Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 Review

While the first season of Peacemaker was noteworthy for capturing the hearts’ of the DC fans who opted to give it a chance, the second season has been a very bumpy ride thus far. Throughout its first 3 episodes, Peacemaker Season 2 chose to take things a lot slower than its original outing, and than just about any other superhero show I can think of. This week, however, the series’ relaxed approach to its pacing has now slipped into dangerous territory for any show, but particularly a superhero show – it’s starting to feel a little boring.

Today, it’s time for our Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 review, ‘Need I Say Door’. This will be a spoiler review, so make sure you watch the episode for yourself before reading ahead! Now, let’s dive into our Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 review!

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Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 Review

Image by DC Studios

I’m no opponent of a good, old-fashioned slow-burn. In fact, some of the best stories ever told take advantage of measured pacing to make their eventual pay-offs hit all the harder. However, whether it’s through brief scenes of excitement, or emotionally-charged character moments, slow-burn shows manage to keep their viewers hooked while we wait for the climax. At this point, Peacemaker Season 2 has moved into ridiculously slow territory, and Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 officially marks the first time I’ve ever felt bored watching an episode of this series. To be honest, I was never expecting to write a negative review of a Peacemaker episode, but at least in that way, Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 was able to surprise, because nothing in the episode itself did that for me.

Now, to be fair to Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4, it’s not necessarily fair to expect something crazy to happen every single week, regardless of whether or not a show belongs to a superhero universe or not. In fact, I think the monotony of Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 hits so hard because of the overall tedium fans have experienced throughout the second season so far. The end of Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 also marks the official halfway mark of the season, and when looking back on what the first season had done by this point in its lifespan, it’s pretty baffling that Peacemaker Season 2 has managed to cover so little when it comes to plot and character development.

Let’s start with the good – Adebayo and Peacemaker have some enjoyable scenes this week. Peacemaker Season 2 teased a deeper, more personal look at Peacemaker’s relationships with his found family, and though we haven’t really gotten that to the extent I was expecting, Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 does allow us to spend some quality time with Adebayo, quality time that is much overdue considering how non-consequential she has been so far this season. While Eagly is Peacemaker’s true ‘best friend’, I believe the closest thing he has to a human best friend to be Adebayo, so any scenes with the two of them is a good time in my book.

Image by DC Studios

Now, let’s talk about the characters that did not work for me this week. In previous reviews of Peacemaker Season 2, I’ve noted that a lot of the comedic gags this season are not working for me, and much to my disappointment, Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 continues this trend. Red St. Wild is just, not funny. In the slightest. Come to think of it, there’s a lot of failed, bird-based gags this season. I think that James Gunn measured his comedy in the first season somewhat, given that the series was fresh. Now, in this second season, he’s going all-out with his unique brand of humour, and though it’s a shame to say, very little of it is landing with me.

In particular, this week dove into some gross-out humour that I really never needed to see. Red St. Wild remains in question here, as to be completely honest, there is absolutely no justification for me seeing that man, or any man, taste-test bird droppings. It’s not at all funny, not at all plot-relevant, and if anything, only puts me off wanting to put my faith in the rest of the season. We’re going for some serious low-hanging fruit in the comedy department here, and while the Peacemaker series has always had a quirky approach to comedy, I can’t ever remember it being this flagrant with toilet-humour before. A big red X from me on the comedy this week, which is a concerning trend for this season so far.

Now, let’s talk about Harcourt. The first episode of Peacemaker Season 2 did a lot for me in terms of her character – she was being presented as a far more well-rounded character than the first season, and I was excited to follow along with her as she bounced back from losing her job with the government, likely going through some gritty, and emotionally-charged character development. Instead, by the halfway point of Season 2, Harcourt is still beating up random men at bars and in alleys, and now, they’ve actually set her up for a pretty shocking betrayal storyline, should she follow through on it. This is an interesting premise, but regardless of how interesting it is, Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4 doesn’t have enough time to actually do anything with it yet, so I can’t give this episode credit for it. Maybe next week, we’ll be able to fawn over this storyline, but as of right now, it’s little more than a tease of better things to come down the line.

Image by DC Studios

Judomaster’s somewhat grand return last week was all for nothing, considering he does absolutely nought this week, besides get himself a bloody nose, and can we talk about Vigilante? Did the writers completely forget he existed until post-production? So far, every time he’s appeared, it has felt like he wasn’t in the actual script, and then while shooting, they remembered he existed, and then told Freddie Stroma to walk into the scene and ad-lib. In Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4, he shows up near the end of the episode to ask Peacemaker if he’s sure he wants to meet with Harcourt. That’s all. Vigilante once felt like Peacemaker’s second-in-command, what has happened with him?

The episode ends with Peacemaker driving to meet Harcourt in what is, once again, little more than a tease of better things to come next week, as we leave behind a completely barren Episode 4. When it comes down to it, all that happened this week was we moved an inter-dimensional door from one building to another, and then Peacemaker explained everything that we, the viewers, already knew to the show’s side characters. A quick viewing experience, but ultimately, a very pointless episode that I will likely skip if I ever rewatch this season.

What did you think of Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4? Do you agree with our thoughts, or did you enjoy this week’s episode? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Batman #1 Review

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Where to Watch Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 4?

Image by DC Studios

You can catch Peacemaker Season 2 streaming weekly on HBO Max, Friday mornings at 2am BST. The entire first season can also be watched on HBO Max. Like the first season, Peacemaker Season 2 is scheduled for 8 episodes.

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