The Mosley Review: Peacemaker (Season 1)
Right off the heels of the fantastic soft reboot The Suicide Squad, this series about one of the most D-List heroes/villains was announced. I was skeptical to say the least even with my whole hearted trust in the director of the film and creator of this show. Everytime there is a series spinoff from a hit film, there is a decline in quality of storytelling. I am here to say that the same love and care that was put into the film the titular character debuted in was carried over to this amazing series. It is a gleeful romp with some seriously violent and glorious dark comedy that will have you cry laughing. I haven't seen this much reverence for great rock music that spans so many eras and it all meshes so well with the story! I truly did love that the tone of the series was consistent in knowing when to be raunchy and then to reel it all back in for more touching and serious scenes. There are actual stakes that affect each character and how each one deals with the insane situations they're in is what made each one unique. I won't go into spoilers because I want you all that haven't seen the series to be surprised. I'll just say that if you're not into this show after the first episode, then this isn't for you.
John Cena has truly come full circle and has delivered a charismatic and career defining performance as Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. The character goes on an unexpectedly emotional journey throughout the show and truly learns to really fulfill his oath in a way that actually goes towards world peace. Robert Patrick was perfectly abusive and horrible as his racist father August Smith / White Dragon. You truly empathize with Chris as you see the barrage of vile that is spewed from August's mouth toward him. Danielle Brooks was wonderful as Leota Adebayo and I loved that she was the normal one of the crew. She was the eyes of the audience and I loved that she had such a growth from extremely unsure hero to a full on badass. Jennifer Holland was awesome as Emilia Harcourt. She was the strong female of the group that took no crap from anyone and yet she had a heart of gold. It was great to see her slowly open up to the crew and to Peacemaker. Steve Agee was great and hilarious as the tactical support and hacker of the group John Economos. He may be the butt of every joke, especially about his beard, but he gets moments to shine and his fair share of bloodshed and hilarious quips. Chukwudi Iwuji was great as the team leader Clemson Murn. His ability to walk the line between stoic almost emotionless demeanor to absolute disbelief in Peacemaker's stupidity while remaining calm was expertly done. Freddie Stroma steals every moment he’s on screen as Adrian Chase / Vigilante. He was a perfect sociopath that is beyond insane and I loved his childlike twisted since of humor in the most inappropriate moments. Annie Chang and Lochlyn Munro were great as the cops Sophie Song and Larry Fitzgibbon. I liked their buddy cop feeling and they had some fun moments while investigating Peacemaker and his father.
The score by Clint Mansell and Kevin Kiner was excellent and warm in the best moments of action and character development. Although they did excellent work, the real star of the show is the amazing soundtrack that was constructed for this show. It covers all different eras of rock and it is a jam session through and through. I haven't rocked this hard to a soundtrack in such a long time. I'm listening to it now as I write this review and I love every song. The soundtrack became another character of the show and moved the story along. From the opening title dance sequence to the amazing action and to the great characters, this was a fantastic show all the way through that kept me surprised by how much fun I had each week. It is a true testament to the genius of series creator James Gunn and I cannot wait to see what his twisted mind thinks of for season 2. This is a must watch if you enjoyed The Suicide Squad and if you love great television in general. This is another reason why I love DC and I want more of this in the universe. Do stick around for the end credit scenes of each episode. Let me know what you thought of the show or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
