Watchmen: Episode 8 answers the most important questions

Watchmen finally reveals through Dr. Manhattan how Angela came to marry him, why Will is in Tulsa, and how Adrian came to be a prisoner.

On Watchmen, the moment Angela learned that the Seventh Kalvary (yes, “Kalvary” suspected that Dr. Manhattan was posing as a human, she knew things were about to go downhill. Not only because the Kalvary had obtained the technology needed to harness Dr. Manhattan’s powers, but because she knew Dr. Manhattan’s identity. Angela’s sweet waffle-making husband Cal is the real Dr. Manhattan and was at home with the kids oblivious to the danger that was coming.

But before they even get to address the Kalvary, we learn about how Dr. Manhattan ended up as a human oblivious of his real self, devoid of his powers and his omnipresent abilities. What’s even more interesting is that we discover the answers to questions we’ve have had about Will Reeves and Adrian Veidt.

Here are the most important takeaways from the Watchmen episode “A God Walks into a Bar.”

How Angela met Dr. Manhattan

Angela and Dr. Manhattan’s history is undoubtedly a tragic love story. Much like Laurie Blake’s joke come to life, Dr. Manhattan walked into a bar and met Angela Abar. As an all-knowing god, he knew the outcome of every word he told Angela, so this wasn’t your regular Tinder dating.

Angela pretty much learns that this is the man she will marry. But it was not without a caveat since he warned that their bliss would be disrupted after 10 years.

If for nothing else, we learn that their relationship is the purest form of love there is. Despite knowing of the pain to come, they insisted on following the tunnel of love.

How Dr. Manhattan became Cal

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Angela was not going to walk around with a glowing blue husband who was naked most of the time. It would attract too much attention. Dr. Manhattan suggested he turn into whatever likeness made Angela comfortable. Angela chose a man named Calvin, who had died with no next of kin. Transforming into Calvin would allow Dr. Manhattan to exist as a person with a real history and birth certificate, diminishing the possibility of anyone discovering his real identity. A lot of help that did!

Ultimately, Dr. Manhattan sought Adrian Veidt in Antarctica to find out how to get rid of the all-knowing part of his powers. It was the only way he could really feel and act human. Adrian suggested that Dr. Manhattan use a tachyon ring that he devised in his plan to kill Dr. Manhattan in the 80s. The ring would cause amnesia and disengage Dr. Manhattan’s powers.

How Adrian Veidt ended up in his prison

Adrian never got over the fact that the squid attack was just a temporary solution. He thought he saved the world forever, but Dr. Manhattan told him that things never end. Adrian isn’t solely concerned with saving the world. His real hope is to receive recognition, so Adrian asked Dr. Manhattan if he would ever see a Utopia in his lifetime.

Dr. Manhattan sends Adrian to Jupiter’s moon, Europa, where he had tried to create a Utopia. On Europa, Dr. Manhattan had created a liveable place for humans and a replica of a manor he had stayed in when he was a child. In an attempt to make a kinder world, he created humans in the image of the couple who taught him about love. The clones are made to be infinitely giving and eager to praise, which Dr. Manhattan rightfully assumed would please Adrian.

Only, Dr. Manhattan may have also realized that this place would eventually become a prison for Adrian and may have intentionally sent him to this hell.

Why Will Reeves became involved

Dr. Manhattan knew ahead of time that he would have to work with Will Reeves. If for nothing else, it was so that Angela could survive his eventual capture. But it also looks like Will will be the one to save Dr. Manhattan on account of the plans that they made in the past. It is during their conversation that Will’s destiny becomes sealed. Since Dr. Manhattan experiences the past and the present at the same time, he can share information from the future.

Angela asks Dr. Manhattan to ask her grandfather how he knew about Judd Crawford’s cyclops involvement. Instead, Angela realizes that Will has no knowledge of Judd in the past and has just learned about Judd only through her question.

How Angela survived the attack on Christmas

After Angela is shot during the attack on Christmas, the last Kalvary intruder hovered over her. She would have been killed, but somehow she passed out and still survived. It seems that Dr. Manhattan’s powers returned momentarily, and he finished off the intruder. Adrian had explained to Dr. Manhattan that although the ring would cause complete amnesia for him, in the event of an emergency, his powers would come through as a reflex.

Why it rains squids

Life after the big squid was pretty dull for Adrian. He spent his time watching the world from his hub in Antarctica unhappy with the world and hoping to fix another crisis. He would cause squid to rain with portals hoping that the squids encourage world peace through fear.

What were you most surprised to find out? Tell us all about it in the comments.

Watchmen‘s season finale will air on Sunday at 9 P.M. ET on HBO.