“The Great Swirling Apparatus of Our Planet’s Function”
Hm.
We got the origin of Pennywise, or the Galloo, what the Native American people called it. I’m not sure that I understood how everything happened. I guess the town of Derry was built inside the circle that they trapped it in.
I like Charlotte a lot. She went to the police in order to try and talk with Hank, Ronnie’s father. She is able to get in to see him, and we find out why he is lying about his alibi, and it was not connected to Pennywise. It was the racism of the time as he was having an affair with a married white woman.
The most horrific moment of the week was when Marge tried to use a table saw to cut out her extended eyeballs, thanks to her fear of her glasses making her eyes look like they bulge out. We heard about that in episode one or two and now it pays itself off. It was a scene where I was literally screaming for Marge to not do what she was going to do.
Of course, poor Lilly, who saved Marge’s life, is made to look like she had attacked her, as the entire lunchroom came to see the events. Not a good look for Lilly.
Dick used his shining to get inside the head of Daniel to find out about the pillars, which apparently are in the IT house where we know the well is located.
We are now half way through the season and we have yet to see clown Pennywise. However, the previews for upcoming weeks had some horrible scenes featuring Pennywise, so he is coming.
Episode three of the new IT series on HBO Max is a banger.
We get some more psychic “shining” from Dick Hallorann, who we know ages up to work at the Outlook Hotel (and get an axe in his chest from Jack). The scene of him in the helicopter, flying over Derry and having psychic images of Pennywise in his forms, was exciting. Admittedly, as he was opening the cargo door of the copter, I never thought he’d fall out or die from that because I knew he had to be a part of the Shining eventually. Still, it was a tense moment.
Shawshank was mentioned too, which is part of the Stephen King shared universe. I do love how there are Easter eggs from other films in Derry. I’m sure there are some other hints out there that I do not recognize.
Ronnie’s father has something he is not telling anyone. It feels as if it is something that could work as an alibi, but he does not want to let that info out. Curious.
The flashback to the 1908 incident with Pennywise was scary. Frank and Rose’s interactions with the creature in the woods, a lookalike for the slender man from the carnival, was intense. Frank running from the creature only to be saved by Rose, wielding the slingshot that Frank had given to her (and Frank’s father had given to him). It was an exciting cold open showing what this episode would bring.
It was not as intense as when Ronnie, Lilly, Will, and Rich went into a graveyard to try and summon the monster that had attacked our departed friends from episode one in order to get pictures of it. I am not sure they could have come up with a more dangerous plan if they had tried. They were really fortunate to escape that event with their lives.
We end the episode with a pic of Pennywise as Will said of the photo he took, “It’s… a clown.”
We have not seen the Pennywise clown version as of yet, and that is pretty cool. We definitely see the shape-shifting clown in other forms… and those forms are absolutely gross and frightening. The fang-filled vagina of Ronnie’s mother…. and the pickle jar with pieces of Lilly’s father. Man, those were rough.
The show is looking at the racism of the time more than the IT movies did. The racism in Derry was definitely in the movies, but this feels like a new level of focus on it. It has a feel much like Watchmen and Lovecraft Country. The smartest characters of the show seem to be the people of color.
We are introduced to a couple new kids in the show after the slaughter at the theater last week. Poor Lilly was facing her own struggles and the sheriff trying to get her to change her story about that night in order to get Ronnie’s father as the killer. Lilly kept saying that she did not see her father that night. The sheriff manipulates her to give him something he can use to arrest him.
We get the driving force behind the use of the military in this show. We learn that the military is in search of a weapon they can use in the Cold War. It is a weapon that can create fear in any man. It is clearly Pennywise that they are searching for.
There are a lot of really great scenes in this episode, including one in a jail cell involving a Russian gun. IT: Welcome to Derry has been very good so far, with amazing visuals and a group of intriguing characters.
I loved IT. I loved the original TV show miniseries starring Tim Curry and the 2017 movie. The second part of the movie was not as strong, but I am a fan of Pennywise the Dancing Clown.
So when I heard that there was a series in the works for HBO Max set in Derry in prior years when Pennywise would terrorize the children of Derry, I was all in.
While we did not see Pennywise in this first episode, it was anything but lacking. In fact, I found it shocking and, somewhat, upsetting.
