7 things we learned about Watchmen and Laurie Blake in Season 1, Episode 3

Watchmen introduces a familiar face with FBI agent Laurie Blake, and we find out what’s really going on with all the Watchmen.

Watchmen has introduced yet another of the original superheroes in its latest episode, “She was killed by Space Junk.” Laurie Blake (Jean Smart) is none other than the famed superhero Silk Spectre II, daughter of the first Silk Spectre and The Comedian. It’s been about 30 years since we last saw Laurie, and the aftermath of everything that has happened has clearly affected her for the worst.

The superhero, formerly known as Laurie Juspeczyk, fell in love at a very young age only to later discover that Dr. Manhattan’s godlike abilities made him numb to humanity. Laurie ended up in a relationship with someone who couldn’t even understand why humanity should be saved. This led her into the arms of the Night Owl, who was able to love her in a way that Dr. Manhattan had forgotten how to do. But in the end, there were no winners.

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Dr. Manhattan exiled himself to Mars, believing a lie that implied that he was giving cancer to those around his radiating new form. Consequently, Laurie lost the love of her life for what seems to be 30 years and counting. Sure, she had a new man in her life, but nothing can compare to true love with a naked blue being as this episode tactfully proves. At any rate, The Night Owl would end up serving time in prison, and that would be another loss for Laurie.

Amid so much pain, Laurie also discovered that her mother’s rapist, The Comedian, was her biological father. It is for these reasons that it makes sense that Laurie would become a hardened FBI agent intent on taking down random vigilantes. Presently, Laurie’s been assigned to investigate the death of Judd Crawford, and as a seasoned veteran, she’s going to get to the bottom of the truth. This is undoubtedly bad news for Sister Night because she’s been tampering with evidence, and Laurie doesn’t look like the type to grant mercy.

However, Laurie’s introduction doesn’t only give us insight into the woman she has become; it reveals a lot about the legacy of the Watchmen. So, we’ve made a list of everything we learned from our very first encounter with the retired Silk Spectre II.

1. Laurie took her father’s last name

Discovering The Comedian was her father wasn’t something Laurie was excited about. The Comedian had raped her mother and was a sociopath with a dark sense of humor that had no issues killing and forcing himself on women. He wasn’t exactly the image of a hero despite his occupation. Which is why it’s so surprising that Laurie consciously chose to take on The Comedian’s last name.

I would wager that in making sense of everything, Laurie probably found solace in the humor of it all. Laurie may have finally understood her father’s humor and dons his name to show that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

2. Laurie is a stone-cold agent against superheroes

What good could Laurie see in those claiming to fight for justice in capes and masks when the ones she knew caused so much devastation? Ozymandias killed over 3 million New Yorkers, and her father to boot. Rorschach was willing to lose the world to reveal the truth. And to Laurie, all of these people were the ones that claimed to try to be good. There’s no wonder she thinks that superheroes suck.

3. Laurie is lonely.

Laurie is truly alone in this world, so she has a lot more reason to be bitter than just the aftermath of the Watchmen. She lost Night owl, who is in prison, and it seems that he may have had something for his imprisonment because Laurie doesn’t pity him. She’s angry at him for being a wimp.

However, Laurie does have a pet owl, which proves she still loves Night Owl. She also has a blue vibrator that’s an ode to Dr. Manhattan. All in all, Laurie has a collection that gives her comfort when she feels alone. You would think there were no men left in the world.

4. Laurie still calls Dr. Manhattan to tell him jokes

It may seem a little sad that Laurie calls Dr. Manhattan to tell jokes, but there’s more to that exchange then meets the eye. First off, Laurie’s joke is profoundly philosophical and as dark as her father’s mask. It’s so much in the vein of The Comedian, Eddie Blake would have approved of his daughter’s joke.

And while it’s true that Dr. Manhattan doesn’t have much of a sense of humor since he became otherworldly, it is likely he will hear the resemblance between Laurie and her late father The Comedian. At the very least, he will have understood that leaving the love of his life behind transformed her into something that she never wanted to be.

5. Laurie’s joke is about the legacy of the Watchmen

The joke Laurie tells Dr.Manhattan is about heroes meeting God for judgment. It’s a tale of how they all end up in hell no matter what path these heroes chose in life. Even the hero meant to be Night Owl ends up in hell, and he didn’t even do anything wrong. Laurie may hold a grudge against Night Owl because he was too soft and didn’t fight to stay with her. That’s if the owl Laurie keeps as a pet isn’t the real Night Owl imprisoned in an animal’s body. We’ve heard stranger stories in the history of Watchmen, so we can’t put it past them.

But the last person to grace God’s presence was an overlooked girl that threw a brick and took down a god. This little girl is none other than Laurie herself. The brick she intends to throw and the God she intends to smite is still a mystery.

6. Dr. Manhattan is still involved on earth

Shortly after Laurie makes her call, a car falls from the sky like the brick in Laurie’s joke. Laurie looks up at the sky and sees what we an explosive signal from Mars. So this must be the work of Dr. Manhattan. What remains to be seen is if the car dropping was a mere coincidence, or he intentionally sent it Laurie’s way as a way of letting her know that he was listening.

The car that landed is the same one the elderly Will Reeves was in when he was sucked up into the sky by a giant magnet. Don’t worry, Will was not in the car when it landed. It also seems that Dr. Manhattan and the old man may have a history together. Is Will Dr. Manhattan’s informant on Earth? I bet we will discover through the efforts of Sister Night The details of their relationship at a later time.

7. Adrian intends to go to space

After discovering that a Game Warden is closely watching Adrian Veidt‘s behavior, it’s starting to look like Adrian’s life after the alien invasion is a form of prison. If owning a mansion and ample land can even be called that. Adrian has a staff of clones and a mansion where he can do as he pleases. But as mentioned in the Game Warden’s letter, there’s an arrangement that suggests that there are rules that Adrian must follow to be allowed to remain living as he does.

It is for this reason that all the horseback riding that Adrian does may not be for leisure or even exercise. Adrian may be looking for a way off the grounds. It may also account for the reason that Adrian has been fashioning primitive space suits and testing them out on his clones. Adrian could be trying to find a way to escape.

The last Phillip clone to be shot into the air returned as a frozen fish stick, suggesting he may have had been propelled out of the earth. While it’s fathomable that Adrian wants to be thrust so high in the sky, he will be able to move towards land outside of his barriers, the absence of a parachute leaves no logical way for Adrian to land without dying.

So Adrian trying to shoot himself into the sky with an astronaut-like suit has to mean that he’s trying to reach space. Maybe, even Mars. Which means that Adrian is probably trying to reach Dr. Manhattan. But Why?

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Watchmen airs every Sunday on HBO