matt_zimmer | What If...? "What If... The Watcher Disappeared?" Review (Spoilers) (Reply)

What If...? "What If... The Watcher Disappeared?"

I am currently thinking about sea turtles.

Probably the wrong review to discuss them, and I probably should save it for the review of seeing the Watcher's actual trial, but talking about this stuff an episode early is maybe fan speculation (or at least fan opinion) so maybe it's fair game.

But that alternate main title by the Eminence made me think. And I have a feeling the show will disagree with my conclusions. Because the Watcher is a good guy and only interferes to help. And none of his interference actually seems to hurt the Multiverse, which is probably what the entire Oath is about. The fact is, the small things he changes don't ultimately matter in the grand scheme of things. As such he should be allowed these indulgences, especially if they involve saving an innocent little boy or a broken young woman who needs to save her Universe. They don't effect the Big Picture or ultimately matter.

But maybe that's the reason he shouldn't be doing it.

Saving Rari and that little boy in 1872 changed nothing about the bigger picture. Hell, in most other Universes in the same scenario the bad outcome occurs. Surely playing with ONE outcome (or two or three) can't harm things. But if the other Watchers have it right about it being a risk to all reality to do that, the fact that it ultimately changes nothing is the reason the risk it too great to do it to begin with.

It's the parable of the baby sea turtle. I probably don't have the entire story down perfectly, but there is an island where hundreds if not thousands of baby sea turtles are hatched upon the adult sea turtles' mating grounds. And they all have to migrate from the grass far away from the water, down the entire beach, and into the water.

Seagulls fucking FEAST on these cute baby turtles. If there are a thousand baby turtles on the beach, maybe 15 or 20 make it to the water and grow up to be adult sea turtles. My numbers are probably wrong, but that's the basic idea.

In the parable I'm talking about, on a Pacific Island an old man is watching a little boy frantically pick up a baby sea turtle on the beach amid the seagull carnage, cups it to his hands, and run down to the ocean. The old man questions not just the wisdom of saving that turtle but the entire point of it. He think's its fruitless and a waste of time. "You cannot save them all."

And the little boy tosses the baby sea turtle in the water and says "Maybe not. But I can save This One."

Out of the mouths of babes, and this is probably the Watcher's entire defense of his actions.

But the sea turtle parable recurred to me because I think despite the Watcher thinking that's what's happening, the entire situation is different. For the little boy, there are no negative consequences to be had for his kindness. An old man might think he's a dumbass, but the kid probably thinks ALL adults think kids are dumbasses. The kid can afford to save This One because he has absolutely NO skin in the game. He never took a sacred vow millions years ago to leave the sea turtles be. Worse, him saving a sea turtle will not put all of reality at risk. Now the Watcher's actions PROBABLY won't either. But it's still risking the entire Multiverse on behalf of a baby sea turtle that died in all other Universes anyways. How can that be justified?

This is where my head is.

I am very interested in a "good" Ultron. Frankly, I don't think Infinity Ultron could EVER be redeemed, but that's why genuine repentance is so provocative. On some level you WANT him to be anyways, which is entirely wrongheaded after what he's done. But that's a good button to push.

I want to visit the Universe where carbs make you lose weight. Hell, I NEED to visit it.

I suspect in the series finale the show will come to a different conclusion than I have and suggest the Watcher's actions are morally fine. My speculation and opinion is they actually aren't. They change almost nothing, put the Multiverse at risk, with absolutely no benefit to anything but The Watcher's Feels. I am prepared to disagree with the show here. Because he isn't just a Pacific Island boy saving a baby sea turtle. The potential risks to what he is doing is far greater, and not something that should ever be tolerated. *****.