Peacemaker Season 1 Review

Overview

I did not know what to expect by this series heading into it other than it’s Peacemaker, it’ll be bloody, action-packed, and it’s John Cena. We first got introduced to Peacemaker back in The Suicide Squad, while we did get some development, this first season of Peacemaker skyrocketed that.

Whilst we did get to see the story after the events of The Suicide Squad, this series which James Gunn did amazing at writing and developing, felt somewhat like a prequel because of the flashbacks and coming to understand this complex character of Peacemaker and his unique and troubled life.

One of the things that I truly loved about this series is that Warner Bros and DC Comics gave James free reign to do anything he wants in this series as we saw countless times throughout the episodes from death scenes, nudity, jokes, and cameos.

I’m going to have to speak and compare the two versions of Peacemaker, the version we got in the Suicide Squad and the one we got in this series. The version in the movie was strict, mission-oriented, and brutal, this was stripped away in parts throughout the episodes.

Peacemaker at times felt belittled, hated, and just made fun of. We got to witness him vulnerable, broken, and downright sad. The relationship between him and his father was nonexistent. All it seemed like was Peacemaker wanting that relationship while his father wanted nothing to do with him because of the death of Peacemaker’s brother while technically, he was at fault.

I’m so glad that this show was so well-received that it became one of the highest-rated DC shows on HBO Max as well as breaking some HBO Max records along the way. If this is what we got in the first season, I can not wait to see what we get in the second season.

Characters

Now, the characters, I have nothing bad to say about any character in this series. Each character that was in this series was great, each member stood out on their own. Peacemaker was the main character. Throughout the series, we got to see this character break down into little emotional bits where we got to see just how bad his life is.

Vigilante played by Freddie Stroma was unexpectedly a great addition not only to the Peacemaker series but to the overall grand state of the DC Extended Universe. His portrayal of Vigilante was second to none. I absolutely loved each scene he was in. I don’t want to fully stamp this but I low-key think he stole the show.

The rest of the squad was rounded out by Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), Murn (Chukwudi Iwuji), and John (Steve Agee) each of these delivered some great performances, especially Jennifer Holland who absolutely delivered a great performance as this hardcase agent.

Next, I want to mention Robert Patrick (Auggie Smith), Annie Cheng (Detective Song), Lochlyn Munro (Detective Fitzgibbon). While these were “side characters”, they gave such a good performance that I even gave Annie Cheng props for it.

Standout Character

This may or may not be a controversial decision but I think my standout character would have Adrian Chase aka Vigilante. As previously mentioned above, he stole the show. His comedic side which countered his “vigilante” side of things. He was also a key figure of a “ride-or-die” friend, he literally went to prison to kill Peacemaker’s father for him.

Favourite Episode

I think my favorite episode would definitely be the finale. I just think the finale absolutely shocked me in more ways than one. Firstly, the action was top-notch. I was literally entertained fully to the point I was forgetting to write stuff down for the review.

Worst Episode

For me, episode 4 was the “worst”. I put worst in quotations because it was a great episode and I had fun watching it. For me, this episode is just for some not on the level as the previous and the rest of the season. As I said, I enjoyed it but it didn’t have the same energy.

Episodes & Their Ratings

Episode 1: A Whole New Whirled – 9/10
Episode 2: Best Friends, For Never – 8.8/10
Episode 3: Better Goff Dead – 9.6/10
Episode 4: The Choad Less Traveled – 8.8/10
Episode 5: Monkey Dory – 9.6/10
Episode 6: Murn After Reading – 9.8/10
Episode 7: Stop Dragon My Heart Around – 9.6/10
Episode 8: It’s Cow or Never – 9.8/10

Average rating – 9.4/10

Our Overall Rating 9.2/10

Honestly, I did not know what to expect going into this show. Without knowing what to expect, this show, James Gunn, John Cena, and the cast just absolutely blew my mind. I literally had no issue with the series, even with the abundance of NSFW jokes. It just worked.

Does It Deserve Another Season?

Since it’s been dubbed the “best DC show” on Rotten Tomatoes, this definitely deserved a second season and maybe even a few more seasons.

Availability

You can find the Peacemaker series on HBO Max. You can see more by clicking here.

Trailer