TL;DR: “Back to the Suture” gives us betrayal, blood, eagle vengeance, and a heartbreaking choice from Chris — all wrapped in the messy, glorious package that makes Peacemaker sing. Easily the best episode of Season 2 so far.
Peacemaker Season 2
I didn’t think James Gunn and his team could top the absurd brilliance of Peacemaker’s first season, but five episodes into Season 2, here we are. Episode 5, cheekily titled “Back to the Suture,” is the kind of hour that reminds you why this show is so much more than a raunchy comic-book spinoff with an immature sense of humor. It’s heart, chaos, betrayal, and cosmic weirdness, all rolled into one delirious package — and yes, I’ll say it: the best episode of the season so far.
The episode opens with Chris Smith, our broken himbo-in-a-helmet, staggering deeper into the trap set by ARGUS and Rick Flag Sr. If Season 1 was about Chris reckoning with the monstrous legacy of his father, Season 2 has been all about legacy’s ripple effects. Flag Sr. blames Chris for the death of his son, and the show doesn’t let him off easy. When John Cena’s Peacemaker finally faces off with Frank Grillo’s Flag Sr., the weight of their history crackles in every punch, every glare. It’s not just comic-book melodrama; it’s grief weaponized into vengeance. And Cena plays it with surprising restraint, allowing regret to simmer beneath the blood and bravado.
But what really makes “Back to the Suture” shine is the way the 11th Street Kids — that ragtag found family of misfits — slide back into focus. Harcourt’s loyalty crisis reaches its peak here. She’s torn between her career with ARGUS and her bond with Chris. Her betrayal sting from the last episode gets unpacked beautifully, with a flashback to Rick Flag Jr.’s funeral. It’s a moment that contextualizes her choices and proves that her allegiance isn’t to bureaucrats in suits, but to the people she bleeds alongside. Jennifer Holland brings nuance to Harcourt’s steely demeanor, letting the cracks show at just the right time.
And then there’s Economos. Steve Agee’s socially awkward, endlessly underestimated agent continues to be the unsung hero of the show. His decision to book Chris officially, just to tie Flag Sr.’s hands, isn’t just clever — it’s a moral stand in a world where legality is bent into knots. For once, the guy who dyes his beard and gets mocked for it is the one pulling the smartest move in the room. Gunn has always loved making fools into heroes, and Economos’ moment here is a prime example.
Of course, Peacemaker wouldn’t be Peacemaker without its dose of bizarre sidequests. The whole “Eagly versus Red St. Wild” subplot is equal parts baffling and delightful. Michael Rooker pops in as a deranged eagle-hunter who seems to think Peacemaker’s sidekick is some kind of cosmic messiah. It’s rushed, underexplained, and maybe even unnecessary, but when a flock of eagles descends to avenge Eagly, ripping Rooker’s character apart? That’s the kind of ridiculous excess this show thrives on. It’s dumb, it’s gory, and it works because Peacemaker refuses to take itself too seriously.
But then the episode flips the table with Chris’ most drastic choice yet: he leaves. After feeling betrayed by Harcourt, Chris makes the unthinkable decision to abandon his friends and step into the parallel universe he’s been circling all season. With only Eagly at his side, he literally crosses dimensions in search of redemption. It’s heartbreaking, it’s reckless, and it proves that Gunn’s writing isn’t afraid to torch the comfort zone. When Chris leaves that note for Adebayo, the series grounds all its cosmic silliness in raw emotion. Cena sells it with weary sincerity — the performance of a man who wants to be better but doesn’t know how, so he runs.
The genius of “Back to the Suture” is that Chris’ departure doesn’t just fracture the team — it reforges them. Adebayo, Harcourt, Economos, and Vigilante come together again, unified by their determination to bring him home. That found family theme has always been the soul of Peacemaker, and seeing the team rally without Chris is a reminder that this show knows exactly where its heart beats.
By the end of the episode, the stakes feel bigger than ever. Flag Sr. has revealed his real plan, ARGUS is closing in, Chris is lost in another world, and Judomaster is hot on his heels. It’s chaos, it’s messy, it’s weird — and it’s everything that makes this series so damn watchable.
Episode 5 of Peacemaker Season 2 is a brutal, heartfelt, hilarious ride that balances superhero spectacle with gut-punching character drama. It’s the show at its best: loud, strange, emotional, and unashamed of its contradictions. If the back half of the season keeps this momentum, we might be looking at one of the strongest seasons of DC television yet.
