In his comments section, though, a more thorough conversation transpired. "Can you explain why White Supremacy is the plot arc of Watchmen?" asked @joshuaissiahlee. Lindelof has long been one of the most interactive creative forces in the industry, and gave his commenter a long, detailed answer.
"To me, Watchmen is a story about America. And its about self-proclaimed heroes fighting an intangible enemy that is almost impossible to defeat. In the eighties, that enemy was the pervasive threat of nuclear Armageddon between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. In 2019, that enemy is the long overdue reckoning with our countrys camouflaged history of White Supremacy. That said, this is not the ONLY plot arc because there are also alien squids."
Lindelof also addressed another inquiry, from a user named @truthinstinct, which wondered why he used the graphic novel's character , Rorschach, serves as the series' symbol of white supremacy.
Rorschach died in 1986. 33 years later, there are multiple interpretations of who he was and what he believed. President Obama was a devout fan of President Lincoln AND the Republicans call themselves the Party of Lincoln. The actual Lincoln has been eclipsed by the IDEA of Lincoln, and whomever wants to appropriate that idea to support their ideology will do so. Anyhoo, maybe we should revisit all this once youve seen the season... just know that: A. Im a true fan, too. B. It wouldnt be Watchmen if it werent dividing as hell. C. But also squids tho.
As always, Lindelof is willing to answer questions, and dive into his psyche regarding what goes into his work, and why he's doing what he's doing. But at least in this specific moment, it's clear he wants to stay on-message at least with one particular thing: there will be squid.
