TL;DR: A wild and weird welcome back to one of the oddest entries into the superhero genre.  

Disclosure: I paid for the HBO Max subscription that viewed this series

Post-Credit Scene: There is an end-credit scene.

Peacemaker Introduction:

Back in 2022, one of the oddest moments in the modern comic era happened: in the midst of all of its serious problems, as the DC Studio was falling apart, film after film, they decided to put out a TV series around one of the less-liked characters from the Suicide Squad films. What made it even odder is that it kind of worked, with a level of charm that managed to undercut its many issues. Well, it may have helped get James Gunn the job in the big chair and changed the direction of a multi-billion-dollar media empire, but after a cameo in Superman, it is time to dive back into Peacemaker.  

So, to set the scene, in the time since the end of the first season of Peacemaker, things have not quite worked out for many of our characters. Many of them had been blacklisted and can’t get work anymore, and Chris Smith/Peacemaker (John Cena) is still working through the trauma of having to kill his very racist and unpleasant father, Auggie (Robert Patrick). But what happens when you are at your lowest and temptation strikes? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

Retcon Time

The first thing I will talk about is the way the show retconned the first season of the show, dragging it kicking and screaming from the DCEU to the DCU. Sure, this is not the first show to retcon something, it wasn’t Sam who saved CJ in the season 1 cliffhanger, but come season 2 … or DS9 making the Ferengi actually enjoyable. However, I have never seen a show go and reshoot parts of the previous season, only so they could reframe things in the ‘previously on Peacemaker’ opening. It was galling and a brilliant way just to rip that band-aid off and lampshade that awkwardness right from the start. We were all going to be talking about it, so you might as well address it. Oh, wait, sorry, I have seen it done before in the Gidget films. Let me know if you are old enough or were forced to watch old movies, and get that reference.

Peacemaker

One area where the first season really shone was in the characters, and this is no different. I honestly felt that Peacemaker had grown up in the time since that first season. Because if he didn’t, the Justice Gang treating him like dirt would not have had the same impact. One of the reasons for this is that John Cena is one of the few wrestler-turned-actors who has the range to do slapstick comedy, caring drama, and have a crash out reaching Mon Mothma in Andor level proportions in the same episode. He throws himself into this role, and it is that commitment that makes this character work as well as it does. It helps you buy into the whole multiverse story, which you need in the modern era when so many other properties are dropping the ball on that front. This also means that Jennifer Holland gets to be in one of the top-10 barroom brawls in cinema.  

Plot Analysis

We got some interesting character moments, a general vibe of where things are going, and a wild surprise reminder that we are on HBO. I think even Game of Thrones might have blushed at one point. But other than that, the rest of the episode is just moving from one set-up to the next. It is not a bad position to be in for the first episode of the season, but you could see the gears grinding a bit in the background. Thankfully, the end of the episode takes everything that has been happening and ratchets it up to 100 when Peacemaker kills Peacemaker in a moment that was both shocking and also let John Cena act his tighty-whities off in two roles at the same time. If nothing else, I am here for the apparent Jared Leto shade the show is dabbling in.  

Conclusion

In the end, do we recommend Peacemaker: The Ties That Grind? Look, this is an episode that goes from pretty tame to ‘oh wow, they got that past the ratings board’ in a jump cut that even The Boys might not have tried, and that means that it is an episode that won’t be for everyone. I do hope they take this promise and run with it, so we can see if lightning can hit the same guy in a metal helmet twice. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go and work out how to categorise all the DC entries in my Cinematic Universes post. Have you seen Peacemaker: The Ties That Grind yet? Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

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Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Peacemaker
Directed by: James Gunn
Written by: James Gunn
Created by: James Gunn
Based On: Characters created by DC
Production/Distribution Companies: The Safran Company, Troll Court Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television & HBO Max
Starring: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, David Denman, Sol Redriguez, Frank Grillo & Robert Patrick with Sean Gunn, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced & Dee Bradley Baker and Dorian Kingi, Brey Noelle, Vince Pisani, Angela Ray, J. Carlos Flores, Elliot Frances Flynn, Klarc Jerome Wilson & Michael Ian Black