Episode Review: Peacemaker 2x6 - "Ignorance is Chris"

Welcome back to the blog readers. This is uncharted territory now, boys. Peacemaker (2022-) has reached the point where we are all going in blind as to what will happen next. The first five episodes have done a phenomenal job setting up a personal story involving the 11th Street Kids (also known as Team Peacemaker), and everything from the acting, the story, and the humor has been firing on all cylinders to remind us all why this is one of the best shows on television right now. Would this sixth episode, titled "Ignorance is Chris," and written and directed by James Gunn, be the chaotic ride I was expecting it to be? Stick around to find out.

NOTE: I will be using spoilers for my thoughts, so DO NOT read ahead if you have not seen the episode.

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This season has been an insanely wild ride, and I cannot wait to see how it ends. We have been setting this second season up to be extremely climactic, and the twist we all assumed we would be getting comes to play in a larger light than I thought it would, all culminating in the most wild episode of television I have seen all year. From the humor, the story, and the batshit crazy twist at the end of the episode, this season is proving itself to be a big step up from a very good first season.

I want to start by talking about the performances of Jennifer Holland and Freddie Stroma, but I want to start with Stroma's first. And the reason I want to start with Stroma's performance is because he is all of the comedic chops in this episode (well, him and his alternate dimension doppelgänger). The man involved in smaller roles in projects like Game of Thrones (2011-19), the Harry Potter (2000-11) films, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016) has not really branched out until he took on the role of Adrian Chase / Vigilante. He has even arguably been the best part of this show. And he shows us why again in this episode, when it becomes double trouble. Stroma has such impeccable comedic timing and knows how to cut the tension in the room with a joke. But when Vigilante is yapping himself off, this is where the real comedy gold begins. I wish we could have seen more of the double banter; maybe in these final two episodes I will get my wish.

And finally, I want to talk about the performance of Jennifer Holland. I praised Holland's performance as "Emilia" and "Harcourt," two variations on the character Emilia Harcourt, in a previous episode, deservedly so because of the emotionally complex and layered performance she is able to give as each version of the character. That does not change this week, even though we see more of Harcourt than we do Emilia, and Holland's emotional performance this time out really makes you feel for the character when she is dealing with the things that she is dealing with. Bottling in her emotions is something Harcourt is known for doing, but when the floodgates open and you see her at her most vulnerable, it is utter perfection, and Holland knows how to bring that emotional complexity to the role.

And now we have to talk about this batshit crazy story we get this week because it has it all: humor, twists, Roman J. Israel, Esq.. We start where last episode ended, in where Christopher Smith / Peacemaker has decided to make this new dimension his new home. Here, he has it all: his brother and father alive, their love, he is in a relationship with this universe's Harcourt, and he has the fame and respect he has always admired. He is having lunch at a restaurant with Keith, Auggie, and Emilia, and they are interrupted by some kids who want a selfie. Auggie tries to take it, but Emilia helps them out. The picture she takes begins to melt as the opening dance sequence begins. After it ends, the 11th Street Kids are reunited and they decide to use the dimensional portal at Adrian's house since A.R.G.U.S. does not know Vigilante's identity and will not be able to track it. Adebayo talks with Harcourt and asks her why she does not want to turn the device in since it will get her her job back. She rebukes her by saying they should go before she changes her mind. The four are greeted by Chase's mother, who reveals Chase has lied to her about Economos being a massive dork and Harcourt being his girlfriend. They go to Chase's "secret room," which is revealed to contain drugs and money that he kept when he busted drug rings. Adebayo, Harcourt, and Economos pocket some of his money as Adebayo uses the device to open a portal, but a gust of energy blows cocaine all over the four.

Meanwhile, back in the main dimension, Langston Fleury enters Rick Flag's office to let him know they have lost contact with Economos, Harcourt, and Judomaster (who has not made contact). Frustrated, he emphasizes how important it is to bring Chris down, and decides to pay an inmate at Belle Reve a visit. Entering the portal, the four come up on the "Kyphotic alien" Chris hates, and Chase reveals he helped incinerate the alternate Chris's body. After asking Economos to hack the door code, Chase reveals he knows it and the four enter the Smith-2 house. They are impressed with what they see, but everyone else is forced to hide when Keith arrives to the house and sees Harcourt. He questions her because Emilia was originally going to A.R.G.U.S. with Chris. She makes up some excuses on why she is there and hesitantly accepts a ride to A.R.G.U.S. with Keith. Speaking of, Chris and Emilia wake up after a night of "getting it on," and she urges him to go to A.R.G.U.S. without her. Chase, who has been obsessed with finding his alternate dimension self, goes off on his own to find him, leaving Economos and Adebayo to stay in the Smith-2 residency.

