There were people who saw the ‘Peacemaker’ series as a laughable concept when news of it first came out. I suppose there are fewer people laughing now as the HBO Max series has become a certified hit, and used its ef@@@g chance quite well. Already renewed for season two , let’s take a look back at what made ‘Peacemaker’ one of the best series of this young year. Warning THIS REVIEW HAS SPOILERS. If that bothers you, why don’t you take out Judo Master for some chips?
There’s no question now that the opening dance sequence for ‘Peacemaker’ is a major draw to the series. It’s quirky, hilarious, and downright in-your-face. It makes me giddy in aticipation to what James Gunn has planned for season two. Note that being part of the opening credits doesn’t assure you’ll survive season one. In fact, A LOT of the characters in that dance sequence die by season’s end. Though, that opening musical scene is partly what makes ‘Peacemaker’ entertaining from beginning to end credtis.
Part of what makes ‘Peacemaker’ so special is the solid supporting cast from Vigilante to Eagly. Each has their own unique personality quirks that make them very relatable. If we’re talking about flaws, these characters wear them on their sleeves like badges of honor. All these mundane imperfections create a very rich core of character background, and development. Too bad that Murn bites the dust in this season. As for the other characters in Christopher Smith’s team, I expect to see more character development moving on to season two.
One of the more well-written,and most important characters in ‘Peacemaker’ is his father: Auggie Smith aka the White Dragon. Yes, he’s dead by the end of season one, but that doesn’t mean that the character will leave the show. He appears to be haunting Christopher Smith’s mind much like what is done in the comics. The comic books show that Peacemaker regularly converses with his dead father, and it looks like James Gunn is incorporating this in his story moving forward. This just solidifies Peacemaker as full-blown crazy with daddy issues. This is bad for Chris, but good for ‘Peacemaker’ in general since it just provides more layers of storytelling.
Chris’s relationship with his father goes to the core as to why ‘Peacemaker’ is so appealing : Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker is the underdog we can empathize. His morals are questionable, but his intentions are pure. But aren’t we all like that sometimes? Wanting to do the right thing by doing the wrong thing, or worse ending up doing the wrong thing? Chris also brings super heroes from DC lore down to earth with all of his supposed inside information, some of which are proven actually true (like that Aquaman snipe). Granted, these slights mask his insecurties. Then again, that just makes Peacemaker more relatable, and lovable. People love rooting for the underdog especially when they see themselves in the character. In this case, Chris is relatable on so many levels to so many people.
The story flow of ‘Peacemaker’ itself is a great balance of action, violence, sex, comedy, and emotional storytelling. The comedy reflects on the characters themselves, and is balanced out by the emotional beats that each main character is given in the story. Yes, even Emilia Harcourt has her soft, and mushy side too. The effect is that ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t fall into the trap of being one long overextended comedy skit, and balances excellent storytelling with character development. ‘Peacemaker’ doesn’t get tied down by DC lore like another HBO Max show I love. Instead, it adds to the lore, and uses existing lore to its advantage. In particular, there’s this little bit of DC Cinematic Universe lore that it uses quite well.
With the last episode, ‘Peacemaker’ has established that it exists in the same DC Universe as the Justice League, with particular cameos of both Aquaman, and the Flash. More importantly, the Justice League’s appearance late in the story solidifies the importance of Peacemaker in this common universe. The Justice League can’t always be around, and someone has to do the dirty work. This helps in establishing Chris’s place in the super hero order now that the Suicide Squad, and its operations have been outed to world at large.
All in all, ‘Peacemaker’ is a breath of fresh air in a live action genre that has become formulaic for the most part. What ‘Peacemaker’ provides is an alternative storytelling pattern that caters to a much different audience than what has been established by many. The series is not for children, and that’s a good thing. ‘Peacemaker’ can be crass, and offensive to the socio-culturally sensitive. That too is a good thing. In spite of all these, ‘Peacemaker’ expands the boundary on what CAN BE DONE with super hero adaptations. The series dances to its own beat right from the onset, and it works to the benefit of the comic book genre as a whole.
So, if you’re willing to give ‘Peacemaker’ a chance, you’ll be feasting on a storytelling style that is fresh in its damaged goods. ‘Peacemaker’ is now streaming on HBO Max.
Obskura And Then Some 