Peacemaker

The Bully is a Hero Not long ago, I didn't even know who the DC character "Peacemaker" was. When Alan Moore wrote the famous graphic novel "Watchmen", his original intention was to use the Charlton Comics heroes that DC had just acquired, with a pitch titled exactly "Who Killed the Peacemaker?". Since DC didn't let him use those characters to avoid making them unusable for future stories, Moore was forced to create equivalents: that's how "Peacemaker" became the direct inspiration and blueprint for bringing "The Comedian" to life. After introducing John Cena and his costume in "The Suicide Squad" (2021), the great James Gunn decided to keep Christopher Smith's story going in an 8-episode series written during the pandemic. Christopher Smith is forced to join a new black-ops team known as "Project Butterfly". Their mission is to identify and stop parasitic alien creatures that take over human bodies by entering through "any of their orifices"—literally—controlling their urges while keeping the host's memories and personality. Throughout the different missions, Smith has to deal with his own morality, his complicated relationship with his white supremacist father (the White Dragon), and the trauma of his past. Little by little, we get to know more about the quirks of these aliens and their reasons for taking over Earth through its people. When it was announced that James Gunn would dedicate a series to Peacemaker (one of the most divisive characters in the movie) a lot of people wondered if the premise could hold up. The result has been mind-blowingly addictive, becoming one of the best additions to the DC onscreen universe. The production is a whirlwind of brutal action, irreverent humor, and, surprisingly, a deep psychological exploration. With James Gunn's unmistakable style (from the now-legendary choreography in the opening credits to the masterful use of hair metal and classic rock tracks), the series oozes that anarchic, passionate energy that defines the director, who also made the Guardians of the Galaxy saga. The violence in Peacemaker is graphic and comically over-the-top, but never pointless; it always works to push the plot forward or to highlight the ridiculous nature of the world the main character lives in.

I don't understand how this show has such a high rating and such high praise. Four episodes in and I gave up and just read the wiki pages for the last four episodes. I feel like both Peacemaker and Harcourt as I watch this; I don't understand why the !@#$ we're here doing any of this because I'm not being told anything, and I don't understand why I'm surrounded by !@#$ing morons. The only part of this story that has any weight to it is Peacemaker's relationship with his father. There's certainly entertainment here, else I wouldn't have sat through four episodes, but it's wrapped up in so much brain-dead garbage that it's like watching Whedon's Josstice League and Snyder's Excessive Justice Cut back-to-back. Holy !@#$. Maybe I'm just not in the mood for it. Why is Adebayo so... clownish? We started the series with Waller trying to guilt trip her into staying on the payroll because she's supposedly exceptional, except we don't see that on screen at all! By comparison, MCU's Ironheart is currently sitting at 57%. Explain that to me, because the first three episodes of Ironheart were overall more entertaining than the first four episodes of this.