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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Some trouble has made its appearance, and it’s not just for our present but for the future as well. James Gunn’s DC Comics action comedy-drama superhero television series, Peacemaker wraps up with the final episode of Season 1. The episode is titled, “It’s Cow or Never” and is written and directed by Gunn.
In this review, I will be discussing Peacemaker Season 1 Episode 8. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.
Plot Synopsis
According to WarnerMedia, here is the synopsis for the Peacemaker Season 1 finale.
Peacemaker and Adebayo struggle to put aside their differences as the team plans an elaborate attack. With Eagly playing an integral role, the team must face the Butterfly invasion in order to eliminate the cow once and for all — or risk the aliens teleporting it for good.
WarnerMedia
Discussion
Last week’s penultimate episode of Peacemaker — “Stop Dragon My Heart Around” serves as a perfect segue into this Season 1 finale. Gunn continues to leave his signature marks in his filmography with a beautiful conclusion yet an unusual beginning for the next journey that awaits us. There are some jokes that stick, while Gunn also writes terrific drama for his characters. Although, more on that later in this review.
I like the use of irony throughout the episode. In one scene, we see five Peacemaker helmets laid out, but the members of Project Butterfly wound up only utilizing two of them by the time the right opportunity to act presents itself.
I also enjoy the irony about the Cow turning out to be a caterpillar for the Butterflies. We’ve seen the revelation of the monstrous “final boss” antagonist in Gunn’s previous works, e.g. Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, Slither, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The Project Butterfly members do not know what to expect when they get close to the barn, and it is not just the Butterflies. The Cow keeps the extraterrestrial bugs alive, at least for another century according to Song/ Goff (Chang). With the Goff Butterfly left alive by the end, it would be interesting to see how they live the rest of existence on Earth.
The Ending
For a narrative that involves James Gunn, it is a relief that we do not get a final confrontation as atrocious as Super. (In my opinion, I hated to see Elliot Page killed off like that.) We see Vigilante (Stroma) shot in the back and Emilia Harcourt (Holland) taking even worse shots. However, in the epilogue montage, it turns out that everyone is alive and in one piece (per person, obviously). Unfortunately, the ending also leaves us with uncertainty about the future of the DC Extended Universe. Let’s start with the arrival of the reason why we have a DCEU in the first place: the Justice League.
In the order they are framed into the scene, arriving late to the fight at Amanda Waller’s (guest star Viola Davis) request, we see Superman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman. All four metahuman heroes are silhouetted by the dark of night until we see Ezra Miller and Jason Momoa come a bit out of the shadows to deliver some lines. Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot are not revealed here, and speaking of the dark of night, we do not see Ben Affleck’s Batman nor Ray Fisher’s Cyborg either. We do know that one of his last appearances in the DCEU — most likely the final, to be exact — is in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash.
We also see Leota Adebayo (Brooks) outing her mother Waller and Belle Reeve’s secret Task Force X to the press. Her pleading for scrutiny into those matters also leads me to wonder about more Suicide Squad-related installments. Without Waller and Task Force X, we stop having action-packed adventurous missions featuring this team of antagonists. Alternatively, would this lead to an intriguing storyline about running from the law?
The Crew of This Week’s Peacemaker
Clint Mansell and Kevin Kiner compose the musical score for Peacemaker. Evyen J Klean and Ian Broucek are the music supervisors of the episode, while Michael Bauer serves as the music editor.
Greg D’Auria and series associate producer Fred Raskin serve as the episode’s editors, with Todd Busch and Rachel Watson as the assistant editors. Jeffrey Glaser, Martha Lowe, and Jason Brotman serve as additional assistant editors. Stephen P. Robinson joins as the sound designer.
Sam McCurdy serves as the director of photography. Betsy Paterson returns as the visual effects supervisor, while Jessica Smith joins as the VFX producer. Neil Greenberg serves as the VFX editor and is assisted by Kevin Gasca.
Lisa Soper and Tonie St-Onge design the production and set of the episode, respectively. Shay Cunliffe returns as the costume designer and is assisted by Colette Storey as well as Paula Plachy. Karin Nosella serves as the associate costume designer, while Jessica Lythgoe-Green is the episode’s costume supervisor. Wayne Dalglish and Gaston Morrison serve as stunt coordinators, while Alex Kyshkovych is the fight coordinator of the episode.
