HBO's Watchmen episode 4 raises even more questions. We might have the answers

HBO's Watchmen raises lots of questions with each episode. That's not surprising considering the original comic series left readers with plenty of head-scratchers, and the TV series writer and executive producer is Damon Lindelof, who also worked on Lost and The Leftovers. 

Through the end of the season, I'll look at the big questions from each episode and attempt to give answers based on the original comics, additional readings from Peteypedia or just my best guess. 

So far, family legacy appears to be a developing theme -- we see that with Angela, Judd and Laurie Blake. Exactly how the past is going to impact the future ... well, that simply isn't clear yet.

Episode 4: If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own

Before we get into the questions, let's start with an answer we got Sunday: Adrian Veidt is in a prison.

Sunday's episode confirmed Veidt's luxurious countryside estate was not a retirement home, but a prison that's likely punishment for his plan that resulted in millions of deaths. The only person who could imprison the criminal mastermind would be Doctor Manhattan, which also explains several other mysteries and confirms Jeremy Irons' character is Veidt, something that has been somewhat hazy since the first episode. 

All episodes so far have shown bits from each year Veidt has been imprisoned. Considering the newspaper clipping from Peteypedia saying he's been missing since 2012, episode 4 represents 2016. 

Veidt appears to have succumbed to severe boredom and is killing his clone workers. Speaking of which, the clones and the instant growth machine were provided by Doctor Manhattan to give Veidt his own servants to live out the rest of his life. At least that was the plan. Veidt appears to be searching for a way out of his prison, and is launching his dead clones into outer space -- at least that's where I think they're going.  

Now, the questions:

What is Lady Trieu planning?

Episode 4 introduced Lady Trieu, and it's apparent she'll play a big role in the rest of the season. The trillionaire went to great lengths to purchase a farm outside of Tulsa just in time for her to own what crashlanded there. 

As for what that object was, it's probably Adrian Veidt himself. Lady Trieu took over his companies and has a deep admiration for him. It's possible she's been searching far and wide for him on her own, leading her to this particular farm for some unknown reason. Or Veidt could have developed a grand scheme, making her his successor with orders to find him if something strange happened to him. Her plans are going to be big and will somehow involve Ozymandias. 

There is one theory going around that her statue to Veidt is actually him in a carbonite-like frozen state. Maybe his big escape caused him to freeze and in order to save him, she disguised him as a state that is slowly thawing out in the special garden. 

What is the Millennium Clock?

There are still questions around the Millennium Clock's purpose. Just like Alan Moore did in the comics, Lindelof makes constant references to watches and clocks, especially the obvious "tick tock" some of the characters say like a mantra. The giant clock does appear to have a secondary use outside of telling the time, or it could simply be the starting point of Veidt's grand return as planned. 

A popular theory is that the clock could be a weapon against Doctor Manhattan. If Lady Trieu is searching for Veidt, she must know the only person who could capture him is Doctor Manhattan. If he does escape his prison, his blue jailer may come to retrieve him. Both Trieu and Veidt may have come up with a potentially lethal weapon to take out Doctor Manhattan once and for all. Veidt attempted this back in the comics but failed. Maybe over the years, he found out where he went wrong and this clock is his failsafe in case he needs to try to kill Doctor Manhattan again. 

What are Will Reeves plans? 

Standing tall at the end of the episode, it's clear Will Reeves isn't as feeble as he originally appeared. The fact that he is standing, and not in a wheelchair, also seems to confirm he killed Judd Crawford.

His appearance in the garden with Lady Trieu also answers the question of who abducted him and took Angela's car during episode 2. Will wants something from his granddaughter, but it's hard to say what. 

Here's where the theme of a family legacy becomes more apparent. Family members' pasts affect their descendants, and there is something Will has done he wants Angela to either recognize or accept. What that is isn't clear yet. 

Other quick questions:

Who's "Lube Man?" 

Probably FBI Agent Dale Petey. He made his first appearance in episode 3, but in episode 4 there's a clear shot of his thin, lanky frame, which looks a lot like the nicknamed "Lube Man." The costumed character ran away from Angela to then escape by sliding down a sewage drain after covering himself with some sort of lube. Petey does have a fascination with heroes, so it makes sense he would have an alter ego. It's also possible it would be a costumed hero making use of his particular body type albeit in a somewhat lame way. 

Whose Klan outfit? 

The Klan outfit found in Judd Crawford's closet is likely not his own. Looking Glass mentioned how it was an older outfit used way back when, which was also confirmed by the Peteypedia entry "Four Letters." The letter sent from Klan member J. David Keene, grandfather of Sen. Joe Keene, was addressed to Judd's grandfather Dale Dixon Crawford, who was a sheriff in Tulsa in the '50s. Considering the legacy theme, Judd kept his grandfather's Klan outfit to remember him as he did the painting that was displayed so prominently in episode 2, which is an heirloom passed among Klan leaders as explained in the letter. Now is Judd in the Klan? It seems likely even though he doesn't own the latest white robes so he may have hidden his grandfather's robe as a way to hide his family's legacy with the racist organization.