Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 a more interesting take on Peacemaker life and while I know a lot of people are going to hate this episode for being kind of slow, I thought it did a great job of introducing the rest of the cast for this season, probably the most ive laughed at an episode of Peacemaker thus far. Seriously, bird blindness? How does James Gunn think of this stuff, the man is a genius when it comes to creating these weird character traits that somehow work perfectly in the context of the show, watching Tim Meadows character Agent Flurry trying to figure out if Eagley is a duck or an eagle was just plain stupid but it works and its his acting that make it work. The whole setup with Rick Flag Senior taking over Argus eight months ago creates this perfect tension because you know hes coming for Christopher Smith after finding out the truth about his sons death, Frank Grillo brings this intensity to the role that makes you believe he would do anything to get revenge on the man who killed his boy, plus John Economos trying to go through this situation while also protecting Chris shows just how complicated these relationships have become. The guy is stuck between his job and his friendship which creates some really interesting moral dilemmas that the show manage really well without being too heavy handed about it, the opening flashback sequence gave just enough context about what happened after Season 1 and never felt like a force flashback just to insert context at certain but it just work out great with her current situation, it shows how Amanda Waller got kicked out and Flag took over feels natural rather than forced like some other shows might handle this kind of transition, its smooth and makes sense.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13146488/
- Platform: HULU
The episode structure keeps things moving at a good pace even though not much action happens until the very end but thats okay because the character development we get makes up for any lack of explosive set pieces or fight sequences. Chris dealing with the aftermath of killing his alternate universe self creates this psychological horror element that works really well, watching him try to hide the body and then call Vigilante for help with bone saws shows how messed up his life has become but also how much he trusts Adrian to help him with the body. Vigilante is the funniest character in this show and Im hoping hell get a good amount of screen time later but I also understand if he takes more of a backseat with this more serious tone they are going for this season. The whole quantum unfolding chamber concept gets expanded in interesting ways, learning that it connects to 99 different universes opens up so many possibilities for future episodes while also explaining why Argus is so interested in monitoring Chris house for energy signatures, the way they handle interdimensional travel feels grounded despite being completely insane, I do wonder if this hole multi universe situation will go furher into movies now that everything is going to be this much interconnected. Tim Meadows really takes this episode as Agent Flurry, he is this perfect combination of incompetence and confidence that makes every scene hes in more entertaining, his inappropriate jokes and the way he gives everyone these offensive nicknames based on their appearance shows hes not going to be the most likeable character but somehow Meadows makes him watchable anyway.
To be honest I wasnt a huge fan of Harcourt until now but I appreciate her more as a character after this episode, before she only look to me as this tough female spy with little personality other than being cold to people and she was kind of boring. Obviously Harcourt had more going on than that until I saw where the slow burn is going, this episode shows her dealing with her own trauma and lashing out at people who try to help her this keeps the human vibe of the show. The pharmacy scene where that nice woman tries to offer her resources for domestic abuse hits different because you realize Harcourt is basically in an abusive relationship with herself, she is the only one doing all this damage on her own life and pushing away anyone who might care about her wellbeing, its depressing as hell but really well done. She rejects all kind of help or intervention very similar to how Chris is in a lot of ways, both of them are dealing with violent fathers and trauma that makes it hard for them to accept help from others even when they desperately need it. Leota breaking up with her partner Kia creates this side love story mostly from last season I guess and her been this secondary character most likely wont have a deep impact nito the story, it seems after season 1 some people got closer while others drifted apart because they couldnt handle the pressure but same as with Chris and Harcourt, this drama relationship are not of a superhero series yet again keeping the weird mix of drama and supehero that just work making the series feel probable even though having this sci fi aspects or I should say making the characters, because it shows regular people processing their own trauma in different ways and sometimes that means growing in opposite directions rather than together like you might expect, life is messy and this show gets that.
John Cena acting is not ground braking but impresive coming from him, his performance is very heartfelt especially when hes dealing with the guilt of killing himself from another dimension. The scene where he showers and the blood wont come off easily reminds me of Lady Macbeth trying to wash away her crimes, its this perfect visual metaphor for how you cant just clean away psychological trauma with soap and water, but Im either too dramatic about or Im one of the few trying to understand what the series is really about rather than just a silly weird comedy. Chris relationship with the quantum chamber becomes more complicated when we learn hes been letting Eagley fly around in there, which explains why Argus keeps detecting energy signatures even when Chris isnt actively using the portal himself, the fact that his bird is causing all this trouble is both hilarious and kind of sweet. The introduction of all these Argus agents preparing for their raid creates this nice contrast between their normal domestic lives and the dangerous mission they are about to go even though they dont look any menace or dangerous, seeing them gear up around kids and family dinners make things look human before Eagley absolutely destroys them in that incredible action sequence, so who would imagine an Eagle would take them all out, its the kind of contrast I really like from this series. That fight scene with Eagley taking out the entire strike team is everything you want from a Peacemaker action sequence, its brutal and funny and shows just how dangerous this bird really is when hes protecting his human, makes Eagley look like a feathered killing machine. The way they film it with that slow motion walk afterwards is very like something from Guardians of the Galaxy, James Gunn knows how to make these moments feel epic even when theyre happening in a suburban house rather than outer space, the guy has a signature style for it.
The episode ending with Chris deciding to go into the alternate universe to text Harcourt sets up what should be a really interesting exploration of how far someone will go to find love and acceptance, even if it means living a lie in another dimension, but the truth is that he killed his alterego so he can now claim this probably second chance he thinks he has, although the broken heart emoji response from alternate Harcourt suggests their relationship ended badly in that universe too, which makes you wonder if Chris is chasing something that might not even exist or if hes just running away from his problems rather than dealing with them head on, big brain stuff, its both sad and kind of pathetic but very human. The political setup with Rick Flag Senior wanting revenge creates this ticking time bomb situation that should explode in future episodes, knowing that Christopher Smith is being watched while hes also dealing with interdimensional problems creates even more of tension without making it feel overwhelming. Episode 2 does exactly what a good second episode should do, it builds on what came before while introducing new situations that will keep pushing through the rest of the season, the pacing might be slower than some people want but the character work and world building make it worth watching even if youre not getting constant action sequences. James Gunn continues to find ways to make this weird corner of the DC universe feel both grounded and completely insane at the same time, mixing family drama with superhero and interdimensional travel in ways that shouldnt work but somehow do because of the strong writing and performances from the entire cast, this show keeps getting better.
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