Now streaming on HBO Max, Peacemaker — directed by James Gunn — is the latest entry into the ever-expanding blob of superhero media. This one stars John Cena as the Peacemaker, a super antihero who survived whatever it is that happened to him in The Suicide Squad, which was also directed by Gunn. Recently out of the hospital, Peacemaker is recruited by government operative Amanda Waller to once again be her puppet.
Peacemaker dropped its first three episodes today. So, it is worth getting hooked? Is it even able to hook? In my opinion, no and no.
Let’s start with the characters, because I think they are my biggest problem with the show. The fact is I don’t really like any of them, for different reasons, beginning with John Cena as Peacemaker. I think Cena does a pretty good job of performing the character — he’s convincing at being an overconfident, overgrown frat boy who’s a shade away from being a villain. I feel like Cena is at his best when playing Peacemaker’s unlikeable characteristics, but during the emotional or happier moments when we’re supposed to sympathize with him, it falls a little flat.
Unfortunately, Cena doesn’t get much help from the rest of the cast, mainly the group of secret agents working with Peacemaker. The only likable one is Leota Adebayo, played by Danielle Brooks. Brooks is a wonderful actor — she routinely stood out on Orange is the New Black — but I think she struggles here to take the material she’s given and create a fleshed out character, mainly because the material is really bad.
Leota is supposed to be the bubbly one in the group, and the script continually calls for her to break the tension between everyone by starting up some lame conversation about something completely random, or else she does something awkward that gets a reaction from the other characters. It all feels so tired and lazy. This is a criticism of the rest of the characters in general. They are constantly spiraling off into conversations that bring the story to a halt. Why? Well, because they are trying to sell the show as a comedy, and for something to be considered a comedy the characters have to argue over whether you say it ‘Berenstain’ or ‘Berenstein.’ The script constantly mistakes non sequiturs for jokes. Bonus laughs if it’s something from the internet.
At least Danielle Brooks’s character has some redeeming qualities; she’s in a relationship, she hasn’t ever killed someone, etc. The rest of the team are bitter, abrasive, and mocking. As in The Suicide Squad or Doom Patrol, a lot of the characters are assholes. However, at least The Suicide Squad is a movie that ends in two hours, and Doom Patrol does a good job of showcasing off both the positive and negative qualities of its cast. That’s really only true of Leota here; she’s also one of the few characters to get a proper introduction. The rest of them just appear. Any opportunity to get to know them is often replaced with those lame joke conversations; the prospect of a whole season full of them is painful.
An example: after Peacemaker’s neo-Nazi father hurls a racial epithet at a pair of detectives, they talk about whether forks are more popular than spoons. In Episode 2, Peacemaker and the hero Vigilante discuss Louis C.K.’s sex scandal. There’s a lot of “lol random” kind of humor. Some of it is even sloppily ADR-ed in post production. Those are the only lines that made me laugh, purely because of how obvious it was.
The first three episodes of Peacemaker are unfocused
Comedy aside, the writing comes off as lazy in general. Something they set up very early on is that Peacemaker develops a crush on agent Emilia Harcourt, the white-blonde badass of the group who don’t need no man, played by Jennifer Holland. (Minor side note: I think Harcourt is really bad in this, but that’s not why I don’t like her character.) She’s introduced kicking the crap out of some creeps at a bar, which is what inspires Peacemaker’s affections. The camera zooms in on John Cena’s lovestruck face in slow-mo while a love song plays; just the most obvious set up imaginable. Then, after two episodes of her calling Peacemaker a pervert and a meathead, they have a “so-tell-me-about-yourself” talk, Emilia develops feelings, and the show reuses the same trick: a horrible country love song plays as both characters give that lovestruck speechless face.
Speaking of Emilia, she underscores one last problem I feel the show has: it’s confused over who it’s trying to appeal to. Agent Emilia, as I’ve said, is a strong woman warrior, someone who can counter Peacemaker’s hyper-masculinity. The show makes a point to criticize toxic masculinity and chauvinism; the agents reprimand Peacemaker for calling a waitress “sweet cheeks,” Emilia is very harsh with Peacemaker in the first two episodes, and then there’s that mocking jab at Louis C.K. I have no problem with any of that, but when the show features women baring all at least once per episode, or having Emilia walk around with her top undone, it comes across as not only hypocritical, but unfocused.
Does this show actually want a female audience, or is it making a show of condemning toxic masculinity while catering mostly to puerile guys? The dialogue has the same issue. Most of the time its that cutesy mass appeal randomness, then sometimes a neo-Nazi comes on to yell slurs. General audience members may find those edgy elements too off-putting, and anyone who likes edginess will probably get bored by the rest of it.
And that’s the first three episodes of Peacemaker. In my opinion, not a very good start. With an antagonist revealed at the end of the third episode, maybe the conflict ramps up from here, but I’m not encouraged.
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