By Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen was an intimidating prospect for some fans, as adapting a revered classic often can be. The sequel series ultimately arrived and knocked all socks clean off with its eclectic visuals, strong characters, and clever writing.
It was also a blisteringly relevant criticism of American racism and politics.
Opening with the Tulsa Massacre of 1921, Watchmen pulled no punches in diving into the ugly side of systemic racism, enforced by bigoted politicians and power players. In light of its subject matter, HBO has announced plans to make all eight episodes of the miniseries available to stream for free starting this Friday, June 19th, until Sunday, the 21st.
This of course is to coincide with Juneteenth, the holiday commemorating the federal order read on June 19th, 1865 in Galveston, Texas that freed all slaves in the state of their bondage. For more on Juneteenth, read up here.
With Americans still taking to the streets in protest of systemic racism in all levels of the US government–particular its police forces–HBO’s move to bring Watchmen to a wider audience feels like a smart move. Truly, the series comes across as politically-meaningful and nuanced in its opinions and dissection of its subjects. I was a huge fan of the series, and hope to see HBO’s gesture spark a renewed discussion on its strengths.
Watchmen will be available to stream via HBO’s website starting Friday.
HBO Making Every Episode of ‘Watchmen’ Available for Free This Weekend to Honor Juneteenth [Slash Film]