by Conan Simmons – August 9, 2020 – 8:03 pm
The demanding performance by Jovan Adepo as a black cop navigating systemic racism in America would be the most-timely award given among the nominees.
Everyone had their doubts about ‘Watchmen’ before it premiered last year on HBO. Die-hard fans of the 1986 graphic novel and the mix of fans and critics of the 2009 movie were all very skeptical about how the new series would handle the source material. When it finally did premiere doubts were put at ease. The show brilliantly carried on from both the novel and movie while managing to find gaps to fill in the storied history of costumed vigilantes as printed in the original comic.
The main thrust of the show follows Regina King as costumed police officer Sister Night. When the Sheriff of the Tulsa Police Department is found hung from a tree the investigation leads to far more than anyone could imagine. From the bloodied racial history of the United States to the legacy of former superheroes to the systemic racism that exists today this fable of masked mystery men acts as a parable to our own troubled times.
Working together with her partner, Looking Glass, Sister Night must navigate her way through long buried and often painful secrets. After the arrival of former costumed vigilante-turned-FBI agent Laurie Blake the mystery deepens as Sister Night is forced to reexamine some of the closest relationships in her life. Complications brew on the peripherals as the hero Ozymandias tries to escape the mysterious Game Warden. Everyone’s principles are threatened as they weigh the consequences of maintaining or changing the status quo.
Using the very real history of the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 as a set piece to explain the origins of this fictional universe is a daring move that the show succeeds in pulling off. Jovan Adepo, in an Emmy nominated performance, finds himself inspired by that infamous day to become a police officer and fight for law and order. The forces he goes up against are more than unsettling and he quickly becomes embroiled in a world of masked heroes and mysterious villains. In a cast of remarkable performances Jovan Adepo stands out with the most challenging and most vital role that perfectly captures the mood of America today.
By staying true to the source material and finding ways to write new history into canon the show is an extraordinary piece of art. Nominated for an astounding 20 Emmy Awards, Jovan Adepo is most deserving for the win. But the question remains: Who watches the Watchmen?