Events in the Watchmen graphic novel begin diverging from what we know as world history in 1960 with the birth of Doctor Manhattan. From that momentwhen the atomic physicist Jonathan Osterman reappears in a godly, matter-bending blue form, following his incinerationhistory gets all wacky. Manhattanlike any good, well-behaved weaponplays ball with the United States military, enters the Vietnam conflict, and forces a surrender by Vietcong and Chinese troops who basically bow down and worship him. The naked blue demigod then becomes a worldwide deterrent for nuclear war. He ensures the reelection of Richard Nixon. He even helps introduce electric power to automobiles.
Though we never learn the fate of the country following Manhattans intervention in the comics, the HBO series plays out the geopolitics in a pretty forward manner: Vietnam becomes a U.S. state. Because why not?
Watchmen protagonist Angela Abar ( Regina King ) is a U.S. citizen, born in Vietnam. She speaks Vietnamese and even owns a Vietnamese bakery, which serves as a front of sorts for her superhero lair.
Until last night, the connection ended here. Then we met Lady Trieu, a Vietnamese (which here carries a similar meaning to how we hear "Hawaiian"; with its own inherent history and culture, but still American through and through) entrepreneur, owner of Adrian Veidt s former company, and force behind the Millennium Clock . In many ways, Trieu seems the successor to Veidt's nefarious character in the comic: shady millionaire.
Later in the episode, Trieus daughter recites a dream in which she was in a village during an attack. The village was burned, and then men made her walk.
In a series that explores historical reparations (in the case of Will, the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 and its successive Redfordations ), its not unlikely that the horrors of the Vietnam War have at least some bearing on Lady Trieus story and plan. She mentions that her mothers dying wish was for her not to leave Vietnam. So she "brought Vietnam to America" in the form of greenery.
Her daughters statement my feet still hurt [from walking] seems to retain obvious double meaning; she is still a victim. Her mothers response to the dreamgoodimplies something else: she is still not avenged. And when you think of how the war endedDr. Manhattan took matters into his own handswell, it all sort of ties in from there, now doesn't it.