For the past two weeks, Damon Lindelof has been challenging viewers to, to borrow a phrase from his previous series, let the mystery be. As a sequel to Alan Moore's seminal '80s comic book, Watchmen the series hasn't been shy about throwing fans into the deep end of its universe with nary a breather for any kind of conventional exposition. Those who read the comic are still finding their footing, so there's no telling what it's like to try and watch this series without having read or even seen Zack Snyder's mid-2009 film adaptation.
And yet, what's been on screen has been undeniably compelling. If you're patient and trust that answers will come and the narrative focus will sharpen into clarity, then it's been a fun, if disorienting, ride. That patience is starting to be paid off with this week's episode, "She Was Killed By Space Junk," which shifted Regina King's protagonist Angela Abar to the backburner in favor of a new character played by the GOAT character actor Jean Smart—who was quickly revealed to be an older Laurie Juspeczyk aka Silk Spectre II. Having had romances with both Doctor Manhattan and Nite Owl, as well as being The Comedian's (the hero whose murder is the inciting incident for the novel) secret daughter, Laurie was a major character in the novel and the first to interact with our new characters here. The episode doubles down on its comic connections from there, confirming the obvious: Jeremy Irons' mysterious man in the castle is indeed a secretly-alive Adrian Veidt, as well as giving backstories on Nite Owl and Manhattan. With that said, Lindelof fan Frazier and Complex's Watchmen expert William Goodman break down the excellent episode and where the series goes from here.