Peacemaker Review: A Whole New Whirled / Best Friends for Never / Better Goff Dead (Season 1 Episodes 1-3)

John Cena is meant to do comedy. Peacemaker is just further evidence of that. It’s also a superhero show!

However – Peacemaker is not the kind of superhero show you should watch with your kids.

Peacemaker Season 1 Episodes 1-3 begin as a delightful set of stage-setting episodes that do a great job of telling us who the characters are and setting the tone of the series. That tone is both outrageous and hilarious.

The tone also suggests that every character has enough depth to make a rich, compelling series.

More on that later.

Peacemaker Season 1 Episode 1, “A Whole New Whirled,” begins a few months after the titular character is hospitalized by Bloodsport at the end of James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.  Pretty quickly after he is released, he is recruited/forced into a new mission by some of Amanda Waller’s minions.

What follows Peacemaker’s recruitment is a perfect blend of character work, exciting action, and outrageous humor.

With John Cena’s apparent lack of inhibition coupled with perfect comedic timing, “A Whole New Whirled,” masterfully sets the stage for what’s to come. More than that –  it establishes that Cena’s Peacemaker clearly has some depth to him.

Dr. Alandy: It’s not for your Tinder profile, Chris.

Early on in the series, Peacemaker is accused of having racial bias in his “heroic” activity. As more about his character unfolds, it becomes clear that much of Peacemaker’s bias and political incorrectness stems from his father’s (Robert Patrick) influence.

Does who Peacemaker’s father is excuse his behavior? Of course not.

But the first three episodes of Peacemaker give the sense that while Cena’s titular character seeks his father’s approval, evidence exists that he is trying to be better.

Not every character gets that sense, but Leota (who happens to also be Amanda Waller’s daughter) treats Peacemaker in a way that’s both humanizing to him and gives viewers a sense of who she is.

Peacemaker Season 1 Episode 2, “Best Friends for Never,” spends equal time in exciting action and character development, as viewers get to know the DCEU version of Vigilante.

“Best Friends for Never” digs a little deeper into Peacemaker’s past and his relationship with Vigilante (Adrian Chase – played by Freddie Stroma). It also further solidifies that Peacemaker has a conscience and is reckoning with some of the things he’s done.

Peacemaker: You can’t house train an eagle, dude.

Peacemaker seems to have a little bit of child-like innocence left within him, despite some of the horrible things he’s done. Though it turns funny quickly, his brief moment of introspection while his stolen records play is a powerful moment that Cena deftly navigates.

The middle part of Peacemaker’s three-part premiere also works to build some of the other characters in the same realm, like Leota, who is struggling to keep her family and work life separate.

Then there’s Clemson Murn, who clearly has some level of dark past. Harcourt and Economos are a little more on the surface level – but you can tell they’re both disgruntled about the assignment they’re working on.

Most of all, “Best Friends for Never,” recognizes the therapeutic power of blowing things up when you’re upset.

Finally, Peacemaker Season 1 Episode 3, “Better Goff Dead,” truly finds the balance the series seems to be trying to build. It seamlessly balances the punchlines and the humor with the action-packed sequences and the occasionally dark or hard-to-watch moments.

“Better Goff Dead” deftly utilizes the full ensemble as it puts Vigilante with Peacemaker’s handling team on a mission by accident – which ramps up both the stakes and the humor. By giving Harcourt and Economos a little more to do – “Better Goff Dead” also establishes the full power of said ensemble and the spectrum of their experiences.

Leota: Having a lesbian haircut doesn’t make you an ally

Though Cena’s Peacemaker is a compelling lead character, the Peacemaker series is better for using the full ensemble around Cena’s committed performance. Cena’s comic timing and deadpan delivery raises the level of the entire series (well, so far), but Peacemaker is also compelling as a dramatic character with a past and with regrets.

Peacemaker, in its first three episodes, establishes a fabulous superhero parody that doubles as a superhero series. Although it’s still early in the year, a consistent showing for the remainder of the season could easily put the series in contention for the best of 2022.

A few stray thoughts:

• “Are you always going to be this difficult?” “Yep.”
• This Psych fan always enjoys seeing Sage Brocklebank appearances, even if this one doesn’t end well.
• Truly appreciate the reference to the Berenstain Bears Mandela Effect.
• My favorite three things about Vigilante – He’s played by Freddie Stroma, Peacemaker calls him “Vig,” and the Vigilante mobile is just a Sebring.

What did you think of this episode of Peacemaker? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of Peacemaker air Thursdays on HBO Max.

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