The last episode of Season 2 of Peacemaker has been available for over a week now, and it hasn’t received a great reception, scoring a meager 6.7/10 on IMDb. However, I did find it a satisfying end to the story set up this Season, although it may not have been the best finale.
The biggest complaint surrounding Episode 8 was that it wasn’t really a big and bombastic ending to the Season. Still, I thought that was okay because Episode 7 definitely delivered on that front. That Episode also managed to serve as a good resolution to the Nazi Earth plotline. I thought that it was very nuanced how Peacemaker’s alternate universe dad ended up being a decent and reasonable man, when it seemed sure that he’d just be a one-dimensional villain. One final thing from that episode that stood out to me was how brutal and brief the final confrontation with Peacemaker’s brother, Keith, was. That fight really helped set this show apart from other superhero properties, which usually go for something more bloodless and drawn out.
Episode 8, the final episode, was much more character-driven rather than plot-focused. I liked how this gave the feeling that the world doesn’t revolve around the main characters, and it can still move on without them. Talking about all of the ways that this show is different from other superhero stuff is getting a bit tired at this point, but it still impresses me how I don’t think I could imagine a season of any other superhero show ending in this way. The only real action-y elements were at the beginning of the Episode, while the rest was mostly just characters interacting with each other. This show really shines with its character dynamics, so I thought that this was a great choice on how to end the series. While James Gunn has said that there won’t be another season, I’m sure that there will be some sort of “Checkmate” series in the future, and I’ll be excited for it whenever that materializes.
While I did overall like Episode 8, I hated the final moments. Ending the show with the intro song playing in a montage of the main cast setting up their new company, Checkmate, would have been the perfect feel-good send-off to the series. However, having Peacemaker captured and then sent to a prison dimension just left me scratching my head. It was odd for the show to build up to him reconnecting with his friends, just to take him from them with little fanfare in the last few moments. Ultimately, this just felt like the generic “superhero sequel setup” that I feel like this show should be above.
I probably would say that I like Season One more than Season Two. The first Season just felt more cohesive, and I liked how it was more self-contained. I don’t necessarily think that Season Two being more directionless and tying into a larger universe is a bad thing. Those two aspects resulted in some of the Season’s highlights, like Peacemaker’s Justice gang Interview, or the Eagly subplot. However, the execution wasn’t perfect, and it just felt meandering at points.
Overall, Peacemaker Season 2 was well worth my time, even if I found its last few minutes to be somewhat disappointing. Whether it be as the lead of a new show or as a side character in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow, I will definitely be anxiously awaiting John Cena’s return to his role as Peacemaker.
