Every project in the reborn DCU, excluding its loosely connected Elseworld stories, has been nothing but great stories. The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos, Peacemaker, and, of course, DC's golden boy, Superman.
While I would like to say Superman was James Gunn's best work thus far, I'm enjoying Peacemaker a lot more. Not for its bold R rating or raunchy humor, but it's genuinely a more cohesive narrative that pays much attention to the protagonist without feeling like his spotlight is taken away. My only gripe with Superman was that it didn't feel like his movie. However, this season of Peacemaker has a unique identity and is everything we love about the current iteration of the character.
Episode 5 of Peacemaker season 2 opens with Rick Flag Jr.'s funeral. Emilia Harcourt sits stoic and brooding when Rick Flag. Sr, or as he likes to be called, "Rick," approaches her and gently presses for the dossier of Operation Starfish. Harcourt can't help since it's classified beyond her jurisdiction. Not her place. Despite his dead being dead, Rick Flag Sr. isn't allowed to look at the files. Of course, he eventually gets his wish when he becomes director of ARGUS.
Harcourt vows to him that whoever killed Rick Flag Jr. will pay. At that moment, she knew Chris did it, and definitely had different feelings for him than she does now. She's on Chris's side in the present, but this scene solidifies an ironclad trust between her and Rick Flag Sr. I just wonder what would happen if he found out Harcourt slept with the man who killed his son and helped him evade capture.
As it turns out, that text Harcourt sent Chris in the last episode was a secret warning not to come... that he completely ignored. Granted, he avoided the sniper and other gunmen long enough to speak with Harcourt. However, it wasn't enough when he was eventually surrounded. To prevent Chris from being shot dead by Agent Bordeaux, Harcourt jumps in and physically forces Chris unconscious.
Chris lives, but he's still arrested and taken in, where, behind closed doors, Rick Flag, Sr. has some fun beating the crap out of Chris. Even though he wasn't cuffed, and even though he's the god dang Peacemaker, he didn't fight back. He accepted the unlawful assault as punishment for killing Rick Flag, Jr., accepting all of the guilt and shame. Rick Flag, Sr. isn't having it and almost kills Chris, but is interrupted when Bordeaux warns that Economos booked Chris. This means he's in the system, so if he went "missing" while arrested, it'd make ARGUS look bad. I am continuously surprised by how John still has his job, but I am also grateful for the lengths he goes to go behind his superiors' backs.'
One of the best scenes in the series so far, and easily one of my favorites, is the confrontation between Eagly and Red St. Wild. It doesn't last long and kind of ends on a humorous note, but the struggle portrayed was jaw-droppingly dramatic in all the best ways. During his hunt for Eagly, Red St. Wild's theory comes true, which is that Peacemaker's pet bird is actually a mythological alpha eagle. Eagly summons a flock, and like a high-definition reimagining of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, Red St. Wild is skinned and butchered alive under dozens of talons.
Does Peacemaker know Eagly can do that? Maybe he wouldn't want to know. He has such an innocent image of him. Behind that cuteness, though, is a brutal killer. Red St. Wild was kinda right about that.
Chris returns to the cabin battered, bloody, and bruised. He mistakenly believes that Harcourt sold him out after all, despite her warning him not to show up in the park. Perhaps he's looking for an excuse to leave this dimension because he's dead set on living in the alternate universe where everything has better potential. Everyone in the alternate universe already loves Peacemaker, even when he was a jerk to them, so all Chris has to do is be a better person for all of them, especially Emelia.
Chris closes the portal behind him, cutting off any bridge for him to return to his home dimension. This might have solved ARGUS's problem. No more rifts means no more risks. But that won't be good enough for Rick Flag, Sr. He doesn't just want to close the door, he wants Peacemaker dead. And, of course, the 11th Street Kids aren't going to leave Chris alone. They're gonna get him back.
Episode 5, "Back To The Suture," reassures why Peacemaker is going to be important in the DCU going forward. With all of this dimension-hopping, it's possible that the rumor of Superman or some other popular character having a cameo near the season finale could be an alternate version. With three episodes left, we'll soon find out, and I'm excited to see it.
Episode Verdict: A+
New episodes ofPeacemaker release every Thursday night on HBO Max.