This article contains spoilers for “Peacemaker” season 2, episode 6 “Ignorance is Chris.”
Throughout the new season of “Peacemaker,” it seems Chris (John Cena) had discovered the perfect alternate reality to nest in. Not only is his brother Keith (here played by David Denman) alive, but so is his father Auggie (Robert Patrick), who served as the series’ main antagonist White Dragon in season 1 … although some Eagly-eyed viewers had started to notice that this universe might be harbouring a sinister secret in plain sight. Sure enough, they were unfortunately proven correct as it’s revealed that the world we’ve been spending time in is actually Earth-X. For non-comic book people, it might as well be called Planet Nazi since it’s a “Man in the High Castle” situation where the Third Reich were victorious in WWII. The imagery is so casual that the swastika is front and center on the American flag in lieu of the 50 stars. Chris really is that oblivious.
The twist in “Ignorance is Chris” is an upsetting turn of events that changes everything we’ve been led to believe for most of the season. If anything, it serves as an extension of the white supremacist evils Peacemaker had to confront in season 1. In an interview with GQ, series creator James Gunn talked about how the big rug pull was something he heard concerns over, but ultimately decided it needed to be stated outright:
“We’re like, ‘let’s not be bashful about this. Let’s just do the story that we want to do, and I don’t want to have to pull punches with it’ […] And it’s interesting because there hasn’t been that sort of… I have a few racists that have called me polarizing, but I’m okay with being polarizing and letting racists fall to the wayside.”
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Earth-X Keith aggressively honking his horn in Peacemaker – HBO Max
It’s a pretty common universal truth that Nazis are — and always will be — the bad guys. Between “Creature Commandos” and “Peacemaker,” it becomes pretty clear that Gunn shares that sentiment with how the bigoted hate group is depicted. If known racists are upset about what you’re doing, then it’s probably a good sign that you’re on the right track. Gunn’s concerns lied more with being making sure he approached the Earth-X plot twist with the utmost sensitivity (via GQ):
“We’re dealing with racism and at the same time, there’s humor in this episode. And so, you’re dealing with something very delicate and yet we’re not being delicate about it — but I don’t think we’re not being delicate in a non-thoughtful way.”
While the moment where Chris discovers the Nazi variant of the American flag is chilling, the twist becomes infinitely more terrifying when Adebayo (Danielle Brooks) becomes the center of attention in a wealthy suburban neighborhood. I don’t think you need me to explain why a neighborhood full of white citizens running out of their homes to chase down a Black woman in broad daylight is horrifying in pretty much every context. Thankfully, Gunn is a good collaborator who thought beyond its shock value by consulting with Brooks beforehand. “I wanted to make sure she was okay with everything,” says Gunn.
/Film’s Bill Bria considers this episode as one of the best things Gunn has ever done, so it will certainly be interesting to see how he expands upon the earth-shattering secret with the remaining two episodes of the season.
The first six episodes of “Peacemaker” season two are now streaming on HBO Max.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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