They set up a group of kids, much like the “losers” from the film, and gave them a mission. Find Matty, the boy who we meet at the beginning who wound up with a weird family in an attempt to leave Derry.
These kids included Teddy, Phil, Lilly, Phil’s little sister Susie and Veronica. They were trying to solve the mystery of Matty’s disappearance after Lilly heard him speaking to her out of her pipes in her bathtub.
Shockingly, Lilly and Veronica were the only two to survive the encounter at the end of the episode. I couldn’t believe it because it sure seemed as of Teddy and Phil were being set up as the main characters of this show. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and I was sure something would happen to save them, even after seeing their blood splatter and Teddy actually being slammed face first into the projector room glass.
I am sad that they are gone, because I really liked them. I saw an interview with director Andy Muschietti who said they wanted to show that no one was safe in this setting. He did that for sure.
We’ll see where this goes from here. I thought this pilot episode was really good and it definitely defied what I expected to see.
After seven successful episodes, the finale of season two of Peacemaker felt a little flat.
Episode seven was sensational. Episode eight just felt like a lot of wrap up/falling action. We get some flashbacks to Chris and Harcourt’s relationship, but none of those had as much energy as some of the other scenes.
The whole Chris depression angle was over quickly. He wanted to be left in jail. Then, when he was bailed out, he was going to leave town. Soon, the 11th Street Kids found him and talked him into working together.
The whole crew got together to set up an organization, which also included Judomaster and Agent Langston Fleury and Sasha Bordeaux. Now, there are no real reasons why Judomaster and Fleury join up with the 11th Street Kids. Sasha was at least shown to have lost her belief in Flagg.
Flagg used the door Chris had given him to find a planet to use as a prison. He found the planet of Salvation, which is tied to Darkseid in a way. I am not that familiar with DC Comics material like I am with Marvel, when Chris is stranded by Flagg Sr. in a moment of pure revenge, it looks like something that will be major in the DCU.
The finale was not what I was expecting and I was a little disappointed. James Gunn had mentioned a big cameo and I am not sure what that was (maybe it was the planet Salvation). This did not feel like a finale of a series. It does feel like this set up for future stuff instead of a conclusion for season two.
The penultimate episode of season 2 of Peacemaker was amazing!
Wow, what a great episode. There was so much emotion and drama.
Major points:
White Dragon was not a racist! What? Then, Vigilante killed him in front of Chris. Hearing Auggie Smith talking so calmly and fairly, even after hearing the details of his own son’s death was unexpected.
Keith getting pummeled by the whole group.
Chris’s cry of anguish as his friends were trying to stop Keith was heartbreaking. I’m worried about Chris and his mental health.
Ads and Jusomaster playing Earth X brand of Scrabble (Scrobble) was a hoot. Watching Judomaster murder the mob of people who were pursuing Ads in the swimming pool … well, that was a little uncomfortable. I guess they were all Nazis.
Economics may have been the heart of the show early on but… he ain’t any more. He has not done well in Earth X.
With Harcourt preparing to shoot Keith in the head, but failing, I expect Keith back in the finale.
Peacemaker surrendered the dimensional portal to Rick Flagg Sr. While protecting his friends. Chris is arrested and taken away. Ads stopping Vigilante from doing anything to stop it showed her leadership.
Next week is the finale. I can’t wait. It has been a tremendous season and I can’t express how much John Cena has kicked ass in this role. That emotional outburst over Keith’s injured body was something I never thought he was capable of doing. This has been an exceptional season.
So the truth of the other world is finally revealed and the answer was just what I thought it was… although they take it another step .
Seeing that swastika on the American flag where the stars were supposed to be was a rough visual. Earth X? Some form of it? James Gunn is a wild man.
Harcourt noticed the fact immediately. As soon as Adebayo, Harcourt, Adrian and Economos arrived in the alternate earth, Harcourt spotted that there were no people of color.
It was a popular theory that had been going around the internet over the last several weeks, but it makes perfect sense. White Dragon, Chris father, a racist scumbag in the DCU, is still racist scumbag, but now… so is everyone.
