Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Peacemaker season 2, episode 8.I’m mixed on that Peacemaker season 2 finale, but it is undeniable that it sets up exciting things for the new DC Universe. Episode 7 did a great job of setting up the finale. It gave Rick Flag Sr. what he wanted all along: Peacemaker behind bars and access to the QUC.
In the season 2 finale, we finally learn about Flag’s endgame. What I did not expect was that it would include such a cartoonish villain descent for the character. Nor for the rest of Peacemaker‘s characters, this finale was about emotional payoff. Superhero action sequences were cast aside, with character growth taking center stage.
All told, said Peacemaker season 2 finale makes for one of its most emotionally charged episodes. It accomplishes what this season set out to do, which was to dive deeper into the characters and their relationships. However, it works less as a finale and better as a standalone episode in the season.
Rick Flag’s Villain Turn Could Have Been Handled Better
Frank Grillo has played Rick Flag Sr. in all three of the DCU’s projects so far, all written and directed by James Gunn. As such, we can clearly see the similarities and differences in how the character is portrayed in every project he’s been in. Sadly, Flag’s villainous turn in Peacemaker feels starkly different from how the character behaved in Creature Commandos and Superman.
In the former, he was the leader of a team, trying to save the world. In the latter, he actively went against Lex Luthor’s plans for Superman and other metahumans to be imprisoned in a pocket dimension. In Peacemaker‘s season 2 finale, he revives Luthor’s plans, sending agents to be slaughtered trying to find Salvation, his new prison world.
Was the Justice Gang’s interference with the Boravian army really enough to change him?
Talk about a character turn. While we’ve watched Flag lose his temper around Peacemaker, the character unexpectedly and so easily became friends with Lex Luthor and his team. Flag laughing with Lex’s team for an extended period of time as they search for Salvation is a particularly cartoonish sequence, and one that felt out of place.
While I don’t think it’s out of character for Flag to leave Peacemaker in Salvation as a test run for his new prison, the fact that Grillo’s character would even decide to spearhead such a project after being against something similar in Superman is confusing. Was the Justice Gang’s interference with the Boravian army really enough to change him?
Superhero Action Makes Way For Emotional Conversations
Those waiting for a huge final fight or something of the sort will be disappointed by that Peacemaker season 2 finale. Instead, the series opts for more emotional material, giving closure to storylines that had been set up throughout the season. There are positive and negative elements to that decision. On the latter note, Peacemaker fell short of expectations.
Not every superhero project needs non-stop action. However, Peacemaker’s brother, Keith, was set up to come after him for revenge at the end of episode 7, only for him and Earth-X not to factor into the finale at all, which was disappointing. With Gunn revealing there are no plans for Peacemaker season 3, that full point might never return.
The 11th Street Kids telling Peacemaker he was loved was the most poignant moment in the show.
The show had hits and misses this season, but Leota Adebayo realizing that she had to let Keeya go because they wanted different things was extremely emotional. Danielle Brooks’s acting in that scene left me misty-eyed. It was powerful stuff. Likewise, the 11th Street Kids telling Peacemaker he was loved was the most poignant moment in the show.
Peacemaker and Harcourt’s relationship was at the core of season 2. As such, I’m happy the finale finally showed what happened between them on the boat, and seeing their date night and eventual kiss was heartwarming. Harcourt and Chris’s chemistry was sizzling, and her reveal that the kiss meant “everything“to her was a nice ending to the storyline.
Peacemaker Season 2 Sets Up The Future Of The DCU
Gunn establishes two major elements for the future of the DC Universe. The franchise now has another team from the comics, Checkmate, and after seeing all the issues that arose with Rick Flag and ARGUS throughout the season, I’m proud of Peacemaker and his friends for starting their own agency. A Checkmate spinoff would be an interesting expansion for the DCU.
The 11th Street Kids brought in Fleury, Bordeaux, and Judomaster. While they were on opposite sides at first, the characters united over their realization that what ARGUS was doing with Salvation was wrong. I’m looking forward to more hilarious scenes with Fleury and Judomaster, as well as how Bordeaux can now connect to Batman like in the comics.
With Peacemaker now the first prisoner in Salvation and Lex Luthor working closely with Rick Flag on the prison, I’m sure we will see John Cena return in the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. After Peacemaker‘s two seasons took Chris from a misguided killer with deep trauma to a full-on hero with healthy relationships, Peacemaker is ready for a major movie role.
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