I Was Not Prepared For THAT DC Character To Appear
Warning! This review contains SPOILERS for Peacemaker season 2, episode 3.Peacemaker‘s latest episode is one I have been waiting for a long time, as it brings back one of my favorite characters from the old DCEU movie franchise. It is well known that the last DC live-action shared universe had its fair share of issues. However, I’m of the mind that it did have a few bright spots.
Peacemaker is proof of that, as the show originated in the DCEU before moving over with season 2 for the DCU’s Chapter One as James Gunn and Peter Safran build the next decade of DC releases. Episode 2 did a nice job of setting up a deeper dive into the DCU interdimensional storyline. Peacemaker season 2, episode 2’s ending featured a major choice.
John Cena’s Peacemaker chose to pursue the alternate universe’s Emilia Harcourt, going to her dimension, after being turned down yet again by the DCU version of Jennifer Holland’s character. I was excited to see how Peacemaker pretending to be his alternate self, whom he accidentally killed, would pan out. The result is as expected: a delightful mess with many thrills.
Rick Flag Returns In Two Different Ways
There is no way to talk about episode 3 without addressing the elephant in the room. Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag is back! Well, kind of. While he remains dead in the main DCU timeline, we get a flashback that explains a lot, as well as the alternate universe version of the character. Both uses of Rick Flag connect to Harcourt.
Peacemaker season 2’s decision to flash back to 3 years ago, revealing that Harcourt and Flag were romantically linked before his death in James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, is illuminating. That is why Harcourt can never truly make peace with Cena’s character. Flag was talking about leaving the Enchantress for her, but Peacemaker killed him before he had the chance.
While the DC series has nicely developed Peacemaker, I still have a hard time with Flag’s death. So does Harcourt. That’s why the alternate universe looks so enticing right now, as it offers a way for Peacemaker to be with a version of Emilia not impacted by The Suicide Squad‘s events.
After all, the alternate universe’s version of Rick Flag is alive and well. From the start, I imagined the show would go in that direction with the character. There is the fact that Frank Grillo’s Rick Flag Sr. plays a major role in Peacemaker season 2, so having a way for him to interact with his son feels natural.
Peacemaker Gets Violent Again
While Rick Flag’s return is the biggest talking point of episode 3, Peacemaker‘s exploration of the alternate universe also led to an exciting action sequence and a heartfelt conversation with Harcourt. Their date of sorts made it sound a lot like his alternate self was closer to his old, annoying persona rather than the improved version of the character after season 1.
There could be a future for Harcourt and the DCU Peacemaker if he stays in this universe. So far, the series is all about giving Chris reasons why being in this alternate universe is better for him. However, I’m not sure it can be as pitch-perfect as it seems.
While we wait for the other shoe to drop, Peacemaker delivers a thrilling action sequence to go with the interdimensional exploration. While Cena has great dramatic and comedic range, his background in the WWE helps sell Peacemaker’s violent feats.
The show continues to remind us of its TV-MA status, and Peacemaker violently dispatching a group of criminals to stop bombs from going off falls in line with that. Episode 3 ends Peacemaker‘s latest chapter with the character feeling on top of the world. Will this last forever? Doubtful, but episode 4 will definitively answer it next week.
New episodes of Peacemaker season 2 release every Thursday at 9pm ET on HBO Max.
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