‘Peacemaker’ season 2, episode 1 recap: second chances
We find Peacemaker and Task Force X grappling with the reality of life after their Project Butterfly victory
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AFTER THE SUCCESS of Superman, DC has swiftly supplemented that with the new season of Peacemaker.
The hit series is back this week as it follows John Cena’s Peacemaker pursuing a second chance of sorts. But after the events of season one, his other comrades aren’t doing so well. As we unpack the season two premiere, we encounter a scattered Task Force X, a group of disillusioned delinquents as they seek out a new purpose.
Below, we recap the happenings of our DC motley crew.
Read our review on Peacemaker season two here.
The new Blue Dragon
It’s the middle of the night in the fictional town of Evergreen, Washington, and Eagley needs to go for a piss. The domesticated predator wakes up his master, Christopher ‘Peacemaker’ Smith (ever the Wonder Bread of names), only to realise the heavy snow falling outside. Instead of bracing the cold, Peacemaker leaves bed in nothing but a black T-shirt and white jocks, and walks to his handy pocket dimension to let Eagley relieve himself.
Picking up six months after the events of season one, Peacemaker is still in possession of his father’s (aka the White Dragon) pocket dimension in their family home. Letting his pet bird off the leash to stretch out his wings in the expansive room, he notices Eagely has been gone for a while. There are thousands upon thousands of doors, but the bird has been eagerly scratching at a particular one. Inside, Peacemaker finds himself in a masculine study, with one wall decorated with trophies, medals, a giant key to the city, and newspaper clippings.
As one headline reads from the Evergreen Sentinel: “The Top Trio Does Again”. Beneath it, a photo of Peacemaker in costume, the blue dragon and an as yet unidentifiable hero, posing in victory. Peacemaker hears a familiar voice in the hallway. “You okay, pal? You sleepwalking again?” Lo and behold it’s Peacemaker’s father, Auggie Smith, who lives in this alternate reality. Startled by seeing a ‘ghost’, Peacemaker runs back and shuts the door behind him.
New characters and song in the title sequence, explained
With the new season comes a revised title sequence and a new song choice. Set to the 2010 rock banger ‘Oh Lord’ by Foxy Shazam, it opens with Peacemaker and Task Force X performing the same cheesy but tonally appropriate choreography. In comes the federal agency handlers from the new A.R.G.U.S. administration led by Rick Flag Sr.
The last team to appear are three familiar faces from the alternate universe. An Emilia with straight hair wearing a pleated skirt and an orange silk top, dancing alongside the Blue Dragon and the aforementioned unknown hero. The new Blue Dragon reveals himself: it’s, of course, Auggie Smith. And given the alternate universe, it leaves little doubt that the unnamed hero is Keith Smith, Peacemaker’s older brother, whom he killed by accident as a child in his universe.
Six months later . . .
Picking up six months after the events of season one, Peacemaker and Task Force X are free agents. After their victory in Project Butterfly, the motley crew has had an abundance of time on their hands. Leota, for instance, is starting her freelance security consulting agency. As she picks up Peacemaker to drive him to his Justice League audition, she flashes him her new business card, featuring an illustration of a, in Peacemaker’s words, “gaunt” silhouette.
Anyway, we’re back to the familiar comedic rhythms that made the first season such a hit three and a half years ago. Peacemaker, on the other hand, wants to be taken seriously as a lunchbox-worthy superhero. Leota and Peacemaker arrive at the audition venue – a dingy, closed-down toy store – as they watch a woman in a Halloween bunny costume run away in tears. If such an attractive woman was turned away by the Justice League, Peacemaker thinks his chances are slim.
Peacemaker’s Justice Gang audition
On the judging panel, we have Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Maxwell Lord, whose company, LordTech, finances the Justice Gang. These cameos will only make sense if you watched James Gunn’s Superman. (Trivia: Lord is played by Sean Gunn, James’ brother and who also starred as Kraglin in Guardians of the Galaxy. Seems like two Gunns defected to DC.)
“Do you prefer to be called Peacemaker or Chris?” Lord asks. “Either is fine”, the himbo hero says. “The mic is off?” asks Hawkgirl. Turns out it’s not. “Mark that down as indecisive,” says Lord. A volley of turning Peacemaker’s answers against him ensues.
What can you bring to the Justice Gang? “Besides blowing dudes,” says Green Lantern.
“I’m a fine marksman,” says Peacemaker, pushing through. “So he kills people, write that down.”
