Watchmen Chapter VII: A Brother to Dragons

VII.8.6-7 Dreiberg's Nite Owl exoskeleton -- "the kind of costume that could really mess you up." Any costume, Dan. But note how this chapter is all about dressing up, and messing up.

VII.10.8-9 Dan's empty Nite Owl costume "stares" forlornly out of his locker.

VII.10.9 "These days, I feel like there's someone watching my every move." The image shows a figure (Dan) framed in the eyepiece of his empty costume. So in a sense it's his costume itself (or his secret identity) that is in a sense "watching" him. Though Dan's paranoia is justified; he is (literally) being watched by Veidt and his employees. And of course, there is again the theme of watching the detectives.

VII.11.6 TV news mentions tenement fires: link to VII.23.1.

VII.13.4,6 Paranoid systems: Institute for Extraspatial Studies intercut with Dan and Laurie's lovemaking: TV in the background through all of it ("I feel like someone is watching my every move"). Remember who is the greatest TV watcher in this world.

VII.14 Dan and Laurie's unsuccessful attempt at lovemaking intercut with Ozymandias' gymnastic exercises. The hero and the schlemihl. And yet, it isn't Dan who "likes to watch..."

VII.15.9 TV snow reflected on lens of Dreiberg's eyeglasses -- watcher, watched. Compare other collapsing dualities, such as predator and prey.

VII.16.14-16: Dan Dreiberg has a bad dream.

VII.16-17 Dreiberg's dream: (1) he sees Twilight Lady (2) he and Twilight Lady peel off clothes (3) she peels off Dan's skin to reveal him as Nite Owl (4) he peels off Twilight Lady's skin to reveal Laurie in costume (5) their lips meet in kiss (6) H-bomb explosion in background (7) skeletonized lovers, clear analog of Jon Osterman's disintegration (IV.8.4).

One reading of this dream (many are possible): Fear of apocalypse folds into fear of sexuality, perhaps good old Oedipal fear of the father, since Dr. Manhattan has been called "God,". Sleeping with Laurie might anger Dr. Manhattan and cause him to destroy the world, or to withdraw from the world, which amounts to the same thing.

VII.18.3 Dan smears fog from the window.

VII.19.8 "So impotent." The impotent superhero. But this has always been part of the Superman act -- why else was kryptonite invented?

VII.23.1 Laurie and Dan fly to the rescue at the tenement fire -- links to TV broadcast, VII.11.6. As the news vendor says, everything is connected.

VII.27.13: Dan and Laurie get excited.

VII.27 Dan and Laurie connect sexually after their costumed adventure. "Archie" (the owlship) has fiery ejaculation above the clouds. Well okay, I guess that's the "dragon" part, so maybe it isn't sexual (sure)...

VII.28.3 "Did the costumes make it good?"