Peacemaker Review: The team comes together in Monkey Dory

The comedy doesn’t always hit the mark in Monkey Dory. However, the chemistry between the cast, strong horror vibes and great action overcomes the occasional joke that doesn’t land and a mundane subplot.

The bulk of the runtime is spent on a field trip of sorts. Clemson Murn sends the team to infiltrate a warehouse that may be the shipping operation for the Butterflies food source. The assault on the warehouse is the best action scene in the series, which is where the monkey in the title comes in. James Gunn‘s horror background comes to the forefront in this sequence. Rosemary Rodriguez does a great job taking Gunn’s script as the director of the episode and creating palpable tension.

The chemistry between Danielle Brooks and John Cena has been evident from their first scenes together. Peacemaker trusts Leota Adebayo, which will make her actions later in the episode all the more heartbreaking. On the other end of the spectrum, Peacemaker is furious at John Economos for framing his father. In a comedic highlight of Monkey Dory, Peacemaker riffs on a variety of celebrities and fictional characters Economos could have chosen. Cena’s improv skills in the scene are sensational.

Later in Monkey Dory, Economos and Peacemaker bond over shared interests in music. Ecnonmos even saves Peacemaker from a brutal beating. The improved chemistry between the team even rubs off on a curmudgeonly Emilia Harcourt.

Monkey Dory is less successful with the police investigation into the missing fingerprints. There’s nothing terrible about the storyline, it’s just pretty rudimentary. The return of the Calcaterra couple doesn’t help matters.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive deeper into the three elements that stood out in Monkey Dory. There may be some minor spoilers. Peacemaker is available to stream on HBO Max.

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Brief Meeting of Discontent

Monkey Dory begins with a hungover Christopher Smith starting the day. Eventually, he gets to HQ where Murn delivers a breakdown of the Butterflies.

The Butterflies can enter bodies through any orifice. They give the host increased strength. Murn is simply trying to get through all of the information. However, an enraged Peacemaker isn’t laying off Economos for framing his father. Peacemaker goes on an epic rant. He lists other people Economos could have chosen to frame. Murn eventually gains temporary control of the situation.

He’s sending Peacemaker, Adebayo, Harcourt, Vigilante and Economos on a trip northeast to investigate a facility that could be the shipping warehouse for the Butterflies’ food supply. During the two-hour trip, the team discusses how off the books this team is, disagrees on music choices and questions whether the alien beings are in fact similar to a “deep state.”

The disagreement over music is officially squashed by Economos. Peacemaker and Economos love the same band, just as they arrive at the facility.

These early scenes provide an excellent setup for the character progression every member of the team is about to go on.

A Monkey Dory field trip

Once at the facility, it doesn’t take long for all hell to break loose. The team splits off into two pairings. After losing a game of rock-paper-scissors, Harcourt teams with Vigilante and Adebayo goes with Peacemaker.

Adebayo asks Peacemaker to stay cool. Peacemaker shoots the receptionist in the head without hesitation. He’s not crazy. Peacemaker is using the X-Ray vision helmet he stole from his father’s house. He can see the Butterflies inside everyone’s skulls.

Vigilante and Harcourt don’t have X-Ray vision. However, they come to the same conclusion as Peacemaker and Adebayo. The place is crawling with Butterflies. They also confirm the location as the shipping headquarters for the honey-like substance they consume as food.

Once the Butterflies notice Harcourt and Vigilante, Monkey Dory becomes a part-zombie film, part-Planet of the Apes. The Butterflies launch themselves at Harcourt and Vigilante with reckless abandon. They chase the duo into a server room.

Meanwhile, Peacemaker and Adebayo are having little trouble blasting through the Butterflies. After detonating a makeshift explosive, Peacemaker and Adebayo arrive just in time to help Harcourt and Vigilante. The foursome comes face to face with Charlie, the missing gorilla referenced earlier in the series.

Turns out, Butterflies can take over a gorilla’s mind as well. Charlie makes short work out of the team. Only for a chainsaw-wielding Ecnonomos coming to the rescue. The storyline ends with Peacemaker calling Economos a stud and all of the team members, yes even Harcourt, headbanging to 80’s hair metal.

Later, Adebayo and Christopher Smith hang out at his trailer. After multiple attempts, Adebayo finally plants the diary as instructed by her mom, Amanda Waller. She heads back to the office, puts on Peacemaker’s X-Ray helmet and discovers Murn is a Butterfly. The episode ends with Murn standing over Adebayo in a straight-up terrifying scene.

The White Dragon behind bars

While the team is off on the field trip, Murn stays back to handle The White Dragon situation. Auggie Smith knows his fingerprints were switched with his son’s. He’s trying to convince officers Sophie Song and Larry Fitzgibbon to check his fingerprints again. His overt racism isn’t making the process easy.

Once they confirm the fingerprints aren’t a match, they question the Calcaterra’s again. They fess up. Although, they don’t admit to taking the bribe from Adebayo.

Murn reaches out to an old acquaintance to help with the situation. Captain Locke, played with a terrifying mix of calm and menace by terrific character actor Christopher Heyerdahl, agrees to help with the situation.

He buries the evidence and keeps Auggie Smith locked up over Song’s protests. Song decides to go over Locke’s head and talks to a judge for help.

The storyline is fine, but it’s not nearly as clever as the Butterflies storyline involving the rest of the team.

Monkey Dory Final Thoughts

Peacemaker continues to surprise from a quality standpoint. With Gunn, you expect the comedy to be there. In Monkey Dory, the comedy is more hit-and-miss than in previous episodes. However, the strong character work, great horror moments and impressive CGI overcome the weak cop sub-plot and missed comedic moments.