On Oct. 9, the final episode of the second season of James Gunn’s “Peacemaker” was released. It was a strong end to an excellent season, but it was not without its faults.
Who knew John Cena could break my heart like that?
Season two follows Cena as Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, as he discovers a parallel universe wherein his brother, who Smith accidentally killed as a child, and his father, who Smith killed in season two, are alive. While exploring the alternate universe, Smith kills the alternate version of himself.
Meanwhile, he is hunted by Rick Flag Sr., the director of Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans. Smith decides to flee to the alternate universe and make a life for himself there, where he meets an alternate version of his love interest — Emilia Harcourt — who is open to a relationship with him, unlike the “original” Harcourt. However, Smith realises that his perfect world is not perfect at all. He’s been living in “Earth X,” an alternate universe wherein the Nazis won World War II.
A definite highlight of the season were the performances. Cena was stellar, but so was the supporting cast. Jennifer Holland as Harcourt has an excellent arc, as both original and Earth X’s Harcourt are tools of the state — original Harcourt is a soldier and X Harcourt is the perfect bubbly blonde housewife type — but original Harcourt is able to grow, remaining strong and autonomous but becoming less cynical and closed off.
Danielle Brooks as Smith’s best friend Leota Adebayo is a delight as always as she navigates her crumbling marriage and new career pivot into “spy shit.”
The penultimate episode, titled “A Keith in the Night,” is one of my favorite episodes of television ever made. The pacing is excellent, Cena gives his best performance of the season, which is saying something, and the episode is thematically rich and evocative.
In the episode, Smith’s friends attempt to coax him back to the “real” world, while confronting the ways in which Earth X is not that different from our own world. Smith is forced to lose his family again, which is gut-wrenching to watch. He seems so desperate, vulnerable and small, which is a feat for a man that’s 6’1 and 251lbs.
The finale does not take place in Earth X, stepping back pretty firmly into the main universe and its conflicts. Not everyone was happy with this move, but I was. The story wasn’t about Earth X, it’s about Smith and his friends.
If you want a James Gunn show that’s full of Nazi-killing glory, I have great news for you about a little project called “Creature Commandos,” but a finale like that wouldn’t fit a show like “Peacemaker” season two.
One of Smith's major character flaws is externalizing internal conflicts through violence, rather than dealing with his feelings. He’s spent two seasons trying to shoot his problems with a gun, and it hasn’t worked. All and all, I liked that aspect of the ending. My issue is, it doesn’t actually end there.
I have my own critiques of the finale. It was almost twice as long as the other episodes and had not one, but two full in-universe music performances. It felt somewhat hokey and out of place, almost too childish for a show and a season that’d been so otherwise heavy.
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It does succeed in luring the audience into a fragile sense of security. If everything weren’t going to be okay, why would we have so many dance numbers? Ignore how much runtime is left on the episode.
After Smith and his friends have their beautiful, dance-filled pseudo-coming of age film ending, it’s violently ripped away from them when Flag Sr. reappears and locks him in an inescapable, experimental prison dimension called “Salvation.” The final words of the season are, “this is for Ricky,” in reference to Rick Flag Jr. who Peacemaker killed in “The Suicide Squad” film.
Perhaps that’s on me for hoping. Perhaps, like Smith, I ignored that it was too good to be true because I wanted everything to be okay. That does work as a gut-punch, don’t get me wrong. But, it’s so brutal. It feels unfair.
My bigger issue with the finale is that it tripped and fell into proving its main character’s worst thoughts correct. Smith’s biggest internal struggle is his fear that he is irredeemable, that there is no happiness for him, that he can never be forgiven for his past and he is destined to be alone.
And, he’s right. At least, within the context of the show. The whole season up until now has been about how Smith’s thought patterns are maladaptive and harmful, but then they end up true. He had something good, but due to his past, he cannot keep it. He’s banished to a desolate, empty place all on his own. Just, yikes.
We as audience might be able to recognize the injustice, but within the narrative, Smith’s worst fears are straight-up proved correct. I know this isn’t the last we’ll see of Peacemaker but it was nonetheless a bummer of a note to end on, especially since there are currently no plans for a “Peacemaker” season three. I just hope that at some point in the course of the new DCU, the character who’s devoted himself to peace is able to actually find some.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
