History YMMV / Watchmen2019

* AssPull: TheReveal of [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's real identity being Will Reeves, a black man who assumed the role after a brutal lynching incident from white cops. Fans noted that this contradicts many parts of the comic's backstory and begs the question of how the Minutemen (besides Captain Metropolis) never knew his true identity, given he would've been required to take his hood off for the initiation. Ignoring the UnfortunateImplications created by the noose symbolism, not helping matters is that it also directly contradicts the Mayfair Games' RPG's confirming Hooded Justice's identity to be Rolf Mueller, a supporter of the Third Reich and with ties to the KKK. Adding to this is that the RPG itself is the only adaptation of Alan Moore's work that he not only liked, but also made several creative contributions to.]]

* AwardSnub: Tim Blake Nelson's widely praised performance as Looking Glass was completely ignored by the Emmys, even though many predicted that he would win. Made even worse by the fact that Louis Gossett Jr, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jovan Adepo were nominated instead of him. All three performances were seen as deserving, but Nelson was widely regarded as the favorite of the show’s supporting men.

** Rorschach's entire legacy as depicted in this show is immensely depressing. His journal exposing Ozymandias for his crimes against humanity was eventually published... [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome only for it to be dismissed as the insane ramblings of a mentally-unstable serial killer.]] But it did find an audience -- in the form of the Seventh Kavalry, [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint who took his notes as a White Supremacist manifesto]] and use it as a justification to murder innocent minorities, the exact opposite of what he was fighting for. It should be noted that while [[NotSoDifferent Rorschach did hold some nationalistic views]], he never personally displayed nor voiced any white supremacist traits or beliefs, even when directly speaking to people of color, nor would he have been pleased with his words being misappropriated by anyone for any reason. Simply put, the man was no saint, but it's clear that he wouldn't have wanted ''this.''

** Rorschach's entire legacy as depicted in this show is immensely depressing. His journal exposing Ozymandias for his crimes against humanity was eventually published... [[RealityEnsues only for it to be dismissed as the insane ramblings of a mentally-unstable serial killer.]] But it did find an audience -- in the form of the Seventh Kavalry, [[DramaticallyMissingThePoint who took his notes as a White Supremacist manifesto]] and use it as a justification to murder innocent minorities, the exact opposite of what he was fighting for. It should be noted that while [[NotSoDifferent Rorschach did hold some nationalistic views]], he never personally displayed nor voiced any white supremacist traits or beliefs, even when directly speaking to people of color, nor would he have been pleased with his words being misappropriated by anyone for any reason. Simply put, the man was no saint, but it's clear that he wouldn't have wanted ''this.''

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: While it's necessary for the story the show wanted to tell, many fans were disappointed that the publishing of Rorschach's journal didn't indeed lead to WorldWarThree as the end of the comic implied. This is remedied by additional materials revealing that Rorschach's journal was met with skepticism by the public as there were [[RealityEnsues no means to verify it as being authentic]], and his AxeCrazy reputation in life didn't help either, nor the fact that the contents were twisted into a white supremacist manifesto being carried out by a violent group of {{Right Wing Militia Fanatic}}s.

** [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's AdaptationalHeroism and RaceLift]]. Fans are divided on whether it's a well-written plot twist that perfectly fits the style of the original comic and provides an interesting origin story for a character who was ultimately left a mystery, or, as noted in ShockingSwerve below, if it is an example of the show disrespecting the source material, especially given that [[spoiler:Hooded Justice was theorized in-universe to be a supporter of the Third Reich (the way WordOfGod attempts to HandWave this detail is also a matter of debate), not to mention the PlotHole created by how nobody in the Minutemen would know that he was a black man under the hood. Not helping matters is the fact that the ''Watchmen Roleplaying Game'' (the only adaptation of his work that Moore has ever liked, and one that he himself helped make) chose to portray Hooded Justice as the secret identity of Rolf Mueller (the man he was theorised to be in-universe).]]

* ShockingSwerve: TheReveal of [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's real identity being Will Reeves, a black man who assumed the role after a brutal lynching incident from white cops. Fans noted that this contradicts many parts of the comic's backstory and begs the question of how the Minutemen (besides Captain Metropolis) never knew his true identity, given he would've been required to take his hood off for the initiation. Ignoring the UnfortunateImplications created by the noose symbolism, not helping matters is that it also directly contradicts the Mayfair Games' RPG's confirming Hooded Justice's identity to be Rolf Mueller, a supporter of the Third Reich and with ties to the KKK. Adding to this is that the RPG itself is the only adaptation of Alan Moore's work that he not only liked, but also made several creative contributions to.]]

