The season 2 finale of Peacemaker, titled “Full Nelson,” closes the show with both emotional weight and bold setup for the future of the DCU. After a season marked by humor, heartache, and some uneven pacing, James Gunn delivers a finale that ties together the central character arcs in gripping fashion. Running nearly an hour, it gives long-awaited payoffs while hinting at new beginnings. Throughout the season, it was clear Peacemaker’s interdimensional journey would end in turmoil, but the extent of his downfall only becomes apparent in the haunting final moments.
The episode flashes back to a month earlier, where we see what really happened between Peacemaker and Harcourt. The pair shared a wild night that began with drinks at a Big Belly Burger and ended with them stumbling onto a Nelson concert aboard a party boat, where they shared an impulsive kiss.
Cut to the present, and things couldn’t be more different. Peacemaker is behind bars after surrendering himself to A.R.G.U.S., convinced that he deserves punishment for everything he’s done. Wracked with guilt, he isolates himself from everyone while Rick Flag Sr. uses the time to investigate the Quantum Unfolding Chamber.
What begins as a standard exploration turns into a massacre as Harcourt, Langston Fleury, and a group of agents push deeper into the portal’s many gateways. Each new doorway reveals a nightmare, from the deceptively cute yet carnivorous imps to universes filled with black holes, monstrous spider-skulls, and even zombies. As Flag Sr. searches desperately for a dimension with a livable atmosphere, it becomes clear that every world they find is worse than the last. Meanwhile, Adebayo manages to persuade Adrian to hand over his stash of blood money to cover Peacemaker’s bail, who quietly skips town after he is freed.
At A.R.G.U.S., the team locates a planet with a breathable atmosphere, and Flag Sr.’s true agenda finally comes into focus. In a meeting with the council from the Superman movie, Rick unveils the planet’s name: Salvation. Comic fans will recognize the name from the Salvation Run limited series. Flag plans to utilize the Quantum Unfolding Chamber to open portals to this distant world and use it as a permanent prison for metahumans and villains, trapping them with no hope of escape or return.
After uncovering the true purpose of the project, Sasha Bordeaux decides she can no longer stay silent. Convinced that A.R.G.U.S.’ plan crosses a moral line, she seeks out Harcourt and later Adebayo to take a stand against it. Together, they track down Peacemaker, who has been lying low in a rundown motel, drowning in guilt and uncertainty. What follows is an emotional intervention, as the team reminds him that despite everything, he is not beyond redemption. For Peacemaker, however, one question lingers above all else — whether the kiss he shared with Harcourt on the party boat ever meant anything to her. She confirms it meant everything.
A week later, the two reunite on the same party boat, this time celebrating under the lights of a Foxy Shazam concert. Judomaster and Fleury join Harcourt, Adebayo, Peacemaker, and John Economos as they announce the creation of a new organization dedicated to protecting the world in a better, more transparent way. Their latest venture is called Checkmate, which in the comics is an independent international spy agency committed to maintaining peace and accountability.
But in a chilling turn, A.R.G.U.S. agents abduct Peacemaker, throwing a bag over his head and forcing him into a van. The next thing he knows, he’s at A.R.G.U.S. headquarters, bound and helpless as they push him through an interdimensional portal to Salvation. The episode ends with Peacemaker all alone, stranded on a maybe desolate world.
In the end, the second season finale of Peacemaker delivers an emotionally charged and well-acted conclusion to the complicated relationship between Peacemaker and Harcourt, giving their story the depth and closure it deserves. It lays some intriguing groundwork for the future of the DCU, teasing major developments such as the rise of Checkmate and Peacemaker’s unexpected isolation on Salvation. These setups promise exciting possibilities ahead, even if viewers were hoping for a bit more cameos in the present.
‘Peacemaker’ Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Salvation is Here
Peacemaker delivers an emotionally charged and well-acted conclusion to the complicated relationship between Peacemaker and Harcourt, giving their story the depth and closure it deserves. It lays some intriguing groundwork for the future of the DCU, teasing major developments such as the rise of Checkmate and Peacemaker’s unexpected isolation on Salvation.
