Fans frequently complain about short runtimes for comic book TV shows. Peacemaker season 2 has been all over the place in that respect, though last night's seventh chapter—"Like a Keith in the Night"—clocked in at barely over 30 minutes, leaving little time to explore Earth-X.
Next Thursday's finale has a lot to address, and we now have some good news from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn. Responding to fans on Threads, the filmmaker revealed, "You'll be happy to know next week's episode is over 57 minutes long."
That makes it the longest episode since the second one, "A Man Is Only as Good as His Bird," which ran for 48 minutes.
Gunn also took the time to address the twist that Earth-X's Auggie Smith was a good man, and not a Nazi. "Auggie is generally a good human being who is opposed to what the Nazis are doing," he revealed. "But Keith (and Chris 2), well...I don't know. Sometimes the apples fall very far from the tree - on both Earths."
"Auggie on Earth X has compassion in a way that our Auggie never did," Gunn added, later reiterating that Auggie was Anti-Nazi. Unfortunately, he was killed by Vigilante, leaving Keith alive to one day take his revenge on the DCU's Peacemaker for killing his father and brother.
While Peacemaker could have taken a deeper dive into Earth-X and even pit the 11th Street Kids against that world's Nazi leaders, Gunn instead used the parallel reality to further explore Chris Smith's psyche.
When we leave him in this episode, he's a broken man, convinced that he's the cause of everyone around him dying. Whether the anti-hero can turn things around remains to be seen, of course, but if Keith comes looking for Chris in Belle Reve, perhaps it's then that we'll see G.I. Robot unleashed?
What did you think about this week's episode of Peacemaker?
Peacemaker season 2 follows Chris Smith, the vigilante superhero, as he struggles to reconcile his past with his newfound sense of purpose while continuing to kick righteous evildoer butt in his misguided quest for peace at any cost. He discovers an alternate world where life is everything he wishes it could be. But this discovery also forces him to face his traumatic past and take the future into his own hands.
Season 2 stars John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Frank Grillo, Sol Rodríguez, David Denman, Brey Noelle, and Tim Meadows.
James Gunn wrote all eight episodes of Peacemaker and directed three, including the first episode. Gunn, Peter Safran, and Cena serve as executive producers. Greg Mottola, Peter Sollett, and Alethea Jones also direct.
In our review of Peacemaker season 2's first five episodes, we wrote, "Peacemaker season 2 feels like a wholly superfluous addition to the new DCU, and lacks the stakes and emotion that made season 1 so special. Fortunately, it’s buoyed by some fun surprises for fans and another exceptional turn from John Cena."
Seven episodes of Peacemaker season 2 are now streaming on HBO Max.