The reveal of the truth was really well done and I am seriously concerned for Adebayo. Running from a mob of racists chasing her (including Keith) is shocking. It takes a big swing and sets things up for the final couple of episodes.
Economos spilling the beans to Chris’s father was very funny. Seeing Adrian go face to face with himself was also a hoot. I liked how the alternate earth Vigilante is a member of the Sons of Liberty, and now, you’ve got to reexamine everything we had thought about this world before.
Biggest surprise this episode though is easily… Lex Luthor! Rick Flag Sr. going to Luthor to make a deal to help him find the dimensional portal. I was thinking it was going to be Chris’s father, not dead, in the DCU, but when Nicholas Hoult sat down in his orange prison jumpsuit, I literally shouted out loud. I did not expect Superman’s arch enemy to make an appearance on Peacemaker.
There was a great scene between Chris and Harcourt too, as they try to figure out their relationship. Of course, there is only a limited time as this earth’s Emilia showed up demanding that Harcourt was arrested.
This has been great and now that we got this twist, I can’t wait to see where it goes next.
What a great episode of Peacemaker. This was my favorite episode of the season so far.
So much awesomeness happened in this episode. This included:
Harcourt takes down Chris to save him from being shot.
She had sent a message to Chris (secret word) which meant stay away. He ignored it.
Rick Flag Sr. shows exactly what his plans for Peacemaker are.
Flag Sr. beats the crap out of Chris in an interrogation room. He would have killed him had Economos not posted that Chris had been arrested.
I really thought Eagly was killed by that massive gun.
How many times does James Gunn have to kill off Michael Rooker?
The death of Rooker’s character, Red St. Wild, was about as brutal as I have ever seen.
Plus, Eagly dropping that finger at Chris’s feet… with Chris saying “I’m going to pretend that you found that.” LOL
Great performance again from John Cena. His depression is a real thing.
With Chris going to the alternate universe, I have a feeling that he’s going to find out things aren’t as rosy as he thinks.
Harcourt, Economos, Adebayo and Adrian’s plan on following Chris and bringing him back is destined for trouble.
The dialogue between Judomaster and Fleury was fantastic. I have grown to like Tim Meadows much more than I did with his first appearance.
The whole Prime Eagle thing was weird. I actually rolled my eyes at that. That reveal was the weakest part of the episode, even with the awesome brutal death of St. Wild.
Such a great episode. Even the weaker Eagly storyline, episode 5 was amazing and completely entertaining.
This episode started out with a flashback showing how Chris wound up with the Quantum Unfolding Storage Area. Chris, his brother and father were out hunting (for what is not clear) and they find an alien (not a Xenomorph, that is Tuesdays).
We get more info with the rest of the ensemble as well. Economos is desperately trying to balance his friendship with Chris against his job with ARGUS. He was able to stop St Wild from killing Eagly by hitting him from behind as he was lining up his shot. He told St Wild that another eagle attacked him instead. St Wild decided that because of that, Eagly is the leader of all eagles, the Primal Eagle, and thus became his ultimate prize kill.
Listen…. you better not kill that eagle. Do you hear me, show?
Rick Flag Sr. approached Harcourt with the news she had been blackballed by Waller. However, Flag Sr. wants her to help capture Chris, so he offers to bring her back in. Not the happiest thing as Harcourt texted Chris and they set up a meeting. A meeting where Flag Sr. and his crew would be waiting. This is where the episode left off.
This felt like an insubstantial episode after last week. Sure there were some good moments, such as Chris vs. Judomaster, but it felt lesser. It felt like this was Economos’s episode.
I do like that Chris called Adebayo for help to escape from the ARGUS (which Economos tipped him off was coming). He told her everything and she tried to speak sense to him. Chris is really taken with that alternate universe and he is not thinking clearly. He truly is considering taking himself over to the other universe so he could have his dad and brother, as well as a potential relationship with Harcourt.
The whole Michael Rooker dance around a fire bit was as bizarre of a scene as you could expect. I am not sure this arc works well and Rooker feels like a character that has been thrown in to get Rooker a role.
Harcourt’s betrayal of Chris is going to really be a tough one to swallow, if that indeed is where the show goes. Next week’s episode could be an extremely powerful and difficult episode to watch. While this one was okay, it does provide a ton of excitement for the next episode.
