Editor’s note: The below recap contains spoilers for Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1. After it first debuted, Peacemaker took viewers on a journey, following an unlikely group of heroes fighting an alien threat. However, the first season ends with Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) revealing the corrupted system led by her own mother, ARGUS head Amanda Waller (Viola Davis). That is where Season 2 picks up, and although the “Previously On” recap reveals a few changes to fit the DCU canon, the overall story remains intact. The main difference is the heroes who showed up at the end of the Season 1 stinger, with Justice League changed out for the Justice Gang, as Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) take the lead with a little banter. The Season 2 premiere not only reveals the show’s connection to James Gunn’s Superman but sets up an emotional story for Chris (John Cena) as he comes to terms with his past via the multiverse. The first episode of the new season, “The Ties That Grind,” has a lot to explain, as it takes place several months after the events of Season 1 and resets the continuity to keep up with the changing universe, but it does so efficiently. Though the necessary setup leads to a slow start, there are clearly better plots incoming. Already, Peacemaker Season 2 establishes new characters, bringing Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) into the series and introducing Sasha Bordeaux (Sol Rodríguez). With new enemies, multiverse shenanigans, and all the characters seemingly at a personal low, Peacemaker Season 2 promises to be eventful, to say the least.
‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Sees Chris Discovering a Better Universe

Chris (John Cena) in Peacemaker Season 2
Image via Max

“The Ties That Grind” wastes no time in revealing the multiverse as Chris wanders through his father’s quantum-unfolding storage area looking for Eagly. When he comes across a suspicious door, he enters with his father’s code and discovers another world where Auggie Smith (Robert Patrick) is alive and on good terms with his son. Spooked, Chris returns home, and six months later, is still unsure of his path. After fighting Season 1’s alien threat, Chris is on the path to becoming a hero in truth, but his interview for the Justice Gang goes horribly, as they don’t think he can hear their insults. However, it gives Chris the opportunity to reveal how he is working on himself, moving away from the violence he was raised in and coming to terms with his history. Peacemaker has long made it clear that Chris has demons, but the proof that he is working on them is a major development for Season 2 that will allow for the character’s personal growth. However, as things go wrong for him, Chris ventures back to the other timeline, where he discovers that in this world, he, his father, and his brother Keith (David Denman) are a team, working as heroes and living together in an idealistic version of his family. With the alternate version of him away, Chris is able to live this life briefly, listening to Keith and Auggie reminisce with a comfort that he never had with his family. The encounter with his brother, whose death Chris blames himself for, and his father, whom Chris did kill, makes for an emotional family reunion, and the reveal that the alternate Chris dated Harcourt (Jennifer Holland). Before he can leave, Chris runs into the other version of himself, who believes him to be a shapeshifting villain and attacks him. Chris escapes into the interdimensional storage area, running back to his own universe, but the alternate Chris follows, and their fight ends with the alternate Chris dead. Now that Chris has killed himself, he has even more problems to deal with as he works to heal and be a better person. Peacemaker Season 2 is not letting Chris off easy, as he confronts people from his past he never expected to see, but it leaves him many ways to grow.
None of the 11th Street Kids Are in a Good Place in ‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 1

Chris isn’t the only Peacemaker character hitting a personal low. Though she bravely exposed the corrupt system inside ARGUS at the end of Season 1, Adebayo’s life took a turn as a result. With their task force dissolved, Adedayo is advertising herself as a security consultant, because, as Economos (Steve Agee) reveals, she cannot get a job. On top of that, her marriage is in crisis, and Keeya (Elizabeth Faith Ludlow) won’t call her back. Meanwhile, Harcourt can’t get a job in intelligence. She’s told she doesn’t pass the psychological tests, ironically being diagnosed with toxic masculinity, but more realistically, she has been blackballed by Waller, who wields impressive power even after her actions were made public. With her career destroyed and her refusal to acknowledge the growing connection between her and Chris, Harcourt is at rock bottom, going to a bar and picking a fight where she’s outnumbered. Though an impressive fighter, Harcourt gets badly beaten, showing how much she’s struggling. Economos has fared better, working for ARGUS and being assigned to monitor Chris’ house, which means he is not only employed but in his field of expertise. However, the investigation puts him in a difficult position as he is working against his friends. Adrian (Freddie Stroma) is the only one who’s actually in a decent place, still working at the restaurant and now friends with Economos as well as Chris, though Season 2 has yet to show him as Vigilante. Not only are they all having a rough time following saving the world, but Peacemaker Season 2 separates its heroes after spending all of Season 1 developing the unlikely team. While it likely won’t last, it’s a letdown for them to be divided, with no scene including more than two members of the core group, after such a long wait for the new season.
‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Puts Chris at Odds With ARGUS

Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr. in Peacemaker Season 2.
Image via HBO Max

Peacemaker Season 2 shows a rising threat in the world as metahumans escape their prisons, but as the director of ARGUS, Rick Flag Sr.’s top priority is Peacemaker, the man who killed his son (Joel Kinnaman). He has the perfect excuse to engage, with Auggie’s interdimensional storage unit tripping ARGUS’s sensors, and the energy is similar to the recent interdimensional rift as seen in Superman. Economos, who is surveilling the house, sees Chris in the doorway, but he doesn’t tell his superiors. Instead, he takes it to Adebayo for advice. Since he cannot speak to Chris directly, she agrees to ask him about the doorway so Economos doesn’t risk his career. With ARGUS’s investigation and Flag’s personal vendetta against him, Chris is facing a new hidden threat, adding another story to round out the season with a more grounded plot. Peacemaker is streaming on HBO Max with new episodes on Thursdays.

Peacemaker

“The Ties That Grind” sets up an eventful season with multiverse shenanigans and emotional stakes.

Release Date

January 13, 2022

Network

HBO Max, Max

Directors

James Gunn, Brad Anderson, Rosemary Rodriguez

Pros & Cons

“The Ties That Grind” effectively and seamlessly handles the continuity transition.
Chris gets an emotional story as he meets an alternate version of his family.

The core team set up in Season 1 is scattered, preventing the group dynamic that fans fell in love with.