“I’m proficient in hand-to-hand combat.” = “Volatile tendencies.”
My personal favourite: “Lately, I’ve been coming to terms with the trauma I’ve had as a kid,” Peacemaker says earnestly. “Is the popcorn still here?” says Hawkgirl in a yawn.
It’s now obvious to Peacemaker why the candidate before him left in such a state. But due to his legal records, detailing charges of first-degree murder and dozens more, the audition was doomed from the start. As Lord says, given the Metahumans’ growing unpopularity after incidents like the one in Superman, they’re trying to avoid casualties.
Emilia goes to therapy
Across town, Emilia, Peacemaker’s on-and-off girlfriend, is seeing a therapist. The former federal handler, who was trained as an assassin, has been blackbooked by Amanda Waller after her fall from grace with A.R.G.U.S. And after Project Butterfly, Emilia doesn’t have an outlet to express her lethal skills, leading to her referral to see a psychologist about supposed “anger management issues”. The diagnosis: toxic masculinity. Huh? She tells this to Peacemaker, who’s also racking his brain around finding a new purpose. But two lost souls aren’t productive and the two fight. Later that night, Emilia heads to a bar looking for trouble.
The new A.R.G.U.S. administration
Since Amanda Waller has been M.I.A. after her impeachment as A.R.G.U.S. director in The Suicide Squad sequel, the intelligence agency has a new head in Rick Flag Sr. You’d recognise him if you watched Superman, where he was in cahoots with Lex Luthor and his plans for martial law and arresting Superman. Now, his new agenda at the agency is to keep a closer eye on Metahumans, particularly on Peacemaker, who shot his son, Rick Flag Jr, point-blank at the end of The Suicide Squad.
He orders John Economos to surveil Peacemaker from outside his house in a van. In season one, Economos was part of the original federal handlers looking after Task Force X, eventually joining the anti-heroes in their fight against the alien parasitic butterflies. He’s a bit disillusioned with the institution; he doesn’t want to creepily watch his friend from his van. But his alarms go off as Peacemaker’s heat signature leaves the house – more on that soon.
Vigilante’s new gig
Out of all the characters, Vigilante seems to be having an alright time. As Peacemaker’s best friend, the Deadpool-adjacent hero has a new job flipping burgers at a fast food joint. As he takes a break to call Economos during his surveillance shifts, Vigilante’s manager comes out, wondering why the hell he’s on the phone on shift. Season two seems poised to grapple with more trauma bonding and psychological unpacking, but at least we’ll have Vigilante to lighten the mood.
Peacemaker hosts an orgy
Obviously, we won’t have an image to illustrate this section, you perverts.
Anyway, it’s Economos’ misfortune to have to watch his friend convalesce by hosting an orgy. Peacemaker had a rough day: he was turned away from the Justice Gang, and he had a fight with his girlfriend. Smoking some weed and snorting some coke to ease the pain, he’s under the influence as he heads back into his pocket dimension.
Wandering back into that same door from the start of the episode, ‘Dreamer’ by Foxy Shazam playing overhead, we see the scale of the house: his family is financially better off living in a shingled house in this alternate reality. Still lost in his senses, the bright lights of a Ford ute blind him as it pulls into the driveway, revealing his older brother, Keith, as he comes out of the car. “You smell like a distillery,” Keith says, “You out with the boys?” “The three amigos are together again. I believe that calls for a celebration,” their father adds in.
Peacemaker kills himself . . . sort of
Back in the study, the father and sons share a glass of whisky as they reminisce on their past adventures with this universe’s Peacemaker. Still in shock and not catching on to the inside jokes and anecdotes, their father retires for the night when Peacemaker pulls his brother in, telling him he loves him. “Get out of here, you drunk asshole,” Keith says with a drunk laugh.
Wandering around the house, observing this alternate idyllic existence, Peacemaker finds his childhood bedroom with framed photographs decorated throughout. He picks one up: he and Emilia are in a happy relationship. The Peacemaker of this universe finds his doppelganger standing over the photos as he pulls a gun on him. Strangely, they have identical uniforms.
This Peacemaker seems like a better fighter, getting punches and cuts into our Peacemaker. The fight continues into the pocket universe, and our Peacemaker seems near defeated, with blood splattering from his mouth. But in a moment of sheer dumb luck, our Peacemaker hits his doppelganger’s flight mode button, sending him straight into a sharp spire hanging from the ceiling. At once unnerved and elated, how can he not take over from his alternate self?
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