Peacemaker Season 2 Finale Review: 11th Street Kids for Life

Peacemaker season 2 closes the red velvet curtains with a supersized finale that’s heavier on character development and lighter on the action. This might be the series finale of this show as we know it, meaning the next chapter of this story could be reworked into something new, especially as the focus shifts from Peacemaker, AKA Chris Smith, to the 11th Street Kids at large.

Season 2 episode 8, “Full Nelson,” zeroes in on our core crew and helps them find emotional closure while mapping out a direction for the DCU. James Gunn fleshes out these characters so fully while strengthening their bond. It’s hard not to fall head over heels for the 11th Street Kids. They’re beyond lovable and relatable.

---

Don’t Rock the Boat

Peacemaker has been hinting at the enigma that is the boat all season. What happened on that damn boat? Why is it so important to Chris? Well, in “Full Nelson,” we finally get much-needed context regarding that event. The episode opens with a flashback taking place shortly after Adebayo went on TV to reveal Project Butterfly and Task Force X to the world.

Chris and Harcourt bond at Big Belly Burger (an establishment from DC comics that’s a subsidiary of LexCorp) before watching the band Nelson perform for a rock cruise. As we learn later in the episode, they shared their first kiss. It’s one of the magical, world-shattering, panoramic kisses that mark a pivotal turning point for these characters and their relationship.

Cracked Open

However, Harcourt breaks away and excuses herself, leaving a heartbroken Chris in her wake. It’s a beautifully shot, simple yet potent scene that yields a lot of narrative payoff. We knew Chris and Harcourt liked each other, but Harcourt has spent all season in denial. She’s built herself into a weapon capable of defending herself. Those walls around Harcourt protect her, preventing her from suffering heartbreak. Cracking herself open for someone is a recipe for disaster in her eyes.

There’s a moment prior to the boat in which Chris defuses an escalating situation between Harcourt and a catcalling man. Chris persuades Harcourt not to react with violence. If anything, this is a compelling meditation on the rampant misogyny women face daily. While Chris certainly isn’t Harcourt’s knight in shining armor – she, of all people, doesn’t need that – he convinces her that it’s okay to lower her fists. Not every slight requires a violent response. We can pick and choose our fights for our peace of mind.

Thankfully, Harcourt admits to Chris later in “Full Nelson” that the kiss on the boat meant the world to her. Before Rick Flag Sr. kidnaps Chris, we see them on an official date at a Foxy Shazam concert. But this is James Gunn – happiness and heartbreak go hand-in-hand.

---

Strange New Worlds

Peacemaker season 2 goes Star Trek: Strange New Worlds by sending Harcourt, Fleury, Bordeaux, Judomaster, and more A.R.G.U.S. agents into Chris’s Quantum Unfolding Chamber to explore the hundreds of doors to other universes therein. Why? Rick Flag Sr. still has a vendetta to carry out. Chris murdering his son is quite the albatross around his neck. He initially masks this in the name of finding resources to bolster humanity. As Harcourt tells Economos, they must find a habitable, breathable planet with food and water sources.

Our crew encounters some new universes, including Candyland (not to be confused with the game Candy Land), AKA the Fifth Dimension, home of the Imps (and, in the comics, Superman foe Mr. Mxyzptlk). In true James Gunn fashion, these cute critters are quite deadly. When you kill them, though, they explode in a flurry of glitter and blood, even making a “shimmer” sound upon impact. It’s reminiscent of the flower fight sequence featuring Harley Quinn in The Suicide Squad.

A.R.G.U.S. Gathers Data

There’s also a zombie world, which Bordeaux narrowly escapes. Another universe has an apocalyptic feel with giant skull spiders (maybe related to Brainiac?). Yet another door opens to the vastness of space, through which Judomaster almost floats away.

Unfortunately, each new world explored puts the A.R.G.U.S. agents at risk. During one montage, the formidable creatures encountered in these universes kill off members of the exploration team. As Harcourt and the survivors return to Lex Luthor’s communications hub while dragging the lifeless body of one of their own, Rick Flag Sr. laughs with his cohorts, celebrating the research they’re accruing. He tells Sydney Happersen (Lex’s tech genius from Superman) that their plan will come to fruition. How ominous.

His scenes of joy juxtaposed with the trauma the A.R.G.U.S. agents endure speak to how those in power find us peons expendable. They don’t care about our livelihoods, only that we’re contributing to their vision.

---

Emotional Beats

“Full Nelson” really knocks it out of the park in terms of character work. It’s a character-driven piece, to be sure. There’s a ton of emotional heft, and that’s what propels the narrative – not action-heavy sequences. I’ve noticed mixed reactions to this online, with some claiming that “nothing” happened in the season finale. I wholeheartedly disagree. Our 11th Street Kids get much-earned emotional resolutions to their respective arcs. There are two concert scenes, yes, featuring Nelson and Foxy Shazam.

