‘Esto se avaca’ would be the brilliant impossible translation of ‘Is Cow or Never‘ the final episode that brings the overall plot of ‘The Peacemaker’ to a satisfying end while offering lots of action and not a few emotions wrapped in gore and monsters. Watching the ending makes it clear that there wasn’t necessarily anything planned for a second season, but the series’ success on HBO Max has led to confirmation. But if one wants to keep this ending, it would be valid.
The final episode begins with Leota apologizing for trying to betray Chris with the fake diary on Waller’s orders, but acknowledging that he made a moral judgment on The Peacemaker for his lack of scruples. The conversation also leads to a discussion of why the antihero still defines himself by the death of his brother and the abuse of his father, questioning most of the origin stories of the world of superheroes.
Spoilers del episodio 8 de 'El pacificador' de aquí en adelante
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I return to the eighties terror and the blandi blu.
But the bulk of the episode is the plan to kill the cow, a fun bunch of nonsense with the initial plan to use the sonic boom helmet using Eagly as an ally. In the end it is Economos who leaves the helmet inside, but is horrified to see the cow, a brain-like monster from ‘Starship Troopers’, which actually recaptures Tobe Hooper’s ridiculous and grotesque variation of body-hugging cinema in ‘ Invaders from Mars’ (1986), a very James Gunn film to which the director seems to offer a love letter in the episode.
At that moment, a great chain of action scenes begins with the series’ emblem, ‘Do Ya Wanna Taste It?’ from Wig Wam, the opening credits song, in which Chris, Vigilante and Harcourt fight their way through the butterflies as the helmet’s destructive sonic booms rip the lair apart to the aliens’ horror. An absolutely brutal, funny, bloody open-field shootout filmed by a director increasingly comfortable with close-up action.
The scene is also surprising because two of the three main characters, Vigilante and Harcourt, are seriously injured, but almost uncounted. Leota has the big time of it, charging into battle to save Harcourt from being taken over by a butterfly, and donning the human torpedo helmet by going into the guts of the cow in one scene. sticky and grotesque that is very reminiscent of Gunn’s debut, ‘Slither’, and his constant inspiration in the horror movies of the 80s.
a great ending
One of the great revelations is the true motivation of the butterflies. As Song explains, they came from a planet that had become uninhabitable (again common points with ‘Slither’), and when they arrived at Earth they realized that it was on the same trajectory with their populist leaders who convince people to ignore science and reason, abandon personal responsibility and put profit above survival. The Butterflies vowed to save the Earth by making the decisions that its inhabitants could not make for themselves.
But in true “Ultimatum on Earth” style, the aliens don’t care how many lives are at stake to carry out the plan, something that coincides with the ideology of “The Peacemaker”, and Song sees an ally in Chris , someone who would agree to their plan, but instead of helping them teleport the cow, Chris activates the human torpedo helmet again. When everyone is leaving, he appears the Justice League, already too late to be of any use to them, in a surprise moment for DC fans that, in true series fashion, only serves to cause Chris to ignore them and return to the series’ recurring joke about Aquaman and the fish.
James Gunn is a master at hiding emotion and pathos in the most ridiculous scenarios. and the epilogue works on an emotional level better than many series that take themselves too seriously. There is also a new beginning once we reach the logical end point of the arcs of all the characters, with a bitter touch for Chris, who does not have so easy to get rid of the White Dragon, but leaving everything ready for a second season. Although these eight episodes have been perfect, it’s hard to resist another round, as long as Gunn is just as involved again.