Peacemaker Episode 4. Wow. It’s better than all the 3 previous episodes! The action, the directing, the writing….it all comes together! I love it! Judomaster is BACK, and I am all here for it. Don’t call me a fanboy, but……call me a fanboy. I thought I had it good after the first 3 episodes, but I fell in love with Peacemaker with Episode 4! It all blends so well together, and that cliffhanger ending…….wow. Just wow. I love it so much. I can’t get over it. This entire review may turn into me just agonizing over the episode, so forgive me if that happens.
Well, what’s good? Pretty much everything. Leota Adebayo gets her first (supposed) kill, Judomaster kicks butt, and Peacemaker has some more social-emotional learning to do. Jody Hill does an amazing job with her episode of the series, and it sets up a promising Episode 5. Interesting character developments throughout the episode, and it’s more of a character-development episode between Peacemaker and his dad, rather than an episode that pushes the plot. A bit more than a filler episode, but hey, filler episodes are great.
Peacemaker‘s Judomaster!
Directing
Jody Hill did a fantastic job with this episode. Judomaster’s fight scenes are shot amazingly, with him creeping up behind John Economos in one scene. His choreography is incredible, and whoever the stunts coordinator is, they deserve some serious credits. I am a big fan of the shot choice in this episode, the blurs and zooms are particularly my favorite. However, I am curious how Judomaster will play into the rest of the show. Is he serving the butterflies, or is he a butterfly himself? Questions that hopefully will be answered soon, and if Peacemaker returns for a season 2, I want Hill brought on again.
Costumes
The costumes aren’t the best in the show, I’m not going to lie. Judomaster’s costume looks like it was made by a 12-year old. In a way, so does Peacemaker’s. I don’t have a big issue with it overall, but it would be nice if they could get more sophisticated costumes. Vigilante’s costume, though, is pretty sweet. I would totally wear that for Halloween. The helmets for Peacemaker, though, are absolutely legendary. I want a nuclear helmet, that’d be pretty cool. In case you didn’t notice, I’m geeking out over these helmets.
Writing
The writing in this episode is fantastic. James Gunn elevates the series farther than I could’ve imagined. The final scene, with Peacemaker dancing to the memories of the people he’s killed, hits hard. Really hard. I think that Peacemaker’s going to have some more mental breakdowns throughout the course of the season, and then solve it in the season finale. I also think he’ll become friends with Harcourt, it’s not clear what’ll happen next. One thing is clear: we are in for a GREAT second half of the season, and hopefully a season 2.
Conclusion
The fourth episode of the series is just as good as the previous three, and I don’t even think we’ve reached the peak of the season yet! Excited for more to come, what are your predictions for Episode 5?
Peacemaker Episodes 1-4 are now streaming on HBO Max, and Episode 5 will stream on January 27. Let us know what you thought of the episode by mentioning @The_Illuminerdi on Twitter.
KEEP READING: Peacemaker Review: A Wonderful Display Of James Gunn’s Talents
