10 Things You Learn Re-Watching Watchmen Episode 1
5. The Relevance Of "Oklahoma!"
From the title of the episode to the play actually making an appearance, the relevance of the musical classic "Oklahoma!" is difficult to understand until watching the whole thing.
On a rerun, there is no mistaking the influences: Judd is the Chief's name and the villain of the play; the play ignores the issue of dominating the Native Americans the same way we see the affluent African American sector of Tulsa dominated in the opening scene; there is a love triangle(s) between characters; and of course, Judd dies at the end.
One gets the sense that there are many deliberate parallels between the two that will be revealed over time.
The second episode is called "Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship". The relevance of that title is even more obscure, as the name is a reference to the 1834 George Catlin Painting "Comanche Feats of Martial Horsemanship". Why is the name reversed? Are there going to be direct influences the same way as Episode 1 takes from its namesake?