I was able to watch the new crime mini-series on HBO Max starring Mark Ruffalo. I had been pretty interested in this since I heard about it.
Ruffalo played Tom Brandis, an FBI agent and former priest. Brandis was on leave because of a family tragedy. He was brought in to lead a task force to try and stop a group of violent thieves.
Tom Pelphrey played Robbie Prendergast, who was one of the thieves in the group Brandis is chasing.
The initial part of the episode was a little slow as we are introduced to all the characters. The second half of the episode was much better and was very intense and anxiety-ridden.
I am interested to see the next episode. I do love Mark Ruffalo but this episode was a little slow for my taste. I will be watching on Sunday night for now.
Episode three brought us some awesome stuff and a couple of surprises.
Surprise number one kicked off the episode as Joel Kinnaman’s Rick Flag, who Peacemaker killed in The Suicide Squad film, made his return in a flashback, showing that he had a relationship with Harcourt before his death, and he appeared in the alternate universe where Chris found himself.
Then, unexpectedly, there was Michael Rooker, dressed like an outdoorsman (that really looked Native American) named Red St Wild. St. Wild is an expert eagle killer and he has been recruited by ARGUS to kill Eagly. I do not know if Red St Wild is a DC character or an original character created by James Gunn. Ihave never heard of him but I am not the expert in DC Comics.
John Cena got a chance to show off his skill set here. Not only does he have some really solid acting scenes, in particular opposite Jennifer Holland’s Harcourt, but he got to go full hardcore as Chris goes into a tense situation to prevent a massive bomb. Without his helmet or his outfit, Chris brutally kills a bunch of the Sons of Liberty terrorists who were setting up this bomb.
And Chris messes them up.
That sequence was awesome and it showed Peacemaker’s strength. While he is sometimes portrayed as a buffoon, there is no doubt that he was a killing machine in this scene and it was a welcomed moment for both the character and the audience.
The rest of the ensemble had some great moments this week too. The show felt as if it may have kicked into high gear with the temptation of the alternate universe calling to Chris. Could he actually go to that universe and take the place of the Chris he killed.
That Chris, by the way, sure looked to be a hot mess. While the Peacemaker identity was beloved and held as a hero, Chris Smith was shown to be a drunk with a drug problem. That universe’s Chris did not seem to be having a positive life outside of his alter ego. It is clearly the path this season’s story is taking.
Finally, what is up with Vigilante? Taking the pants off a drunken Economos with a tender kiss on his forehead was bizarre.
The episode flew by and felt shorter than the first two weeks. I love how the season is setting up characters with their personal relationships. I expect things to get crazy, but the show had better not kill off Eagly!
Peacemaker dropped its second episode last night on HBO Max. Last week’s premiere left Chris in a terrible state of mind as he accidentally killed an alternate universe version of himself.
This week, we follow up on that cliffhanger last week with Chris getting help from Vigilante to chop of the body with a handsaw. What a horrendous scene with the John Cena head rolling around on the ground.
I thought John Cena did a great job with his acting in this episode. He played Peacemaker in a real depressed state and you could completely understand why. His comment about looking into the eyes of yourself as he dies was really powerful. I thought this might have been Cena’s best performance as Peacemaker yet.
Then Tim Meadows joined the cast as ARGUS agent Langston Fleury. I have to say that I did not like this character even a little bit. Bird blindness? Hated it.
Eagly kicked some serious butt in this episode and it is awesome. Eagly went after some of these ARGUS agents with a gusto not seen by the eagle lately.
The Peacemaker crew party on the roof was amazing. The writing was perfect. The dialogue, especially between Chris and Harcourt was exceptional.
Another good episode and great progression of the story.
I watched the first episode of Peacemaker season two last night, but, to be honest, I was really tired and I dozed through a bunch of the show. It is not a criticism of the episode as much as it was how tired I was after all day at school and the open house that night.
So I woke up early this morning and rewatched the episode, and I am so glad that I did. I realized that I actually dozed through the entire bit with Chris (Peacemaker) and his father and his brother Keith in the alternate universe, which is a major piece of the episode.
