Episodes
The voicemailers dominate this final mailbag edition of Shat on TV: Watchmen, with five callers sharing their opinions on everything from Dr. Manhattan to podcasts themselves. Plus, a King Bee critic calls in with an apology.
Newsstand email covers listeners' final thoughts on the season as a whole, key characters, and even an umm ... actually.
Published 12/30/19
Based on your letters and voicemail, "Watchmen" Episode 9 hit a home run. The season finale, "See How They Fly," satisfied viewers who wanted a story with few loose ends and a simple resolution. It also fueled tons of conversation about why Angela Abar ate the egg, what Europa meant to Adrian Veidt, and whether Lady Trieu was Trieuly Evil.
Published 12/20/19
The season finale, "See How They Fly," inspired our last, longest and best "Watchmen" Deep Dive. Gene examines whether Doctor Manhattan committed suicide. Roger ponders why Angela Abar was so quick to gobble her magic egg. The King Bee worships at the altar of Ozymandias, and the three rate how well each character was used.
Published 12/18/19
The Shat Crew provide their immediate reactions to the Watchmen season finale: Episode 9, "See How They Fly." The King Bee spotlights Jeremy Irons' exquisite performance as Adrian Veidt, while Roger Roeper says he was satisfied by not impressed. Gene mulls over the possibility Doctor Manhattan committed suicide by Trieu, and we learn the secret identity of Lube Man.
Published 12/16/19
"Watchmen" Episode 8 focused on Dr. Manhattan and Angela Abar, so we weren't surprised when your letters also centered around the two biggest characters in Damon Lindelof's new TV universe. Email and voicemail sparked conversation about tachyonic antitelephones, whether Topher's being fed mini-bites of blue goodness, and how Adrian Veidt still fits into the story.
Published 12/14/19
Episode 8, "A God Walks into A Bar." A Watchmen Deep Dive told in three acts.
Act 1: Gene Lyons explains Dr. Manhattan. Fast forward to Act 2 (34:00) if you don't care about retrocausality.
Act 2: Roger Roeper finds Jesus in "Watchmen." Zip ahead to Act 3 (50:00) if the Bible doesn't interest you.
Act 3: The King Bee explores what Adrian Veidt's persecution in the post-credits scenes tells us about Europa and Veidt's motivations. Oh, and he takes a stab at the horseshoe thing. It's pretty...
Published 12/11/19
The Shat Crew provide their immediate reactions to Watchmen Episode 8, "A God Walks into A Bar." Roger hails it as possibly the best episode yet, while Gene marvels at how the storytelling took him from rejection last week to absolute adoration this week. Plus, Adrian Veidt gracefully slips back into the story, and Roger announces the creation of the Shat on TV Store.
Have a quick listen, write us at
[email protected], and listen in Tuesday for the Watchmen Deep Dive.
Published 12/09/19
Man, did we piss some people off! Listeners write in about what we got wrong with the Episode 7 Deep Dive, what we got right, and what the heck is happening at the Millenium Clock.
Hear why Roger feels like he's Doctor Manhattan, and discover the link between Watchmen, Star Wars, and Nietzsche. Experience Gene's encounter with "black girl magic voice," and witness our first-ever love letter to The King Bee.
Published 12/05/19
Episode 7, "An Almost Religious Awe" delivered the biggest plot twists we've seen so far, but were they overly telegraphed? And are they true to the "Watchmen" spirit?
Our seventh "Watchmen" Deep Dive dissects some of the decisions made by Damon Lindelof's team as The King Bee busts out some Reflectatine and Gene Lyons explains why Episode 7 is the nadir of an extraordinary HBO series and might be setting up a great ending.
Published 12/03/19
The Shat Crew provide their immediate reactions to Watchmen Episode 7, "An Almost Religious Awe." Gene rolls his eyes at the flood of I-told-you-so tweets coming after the big blue reveal, and Roger spots Trieu tech in the Seventh Kavalry hideout. Also, Dr. Lyons explains mnemodialysis and begins to worry we might have an Avengers-type showdown on the horizon.
Have a quick listen, write us at
[email protected], and listen in Tuesday for the Watchmen Deep Dive.
Published 12/02/19
Thanksgiving weekend be damned; we just can't stop talking about "Watchmen!" True to the excess of holiday binging and Black Friday shopping, this supersized Newsstand edition is overflowing with listener mail and voicemail.
We'll explore whether Looking Glass is the worst cop ever, how Nostalgia works, Lady Trieu's secrets, The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Adrian Veidt's escape attempts, and more.
Published 11/30/19
Episode 6, "This Extraordinary Being" rewrote the book on flashback episodes and introduced a second powerful origin story, unmasking Hooded Justice and daring to explore the rage of the marginalized and the phenomenon of benevolent racism.
