15 Comic Easter Eggs From ‘Watchmen’ Episode 8 (PHOTOS)
Blue
In the opening title sequence, the yellow watchmen title switches to blue, indicating Dr. Manhattan’s presence. Afterwards, the song “Rhapsody in Blue” begins to play, furthering the emphasis on the character’s signature hue.
Eddy’s Bar
As viewers are shown Dr. Manhattan entering a bar, a quick glance to the sign offers a nod to the character known as the Comedian. In the original comics, Eddie Blake was the real name of the costumed adventurer who had a few scenes in a Vietnamese bar.
Beer for Two
When Dr. Manhattan (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) approaches Angela (Regina King) he has a couple beers in hand, and throughout their time there, beers are heavily shown. This could be a reference to Dr. Manhattan’s past with first love Janey Slater who bought him a beer at a bar after work.
Space
In imagery that could have been plucked from the pages of the original graphic novel, we see Dr. Manhattan in space once more, with more building to do.
Ticking Time
In a past timeline, viewers are introduced to a young Jon Osterman and his father, a watch repair man. Similar to the comics, we are given a glimpse of his father at work, toiling away on the small device. Of course, clocks feature heavily throughout the comics and show… tick, tock.
Domes
Jon (Zak Rothera-Oxley) is distracted by a dome enclosing living organisms including plants and butterflies. This teases his future paradise on Europa, but it also is a callback to Ozymandias’ (Jeremy Irons) vivarium at Karnak and Lady Trieu’s (Hong Chau) similarly modeled after his.
Adam and Eve
When the Lord (Tom Mison) and Lady (Sara Vickers) teach young Jon about Adam and Eve, they are depicted in a bible drawing in the fashion of comic illustrator Dave Gibbons. And is it just me, or do the depictions look a bit like Laurie and Dan from the comics?
Create Life
We see Dr. Manhattan create life on Europa, and the action is almost a direct result of words uttered by the character in the graphic novel. In the ’80s comics, Dr. Manhattan reveals plans to create life and this scene just validates that.
Suit and Tie
Dr. Manhattan — when clothed — appears in a suit and tie. The outfit is familiar for comic fans as the only time we ever see the blue man dressed is in a black suit and tie.
Lack of Focus
Angela and Dr. Manhattan — now disguised as Cal — have a fight while in bed not too dissimilar to a scene between Dr. Manhattan and Laurie in the comics. The common factor? Jon’s lack of presence in the middle of making love.
Karnak
We also visit Ozymandias (Jeremy Irons) at his Antarctic abode, Karnak. The property played a prominent role in the final moments of the comics as it’s where Adrian reveals his squid attack to the other Watchmen. Viewers are even given a glimpse of his destroyed vivarium in the background.
Clocks
In Adrian’s snowy retreat, clocks abound on the walls. The imagery calls back to the infamous doomsday clock in the graphic novel.
Time Hopping
Dr. Manhattan repeatedly reminds viewers that he experiences time relatively and all at once. This is also featured in the book, and the scene with him, Angela and Will (Louis Gossett Jr.) is a great example of the superhuman’s predicament of going through life that way.
Power
When Angela attempts to protect Dr. Manhattan from the Seventh Kavalry, he takes over, using his powers to take out the offenders. The display is a true callback to the comics as they included more action from the superhuman as exhibited here.
Reading Material
Adrian is seen reading the book Fogdancing, a title by Max Shea — a character introduced in the comics. Shea was an artist recruited by Adrian to help create the squid he drops on New York City.
[Warning: This article contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1, Episode 8 of Watchmen, “A God Walks Into Abar.”]
HBO’s Watchmen has just one episode left before the first season is over, and in the penultimate episode aptly titled “A God Walks Into Abar,” plenty of Easter eggs were revealed.
Now that Dr. Manhattan (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) has been officially unveiled, fans of the graphic novel had much to be delighted by. Connecting in Vietnam, the callbacks to characters like the Comedian as well as statements originally made by Dr. Manhattan in the comics were among the fun surprises as he and Angela get to know one another.
In the gallery above, get to know what Easter eggs were dropped in this installment, and stay tuned for the Season 1 finale which is sure to be chock-full of gems like these.
Watchmen, Season 1 Finale, Sunday, December 15, HBO
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