After watching The Suicide Squad last year, I wasn’t sure I would care about a show all about the least interesting of the main characters… but given his own show, Peacemaker became something much more. John Cena really put everything he could into this role, but the show called for it. No spoilers!
Peacemaker is a Great Show, but not for Everyone
If you couldn’t handle the gore, brutality, and themes in The Suicide Squad (2021), don’t watch Peacemaker. Sure, it’s a little more tame, especially after the second episode ends, but not by too much. It’s absolutely TV-MA and shouldn’t be rated any lower, and some people should avoid the show based on some themes in it, but it’s great otherwise. Check it out on HBOMax
It’s the unusual journey of Peacemaker changing just about every fundamental aspect of his character as it was in the movie. By the end, he’s a truly changed man. That’s not spoilery to say, right? Just, in overall feel, his character development is much more comprehensive and profound than I would have thought. While Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is my favorite Marvel Studios movie (same director) I wasn’t sure James Gunn could pull off something that well again. He did! A lot of characters went through growth and development.
Peacemaker’s Tone
If you’ve seen The Suicide Squad, the tone is much the same in the Peacemaker show. It can be suddenly brutal, witty, gruesome, unexpected, colorful, childish, and mature. While the name of the game for The Suicide Squad is “Don’t get Attached to Anyone,” a major goal for the Peacemaker show is to get attached. The characters get attached to each other, and it’s hard not to get attached to them. It’s more worthwhile to spend some time getting emotionally invested because the constant threat of character death is dialed back a bit.
You might shed a few tears. I didn’t actually cry at all, but there were times that I got close. Cena’s acting is over-the-top, but it’s what the show calls for. It’s like seeing Mr. T in Rocky III. It seems way out of place and too farfetched at first, but somehow it works. Even when Peacemaker sits down and plays piano alone in an empty room, his arc has progressed enough to where it fits. Don’t think there isn’t comedy though. Be prepared for some crude jokes mixed in among more genuine moments of humor.
Rating Peacemaker
I wasn’t blogging enough way back when to give The Suicide Squad a rating, but it’s a 7 out of 10 the way I see it. Peacemaker is better though, easily securing an 8 out of 10. I wouldn’t give it a 9 because I feel like a few other characters should have changed with Peacemaker, and it gets preachy at unexpected times. A certain surprise near the end felt really out-of-place, but not unexpected. Overall, it’s worth the watch, especially at a trim 8 episodes. There’s a second season coming too! *Insert show’s theme song here*
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