* SugarWiki/WTHCastingAgency: Many people had this reaction towards Yahya Abdul-Mateen II after the big reveal that [[spoiler:Angela’s husband was Doctor Manhattan the entire time. It got to the point where they dubbed him “Dr. Manhattan Lite”.]]

* SugarWiki/WTHCastingDepartment: Many people had this reaction towards Yahya Abdul-Mateen II after the big reveal that [[spoiler:Angela’s husband was Doctor Manhattan the entire time. It got to the point where they dubbed him “Dr. Manhattan Lite”.]]

* WTHCastingDepartment: Many people had this reaction towards Yahya Abdul-Mateen II after the big reveal that [[spoiler:Angela’s husband was Doctor Manhattan the entire time. It got to the point where they dubbed him “Dr. Manhattan Lite”.]]

** Basically everything about [[DiabolusExNihilo Lube Man]] and Sister Night's utterly flabbergasted reaction to his profoundly bizarre debut.

** Basically everything about [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Lube Man]] and Sister Night's utterly flabbergasted reaction to his profoundly bizarre debut.

* AwardSnub: Tim Blake Nelson's widely praised performance as Looking Glass was completely ignored by the Emmys, even though many predicted that he would win. Made even worse by the fact that Louis Gossett Jr, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jovan Adepo we’re nominated instead of him. All three performances were seen as deserving, but Nelson was widely regarded as the favorite of the show’s supporting men.

* ShockingSwerve: TheReveal of [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's real identity being Will Reeves, a black man who assumed the role after a brutal lynching incident from white cops. Fans noted that this seems to contradict many parts of the comic's backstory and begs the question of how the Minutemen (besides Captain Metropolis) never knew his true identity, given he would've been required to take his hood off for the initiation. Ignoring the UnfortunateImplications created by the noose symbolism, not helping matters is that it also directly contradicts the Mayfair Games' RPG's confirming Hooded Justice's identity to be Rolf Mueller, a supporter of the Third Reich and with ties to the KKK. Adding to this is that the RPG itself is the only adaptation of Alan Moore's work that he not only liked, but also made several creative contributions to.]]

** In the comics and the movie, the Comedian quips to the Hooded Justice about how beating up criminals turn him on. [[spoiler: With the revelation that the Hooded Justice is actually Will Reeves in the series, was the Comedian really talking about his sexuality or the fact that he enjoyed beating up a white man?]]

* AwardSnub: Tim Blake Nelson’s widely praised performance as Looking Glass was completely ignored by the Emmys, even though many predicted that he would win. Made even worse by the fact that Louis Gossett Jr, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and Jovan Adepo we’re nominated instead of him. All three performances were seen as deserving, but Nelson was widely regarded as the favorite of the show’s supporting men.

* ShockingSwerve: [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's identity, retconning him to be not just Angela Abar's grandfather, but also to be a black man who assumed the role after a brutal lynching incident from white cops. Fans noted that this seems to contradict lots of the comic's backstory and begs the question of how the Minutemen would know it was him if he had never taken off the hood, given the would be required for the initiation. Ignoring the Unfortunate Implications created by the noose symbolism too, not helping matters is that it also directly contradicts the Mayfair Games' RPG's confirming Hooded Justice's identity to be Rolf Mueller, a supporter of the third Reich and with ties to the KKK, who was theorized in-universe to be the actual identity. Adding to this is that the RPG itself is the only adaptation of Alan Moore's work that he not only liked, but also made several creative contributions to.]]

* UnconventionalLearningExperience: Directly after the first episode, there were a depressingly high number of people who assumed the Black Wall Street Massacre was just part of the show's AlternateHistory. As such, the series has received a lot of praise for bringing that largely forgotten atrocity much more attention. Justified since Tulsa did its best to hide this from public knowledge that people of all colors never knew it existed. As said before, Lindelof had to do extensive research on the events because this was not readily available.

