WiC Watches: Watchmen
Watchmen. Hong Chau as Lady Trieu 2. Photo credit: Mark Hill/HBO
Episode 104: “If You Don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own”
Hong Chau makes her Watchmen debut as the mysterious Lady Trieu, a trillionaire who acquired Veidt Industries back when Ozymandias vanished. We don’t know much about Trieu, but the episode left us just enough clues that we can begin to connect the dots from her to Veidt and maybe even to Doctor Manhattan.
Let’s look at the evidence:
- Lady Trieu is an expert at creating clones, and even produced a newborn made for a family who’s farm she bought at the top of the episode.
- She is cloning herself, as evidenced by her “daughter.” I wonder just how long she’s been doing this.
- She clearly has some way to tell the future, as she bought that farm just in time to claim ownership of whatever fell onto from out of the sky.
- She built the Millennium Clock in Tulsa, Oklahoma, just like Doctor Manhattan built the massive glass clock in the original Watchmen graphic novel.
Watchmen. Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt 1. Photo credit: Mark Hill/HBO
- Because Adrian Veidt is growing and killing clones of his own wherever he is imprisoned, we can safely assume Trieu is the one behind his imprisonment. Also, was I the only one freaked out by Veidt’s rapidly growing clone process?
- Veidt is using the bodies of clones to test the parameters of his prison, which we suspected was on Mars but might be on moon, based on the transition shot connecting his story back to the one on the ground.
- This leads me to ask one important question: Based of her ability to see into the future and her affinity for building clocks, is Lady Trieu Doctor Manhattan in disguise?
Last week’s episode was, by far, my favorite of the season, and “If You Don’t Like My Story Write Your Own” builds on that foundation. Although I’m left with more questions than answers. Just for starters, who was that costumed vigilante who lubed up on the run from Sister Night and slid down the street drain? That was freaky.
Also, what is in those pills that Will left for Angela to find? Is he using the wheelchair as an excuse to hide something about himself? I mean, he can clearly walk on his own. And what connections do Will and Lady Trieu have to the Seventh Kavalry? Will chanting “tick-tock, tick-tock” at the end left me scratching my head.
Watchmen. Regina King as Sister Night 2. Photo credit: Mark Hill/HBO
Agent Blake and Sister Night’s banter back and forth did not disappoint, and I loved the moment she had Agent Petey bring his nerd rage to bear, getting all angry about the inaccuracy of the in-universe television show about the Minutemen, American Hero Story.
Another possible connection between Trieu and Adrian: the statue she had of Ozymandias looked exactly like Jeremy Irons did in his superhero garb last week. She even referred to him in the present tense, which made Agent Blake curious. There’s definitely more going on with her than meets the eye.
Watchmen. Hong Chau as Lady Trieu. Photo credit: Mark Hill/HBO
Finally, tonight’s score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross was absolutely perfect, blazing in and fading out at just the right moments.