Peacemaker: ‘The Choad Less Traveled’-Recap

There is a LOT to unpack in this episode and a lot of action to go with it. And yes, spoilers are incoming so if you haven’t seen the latest episode of Peacemaker then you might want to head over to HBO Max and take a look. Otherwise, if you don’t mind, keep reading since this episode continues the crazed action that the show has to offer at this point and somehow it’s all still working in a panicked, hectic way that still makes a person wonder what in the hell they’re watching and why they can’t stop. From the opening of the show to the fact that Peacemaker is kind of a nutty character that still has some use it’s easy to assume that anything that comes after it is going to be considered normal or tame. Trying to get a handle on this show isn’t too hard, but then it rips the rug out from beneath the audience as the uncertainty starts to build again. One thing that people can count on so far is that the show is going to ‘go there’ without question. 

So let’s dig into this by first saying that the episode does go further into the dynamic between Peacemaker and his father, which is a relationship that is all kinds of messed up since Auggie is the type of guy that’s comfortable with who he is and won’t be changing anytime soon. But when Peacemaker learns that his father is in prison because John switched out their fingerprints to keep Peacemaker out of prison, it’s fair to say that the freedom-loving character didn’t appreciate the gesture. But after going to see his father he also discovers that Auggie has absolutely no love for him since Auggie fully admits it in a brutal fashion. Unfortunately, that one visit isn’t the end of it. 

This episode is enough to make a person’s head spin with the name drops, the Easter eggs, the digs at DC heroes and villains, and every single thing that’s packed into the whacked-out dialogue. But again, it works in a way that can’t be denied. It is interesting that the White Dragon’s outfit was shown, though it’s interesting that Vigilante pointed out that there are weaknesses in the armor since it feels as though this might come around once again. As far as Vigilante goes, the fact that he was coerced into getting locked up in the same prison so that he could take out Auggie is a cringe-worthy move that’s undeniably worthy of this show since it’s crazy and it’s absolutely insane. Give Vigilante credit though, he took out Auggie’s companions with little to no issue, apart from the fact that he couldn’t get to Auggie, since Peacemaker’s father wasn’t about to throw hands when he had a way to possibly reduce his sentence or even get out. The fact that Auggie is ready to rat out his son and Murn’s people isn’t hard to imagine, as this sounds like a very familiar move of any character that’s portrayed as a white supremacist. In other words, principles and discipline don’t mean much to white supremacists unless they’re useful. 

Learning that Judomaster is still alive and fully ready to fight was interesting, since the rematch between Judomaster and John went about as expected, while the rematch between Peacemaker and Judomaster was fun to watch since it brought to mind the idea that the small, green-costumed character is tough, but not nearly as tough as he made out in the previous episode. But what he was about to say about the butterflies might have been intriguing had Leota not shot him. At the moment he’s still alive, and the issue of the butterflies is still ongoing given though there’s still a lot that the team doesn’t know. Even worse, as the end of the episode reveals, Murn is also a butterfly, which makes the audience wonder why in the world he’s working against his own kind, and how deep this secret goes. In a sense, this episode took the premise and tossed it in a blender to see what might come out. Stepping back for a moment and trying to remember what’s at stake and what’s going on makes it easier to think about what might come next. 

In other words, Judomaster is alive, for now, Harcourt and Peacemaker appear to be getting closer and closer to…well, something, and Leota is struggling to keep her marriage and her job separate. That’s not to mention that every time Amanda Waller’s name is tossed around it can be seen that it bothers Leota quite a bit. The tension is rising with each new issue that is created or exacerbated, and at some point, it feels as though an explosion is going to happen to clear the air. One can’t help but wait patiently for such a thing.