By Eden Lozano
This review contains major spoilers for the second season of “Peacemaker.”
The second season of “Peacemaker” has been nothing short of a wild and comedic political commentary.
“Peacemaker” is a TV series based on the eponymous DC Comics character of the same name. Directed by James Gunn, the series began as a spin-off to Gunn’s film “The Suicide Squad” and acts as a soft reboot to the DC Extended Universe. The second season takes place after the events of the newest “Superman” (also directed by Gunn) with characters from the film making appearances throughout the show. A particularly exciting cameo from Lex Luthor (Nicholas Holt) was a true highlight of the series, given Holt’s dry delivery as the evil (and incredibly bald) villain.
What Gunn does best as a director is believe in his actors. Cena – former wrestler (you may have heard of him, though likely have never seen him) – is absolutely masterful in his role. Cena is a wonderful comedic actor; if you’re a long time “Fred: The Movie” fan, you’d already know that, but he really shines in “Peacemaker.” On top of excellent comedic timing, though, is Cena’s innate ability to genuinely care for the plight of his character and see the humanity in a guy who was, initially, a character that many (including myself) found only to be arrogant and annoyingly macho. Smith still has his faults, of course, but Cena makes him likeable despite his misgivings.
The one character that I truly cannot stand is Rick Flag Senior. Rick Sr. (Frank Grillo) first made his appearance in “Creature Commandos” – another Gunn project, but animated! – and made his live action debut in Gunn’s “Superman.” As it stands, Rick Sr. seeks vengeance against Peacemaker for killing his son, Rick Flag Jr. (Joel Kinnaman), with a fatal stab wound (which occurred during “The Suicide Squad”). As far as character development goes… well, there’s none to be seen. Rick Sr. is exactly what he needs to be in this season, which is the antagonist to Peacemaker’s shenanigans, but beyond that, there’s not much more to find. If Grillo had the acting chops to make up for where the character lacks, I would probably find Rick Sr. more compelling; unfortunately, Grillo has the acting range of a wet towel. He doesn’t give the impression of a grieving father; he’s just a vaguely annoying nuisance hovering in the background like a fly that won’t stop buzzing around your head. The truth is that Gunn seems to be scrambling to make use of the character after killing off the younger, more dependable, and arguably cooler Flag.
While I have enjoyed the bloody fun and character dynamics of this season, the plot has unfortunately lacked any deeper study. This particular season hinges on the reveal that Peacemaker travels to Earth X, a universe where Adolf Hitler won the Second World War and people of color are held in labor camps across the country. The characters, though disturbed by this shocking revelation, don’t actually do much about it. In fact, the very episode of which the reveal happens is the same episode where all the characters conveniently jump back into their universe. We don’t learn anything more about Earth X, and that particular anecdote is swiftly cast aside.
The penultimate episode, “Like A Keith In The Night,” does have one moment that I found poignant amidst the messy writing. Characters Adebayo (Danielle Brookes) and Judomaster (Nhut Le) bond over their shared struggles as queer people of color – regardless of whatever universe they’re in. Adebayo notes that Earth X isn’t as different from their universe as they wish it were — Nazis and all. Despite the characters technically being on opposite sides, for this one episode, they share a common goal.
As much as I support Gunn’s vision for the future of the DC franchise, things didn’t quite pan out for this season of “Peacemaker.” Though fun, it did lack some of the deeper world building that I was hoping for. I rate this season at 3.5 out of 5 stars.
“Peacemaker” is available for streaming on HBO Max.