Peacemaker Season 2 Premiere Review: Interdimensional Hopping Heals All Wounds

Peacemaker is back after three unbearable years. DC’s raunchiest comedy from the mind of James Gunn delivers just the right amalgam of irreverence, gleefully weird humor, and heart. With the season 2 premiere, “The Ties That Grind,” Gunn picks up where the season 1 finale left off, immersing us in the action-packed, bloody world of our titular hero.

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New Season, New Theme, New Dimension(s)

“Do ya really wanna, do ya really wanna taste” – stop. Get that out of your head. It’s a new season, folks, and that requires a brand spankin’ new theme song. This time, the Peacemaker cast performs an intricate dance to Foxy Shazam’s “Oh Lord.” Admittedly, it takes a moment to erase Wig Wam’s toe-tapping, undeniably catchy tune from your memory to make space for this one. I don’t know about you, but “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” is inextricably linked with this series for me.

That said, this iteration of the opening credits boasts more detail regarding the narrative than its predecessor. For example, there’s a focus on Chris Smith/Peacemaker and Harcourt’s romance (which is teased in the parallel dimension). We also see Judomaster popping up in the dance sequence, along with new characters like Michael Rooker’s Red St. Wild and David Denman’s Keith. Our core cast also appears at various times in different clothing in said dance sequence, implying that these are parallel versions of them.

Speaking of parallel dimensions, “The Ties That Grind” fleshes out a concept established in the new Superman film – the existence of different dimensions. We see this in action as Chris spends time in his late father’s Quantum Unfolding Storage Area, an extradimensional room housing doors to, you guessed it, other dimensions. This includes the parallel world Chris steps into, wherein he discovers his dad and brother are still alive.

The season 2 premiere effectively lays the groundwork for this overarching plot point without making it too complicated. There’s a simplicity to it that you don’t often see in multiverse storylines. Of course, the emotional component is really the driving factor of this arc – Chris’ trauma finds him running into the arms of this parallel dimension where life doesn’t suck.

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T-R-A-U-M-A

Trauma. Who doesn’t have some form of it or another? In Chris’ case, his trauma defines him because he doesn’t know how to process it healthily. Season 1 sees him finally acknowledge that deep-seated pain. However, at the start of season 2, he relies on toxic coping mechanisms to numb his pain, merely slapping a Band-Aid on the problem instead of getting to the root of it.

Of course, when Chris meets the alternate versions of his father and brother (as an adult), he sees an opportunity to insert himself into this new world and adopt it as his own. Why would he want to live in his timeline? After all, he inadvertently killed his brother when they were kids because Daddy Auggie made them fight for cash. Then, he shot his father in the season 1 finale. To be fair, Auggie was an abusive parent and a raging white supremacist.

Oh, and when Chris finally finds love, Harcourt flees in the other direction. “The Ties That Grind” finds Chris at his lowest, desperately seeking that precious hit of dopamine to get him through the day. Not to mention, this parallel dimension he stumbles upon seemingly has an Auggie who’s not a racist, abusive dirtbag. In fact, he seems quite sweet. Sure, it creates a bit of cognitive dissonance initially, but I bet it’s a comfort to get a second chance at having the perfect family.

Parallel Lives, Parallel Ties

Chris isn’t the only one grappling with his trauma. If anything, the season 2 premiere is a stark reminder that Harcourt isn’t that much different than Chris. They mirror each other a few times in this episode, from having terrible job interviews to indulging in unhealthy coping mechanisms to survive. At one point, both are the recipients of brutal beatings – one at the hands of bikers, the other at the hands of his doppelganger.

Harcourt waltzes into that biker bar with one objective in mind: to ruffle feathers. She stirs the pot to feel that adrenaline rush, knowing she’ll be outnumbered by the biker dudes and inevitably succumb to their fists. Harcourt smiles when the bikers toss her out at the end. She got what she wanted. More than that, though, this proves that her self-worth is nonexistent. It’s unfortunate that she doesn’t love herself enough to avoid tangoing with danger.

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Connections and References

The Peacemaker season 2 premiere boasts connections and references to the new DCU, the most prominent being its ties to Superman. Frank Grillo reprises his role as Rick Flag Sr. We know he has his sights set on Chris, hoping to exact revenge against the latter for killing Rick Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad. Flag Sr. is now the head of A.R.G.U.S. While he’s clearly tasked Economos with keeping constant tabs on Chris because of his vendetta, the potential dimensional rift on the horizon poses a greater concern. Flag Sr. and Bordeaux even reference “The Luthor Incident.” In Superman, Lex Luthor opens a dimensional rift in Metropolis to draw out the Man of Steel.

Now, it appears it’s happening again, right in Chris’ home. Chris’ opening of the door to the extradimensional room at the beginning of the episode presents as a “glitch” on the A.R.G.U.S. radar. Six months later, Chris’ return to the parallel dimension brings about another blip. Flag Sr. bumps this case up to Priority One, explaining to Bordeaux that the last thing they need is another rift that could tear the planet asunder.

Other nods include White Rabbit, who emerges from her interview with the Justice Gang in tears. She’s primarily a Batman villain. Chris interviews for the Justice Gang with Maxwell Lord, Hawkgirl, and Green Lantern in a darkly hilarious scene that aptly showcases James Gunn’s twisted sense of humor. Alternate Keith and Auggie talk about the Fifth Dimension, where the Imps are from. Krank Toys, where the Justice Gang holds interviews for a new member, is a reference to Toymaker, AKA Cosmo Krank, another Batman foe.

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Performances

John Cena continues to showcase his surprising versatility as an actor. He’s even better in season 2. In fact, the sequence with Chris, Alt Keith, and Alt Auggie in the parallel dimension might be the actor’s best work thus far. Cena’s posture, his line deliveries, even his microexpressions, beautifully convey Chris’ conflicted emotions.

The scene when Chris tearfully tells Keith he loves him packs quite the emotional wallop. You can feel the weight behind it. After all, Chris hasn’t seen his brother in decades. It’s a poignant, moving moment, but what really gets the emotions stirring is the aftermath – when Chris is finally alone and the tears flow.

Cena masterfully balances humor and heart, comedy and drama, in “The Ties That Grind.” I can’t wait to see what else he brings to the table in the coming episodes.

Jennifer Holland also brings her A-game in the premiere. Harcourt is fraying at the seams and clearly on a downward spiral. She’s as hardened as we’ve ever seen her, needing something that puts her life on the line like a fight to feel even a modicum of relief. Holland tackles this without making Harcourt one-dimensional and solely relying on her rage. She gives Harcourt depth.

As for my unabashed favorite, Vigilante, his one scene in the episode garnered the biggest laughs of the hour from me. Here’s hoping Freddie Stroma gets more to do in the future.

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What’s Next for the 11th Street Kids?

The future looks multiversal for our 11th Street Kids. Adebayo is starting up a security consulting business venture while dealing with marital issues. Vigilante feels adrift at sea without his BFF Peacemaker. Economos withholds crucial information from Flag Sr., which will undoubtedly come back to bite him in the bum. Harcourt will continue to spiral out of control until she inevitably hits rock bottom.

After killing the alternate version of himself, Chris will take his place in the parallel dimension, abandoning his life and friends for something he deems better. (But what about poor Eagly?)

Regardless, James Gunn cleverly sets the stage for what’ll surely be an exciting sophomore season. I’m champing at the bit to learn what comes next.

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