HBO Max Review: ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Knows No Bounds, and It’s Even Better than Before

Topping the first season of Peacemaker, which was already one of the best things to come out of DC Comics’ cinematic franchise, is no easy feat. But three and a half years later, an official universe rebrand and double name change for its streaming service has only given this show the opportunity to get better, honing its characters’ personality tics and abilities to deliver what may well be the most creative superhero fare out there today, unbounded by the limits of time, space, or a single dimension and entirely committed to going down every rabbit hole that presents itself.

Following the aftermath of Project Butterfly, Peacemaker’s team has gone their separate ways. Chris (John Cena) is keeping to himself but can’t help but be intrigued by a door in his father’s dimensional portal that allows him to enter a world where things are different – and possibly better. Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) is on a self-destructive bender, Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) is trying to start up her own security company, and Adrian (Freddie Stroma) just wants to hang out with everyone again. Economos (Steve Agee) is still working for A.R.G.U.S., now reporting to Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), who has an axe to grind with Peacemaker and is determined to prove that he’s up to something that requires immediate and severe punishment.

Unlike so many series that could invite new viewers week to week, this one absolutely requires immersion into its world. That doesn’t necessarily mean having seen The Suicide Squad or being familiar with the greater DC Universe, but screening the first season does feel critical. But season two doesn’t dwell much on the past, inviting in many new characters and fully investing in them. This story is furiously interesting, and each new piece of the puzzle feels like it opens multiple new doors, all of which would be worth exploring in detail.

That most of the five episodes provided to press for review are under forty minutes is the only real disappointment in this show’s second season, even if each installment does manage to cover a great deal of material even in such a relatively short time. There’s no shortage of possibilities for this show and its characters, especially with doors that literally lead to other worlds for Peacemaker to open, and waiting years for the follow-up to the epic “It’s Cow or Never” finale has felt like an eternity. Knowing that there are only eight episodes this time around and a third season is surely far away – if it will even happen – makes the fact that each of these episodes airs a week apart a way to manage the drive audiences will surely have to quickly burn through all available installments.

Cena continues to make an excellent case for career transitions since he is genuinely a terrific actor and captures the ego of this hero mixed with a melancholy longing for the past. Holland has some great dramatic material as Harcourt invites violence at every turn, and Brooks, Stroma, and Agee are all still having a blast in their roles. Tim Meadows is a fantastic addition as Economos’ new supervisor who, among other traits, has bird blindness, meaning that he can’t tell what kind of bird Peacemaker’s beloved Eagly is and has to instead rely on Economos’ sarcastic mumblings for information. Other cast appearances, some substantial and some cameos, are best experienced without any introduction.

Peacemaker belongs to a category of comic book series like Doom Patrol, Loki, and WandaVision that truly transcend the brand, working in classic characters but presenting them in an utterly captivating and wildly creative manner. That a show these days has consistent opening credits is rare enough, but including a dance number featuring the whole cast is a real treat that should both prevent viewers from skipping them and also sets a perfectly weird tone for each episode that’s equally weird and wondrous. There’s nothing out there quite like Peacemaker, and season two just shows that there’s so much more to explore with this fantastic cast of characters and simply superb, fascinating storylines.

Season Rating: 9/10