Peacemaker Review: John Cena’s remarkable performance allows Stop Dragon my Heart Around to shine

The penultimate episode of Peacemaker, Stop Dragon my Heart Around is another stellar episode. John Cena has been a revelation throughout this series and Stop Dragon by my Heart Around might be his best performance.

James Gunn makes the smart decision to divide the team into two groups. Clemson Murn, Emilia Harcourt and Leota Adebayo are at Leota’s hotel trying to escape before the Butterflies arrive. Christopher Smith squares off against his father with John Economos and Vigilante offering support.

Cena shines the brightest on team Peacemaker. He captures the full emotional weight that comes from confronting the man who is at least partly responsible for turning him into the repugnant Peacemaker character in The Suicide Squad.

Back at the hotel, Jennifer Holland shines in Stop Dragon my Heart Around. Leota’s betrayal hits Emilia hard. For a character that doesn’t show a ton of vulnerability, there’s something about Emilia’s smile that provides instant warmth. Her heart-to-heart with Leota, where Leota comes clean is a very sweet moment. Add in a fantastic fight scene against Judomaster and you have a dynamic performance by Peacemaker’s commanding officer.

The only issue with Stop Dragon my Heart Around was the action sequences weren’t consistently great across the board. The fight sequence between Judomaster and Harcourt is fantastic, brutal with the right dose of humor thrown in. Peacemaker’s fight and attempted escape from The White Dragon and his followers fell flat. The resolution to the conflict is fantastic, but the action sequences themselves weren’t interesting. I did get a kick out of the raccoon bit, but it just doesn’t match the forest sequence from the last episode.

Gunn’s decision to split the team up, allows them to come together by the end of the episode. If Gunn can stick the landing, he may just have created the best first season of a superhero show period.

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

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Please Stop Dragon my Heart Around

Stop Dragon my Heart Around begins with Peacemaker, John and Vigilante heading out to kill the “cow.” After Leota’s betrayal, John just wants to get the mission over with and move on from this team.

The White Dragon collides literally head-first into the trios truck. Vigilante steps up to the plate. He throws a grenade that knocks Auggie off his feet. Unfortunately, Vigilante is too close to the blast and suffers some major injuries.

John and Peacemaker make a run for the forest. They realize Peacemaker’s helmet is being tracked. Peacemaker finds a raccoon and ties his helmet to the furry beast. The raccoon puts up an off-screen fight with Peacemaker sporting a bevy of deep scratches on his face.

Vigilante was able to steal the White Dragon followers’ car. He passes out while driving.

Eventually, Peacemaker and John emerge. Peacemaker is fighting off the zealots. All of a sudden, Eagley makes a beeline for the White Dragon. Auggie punches his son’s best friend. Leaving Eagley critically injured.

Full of rage, Peacemaker runs through a couple of his dad’s men and spears his father. Vigilante helps by taking advantage of the weak points in the White Dragon armor. John finds an automatic rile and plows through the rest of the White Dragon’s followers.

Robert Patrick delivers a final scathing rebuke of his son. Without much hesitation, Chris Smith kills his father. The mixture of anguish, anger and sadness in Cena’s face after killing his father is perfect.

Murn’s the Word

Back at the hotel, Harcourt confronts Leota over the planted diary. Leota reveals she is Amanda Waller’s daughter. Before new ground can be plowed, Murn arrives.

He already knew Leota was Waller’s daughter. He also doesn’t mind her planting the diary, just wishes she had waited. The Butterflies retain the memories of their human hosts. Therefore, the Butterfly in Captain Locke knows where these three are located.

Murn tells them to pack up and get ready to leave. The police arrive with Harcourt and Leota. They break into the room and quickly take out Murn. The Butterfly inside of Murn tries to escape but is crushed by Annie Chang.

Harcourt and Leota return to the room just in time to say goodbye to the dying Butterfly that used to inhabit Murn. Murn’s death came really early in the episode, a little too early. I expected him to sacrifice himself but thought he’d go out in a more valiant fashion.

Harcourt Showdown

Harcourt and Leota don’t have much time to process their grief. Judomaster arrives and an awesome fight with Harcourt ensues. Harcourt fares much better in this fight than in their earlier encounter in episode 3. All of a sudden it looks like Judomaster turns the table. It’s a ruse, which Harcourt calls the rope-a-dope, allows Leota to get the drop on Judomaster with a well-timed taser.

Judomaster’s unconscious, which leaves Leota and Harcourt time to clear the air. Leota explains the situation while patching up Harcourt. She didn’t want to betray the team or her mother, which is why she’s just not cut out for this line of work. Harcourt tells Leota that would be a shame because she is good at the job. A small smile creeps across Harcourt’s lips as she says those words and it honestly may be the warmest moment in the show.

Leota and Harcourt regroup with Peacemaker, John and Vigilante at a vet office. Peacemaker is praying over the critically injured Eagley. Cena is incredible here. Leota catches the somber moment which turns to a blessing as Eagley wakes up and hugs Peacemaker. Leota believes in miracles and I get choked up by a CGI Eagle hugging a grown man. Only Gunn could make this stuff hit as hard as it does.

The episode ends with the team choosing Harcourt to lead them. The issues between Leota and Peacemaker aren’t resolved. As Peacemaker tells her he never wants to see any of them again after this is over.

Stop Dragon my Heart Around Final Thoughts

Peacemaker continues to shine episode after episode. Stop Dragon my Heart Around is an almost flawless penultimate chapter. There are very few story beats remaining in the show and the remaining one is set up for the series finale. They just need to destroy a cow to save the world.

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