Isn’t the only reason Ozymandias’ plan to drive Dr. Manhattan into self-imposed Martian exile works is because Laurie had dumped him that evening? Doesn’t seem like the greatest plan from the world’s smartest man.
I’m not sure. Doc’s exact line is, what, “apparently I’m incapable of cohabiting with her either physically or emotionally,” or something? It sounds like either would’ve been sufficient: he arrives back at their place and sees Laurie still hasn’t returned after walking out on him – right after hearing that he’s a living carcinogen.
I gather Veidt had been manipulating the circumstances for years, as well as reading “stolen psychiatric reports”. He figure Osterman would abandon Earth and humanity eventually (though Veidt hoped it would be before the global catastrophe he predicted in the mid-nineties), and this departure would trigger the global crisis he could use for his perceived greater good.
Dr M seemed to be on the cusp anyway. My guess is Veidt had additional shocks to throw at him. Ones we never saw because they were never executed once Dr M left for Mars.
The movie slightly improves on this, I found, in the scene where Laurie leaves (in addition to my favourite line: “Are you working in here while we’re in bed together?” which is more-or-less in the comic but is brought to life by Akerman’s indignant delivery), when Veidt says “She’ll be back” and Osterman replies “No, she won’t.”
The movie’s version does however introduce a plot hole. Comic-Osterman say his “incapable” line to a hapless airman and mentions casually that he’s leaving for Mars. In the movie, he tells no-one and teleports directly there from the studio.
I just assumed that his distant love life and the ostracizing he (Oster-sizing? groan) gets via the cancer conspiracy merely illustrate the alienation he had been feeling increasingly for decades - the whole point is that he’s a god and indifferent to the human condition. Ozzy added the last straws, but the camel’s back was in the process of breaking for years…
Other than the pun, for which you will most assuredly suffer horrible torment, WordMan, I agree. Wet blanket that she was, Laurie was the last person Jon felt a connection to and their relationship was already deeply strained. The cancer story would have driven him away from her and away from humanity in any case. The fact that they (inevitably) split up just cinched it.
I wish I was Oster-sized.
As long as you don’t extract my intrinsic field as punishment, I can take it.
It didn’t kill Osterman. Did you really think it would kill me?
That’s what I’m not sure about. Ozymandias’ long term plan to drive Dr. Manhattan away was
- Give a lot of people cancer
- Tell Dr. Manhattan it’s his fault
- Watch him freak out and run away
What wasn’t part of the plan was “Have Laurie tire of their relationship at the same time I reveal the harm he’s caused”. And from what he says to the guard before he goes to Mars seems to indicate that that was an important part of his decision to leave. So what makes you think he would have left anyway?
Once he was tricked into believing that he gave people cancer by being around them, he would have severed what ties he had left (including leaving Laurie if she hadn’t already left him) and left.
From what he says to the guard painting that “QUARANTINE” sign, Doc thinks there are two completely separate reasons why he can’t hang out with Laurie any more; take away either and Doc – presumably would’ve only mentioned one perfectly good reason for leaving.
golf clap
Carry on.