“Murn After Reading” was absolutely insane. I never expected a group member to actually know that their leading commander was a butterfly. I also didn’t expect the queen to escape, enter Detective Song, and turn all of the cops into butterflies. I’m officially afraid for the whole world because I have no idea how Peacemaker will stop it. Audiences should be in complete shock and terror. Much of the episode reminded me of James Gunn’s darkly comedic horror film, Slither, given how these aliens take over human bodies. The only real change is that superheroes are involved. I’m actually surprised it took me this long to figure that out.
I was hopeful that the team would work together to stop Murn from murdering Adebayo, but I wasn’t entirely right about that, considering how Harcourt and Economos already knew Murn was a butterfly, to begin with. I am super upset at Adebayo for planting the book and getting Peacemaker framed for all sorts of atrocities. Everything about that goes against who the character she has always said she is. I’m glad that she tries to rectify the mistake and let everyone know that Amanda Waller is her mother, but I don’t know what good it’s going to do considering the damage she’s already caused.
My biggest concern is that audiences may not believe in these characters long enough for them to complete their mission in terms of saving the world. While Peacemaker is pulling great numbers and James Gunn very much wants to make a second season, having it be another global threat just feels old and tired. I don’t know how else the characters can grow, especially because Peacemaker is almost fully grasping that he is cruel because he doesn’t want to let other people in. Audiences will completely understand why this lesson was stretched out for so long, but I don’t think Cena made it feel as believable as he hopes.
The things that I’m most excited about for the next episode would be the battle between Peacemaker and his father, the White Dragon. I’m also curious to see how the rest of the butterfly invasion concludes. The strength of this show will be in how everybody works together at the end, though I definitely think we’re going to lose somebody at the finale. Cards on the table, I’m sure they will do some form of team bonding, but I don’t know whether that will help them save the day. James Gunn has a knack for creating memorable characters. I’m hoping the quirks within each character are utilized to their fullest during the final battle because that would make things more exciting and give the audience the reason to care. I hope goodwill for Peacemaker can be restored, and he can be a better version of himself. I’m sure all of us want to see that.
