It’s hard to believe that we’ve already reached the middle of the season with HBO Max’s popular superhero show Peacemaker. Making its return on August 21, it’s wild that fans waited three years for the return of the network’s biggest hit of 2022. But what are the vibes this season? What are viewers saying in terms of comparing this season to the last? Let’s talk about that. Walk with me.
From a personal standpoint, I’m taking my sweet time with the first watch through just to enjoy the show for what it is. No judgement, no overanalyzing scenes. Just drinking it all in and happy that my favorite characters have finally returned to me. But that’s not saying I’ve been ignoring what others online are saying about the show. I’ve seen some really good opinions that I strongly agree with (see examples below) and it’s refreshing to see that for once, many viewers are on the same page and agree with one another. Just off the top of my head, here are some of the very valid criticisms that viewers have on the show thus far:
- Episode runtimes. Most if not all the episodes have been under the 40 minute mark and for a network that has no commercials, the remaining 20 minutes could’ve absolutely been taken advantage of. Half hour episodes are killing the vibes with viewers
- The way some characters are being treated. For example, Adebayo just feels like an emotional crutch for Chris and the captain of the Chris/Harcourt ship. There are sprinkles here and there of her wanting to start her own surveillance business but I think we as viewers all know that that’s not going to get anywhere. It’s sad to see such a loved character reduced to just being support for others (while Chris does need support, that can’t all be on her. He too needs to show up and do the same).
- Fan favorite Adrian Chase/Vigilante was also reduced to just being the guy with comical quips and one liners. It just feels like Gunn didn’t know what to do with in the first half of the season so he apologized by giving us the tighty whities and bath robe scene. Hopefully episodes five through eight will ramp up his presence and we’ll see more of the cutie patootie.
- The feeling of having everyone’s storyline revolving around Chris. Whereas the previous season had them all working together as a team, this season feels vastly different in the sense that everyone’s only there for Peacemaker’s purpose and it’s just odd from a viewer standpoint to see such an imbalance in plot. Should we care more about Chris riding off into the alternate universe, more about Eagly being hunted or about Rick Flag Senior’s revenge plot? It’s understandable how it can feel convoluted with several ideas having both equal weight but at the same time, feels like a throwaway.
But one thing that will always remain true is that the opening sequence slaps. With a whole new dance and more people added to the mix, this choreography looks both fun and challenging for the dozen or more people that are on the stage (this is coming from someone who doesn’t dance). On top of that there’s also a new opening song. Say goodbye to Wig Wam’s “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” and say hello to Foxy Shazam’s “Oh Lord”. The choreo is raw and emotional with throwbacks to the first season’s dance with the lyrics tying the entire show together. Everyone certainly did have a rough couple of years.
It’s the halfway point. With the final four episodes on the horizon, what could possibly happen next? What cameos will we see? Screeners stated that they haven’t seen episodes six, seven or eight so one can only assume that something big goes down in those final three. With a slow going first four episodes, the most we can do is hope that the last half of the season is the beginning of the roller coaster ride.
Fandom Lair 