Watchmen Episode 5 Review

Director: Steph Green
Starring: Regina King, Jean Smart, Tim Blake Nelson and Jeremy Irons

Watchmen Episode 5, entitled Little Fear of Lightning, is all about Tim Blake Nelson’s Wade Tillman, otherwise known as Looking Glass.

His character is one of the most interesting characters in the show. The first time you meet him, your brain and prejudices almost immediately tell you that he might have something to do with the Seventh Cavalry, and that’s basically just because he has a southern accent.

I know it shouldn’t be that way, but it is, and I’m pretty sure it’s deliberate on behalf of the show’s writers.

They want you to question yourself and everything’s that’s going on whilst watching the show, and they really are succeeding.

Anyway, Wade is turning out the best the most fascinating character in this first season of Watchmen on HBO, and this episode is told from his point of view.

Watchmen just keeps on getting better and better

Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt in Watchmen Episode 5 (Credit: HBO)

Read more: Watchmen Episode 1 Review

I really do love what they’ve been doing with each episode, with each character getting their own episode of sorts, and Little Fear of Lightning is Wades.

You see how he ended up wearing that mirrored mask, and it’s a really sad story.

I won’t go into details on how that happened here because I really do want to keep spoilers to a minimum, but what I will say is that it ties very nicely in with Dave Gibbons and Alan Moore’s graphic novel.

This episode, I would argue, is also one of the most shocking and heartbreaking ones due to some of the revelations and tough decisions that Wade has to make.

Once again, literally every actor in this show delivers an excellent performance, including Nelson, of course, Regina King as Sister Knight, Jean Smart as Lauren Blake and Jeremy Irons as Adrian Veidt.

Wade’s backstory is revealed in Watchmen Episode 5

Angela and Wade in Watchmen Episode 5 (Credit: Watchmen)

Read more: Watchmen Episode 2 Review

Veidt’s story is getting more and more interesting with every passing episode, and this particular one seemed to put holes in my theory that he’s on Mars.

I seems like he’s still in space though, but as I said before, I won’t go into spoiler territory in these Watchmen episode reviews.

I will, however, say that this episode helps you really get to grips with Wade as a character on the show.

There’s so much going on there, and I’m just desperate to find out more about him.

As usual, this episode of Watchmen has an incredible score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and it also just looks incredible, as every episode has done before it.

It’s the best sounding, the best acted, the best written and the best directed show on TV

A young Wade in Watchmen Episode 5 (Credit: HBO)

Read more: Watchmen Episode 3 Review

It’s easily one of the best acted, directed, scored and written shows on TV, and I just hope this form carried on throughout this first season.

So, yes, this episode ramps up the intrigue for what’s going to happen next, and it ends of a real cliffhanger which will have people desperate to find out what’s going to happen to Wade and Angela Abar (played by Regina King) in the upcoming episodes.

What do you make of this story? Let us know in the comments below or on our Facebook or Instagram pages!

And if you enjoy listening to film podcasts, why not check out Small Screen Radio wherever you get your podcasts!