* ShockingSwerve: [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's identity, retconning him to be not just Angela Abar's grandfather, but also to be a black man who assumed the role after a brutal lynching incident from white cops. Fans noted that this seems to contradict lots of the comic's backstory and begs the question of how the Minutemen would know it was him if he had never taken off the hood, given the would be required for the initiation. Ignoring the Unfortunate Implications created by the noose symbolism too, not helping matters is that it also directly contradicts the Mayfair Games' RPG's confirming Hooded Justice's identity to be Rolf Mueller, a supporter of the third Reich and with ties to the KKK, who was theorized in-universe to be the actual identity. Adding to this is that the RPG itself is the only adaptation of Alan Moore's work that he not only liked,but also made several creative contributions to.]]

* NarmCharm: The intentional Biblical imagery [[spoiler:Lady Trieu invokes in "See How They Fly"]] ''might'' look pretty hokey, but it overall still works as it serves as an unsettling indicator of both [[spoiler:how deep Trieu's [[AGodAmI God complex]] goes and Trieu's ItsAllAboutMe PsychopathicManchild personality]].

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/{{Watchmen}} See here]].

* MagnificentBitch: Lady Trieu is the daughter of Adrian "Ozymandias" Veidt and just as brilliant and devious as her father. Seeking godhood, Trieu builds an empire on her own, using the racist [[Characters/Watchmen2019SeventhKavalry Seventh Kavalry]] for her own purposes, manipulating them with her devices and plan so they can capture Dr. Manhattan for her. Trieu proceeds to wipe out all the leaders of the Kavalry while bringing her father to witness her victory; even Ozymandias is helpless against her until Dr. Manhattan intervenes.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[AwesomeMusic/Watchmen See here]].

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: When the score is composed by [[Music/NineInchNails Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross]], this is to be expected. Just a few examples include the epic [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpRQ0dDxsPc "OBJECTS IN MIRROR (ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR)"]] (which sounds like something straight out of ''Film/BladeRunner''), Sister Night's insanely badass [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIGZdjTf2_4 "NUN WITH A MOTHERF*&*ING GUN"]], the heartwrenching [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgGGwbVwcgw "LINCOLN TUNNEL"]], and the amazing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4fQhHBuvc0 instrumental version]] of [[Music/DavidBowie "Life On Mars"]] played at the end of "An Almost Religious Awe." It won an Emmy, putting Reznor and Ross only a Tony away from an EGOT.
** The series' usage of licensed music also isn't something to sneer at:
*** "Little Fear of Lightning" features Nataly Dawn's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UanZPy7fAu4 gorgeous cover]] of [[Music/GeorgeMichael "Careless Whisper"]], which serves as an excellent background to [[spoiler:poor Looking Glass' existential crisis]].
*** "This Extraordinary Being" gives easily the best usage of Music/{{The Ink Spots}}' "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire" outside of ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' with the fight between Hooded Justice and TheKlan in the deli.
*** Finally, "See How They Fly" ends on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKXYDQ9s8fM a rendition of]] Music/TheBeatles' "I Am The Walrus" by Spooky Tooth, which perfectly ties into and even hints at [[spoiler:Angela gaining her husband's RealityWarper powers from the egg]].
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO6sRW0xWPY The Hills pt. 2]] by Martin Wave is a eerie and haunting theme that accompanies the Comic-Con trailer.

** [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's AdaptationalHeroism and RaceLift]]. Fans are divided on whether it's a well-written plot twist that perfectly fits the style of the original comic and provides an interesting origin story for a character who was ultimately left a mystery, or if it is an example of the show disrespecting the source material, especially given that [[spoiler:Hooded Justice was theorized in-universe to be a supporter of the Third Reich (the way WordOfGod attempts to HandWave this detail is also a matter of debate). Not helping matters is the fact that the ''Watchmen Roleplaying Game'' (the only adaptation of his work that Moore has ever liked, and one that he himself helped make) chose to portray Hooded Justice as the secret identity of Rolf Mueller (the man he was theorised to be in-universe).]]

** ShockingSwerve: [[spoiler:Hooded Justice's identity, retconning him to be not just Angela Abar's grandfather, but also to be a black man who assumed the role after a brutal lynching incident from white cops. Fans noted that this seems to contradict lots of the comic's backstory and begs the question of how the Minutemen would know it was him if he had never taken off the hood, given the would be required for the initiation. Ignoring the Unfortunate Implications created by the noose symbolism too, not helping matters is that it also directly contradicts the Mayfair Games' RPG's confirming Hooded Justice's identity to be Rolf Mueller, a supporter of the third Reich and with ties to the KKK, who was theorized in-universe to be the actual identity. Adding to this is that the RPG itself is the only adaptation of Alan Moore's work that he not only liked,but also made several creative contributions to.]]