Streaming on: Sky Max / NOW
Episodes viewed: 8 of 8
Though he was a key component in The Suicide Squad, there was real cause to wonder just what James Gunn was thinking when he decided to spin off an entire show around the muscle-bound, peace-through-any-means lunkhead brought to the screens by John Cena. Turns out, we should all have simply trusted in Gunn’s ability to spin gold from troubled, lethal nuisance.
Peeling back the layers to peek into Peacemaker’s conflicted, daddy-issue-laden heart, the writer/director (along with fellow filmmakers Brad Anderson, Jody Hill and Rosemary Rodriguez), digs into why he is the man he is today. A big part of that is his father, Auggie Smith (a frosty, sweary Robert Patrick), who raised Chris and his older brother among white supremacists and deep state conspiracy theorists, constantly demeaning his youngest son. This is no simple character study of a damaged soul; it’s both hilarious and heart-breaking, Peacemaker given to dancing in his tighty-whiteys to Swedish metal and dark nights of the soul about his own heinous behaviour. Cena leans into every tone, able to sell the action while putting in a vanity-free performance that, almost against our will, has us rooting for the character to find some measure of peace (just not through murdering everyone in his way).
It may have taken its sweet time making it to these shores, but Peacemaker is certainly worth the wait.
For his closest pal, meanwhile, Gunn and the VFX wizards have whipped up a Baby Yoda-level meme factory in Eagly, a quirky, thinks-he’s-human bald eagle with a passion for possums, hugs and squawking his mind. Yet don’t go thinking it’s simply Cena and Eagly’s show — eight episodes means that Gunn spreads the wealth around, every character explored and handed moments in which to shine. Danielle Brooks’ Leota Adebayo is the nervous, second beating heart of the series, flourishing amongst this mismatched group. Jennifer Holland’s Emilia Harcourt steps out from behind The Suicide Squad’s consoles to show off a kick-ass side, cynical and sarcastic until she finds some respect for her colleagues. Similarly, Steve Agee’s tech geek John Economos, constantly the butt of jokes, ends up saving the day more than once. Team leader Clemson Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji) is the stoic sort, with hidden layers who resists any mystery man tropes. Finally, there’s Vigilante (Freddie Stroma), a wildly inappropriate doofus who is morality-free and constantly wrong about everything, but powers his own share of the laughs.
Peacemaker shouldn’t really be a surprise for those who trust in Gunn, but even with his talents, it’s an impressive achievement that a show built entirely around this character is quite as good as it is. It may have taken its sweet time making it to these shores, but Peacemaker is certainly worth the wait.
