By Joshua Tyler
| Published
Peacemaker is back for a second season, and it’s had some of the rough edges sanded off it like a Cracker Barrel rebrand. No one will notice, though, because it contains the most pornographic scene ever shown in any movie or television program not sold primarily at an adult video store.
The intense orgy at Peacemaker’s house is not an important part of the plot; it’s a few minutes of background as we’re getting reacquainted with Chris. Since last we saw him he’s mellowed and become a kinder, gentler person. He’s got a tryout with the Justice Gang (retconned in to replace the Justice League we saw last season), but things aren’t going well.
Chris is lonely, his friends are all down on their luck, and he’s not so much tormented anymore as he is bummed about the past. Peacemaker has become more of a sad puppy dog than the jerk with a heart of gold from the first season.
The show’s new opening dance number reflects Peacemaker season 2’s less risky current tone. Writer-director James Gunn replaced the hard-driving rock bop from season one with a soft rock number. It’s nice, but not as fun.
That same sentiment applies to the rest of season 2 so far. It’s nice, but not as fun.
Peacemaker is such a good character, and John Cena is so good at playing him, that you’ll still enjoy watching. Maybe the rest of the Peacemaker gang will still be fun too, but that wasn’t in evidence in this first episode; they’re all a weaker shadow of their former selves.
Season 2’s plot revolves around a multiverse, the only writing gimmick more worn out and unwelcome than time travel. It feels particularly weak sauce coming from Gunn, a guy with a reputation for thinking further outside the box than the norm.
Does James Gunn still have the fire and the edge necessary to make a show like this, or has he become the head of DC’s productions, and the guy behind Superman sanded off all his edges as well? Time will tell, but if he’s gone soft, I doubt most will notice. Peacemaker has hidden its kinder, more generic approach behind sexual content so extreme it’d make Elizabeth Berkley blush.
PEACEMAKER S2E1 REVIEW SCORE
