Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: John Cena, Jennifer Holland, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, Dee Bradley Baker, Robert Patrick, Lochlyn Munro, Nhut Le, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodriguez, Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, Tim Meadows, Brandon Stanley, David Denman, Reinaldo Faberlle, Michael Rooker, Dorian Kingi, Sean Gunn, Taylor St. Clair, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Mercad.
The second series of Peacemaker felt as if it was never coming, in amongst the turmoil of reorganisation and change at the now ended DCEU and its already established DC Universe fronted by James Gunn and Peter Safran, the only regular returnees are those which inhabit the world that surrounds Christopher Smith and the survivors of Project Butterfly.
The action-comedy series, a spin off from the 2021 film Suicide Squad was a welcome relief to the fans of the live action adaptations of comic books and graphic novels, one that allowed the absurd to flourish but without overstepping the genuine care placed upon its creative soul. That care has followed through with pleasure, and it is to be said that the character of Peacemaker/Christopher Smith gives John Cena his most recognisable role to date, one that utilises his prowess as a former wrestler, but also allows him to send up his robot like steady persona and give the audience a huge crush of love in which to take him to their hearts.
The second series though does suffer a slight fall, nothing serious, but one that is noticeable from the high of the previous encounter, and whilst the scenes in the alternate universe which capture the terrifying reality of a world where America is not a democracy but a race hating country masked by a sense of goodness are played with sincerity and the truth of the lack of awareness in Peacemaker’s vision, the sense of inevitable descent into a world devoid of diversity as it embraces conformity of unprogressively whiteness is one of shuddering, jarring brutality; it is to the moping nature of will they/won’t they in the personal relationship of Smith and the excellent Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt that dents the braveness of the piece in full.
This is not to knock the idea of love, the ambition of exploring relationships, but in one short series where Robert Patrick’s Auggie Smith, as well as Chris’ brother Keith are learned to be alive, the sense of a deeply personal relationship being pursued at such a time feels forced, affected in the television compulsory addiction to the belief that everything must be shrouded in sex or the appearance of it.
An excellent addition to the series though is that of Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr., the gruff ferocity that he bought to the screens in The Avengers films as Agent Rumlow is given free range to develop in the sense of personal anger and secretive agendas, such an adversity is necessary to a series committed to bringing out the essence of the enemy within, and whilst the character never shy’s away from his distaste for the titular character, his willingness to work with the anti-metahuman criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor, is a cunning use of imagination and story-telling.
A return many thought may pass by without ceremony, a pleasure to witness a remarkable series grit its teeth and stand by its reputation with as much pride as possible. Peacemaker is a natural action-comedy which deserves a third series. Ian D. Hall