TV Tuesdays Free Talk

Lots of spoilers for HBO's Peacemaker.

So one of my favorite podcasts had an episode about Peacemaker. They really liked the show, so I paused it and started watching instead. Ended up watching the whole thing in two days. This doesn't happen that often, so yeah, I like the show. I don't think it's the greatest thing in the universe, but it's cool and it's got heart.

This is literally the first time I watch an entire show without ever skipping the opening. Not even once. It's ridiculously mystifying.

All the characters are so consistent. Most of them change over the course of the story, of course, but they do so in a very consistent and psychologically realistic manner. It's really endearing how they become a team little by little, and you grow to love even the psychopathic Vigilante. For such a comic show, the way they build their relationships is very engrossing, and there are lots of shades of gray, even the villains have a chance to make their case, and it is a compelling one.

As time passes, I grow less and less interested in fighting choreography. I mean, I like a good fight, but when they're too frequent they tend to lose their appeal. One of the main reasons why fighting is so dramatic in Rocky is that we only really see Stallone fight two times in the whole movie. Every punch means something. But I digress, that is not how super-hero fiction works and that's fine.

The dialogues are on point, the soundtrack is full of 80s bangers, and the plot, while not overly sophisticated (not that it should be...) is compelling and to the point, there's not a lot of excesses, and even the support cast is extremely likable. Diversity is a strong point for sure; I'm not gonna lie and say that's a strong concern on my part, but Danielle Brooks (from Orange is The New Black) is killing it as someone who is thrown into the world of covert black ops and is trying to find her place in life. The friendship she develops with the highly questionable title character is really moving and believable. And Annie Chang is just perfect as a highly competent police detective/possessed human-alien hybrid. Not that this matters, but I found her stunning. Robert Patrick does a brilliant job as Peacemaker's hateful and abject white-supremacist father, the only character in the entire show that is completely devoid of redeeming qualities. It's not easy to make such a unidimensional character work, but Patrick does that with brilliance.

The entire cast is great, actually, but I don't have something specific to comment on each of them right now. But yeah, John Cena is awesome, I really grew to admire him as an actor on this show. And he really does play the piano! James Gunn included that scene because the first time he saw Cena play the piano was very emotional, even more so because it was a surprise to see someone so physically impressive, to say the least, do something so delicate. Just one of the ways the story shows different sides of a guy that everyone think's is just a mindless beefcake.

One thing I miss from the Suicide Squad movie is that in the show Peacemaker is less of a super-human, he's basically an extremely competent combatant, but he doesn't do anything ridiculously impressive that would be beyond of the scope of a fictionalized navy-seal or something like that.

Interestingly, this is not a minor project for James Gunn, he not only produces but directs a bunch of episodes. That is very uncommon on television, and is worth mentioning: this feels very much like a James Gunn movie, and the show is greater for it. Just a very fun ride that makes me wish for more when it's over. Highly recommended!

Edit: I want more really strong super heroes, like John Byrne comics coming to life!

I started Tokyo Vice and also started reading the book, Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan by Jake Adelstein... and I love them both!

Basically, he's a white reporter in Japan who is trying to unmask the underbelly of the city by way of the Yakuza with help from a detective. Its from HBO Max and is definitely worth a watch. The 4th episode was just posted. edit: and the 5th!

In the queue is Why didn't they ask Evans? and Julia.

@Lou is bang on re: Peacemaker. Killer series. It really got me to appreciate the talent of Cena.