Catherine Ircha serves as the supervising art director. Shannon Grover and David Hadaway serve as the art directors of the episode and are assisted by Sheila Millar.
Alexandra Rojek returns as the set decorator and is assisted by Rose Goronzy. Connie Parker serves as the department head of make-up. Calla Syna Dreyer, Joanna Mireau, Gitte Axen, Azita Abbaspour, and Amber Crombach assist her.
Richard Kohlen returns as the department head of hair. Wanita Rangihuna, Krystal Hauser, Tamara Roulston, and Brooke Sovdi assist him.
The Cast of This Week’s Peacemaker
John Cena portrays Christopher Smith/ Peacemaker, while Robert Patrick portrays August “Auggie” Smith.
Danielle Brooks, Jennifer Holland, and Steve Agee play respective A.R.G.U.S. agents of Project Butterfly: Leota Adebayo, Emilia Harcourt, and John Economos, while Chukwudi Iwuji is credited as Clemson Murn. Freddie Stroma portrays Adrian Chase/ Vigilante.
Annie Chang and Lochlyn Munro portray the Evergreen police detectives Sophie Song and Larry Fitzgibbon, respectively; while Christopher Heyerdahl plays Caspar Locke.
Nhut Le and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow appear as Judomaster and as Keeya Adebayo, respectively.
Quinn Bennett and Liam Hughes appear as a young Christopher Smith and the character’s late older brother, Keith. Bzhaun Rhoden plays a young man, while Neil Webb appears as “Cool Steve”. Rochelle Greenwood returns as Peggy, while Kevin O’Grady plays Johnson. Zak Santiago plays an Evergreen prison guard.
Troy Anthony Young plays a terrified man, while Cynthia Oroz and Alissa Neptuno play a nurse and a doctor, respectively.
Dee Bradley Baker voices Eagly.
Performances and Character Developments
Stroma and Agee have a stronger dynamic as Vigilante and Economos than do the former and Peacemaker. I find their witticisms about sarcasm hilarious. Just as much is their banter about ants and “the circle of life”. Vigilante will be the type of character the DCEU needs (while the Marvel Cinematic Universe will have Deadpool in the future). He’s the individual on the team who will talk the talk but still walk the walk. He gets the job done — for the most part — even if he cannot seem to keep his mouth shut.
Meanwhile, we have Economos, whose revealed milieu about dyeing his beard and being taken seriously is such an empathetic moment in the episode. He has always seemed to have it a little rough as the “man behind the computer” archetype. Agee has turned him into a hero that we must love and not just treat him as someone who is present. The actor portrays the character’s worth as a vital member of the team, and I admire that.
Cena’s Peacemaker has good dramatic development with his A.R.G.U.S. teammates, such as with Adebayo, Economos, and Harcourt (Holland). After learning of Adebayo’s betrayal via planted diary, Christopher Smith is not on good terms with Waller’s daughter until they save each other’s life from the tragedy and trauma at the barn. The eponymous character also learns to be kinder to Economos. Lastly, we have Harcourt, who has gone from disliking Peacemaker in the series premiere to having compassion for him and vice versa.
Peacemaker has developed into a character that respects others and is reciprocated when necessary. He does face some trauma from killing his father, Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick). Consequently, it does appear as if this will be an aspect of the character explored in the second season. Cena has portrayed the character so far, even if there have been times where I personally found it awkward.
Final Thoughts
“It’s Cow or Never” neatly wraps Peacemaker Season 1 into a little bow, albeit just loose enough to open back up to gaze in awe. The entire cast just delivers mighty fine performances with each other so well. The finale episode leaves us with questions to ponder on. Hopefully, we will get answers when Black Adam releases in the summer, The Flash in the fall, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom the following month during the wintertime.
James Gunn’s Peacemaker Season 1 is now on HBO Max!
Have you seen this television series? If so, what are your thoughts? Let us know! For more action, comedy, drama, and superhero-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Also, if you are looking to expand your DCEU Funko Pop collection, check out this Peacemaker Funko POP from James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad available for purchase on Amazon!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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