Before we go on, let’s talk the most important part… the dance routine on the opening credits. I have to say, my first thoughts were that I did not love it as much as I did last year. While I did enjoy it, and the dancing of the cast was as corny and over-the-top as ever, I feel as if the song this season, “Oh Lord” by Foxy Shazam, does not reach the level of awesomeness as “Do Ya Wanna Taste It?” by Wig Wam. That is just a personal preference, and I will say that I found it more entertaining the second time, so perhaps this will be a song that will grow on me as the season progresses whereas last season’s song grabbed me immediately.
Moving on, I thought this episode was really strong and highlighted more of the character aspects of the cast, especially Chris, Economos, and Harcourt. Chris’s entire storyline with the alternate world Peacemaker was amazing. The scene where Chris sat silently as his dad and Keith talked was powerful and a bit sad. I wonder if, in this universe, his dad is not the racist piece of garbage that was displayed last season. They do seem to be working together as a trio.
There was less about Adebayo and Adrian Chase (Vigilante) though they do appear in good scenes complimenting the other performances. I expect more from both before the season ends.
Also, shout out to the Bludhaven reference made during the episode. Bludhaven is the city outsie of Gotham where Dick Grayson, aka Nightwing, resides.
Another major switch came in the “Previously on” section at the beginning of the episode where they made a couple of adjustments to scenes from seaosn one. Specifically, we hear Adebayo make mention of the “Justice Gang” instead of the “Justice League.” Another switch was the iconinc scene at the end of season 1 where the Justice League shows up and we see Flash and Aquaman from their movie sides. Here we get the Justice Gang with Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl making comments instead. None of these adjustments bother me any and it makes me wonder if the plan is not to have Chris move into a different world, but to have Chris’s world be the actual DCU.
I know everyone was making the guess that Peacemaker would jump universes, but I think that is not going to be the way they go. With these few retcons, I think the story will be Chris goes to the happier universe with his cool dad and living brother, but he needed to return to his home world which is the DCU. I could be wrong on that, but I am calling it right now.
Peacemaker season two episodes drop every Thursday on HBO Max.
Okay, the finale of season one of Duster rocked really hard.
It was probably the best episode of the season as everything came to a close and they set up some unbelievably compelling storylines for a season two.
Major points this episode:
We find out what happened to Joey. (Hint he was not killed by Saxton)
I did not see Saxton’s death coming but his sacrifice for his son fit well for this character
I did not realize that Corbin Bernsen was playing Jimmy’s dad. He had some tense scenes with Genesis.
Good seeing Billy get his, especially after his brutality with Jimmy and Nina.
The Agent Grant-Nina showdown was intense too. Thanks to Awan for his awesome timing.
Jimmy is just a hero. He drove his car right into the hornet’s nest to try and save Nina.
Of course, he had his dad set up to shoot Genesis as a way to get Saxton to change his plans. That was the old 66 Reno Split.
Izzy tells Jimmy that she had cancer to convince him not to leave town. She told him that Luna would need him.
Turned out that the mysterious Xavier is Joey, Jimmy’s brother who is not dead (Saxton helped him get away).
The Nixon tape found its way into other hands. It had Nixon preparing to sow racial divide.
Jimmy and Nina are teaming up again to try and find Joey/Xavier.
This was a really fun episode and a great end to the season. I hope we get to continue on. Josh Holloway is a tremendously charismatic actor and his presence in every scene is perfect.
Duster has taken a wild swing into the world of political thriller, connecting the story they have been telling to, of all things, the Watergate tapes.
Howard Hughes made a guest star appearance and told Jim that Joey was killed by the CIA. Is that the truth or just the ramblings of a crazy man?
Sgt Groomes awakened and gave his info on Jim to Billy, all the while then ousting Nina from her Russian interpreter role. Billy snatched Nina at the end of the episode, which technically saved her from Agent Chad who had received orders to take Nina out.
Luna stowed away in the duster with Jim and Saxton, who were delivering the case (that contained the “smoking gun” tape of Nixon) to Hughes. When she was discovered, she dropped the fact that she was the daughter of the protestor that Saxton had been having so much trouble with, but Saxton did seem to be willing to listen to the little girl argue the case for the protest and for women’s rights.
Who, by the way, is Xavier?
There were a ton of storylines coming together and setting up for net episode’s finale of season one.
