Peacemaker S2E7 Recap: “Like a Keith in the Night” — Saving the One You Love

The following recap contains spoilers for Peacemaker S2E7, “Like a Keith in the Night” (written by James Gunn and directed by Alethea Jones).

Peacemaker S2E7, “Like a Keith in the Night,” picks up with Peacemaker (John Cena) and Harcourt (Jennifer Holland) in the ARGUS headquarters in the alternate dimension, with Harcourt 2, flanked by guards, ordering the arrest of Harcourt. Harcourt tells Peacemaker she can’t believe he didn’t realize they were in “Nazi world,” and when he tries to defend himself, she points out everything from the flag he found, to the copies of Mein Kampf on every desk, to the giant Hitler mural on the wall (“F*ck, how’d I miss that?” he asks). Harcourt 2 approaches Peacemaker, and he tells her he thinks they should break up, before grabbing a guard and throwing him into one of his comrades. He and Harcourt work together to lay waste to the guards before escaping downstairs. In the ARGUS lobby, Peacemaker and Harcourt are cornered by the guards, but Peacemaker instructs Harcourt to wrap her arms around him. He activates his jetpack and they rocket through the glass window out of the facility. A little cut up and battered, they board the Peace-Cycle and race away. 

Adrian/Vigilante (Freddie Stroma) and his alternate version discuss the differences in their dimensions, most importantly who won World War II: the Nazis. Vigilante 2 tells Vigilante that here, anything anyone has is at the expense of those deemed “different” toiling away in camps, and that he couldn’t just stand by without trying to make a difference. Vigilante mentions that he came here with Adebayo, a Black woman, and Vigilante 2 suddenly springs into action—they have to get going to save her. 

Adebayo (Danielle Brooks), following the end of last week’s episode, is frantically running away from a neighborhood of Nazis hot on her trail, led by Keith (David Denman). Keith’s phone rings, and it’s his dad Auggie (Robert Patrick), who tells him to drop what he’s doing and come back to the house. Auggie has Economos (Steve Agee) tied up after catching him in the house, and is demanding answers. Adebayo is seemingly cornered, but takes a shortcut across a backyard and through a swimming pool, with the neighborhood right behind her. As they close in, Adebayo begins to climb out of the pool to encounter Judomaster (Nhut Le), extending a helping hand. With Adebayo safely out of the water, Judomaster plunges telephone wires into the pool, electrocuting Adebayo’s pursuers. They get to the house that Judomaster has taken over while its owners are on vacation. I really liked this scene: two queer minorities, formerly antagonists, bonding over a “Scrobble” game in a Nazi world. They also exchange some good dialogue: Judomaster giving relationship advice, and Adebayo gently explaining to him that Peacemaker is a good person. 

When Keith arrives at the house, Auggie pulls him aside and they start putting together some pieces. The man they thought was their Peacemaker wasn’t actually him, and the same goes for Harcourt (“She was wearing pants…she never heard of Helloween!” Keith exclaims). Auggie speaks about how he once saw another version of himself on the other side of the door, “something cruel, like he came from a world that was a dark version of ours.” Interesting. Auggie tells his son that they have to get to this alternate Peacemaker before the authorities do because their dimensional portal’s existence cannot be known. They suit up and head out to “round up” the dimensional intruders. 

Peacemaker drives the Peace-Cycle down the road, Harcourt on the seat behind him and police cars in pursuit. She lays her head on his back, seemingly indifferent to their pursuers and reciprocating his affection for her. Peacemaker notices this, and a look of…well…peace comes over his face. As they are finally cornered in a clearing, he’s ready to surrender, before Auggie and Keith show up and mow down the cops. “The two of you want to live,” Auggie says, “You come with us now.” (Terminator reference, nice). 

Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and Bordeaux (Sol Rodriguez) enter a warehouse, where they’ve acquired Sydney Happerson (Stephen Blackehart), one of Lex Luthor’s lackeys during the events of Superman. Happerson allegedly will help them locate the Quantum Portal so that Flag can go into the alternate dimension and finally get to Peacemaker. It takes Happerson just a moment to locate the portal, and Flag and Co. immediately set out to get to it. 

Back at the mansion, Peacemaker tries to absolve Economos and Harcourt of any involvement in him coming to the Nazi dimension, but Harcourt shuts him down. Peacemaker explains the events involving him entering this world: how he drunkenly stumbled in here, how he encountered his adult brother and just wanted to see how he had turned out had he not died in the main dimension…and how he accidentally killed his alternate self. This sets Keith off, but Auggie pulls him back, and continues to try to maintain peace until Detective Fitzgibbon (Lochlyn Munro) shows up with law enforcement. With them not having a warrant, Auggie successfully turns them away. Getting back to the matter at hand, Auggie surprisingly seems very unlike his primary dimension counterpart, against the zeitgeist of this world. Not only is he willing to send our heroes back to their own dimension without incident, he believes Peacemaker when he says Peacemaker 2’s death was an accident. Auggie continues that he fights the “madmen and monsters” in front of him, and that he hopes that when he stands before God, he left the world a better place. Non-Nazi Auggie in a Nazi world, as opposed to Nazi Auggie in the regular dimension? Wild. 

Unfortunately, this monologue is cut short by one of the Vigilantes crashing through the window and violently shanking Auggie repeatedly in the neck. Keith shooting at them gives Fitzgibbon reason to crash the party, and our heroes race towards the trophy room and the doorway to the Quantum Unfolding Room. Peacemaker takes a moment to look at the portrait of Auggie in the trophy room amid the mayhem. Back in the kitchen, Keith sobs over Auggie’s body, before composing himself and taking Peacemaker’s pause to blast through the wall and attack him. He beats Peacemaker repeatedly until Eagly intervenes, and the rest of the 11th Street Kids rush in to subdue him. Peacemaker finally screams for them to stop and get off of Keith, and they comply. Peacemaker rushes to his bloodied brother’s side, and as he holds him, he flashes back to when he originally accidentally killed Keith in their childhood. “What the f*ck is wrong with all of us?” he yells. He flashes back to killing his father in the prime dimension, to killing Flag Jr. in The Suicide Squad, and to killing Peacemaker 2 at the beginning of the season. He tearfully reasons that it’s not something wrong with either dimension, but with him: misery and death follow him. 

As he dissolves into tears (seriously, fantastic acting from Cena here), Adebayo moves in to comfort him, and they exit through the doorway. The Vigilantes hug and part ways, leaving only Vigilante 2 and Harcourt in the trophy room. Harcourt demands a gun from Vigilante 2, and points it at barely-alive Keith’s head. “Sorry, can’t have you coming after him.” But she hesitates one second too long, and Fitzgibbon bursts into the room, causing Harcourt to leap out of the way into the Quantum Unfolding Room. Vigilante 2 kicks the door shut.

Paramedics load Keith onto the ambulance, administering life-saving aid and keeping the character in the running for now in that world. The 11th Street Kids close the doorway on their end and step out of Vigilante’s house as ARGUS closes in. Judomaster steps forward to stand with ARGUS. With him and his friends at gunpoint, Peacemaker tosses the device at Flag’s feet and takes full ownership of the entire ordeal. Judomaster seemingly sides with him and agrees, absolving the rest of the gang of any involvement. Peacemaker is placed under arrest, while his friends go free, and that’s where we end things on this excellent episode. 

Only one episode left…

Songs

“Still Pretending” — First Signal

“We Can Never Die” — Vains of Jenna