I recently finished watching the "Watchmen" tv series. It was pretty good, some things in the latter half of the show I did not agree with. But what really blew me away was the episode where the main character is under the influence of a drug called Nostalgia. This is basically her grandfather's memories in pill form so she can relive his life and experiences. The result is a beautiful blending of present and past. Added to this is that her grandfather is Hooded Justice, a superhero that is mentioned in the comic but never fully explained.
This blew me away, the fact that they took an unresolved mystery from the comic and then were able to develop and flesh it out in such a meaningful way. One example of this is that Hooded Justice wears a hood and a noose around his neck. This is the result of the grandfather nearly being lynched and keeping the noose that nearly killed him around his neck. Suddenly this figure, who was never connected to race relations before, now has a much deeper meaning and significance for the world of this story.
And beyond that the cinematography was incredible. The swapping of actors between the main character and her grandfather perfectly highlights how her memories go back and forth between her present and her grandfather's memories. It's wonderfully shot; a joy to watch.
In some ways I'm still processing it. I can't believe that this works so well with the source material and perfectly builds upon it. It's a wonderful episode, some of the best tv that I've seen lately. If nothing else, just watch that if you are a fan of the comic, it is worth every second.
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