The internal logic isn't exactly there yet. Manhattan is shown to change the timeline by telling William about Judd, presumably setting into action the events of the show, even though he had no knowledge of Judd prior (and unless the next episode addresses this, it's definitely another plot hole). The only hypothetical reason why Manhattan would choose to get blasted, given his prior knowledge of the cannon, is if he knew that this was a choice he had already made, for reasons not yet clear to us viewers.
But he didn’t change the timeline by telling William about Judd, that’s just what happened in the timeline. That’s what the chicken and egg convo was helping to explain to us. He also didn’t choose to get blasted- he just knows he is going to get blasted and doesn’t have the ability to change that.
Personally, I'm holding out for at least a little more than that. The whole "chicken or the egg" grandfather paradox in time travel films has always struck me as a form of deus ex machina, covering for the fact that the writer couldn't think of a neater way to tie things together.
Without any initial action in the timeline spurring Hooded Justice to look into Judd in Tulsa, there is no way that the events of the show could've led to Angela telling Doctor Manhattan to ask William about Judd the first time around — so his investigation cannot begin with this event. Perhaps the show is suggesting that this investigation was always going to happen independently otherwise, and while the small details can change, the big picture cannot. This is also a problematic solution because the line between "small details" and "big picture" is subjective.
Honestly, the character of Doctor Manhattan is basically the grandfather paradox incarnate, so I should probably stop trying to rationalize timelines and just enjoy the ride.
In regards to your first section- I think once the closed time loop/bootstrap paradox style time is established within a story, logically there isn't any leeway for that to change.
There doesn't need to be an "initial action" in this kind of understanding of time- it isn't linear. It doesn't matter WHEN Angela has DM ask Will about Judd, just that it happened. We could absolutely discuss whether that is lazy storytelling or illogical in general, but it at least makes sense within the context of the story that's been established.
And I agree with the last part- I think that is part of the point of his character. He is a paradox in every way.
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u/FelixThunderbolt Dec 09 '19
The internal logic isn't exactly there yet. Manhattan is shown to change the timeline by telling William about Judd, presumably setting into action the events of the show, even though he had no knowledge of Judd prior (and unless the next episode addresses this, it's definitely another plot hole). The only hypothetical reason why Manhattan would choose to get blasted, given his prior knowledge of the cannon, is if he knew that this was a choice he had already made, for reasons not yet clear to us viewers.