Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 5 Review

Full spoilers follow for Peacemaker Season 2, Episode 5 - “Back to the Suture.”

We open this week’s episode with another Rick Flag Jr. flashback, albeit one where he’s dead and Jennifer Holland’s Harcourt is attending his wake. It’s a pretty sad affair by the looks of it, and not just because Rick Jr. (Joel Kinnaman) has passed; the place is full of empty chairs and, as Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) says to Harcourt, the people who are in attendance are “assholes who Ricky couldn’t fucking stand.” There but for the grace of God…

But the scene is really about Rick Sr. and Harcourt, and the connection that formed between them in the wake of a mutual loved one’s death. There’s a real William Adama/Starbuck thing going on with these two, but while a strong bond and sense of loyalty were the result of the tragedy those two suffered, in the case of Harcourt and Rick Sr., things are a little less clear-cut. It sure seems as though, by the end of the flashback, Harcourt trusts Rick Sr., and vice versa. Her promise to make the person who killed Rick Jr. pay is legit.

Which certainly makes things complicated in the here and now as Harcourt is now working with A.R.G.U.S. to snatch John Cena’s Chris/Peacemaker, who, of course, is Rick Jr.’s killer. Last week, I thought Harcourt might be spending more of this season on the opposite side of the 11th Street Kids, since her career is on the line and Rick Sr. kind of gave her no choice, but right away we learn in “Back to the Suture” that Harcourt tipped off Chris about their meeting. So she’s still trying to help Chris as best she can, which includes her taking him out in a pretty bad-ass manner in order to prevent Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez) from shooting him.

Harcourt also takes out, or rather rips out, Chris’ heart and soul when he asks about her feelings for him.

She also takes out, or rather rips out, Chris’ heart and soul when he asks about her feelings for him. “I was drunk. I told you. I wish it never fucking happened,” is her response. That’s rough, man, and all the confirmation Chris needs to head over to his Best Dimension Ever for… well, forever.

Of course, that can’t happen until after Rick Sr. beats the ever-living crap out of Chris back at A.R.G.U.S. headquarters. Economos (Steve Agee) pulls a maneuver that gets Peacemaker out of their custody (leading Tim Meadows’ Fleury to tell him “It’s good you did that” – wait, is Fleury actually gonna wind up being a good guy?), which gives Chris the opening he needs to finally flee to the better life that he thinks is awaiting him on the other side of the Quantum Unfolding Chamber. And yes, Eagly goes with him!

Speaking of which, I was genuinely worried for Eagly when Michael Rooker’s Red St. Wild killed that other eagle. It wound up being a head fake for sure, as Eagly turned out to be, it would seem, “the Prime Eagle” that St. Wild has been obsessed with. Not only did Eagly survive, but he called upon all his pals to tear St. Wild apart. (Though don’t be surprised if Gunn rolls out Rooker again before the season ends, even if he’s missing a finger or two.)

Thoughts From the Quantum Unfolding Chamber:

• “The send him overseas in the back of a VW Bug with a thousand fucking costumed clowns to fight a giant starfish.”
• Bordeaux is a cyborg. Figures!
• Freddie Stroma’s Adrian Chase/Vigilante has been kind of under-served so far this season, but seeing him crying after Peacemaker leaves for the other dimension was pretty sad. Chris is his best bud!
• The fledgling private investigator business that Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) is trying to get started continues to offer up a chuckle here or there. Good thing Adrian’s around to school her on certain terminology.
• What’s going on with Rick Sr. and Bordeaux? While Rick has been played as a heavy most of this season, Gunn’s greater DCU has positioned him as a good guy. And you know, he has a genuine gripe with Peacemaker killing his son! It sure seems like Bordeaux is being set up to be a baddie and Rick Sr. is gonna wind up having to turn against her.
• Yes, that appears to be the same kaiju Superman defeated in his debut movie this summer (which hey, is out on HBO Max as of today!). Only in the Best Dimension Ever, it’s the Top Trio that takes the poor thing down.
• This would also seem to confirm that Lex Luthor exists in the Best Dimension Ever, since he created the kaiju.