Confirmed: Watchman trap door scene is a nod to this 1980s SNL skit
A scene from HBO’s Watchmen was indeed a nod to a decades-old Saturday Night Live sketch.
The seventh episode of the acclaimed drama, “An Almost Religious Awe,” included a rather shockingly comic moment when the seemingly genteel Jane Crawford (Frances Fisher) turned the tables on FBI Agent Laurie Blake (Jean Smart) by opening up a hidden trap door in her living room. What’s more, the trap door initially malfunctioned, giving Blake a moment to react with a “this can’t really be happening” incredulity.
Fans wondered if the scene was a nod to a 1988 SNL sketch titled “Trap Door” (watch it here) where Jon Lovitz played a businessman kept attempting to drop annoying visitors into a malfunctioning trap door in his office. Lovitz’s character eventually converts to a Wilson brand trap door, which works perfectly.
Crawford’s Watchmen trap door remote is likewise branded “Wilson” and HBO confirmed the Watchmen sketch is indeed referencing the classic skit.
Watchmen airs Sundays on HBO and the upcoming eighth episode, delving into Doctor Manhattan’s backstory, is not to be missed.
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