However, Gunn ensures that these musical moments move the story forward. For example, the Nelson concert features Chris and Harcourt’s first kiss. The Foxy Shazam concert is a montage, with scenes of the 11th Street Kids establishing Checkmate intercut with the said concert. It’s also Chris and Harcourt’s first official date, and we see Harcourt truly let loose here. She’s finally being herself in a safe environment.

The 11th Street Kids Build a Support System

The season 2 finale had me reaching for the tissues multiple times. There’s the Adebayo/Keeya breakup scene, which is easily the most grounded scene in the series. No jokes, no gags. It’s just two people being honest with one another about the status of their marriage. Adebayo admits she’ll always love Keeya, but she must let her go. It’s a painfully resonant, visceral scene for anyone who’s endured heartbreak of this magnitude.

Then, the 11th Street Kids band together to persuade Chris that he’s one of them. He believes he’s cursed, and that he’s responsible for killing everyone he loves – his brother, his father, even his doppelganger from Earth-X. Adebayo reminds him that all those circumstances were out of his control. He’s disregarded his inner voice for far too long.

Adebayo tearfully admits that she knows without a doubt that he loves her, and she’s never felt that way about anyone else. The others chime in with affirmations for our titular hero. It’s such a beautiful scene that truly brings the group closer.

Smaller emotional beats include Eagly half-hugging Economos, a more lighthearted, soul-healing moment we all need before that gut-wrenching cliffhanger. Our crew coming together to build Checkmate with Bordeaux, Fleury, and Judomaster is also touching.

---

Performances

Someone should be polishing Danielle Brooks’ Emmy if they aren’t already. She gives her show-best performance in “Full Nelson.” Adebayo is a significant driving force in the finale. For starters, she persuades Adrian, AKA Vigilante, to part with his “blood money” to pay Chris’ bail and enlist a quality lawyer for the latter’s upcoming court date. She also bands together with Bordeaux and Harcourt to plant the seeds for Checkmate. Women – we’re here to save the day, y’all.

Brooks delivers raw, heart-wrenching work. She arrests your attention every time she’s onscreen. Her portrayal of Adebayo, particularly in the season 2 finale, lends itself to the character’s immense growth over the course of the series. The Adebayo we meet in the pilot is a far cry from who she is in “Full Nelson.” She’s more confident in her abilities and her place in this world. She’s self-assured. And after doing that inner work, she’s able to help her best friend Chris find peace, too.

Elizabeth Faith Ludlow, who plays Keeya, Adebayo’s wife, doesn’t have a lot of screen time, but boy, does she make the most of it. Ludlow delivers equally heartbreaking work. She pulls no emotional punches here. We see a woman whose life has been uprooted by Adebayo and Amanda Waller’s choices. Now that Adebayo is setting her free, Keeya can live life on her terms.

John Cena is this show’s MVP and has been from day one. Cena digs deep in his portrayal of Chris, getting to the root of the character’s trauma and grief. “Full Nelson” finds Chris in a dark place, but by the end (well, before that end), he embarks on the path to healing. He realizes the 11th Street Kids are his ride or die, and that, like Harcourt, he’s truly deserving of love. Cena swings for the acting fences and knocks it out of the park. What a performer.

---

Checkmate, Salvation, and the Future of the DCU

James Gunn utilizes the Peacemaker season 2 finale to lay the groundwork for the future of the DCU. For starters, Checkmate is a covert government agency plucked straight from the DC comics. Bordeaux is associated with Checkmate and its origins, so it makes sense that Gunn introduces her in season 2. Our heroes want to do better than Rick Flag Sr. and A.R.G.U.S., especially now that Flag Sr. is eating out of the palm of Lex Luthor’s hand.

Gunn mentions on the Peacemaker: The Official Podcast With James Gunn that he has plans for the 11th Street Kids. Checkmate will play a major role in the overarching narrative of the DCU. We’ll see all these characters again in some capacity.

Another crucial cornerstone of the next chapter of the DCU is the discovery of Salvation, the Earth-like planet that Flag Sr. wants to establish as a prison for metahumans. They’ll send said metahumans to Salvation via Chris’s portal device. However, Flag Sr.’s desire for vengeance takes the wheel, so he exiles Chris to Salvation in the finale’s last moments under the guise of wanting to use a human guinea pig to test the planet’s conditions. “This is for Ricky,” he declares, shutting the door on Chris.

This potentially sets up the story from Salvation Run, a seven-issue series that ran from 2007 to 2008. But I’m more inclined to believe that this sets the stage for Man of Tomorrow, the next chapter in Gunn’s Superman saga. It makes sense, given Flag Sr.’s role in Superman and his strengthening allyship with Lex as seen in Peacemaker. Perhaps Superman finds Chris on Salvation and saves him.

Of course, Man of Tomorrow will soar into theaters in 2027. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait that long to see these characters again. I’m crossing my fingers and toes for a Checkmate-themed TV series. James Gunn, make it so!

---

What are your thoughts on the Peacemaker season 2 finale? Join the conversation with other DC fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!