Why Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 6 Is One Of The Best Things James Gunn Has Ever Done

This post contains spoilers for "Peacemaker" season 2, episode 6, entitled "Ignorance is Chris."

Ever since the second season of "Peacemaker" premiered, DC Studios co-CEO and creator of "Peacemaker" James Gunn has been hyping up the end of the season. At the series' premiere in August, Gunn told Brandon Davis that episodes "6 and 8 may be my favorite things I've ever done of all time." Several days ago on social media, Gunn replied to a post by saying that episode 6, entitled "Ignorance is Chris," would contain John Cena's "best acting ever." Fans and journalists alike have been asking themselves whether Gunn was being on the level or was playing the ballyhoo huckster for the masses. After all, Gunn made a point not to send the last three episodes of the season out to the press, so was this just a publicity stunt or not?

Now that "Ignorance is Chris" has dropped on HBO Max, I can safely say that Gunn was not just blowing smoke. The episode works on an impressive number of levels, like the way it drops a massive twist that, despite being guessed by several people during the season, still feels shocking in its boldness as well as its connection to character. The alternate dimension which Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker (John Cena) has been visiting all season, the one where his father Auggie (Robert Patrick) and brother Keith (David Denman) are still alive and Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) loves him openly, is the DC Universe's version of Earth-X from the comics, an alternate history Earth where the Nazis won World War II. This revelation feels akin to an M. Night Shyamalan film, where all the various clues peppered throughout the previous episodes come to light, as well as various dark alternate history stories like "Patterns of Force" from "Star Trek." It also points out just how selfishly ignorant Chris is, having not realized this. In addition, the episode proves that Gunn's DCU tapestry may be working exceptionally well, and contains a scene that does indeed contain one of Cena's best-ever performances.

Aside from the Earth-X twist, the other big event seen in "Ignorance is Chris" was the surprise appearance of Lex Luthor, as played by Nicholas Hoult. Of course, the prospect of an actor portraying their character from the feature films in a streaming series is nothing new, as the Marvel Cinematic Universe has pioneered that crossover technique numerous times now. Yet how they've done it haven't all been successful, as some characters have ended up wasted on the small screen, while others established on the small screen have felt awkwardly inserted into big-screen adventures later on. Using characters throughout various media should work in theory, but in practice, it has not always been smooth sailing.

Certainly, the jury is still out when it comes to the DCU's handling of crossover characters and other material. Only time will tell if the DCU will continue to hold together or collapse under its own weight like most of the cinematic universes before it. That said, Luthor's appearance feels like yet another instance of Gunn cutting through the cinematic universe red tape, so to speak, and using the character because it's appropriate and serves the story more than anything else. In other words, Luthor doesn't feel inserted into the scene in a way where his appearance might've been changed pending Hoult's schedule, nor does the scene feel too built around him. It's so straightforward and natural in the way it serves both "Peacemaker" as well as begins to plant the seeds for "Man of Tomorrow." Gunn's handling of the DCU has been impressively savvy so far, and I can't wait to see how well this approach continues to work.

While the use of "best ever" to describe anything is literally hyperbole, Gunn certainly wasn't exaggerating in this case. Toward the end of the episode, Chris and Emilia encounter each other after the latter has been detained by A.R.G.U.S., and they have a conversation that Harcourt has been avoiding and Chris hasn't been able to articulate all season. Gunn's writing is incredibly refreshing here because most episodic television tends to play moments close to the chest and leave a lot unsaid to keep people tuning in. Instead, the scene feels remarkably unreserved, both on the part of the filmmakers and the characters. Chris and Emilia speak their minds plainly, even as the heated emotions and tension between them bring them to tears. Cena and Holland are sensational, both actors taking this opportunity to let loose and allow these guarded characters to bare more of their souls to each other and us.

This scene isn't just a highlight of the episode and the series as a whole; it's also a high point for Gunn's oeuvre. The filmmaker has always had a good ear for dialogue, and his skill with bold, borderline offensive non-sequiturs and quips is arguably what made his career. Yet he hasn't gotten as much credit for the way he handles romantic tension. It's appeared throughout his career, in movies like "Slither," the "Guardians of the Galaxy" trilogy, and even "Tromeo and Juliet." Yet it's the one-two punch of "Superman" and "Peacemaker" that demonstrates his ability to write intelligent character-based dialogue as well as his keen eye for casting. The scene between Clark (David Corenswet) and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) in "Superman" and the Chris and Emilia scene in "Peacemaker" feel like two sides of the same coin, moments where the story slows down and lets the characters literally have their say. It's this richness which makes "Peacemaker" season 2 episode 6 really sing, making it indeed one of the best things Gunn has ever done.