Our sixth "Watchmen" Deep Dive outlines seven big reveals, breaks down the music used in the episode, and scours Peteypedia for the latest dirt on Lady Trieu.
Published 11/27/19
You complained, and we listened! The Instacast is back!
The Shat Crew provide their immediate reactions to Watchmen Episode 6, "This Extraordinary Being." The King Bee focuses on Will Reeve's Magic Maglite, and Gene Lyons explores how Hooded Justice's origin story shows us there are myriad sides to every story.
Have a quick listen, write us at
[email protected], and listen in Tuesday for the Watchmen Deep Dive.
Published 11/25/19
Episode 5, "Little Fear of Lightning" set our sights on "Watchmen" fans' favorite character: Looking Glass. It's a master class in illustrating an origin story while also answering loads of questions.
Our fifth "Watchmen" Deep Dive outlines two big reveals: who is behind the Seventh Kavalry and where is Adrian Veidt?
Published 11/20/19
It's another bonus episode of "Shat on TV" dedicated to your listener mail! This Newsstand edition covers new theories on where, when, and why Adrian Veidt is imprisoned; what fell from the sky; whether Judd Crawford faked his own death; and who Lube Man really is.
Join The King Bee and Gene Lyons for a quick rundown of all the listener mail we couldn't fit into the Deep Dive.
Published 11/16/19
"Watchmen" Episode 4, "If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own," wasn't filler. It was a funneling of far-flung ideas and characters into a more concentrated storyline, powered by notions of legacy and reckoning.
Our fourth "Watchmen" Deep Dive asks "what's with all the eggs?" while exploring baby-making, Ozymandias' escape plans, and whether characters are learning to trust each other or just tired of wearing masks.
Published 11/13/19
Listener Mail from Watchmen Episode 3, "She Was Killed By Space Junk" Federal agent Laurie Blake of the Anti-Vigilante Task Force is asked to investigate Judd's murder by both the FBI and Senator Joe Keene, Jr. She tracks down the Tulsa police rounding up Kavalry suspects and learns that Judd's funeral is in a couple of hours. She attends and makes contact with Angela. A Kavalry member wearing a suicide vest attempts to seize Joe, but Laurie kills him while Angela saves the other attendees.
Published 11/08/19
"Watchmen" Episode 3, "She Was Killed By Space Junk," completed the world building portion of the HBO series and shifted into the business of pushing the plot forward with showrunner Damon Lindelof's trademark depictions of nihilism, loneliness, and brutality.
Our third "Watchmen" Deep Dive outlines the tragedy of the second Silk Spectre and surfaces the clues behind why Adrian Veidt is isolated from the rest of the world.
Published 11/05/19
"Watchmen" Episode 2, "Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship," painted a sweeping landscape while amplifying echoes of the Alan Moore graphic novel that spawned this HBO series.
Our second "Watchmen" Deep Dive unearths secrets behind Judd Crawford's death, Adrian Veidt's timeline, and Will Reeves' powerful connections.
Published 10/30/19
"It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice" brought HBO's vision of the "Watchmen" universe to life in a fearless and dark premiere, sparking some serious conversations and painful discoveries.
Our first "Watchmen" Deep Dive covers everything from the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots to what raining squid says about reality as a whole.
Also, Ashley Schlafly from "The Dana Buckler Show" writes in to connect the Seventh Kavalry to the KKK.
Published 10/23/19
"Watchmen" debuted on HBO, bringing race wars, authoritarianism, violence, and the complexity of Damon Lindelof's storytelling to a hungry audience. This Instacast, recorded just minutes after "Watchmen" aired, highlights the histories, characters, mysteries, and key themes. Hear King Bee's wacky theory on the man in the wheelchair. Roger tells us why we should be excited, and Gene shares his concerns about the future of this bold HBO series.
Published 10/21/19
We've rounded up everything you need to know before watching HBO's "Watchmen" and boiled it down to less than 30 minutes. Find out what Don Johnson, Regina King, Louis Gossett Jr., and Robert Redford will bring to the show, plus discover some secret identities you might not expect.
Why are the cops wearing masks? Will we see Dr. Manhattan? What happened to Night Owl? Who are the Seventh Kavalry? The King Bee and Gene Lyons answer these questions and manage to talk about NBC's "LOST" in the...
Published 10/15/19
The Shat on TV crew that brought you "Game of Thrones," "Westworld," "True Detective," "American Gods," and "Taboo" launch their newest TV venture: "Watchmen" on HBO.
Find out why we're watching "Watchmen" and why you should, too.
Published 09/29/19