Confirmed: Watchmen trap door scene is a nod to this 1980s SNL skit

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A scene from HBO’s Watchmen was indeed a nod to a decades-old Saturday Night Live sketch.

The seventh episode of the acclaimed drama, “An Almost Religious Awe,” included a rather shockingly comic moment when the seemingly genteel Jane Crawford (Frances Fisher) turned the tables on FBI Agent Laurie Blake (Jean Smart) by opening up a hidden trap door in her living room. What’s more, the trap door initially malfunctioned, giving Blake a moment to react with a “this can’t really be happening” incredulity.

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Fans wondered if the scene was a nod to a 1988 SNL sketch titled “Trap Door” (watch it here) where Jon Lovitz played a businessman kept attempting to drop annoying visitors into a malfunctioning trap door in his office. Lovitz’s character eventually converts to a Wilson brand trap door, which works perfectly.

Crawford’s Watchmen trap door remote is likewise branded “Wilson” and HBO confirmed the Watchmen sketch is indeed referencing the classic skit.

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Watchmen airs Sundays on HBO and the upcoming eighth episode, delving into Doctor Manhattan’s backstory, is not to be missed.

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