REVIEW: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 - Episode 2 Reveals Two Sides Of The Same Coin
- Christopher Mills
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Last week, we got the return of Peacemaker, the continuation of the DCU James Gunn has envisioned. It was an episode that washed away the worries of how it would continue with the plot points that started in films/shows originally made for the DCEU. It was quite simple; the DCU is just a timeline where certain events may have played out differently than we remembered.
The first episode took a slower approach to the storytelling, which fits the overall tone of this second season and takes a more focused look at the dilemmas the 11th Street Kids find themselves facing after the conclusion of the first season. The end of last week’s episode brought tragedy upon Chris (John Cena) as he accidentally killed his Earth-2 self; we now find him reeling in the aftermath of this trauma, which only adds to the heavy burden that has been dragging him down.
There was a lack of Adrian/Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) last week, which left his fans slightly disappointed, but he has a larger presence as he’s reunited with Chris to help aid him in disposing of Earth-2 Chris’s body. It’s harrowing seeing somebody like Chris, who has killed so many people, feel haunted and disgusted by his recent act. There’s a struggle as Chris tries to chop the body into parts, with him vomiting every now and then. Thankfully, Adrian is here to help his best friend, which starts to bring in the humour to this dark moment, highlighting the contrast between the two characters as Adrian has the time of his life spending quality time with his best friend while Chris tries to get through a moment that will forever be ingrained into his brain.
Adrian thrives in the chaotic incident that now haunts Chris’s every movement, but what this scene perfectly nails is that Adrian only cares to spend time with Chris. Last episode, we heard him ask about Chris and how we got him complaining about not being invited to that shocking orgy. Not because he loves sex but because sex is an opportunity for him to bond with his best friend. There’s a lot of story to tell with Adrien’s personality and how he connects with people, and Freddie Stroma does an excellent job of portraying this character, so there’s only hope that James Gunn doesn’t leave Adrian in the dust in a season that is more focused on the feelings of our characters.
While Adrian is happy to be there for Chris, he’s not the answer that he’s looking for. If your life was crumbling apart before your very own eyes, you’d also be tempted to go over to the alternate reality where everything seems to be perfect so far. It’s an upsetting story that we’re following with Chris because while he may find his answers in this alternate reality, it doesn’t fix the relationships in his reality and will likely make it harder for him.
This week’s episode opens up with a flashback, and we see Economos (Steve Agee) showing Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) to his new office, as he has been appointed the acting director of A.R.G.U.S. after Amanda Waller’s little incident. His first command on the job is to finally see the classified documents that involve his son’s death. With flashbacks to the horrific moment as he reads through the files, we finally get to understand the bigger picture of where Rick Flag Sr.’s priority lies.
Rick Flag Sr. and Chris are two sides of the same coin. They’re both being haunted by a past that’s weighing them down and taking charge of their entire life. Chris is struggling to see how his choices affect the people around him, and Rick Flag Sr. is putting A.R.G.U.S. at risk by using their resources in his vendetta to get revenge against Chris.
There’s more on Economos in this episode, as he’s been assigned a partner to watch over him, Agent Langston Fleury, as Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodriguez) and Rick Flag Sr. worry about his allegiance with Chris. Thanks to Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Chris is made aware that he’s being monitored thanks to his Quantum Unfolding Chamber but unfortunately isn’t aware of how. The 11th Street Kids reunite for a rooftop party later in the episode, for which Sasha Bordeaux takes precautions to ensure that Chris will be attending so that she can send Fleury and some agents to investigate the Quantum Unfolding Chamber.
If you thought it was a lot of fun watching Krypto be chaotic, then you need to make way for Eagly. He’s not just here for pure comedic effect like he was in the first season; he’s become a supporting character who gets an entire action sequence to himself where he kicks complete bird ass. He’s his own character, and we finally get to see him in complete control of the situation.
Peacemaker Season 2 might continue to provide a lack of action with the characters we truly love, such as Peacemaker himself or Vigilante, but Eagly brings that action that we yearn for and is a welcome addition compared to the last season. Peacemaker Season 2 shines some light on Adebayo and her relationship with Keeya, but it feels like a water drop in comparison to everything else taking place. With Vigilante, there’s some relevance to his issues, similar to Harcourt and Economos, but Adebayo’s storyline doesn’t match in comparison, although Danielle Brooks brings a warm feeling to the show with her relationship with Chris.
Last week’s episode would’ve benefitted from a double premiere episode alongside this to help with the slowness of the first, but as an individual release, this episode continues to excel in keeping its storyline grounded and focused, although there’s still time for everything to go haywire once we step further into that alternate reality.
Rating: ★★★★☆
About Peacemaker Season 2
Premiere Date:Â August 21, 2025
Episode Count:Â 8
Executive Producer/Showrunner: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Director: James Gunn, Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, Althea Jones
Production:Â DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company
Distribution:Â HBO Max
Cast:Â John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, Freddie Stroma, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, Frank Grillo, David Denman, Sol Rodriguez, Tim Meadows
Synopsis: In season 2, Peacemaker discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.