WARNING: Spoilers for Watchmen Season 1.
HBO's Watchmen season 1 ends with an egg-related cliffhanger that had been foreshadowed throughout season 1. Watchmen series creator Damon Lindelof and his production team referenced the final reveal throughout the entire season, starting with episode 1, "It's Sumer and We're Running Out of Ice."
Based on Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' DC Comics series, Watchmen season 1 primarily focuses on Tulsa police detective Angela Abar, aka Sister Night (Regina King). The collective episodes chronicle her tragic backstory in Vietnam, and how those experiences connect to present-day events in Oklahoma, most notably the tension between law enforcement and criminals. HBO's Watchmen season 1 features many international and intergalactic settings, but the primary conflict derives from the 1921 Tulsa race riots, shown in the first scene in the series and later revisited when Angela overdoses on her grandfather Will's Nostalgia pills.
Watchmen season 1 reveals that Angela's husband Cal is none other than Doctor Manhattan. The penultimate episode, "A God Walks into Abar," details their first meeting and sets up the dramatic season finale in which Doctor Manhattan makes the ultimate sacrifice, leaving behind a rather significant gift for Angela: an egg that contains his powers. Watchmen season 1's final moments show Angela consuming the egg, and attempting to walk on water before the final dip to black.
It's Summer And We're Running Out Of Ice
A news report about Doctor Manhattan transitions to Angela Abar's classroom introduction. While speaking to students, she explains the organic material of eggs, noting that "egg whites are made of protein. When we whip ‘em, we get bubbles, and it’s the protein that forms the wall of those bubbles. If we don’t have walls, it all comes tumblin’ down." Next, there's an explosion during the Doctor Manhattan news clip, followed by an overhead visual of Angela cracking eggs. She then delivers another symbolic metaphor: "Now, those walls all strong. But they won’t stay that way if just even a little bit of yolk gets mixed in with the whites. So, that’s why we gotta separate 'em."
Angela's introductory baking sequence ends with the completion of "banh bia," or "mooncakes" that she ate while growing up in Vietnam. Later in the season, Angela's father reference mooncakes just moments before his death. Near the end of "It's Summer and We're Running Out of Ice," the Abars and Crawfords have dinner together, and an overhead egg-like visual connects to Angela's classroom statements about different yolks, different folks.
Martial Feats Of Comanche Horsemanship
During a White Night flashback, Angela and Cal's reflections are seen within a wall clock; an egg-like visual. Later in the episode, Will surprises Angela at her home, and talks about eggs while cooking: “Cooking some eggs. You like ‘em hardboiled?" The line is a double-meaning: classic detective novels are known as "hardboiled" thrillers, and both characters are police officers.
When Angela receives a phone call about DNA test results, Will cracks eggs like he's "knocking on wood" — a clear reference to the building mystery about his background. He says, “I wanted to meet you, and show you where you came from.” Finally, "Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship" concludes with Beastie Boys' "Egg Man" playing as Will ascends to the sky.
She Was Killed By Space Junk
When Laurie Blake records an audio message for Doctor Manhattan, she tells a story about God and "Smarty Pants" — which is essentially recap of the events in the graphic novel, specifically the giant squad that dropped from the sky and killed three million people in New York City. She speaks the same words that Doctor Manhattan says to Will after meeting Angela, as revealed in the season finale: “You can’t make an omelette without breaking a couple of eggs.”
Later in the episode, Laurie threatens Angela and says "I eat good guys for breakfast." Eggs are associated with breakfast. Angela scoffs because she's seen Doctor Manhattan literally create life (an egg) during their first meeting in Vietnam, and also because she's lived with him for several years. The irony is that Laurie previously had a relationship with Jon Osterman, aka Doctor Manhattan.
If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own
The episode begins with the sound of cracking as the Watchmen logo, stylized to look like egg yolk, is revealed in a sequence echoing the cracking of an egg. The first shot of the episode is a close-up of a dozen eggs, followed by the Clark Farms (which sells eggs) montage sequence. Lady Trieu then shows up at the couple's home and makes an offer they can't refuse: the Clarks are having trouble having a baby, so Lady Trieu literally made them a child, and offered millions of dollars for their property.
Trieu comments that the Clarks' previous attempts to get pregnant were unsuccessful because her "eggs were not viable."Later in the episode, when Angela shows up at her bakery, a carton of eggs are on the floor, with three being visible. At the Abar home, an overhead visual shows Angela and Cal cooking eggs, and they discuss breaking into the Tulsa cultural center to investigate the mysterious "third wheel," so to speak: Will Reeves, Angela's grandfather.
After "If You Don't Like My Story, Write Your Own," there are no blatant egg teases in "Little Fear of Lightning" or "This Extraordinary Being." The egg references have theoretically been planted in the audiences' collective subconscious, allowing Watchmen season 1 to focus on various subplots while building to the big egg reveal.
An Almost Religious Awe
During a Vietnam flashback sequence (due to Angela's Nostalgia overdose), the Abars celebrate VVN Day in America's 51st state, the result of Doctor Manhattan's efforts during the war. Young Angela buys a "Sister Night" VHS, and then shows it to her disapproving parents. Angela's father references eggs when noting that he'll get some mooncakes (the egg food that Angela bakes in the first episode) for a planned fireworks celebration. Moments later, the elder Abars are killed during a terrorist attack.
A God Walks into Abar
In an episode that spans various timelines, Cal and Angela share an intimate bedroom moment during the present day, with the former implying that he's mentally at the bar "just before I created the egg.” As a whole, "A God Walks into Abar" chronicles Angela's first meeting with the blue superhuman, who ultimately proves he is Doctor Manhattan by creating life, with an egg being the evidence. He uses the egg to explain how he could potentially transfer his powers to someone else. The conversation is focused on an argument that they'll have in the future, which is the moment when Angela realizes that Doctor Manhattan's predictions are coming true.
During the present, Cal has essentially been killed by Angela in order to free Doctor Manhattan. Once the blue man focuses on the present conflict, he sends their adopted children to a different dimension and walks on water at the family pool. He tells Angela “You need to see me on the pool. It’s important… for later.” Although this moment doesn't involve eggs, it foreshadows where the final scene takes place.
While standing on the pool's water, Doctor Manhattan contemplates "the chicken or the egg" paradox, and comes to the realization that he can receive answers to both at exactly the same time. Soon thereafter, he makes waffles and Angela smashes an egg carton — the same one that will later be revealed to include one egg containing Doctor Manhattan's powers.
See How They Fly
After Doctor Manhattan's death (and a frozen squid drop on Tulsa), Angela and Will have a conversation at the Dreamland Theatre. Will discusses "fear" and "hurt" while reflecting upon the past, and also recalls something Doctor Manhattan said during their first meeting: "You can’t make an omelet without breakin’ a couple of eggs.”
Later, Angela arrives home and speaks with Will. There's a broken egg carton on the floor, the same one that Angela smashed earlier. Will asks if Angela needs a hand, and implies that Doctor Manhattan could've done more with his powers. A pan shot reveals that one egg is left in the carton. As Angela cleans up the mess, she experiences an epiphany and remembers her first conversation with Doctor Manhattan about eggs and "organic material" that could be used to transfer his powers.
Angela consumes the egg, and Watchmen season 1 concludes with her attempting to walk on water. Spooky Tooth's cover of The Beatles' "I Am the Walrus" plays during the last scene: "I am the Egg Man / They are the Egg Man."