inform the audience of how we got into this world, nothing else is really depicted in the same way, offering up a completely different look at the other side of the same coin. In fact, the original characters are pretty much only in place to push this new age plot into directions that leak over to our newer character’s progression, to help back up their motives, or even to question it. All while skewering the racial socio-politicking that has been an underlying rhetoric of America for far too long - even going as far as to start us out in the middle of the Tulsa riots. None of it being too forceful in its message, but more so an informative tool to keep us tuned in with the world that is being deconstructed in the series, similar to the Cold War scares used in the source material. The effect is ultimately just as heavy on the narrative. In the end, this is a really cool and new way to continue experiencing Watchmen, especially in a contemporary setting, and for those that want more of the same without the repetitive nature of most adaptations - this is definitely a story worth it’s own judgement. Even at half measure, I think this show could’ve been a good run, but there’s a lot of passion and understanding for what came before, while paying respects in a fresh new take.