HBO’s Watchmen has forgotten about the present

The pilot episode of HBO’s Watchmen was incredible.

61 minutes of heart-pounding tension. A great mix of callbacks to the iconic 1980’s graphic novel that built the foundation for this series, and an introduction to a new caste living in a world that is dealing with the aftermath of the events of the book decades later.

It established the series as a version of Watchmen that will focus on more pertinent issues to the modern day. While the original was a commentary on the idea of law and order during an age of Cold War paranoia, the new series wants us to scrutinize the idea in the modern age. What does law and order mean in a country where police officers shoot and kill almost 1,000 people every year, and how we view policing post-War on Drugs.

Things are different in this universe, though. Police officers are masked to hide their identity, and detectives get to wear intricate, superhero, like costumes. The most relevant change is the police’s use of guns — or lack of it. Officers have their guns restricted unless they receive direct approval from a superior. While their masks give them an extra sense of protection, they become more vulnerable than ever after being stripped of their weapons.

This leads to a mind-bending scene early in the episode that features a masked, Black, police…