Harcourt is driven to A.R.G.U.S. where they have a discussion about German power metal band Helloween being as big as the Beatles (which is a subtle clue only people who know the band is German would pick up on). She has been looking around the neighborhood intently, probably noticing something is off. They arrive, and a guard dog sniffs the leftover cocaine on her jacket, forcing the guards to contain her as Chris walks in on this stunned. Meanwhile, Chase finds his other self's house and is fascinated and oblivious to the changes in this world, like his father not being gay in this world (another subtle clue). His keys surprisingly work on the door to his "secret room," and he is delighted to find his other self, and he is exactly like him. They instantly take a liking to each other (even doing the Spider-Man meme). While all of this is happening, back in the main dimension, Flag visits Belle Reve where he meets with an injured Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult), who has been sentenced to 265 years following his actions in the film Superman (2025). Luthor cannot stand being in a prison with other metahumans, and Flag offers him the ability to move to a prison without metahumans and a chance at redemption for his cooperation. He in turn tells Flag that he is in possession of a scanner that could help him find Peacemaker.

Back in Earth-2, Chris confronts Harcourt, still angry that she followed him through the dimensional device, and Harcourt is angry that he thinks she betrayed him. She explains Bordeaux was going to kill him so the only way to save him was to knock him out. He confesses that he is in love with her, but she says she is a nightmare and has no access to her feelings, admitting she picks bar fights just to feel something. Chris tells her that he still loves her despite all this, and gets her affair with Rick Flag Jr. out of her. He wants to stay in this dimension, because he has everything he never had in his home dimension, upsetting Harcourt (who is let free since her blood test came back negative). This is where everything goes to hell, because while the Adrians are comparing their lives, Adrian-1 asks his counterpart if his best friend is also Peacemaker, to which he vehemently denies, even going as far as to say he considers Chris his archenemy and the reason he joined the Sons of Liberty (the terrorists from the third episode) in the first place.

While exploring the Smith-2 house, Adebayo and Economos find Eagly, who is raiding the fridge. He likes Adebayo, but Economos? Not so much. Adebayo decides to go for a walk outside to clear her head while Economos stays behind. While she is on her walk, she gets a strange look from a lady driving her car. While Chris and Harcourt are walking through A.R.G.U.S., she notes to him that something feels off about this dimension and that she has not seen a single person of color, to which Chris scoffs at her. Keith is driving by Adebayo, and he immediately stops as the lady from before tries to get help. Keith then yells out, "One got out! A black!" Him, the lady, and other people begin to chase her down the street. Chris notices an American flag on a desk and unfurls it to see a swastika in place of the fifty stars, leading him to say two words: "Fuck me." Harcourt asks him if this is still his perfect universe as Auggie-2 comes home and spots Economos, stabbing him in the hand, leading him to reveal everything, including their being from another dimension and Chris killing Auggie-2's son. Emilia arrives to A.R.G.U.S. to learn about and have Harcourt arrested, as the episode ends with Adebayo being chased down the street by Keith and a bunch of Nazis.

Let's address the Nazi-sized elephant in the room. The fan theories came out to be true. I know people have been calling it for weeks, but the fact that James Gunn actually did Earth-X is absolutely fucking crazy. And the reveal was crazy too. And like I said, some of the clues we got in the last few weeks really are leading to something crazy. As a bit of background for those who do not know, Earth-X is an alternate dimension in the DC Comics where the Nazis won WWII and established a "New Reich." In this dimension, some of our favorite heroes are allied with the Reich, like Superman (whose name is Overman) and Green Arrow (whose name is Dark Arrow). There are a group of freedom fighters in this universe that oppose this global Nazi regime (of which one of the chapters is named the Sons of Liberty). Now that we know this is a "grass isn't always greener on the other side" story, Chris is going to have to showcase some of that character growth in order to make the ultimate sacrifice to make it home.

Peacemaker heard all of the discussion about the season being slow and decided to ramp it up with the most wild episode of television all year. Thank you all for reading, and as a reminder, Infernape is not the best Pokémon. That is clearly Gengar. Don't take it from me...because I know nothing about Pokémon. Literally. I don't know. Have a great day y'all.