'Watchmen' Episode 3 'She Was Killed by Space Junk' promo introduces nihilistic Laurie Blake reminiscent of her father Edward Blake
Laurie Blake (Jean Smart), who has so far only made an appearance in Watchmen's Peteypedia, will be seen making her first appearance in the show in the upcoming episode titled 'She Was Killed by Space Junk'. The promo of the episode released by HBO features Blake as an FBI agent, arrive at Tulsa, Oklahoma, to investigate the death of Tulsa's Chief of Police, Judd Crawford (Don Johnson).
Blake may not be working with Tulsa's authorities, but it looks like she will be taking over from them. The promo also shows Blake enter the interrogation pod, but not with a suspect. In a blink-and-miss scene, we see Blake inside the pod with Looking Glass (Tim Blake Nelson).
It is unclear if she is interrogating him, or if she would be seeking his help on the case. It also looks like Blake and Angela Abar (Regina King) may not get along the first time they meet because we see Blake pull a gun on Angela along with other cops and that is definitely not the beginning we expected.
After the scene where Sister Night and Blake bonded over the importance of masks, that was released by HBO as a promo, we definitely expected Blake and Sister Night's alter-ego to have a friendlier first meeting. In Peteypedia, Special Agent Dale Petey writes a memo to the Anti-Vigilante Task Group about "Vigilantes in Pop Culture".
In this memo, he makes multiple references to Agent Blake, who is Sally Jupiter and Edward Blake aka The Comedian's daughter. Speaking of the 'American Hero Story: Minutemen' documentary that will be aired on television for which billboards ads have been placed at multiple locations, Petey says, "I can only imagine what it must be like for our esteemed colleague Agent Blake to have to see so-called 'hero shots' of her mother and father on her way into work every day."
Speaking about the content of the show, Petey continues, "Given the reverence among conservative psychographics for Edward Blake, aka The Comedian (WS: Super-Soldier/Nihilist), and given the liberal perspective of the storytelling, we should expect a critical take on The Comedian that might irritate and antagonize his 'fans.' Of course, Agent Blake would understand the appeal of her father better than anyone. If she would be open to crafting a threat assessment of the show, I’d be more than happy to assist her."
The reference to Blake understanding the appeal of her father is a nod to how Blake came to terms with her father in the comics. After his death, Blake goes to the extent of supporting The Comedian, in a conversation with her mother.
After all that, we see Blake return as an FBI agent. One of the scenes in the promo, particularly, gives a hint at the kind of person she has turned into. She sees Red Scare capture a white man, who is blindfolded and cuffed at gunpoint. She asks him if his civil rights are being violated. When he responds with affirmation, she says, "I was just kidding. I don't care."
She seems to have followed in her father's footsteps more than her mother's, and creator Damon Lindelof said as much in his interview with Vulture. He said, "In our presentation of Laurie 30 years later, instead of apologizing for or mocking her younger self, we can show she’s evolved. I think that we were given clues at the end of the original 'Watchmen' — when she says that she wants to get some guns — that she’s feeling this kinship with her dad. So, I’m like, 'Instead of casting somebody to play Eddie Blake in flashbacks, what if Laurie is now Eddie Blake?' Not to write her in a masculine way, but to give her that level of nihilism and cynicism. It’s not an idea about redeeming the original Laurie."
It would be fascinating to see this character play out in upcoming episodes of the show. The upcoming episode of 'Watchmen' will air on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.