This might be my longest review yet. I needed time to process a moment that happens in the episode. I’ll get to the insane cameos near the end first thing I need to talk about is the rest of the show.
‘It’s Cow Or Never’ I wouldn’t say was the best way to wrap up a season (which we now know is Season 1 as of this past week) but I need to give it credit that there is more substance to it than a lot of comic book adaptations. Particularly with Goff being a sympathetic antagonist the way he was. The joke that was used in the opening of the episode admittedly I didn’t laugh that much at since Family Guy did it years ago & that wasn’t that funny either. Fart jokes are a dime a dozen when it comes to that type of humor for me.
While I did say the show feels something reminiscent of the tone of South Park, there are plenty of occasions James Gunn’s writing feels reminiscent of a Matt Groening show. The Simpsons, Futurama, & to some extent Disenchanted are usually well executed with humor but at the same time, they will have such emotional heartfelt moments that many of us still hold in high regard to this day. Speaking of The Simpsons, can anyone tell me if someone referred to Bart Simpson’s iconic quote “They’ll never expect the Butterfly” regarding the main baddies of the show? I’m genuinely curious. If not, don’t have a cow, man (see what I did there?).
Admittedly, while Cena as Peacemaker has a lot of great acting moments, especially in this episode, Danielle Brooks’ Leotta Adebayo having her established family connection has allowed her to embrace who she is, which allowed her to stand up to her mother in more ways than one throughout the episode. Brooks has been a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her acting chops. When I first saw her as Taystee in Orange In The New Black I knew this person would go on to do great things. It was also cool to see Viola Davis back.
The night shots for the climactic battle didn’t always work for me. Maybe if I saw it on a bigger TV with a better resolution I would have liked it more. When they actually got to the “Cow” inside the barn it was certainly an improvement. It was still a pretty cool battle. I was sure Harcourt was going to die for a moment, but it is Gunn’s girlfriend after all I couldn’t see it being her last hurrah, especially with the development she ends up having with Smith. Vigilante seems to be borderline immortal cause the last two episodes made it seem like he dies, but he’s fine. I am ok with this as he is essential to the show as is Eagly who may have had the funniest moment in the episode for me dropping a Peacemaker helmet away from the barn.
The defeat of the cow itself while a bit underwhelming was a little clever in subverting expectations. I honestly thought Cena was going to follow Goff in saving the planet despite all the bloodshed. I also like Auggie Smith is now haunting his son symbolically keeping his promise from the last episode. I also like Chris Smith & Emilia Harcourt both have a completely new perspective with each other in contrast to the first episode. I was moved a bit when they held hands in the hospital. If they don’t kiss by the end of Season 2 I’ll be shocked.
I also like how several jokes had a payoff. The jokes about Economos’ beard throughout the show ends up having a compelling & profound conclusion with a surprisingly bittersweet monologue. There is another joke that had been recurring throughout the show. Ok, I think now would be a good time to talk about the cameos.
After the team defeats the Butterflies, The Freaking Justice League shows up! Well, rather Jason Momoa aka Arthur Curry/Aquaman, and Ezra Miller aka Barry Allen/The Flash plus stand-ins for Superman & Wonder Woman show up. To say these cameos divided the internet would be an understatement. How did I feel about it? I watched this last episode with my mother & we were both surprised to see that happen & we both were entertained by it.
If we take out Zack Snyder’s Justice League out of the equation this is the first time Momoa & Miller have done a scene together in nearly 5 years. I have been waiting a long time to see more of connective tissue in the DCEU. What have we gotten since the 2017 Justice League film came out in other films? Mera mentions Steppenwolf in Aquaman’s movie. Some Easter eggs in Shazam & an awkward “Superman” appearance at the end. Birds of Prey + Harley Quinn had some easter eggs. The Suicide Squad had some Easter eggs.
I’m not asking for the DCEU to copy the MCU, but I’m not going to lie when they do have some type of cross over I get excited. But I have to give DC on the small screen credit, they aren’t afraid of the A-List heroes showing up on the small screen. This is Miller’s 2nd Cameo as Flash on the small screen. I remember so many people thought Doctor Strange would show up in WandaVision. I guess his sequel is sort of an extension of that.
Going back to another recurring joke used within the confines of the show, the cameos weren’t merely used as fan service. Throughout the show, Peacemaker made proclamations that Aquaman has had sexual intercourse with fish. Apparently, this is a very common gossip in the zeitgeist world within the DCEU so much so that The Flash even believes it. Now some people think this joke makes Aquaman a punchline again like he was before Momoa was cast, but because he was so pissed off at these rumors he drops the F-Bombs over it a couple of times so I don’t think he’s a joke. Also if you like the Harley Quinn animated show they use very similar jokes with other heroes.
So, for me, this show was something very different for DC. It is rather astounding and a bit ironic that if it wasn’t for inappropriate tweets Gunn did we wouldn’t have gotten this experience. I think Gunn has even done a better job with DC than with Marvel. He likes using dark humor in his stories more & with Season 2 upon us along with him writing & directing every episode next season, one can only guess how crazy things will get. Overall the first six episodes were a 4½/5 Star episodes, this one for having the cameos was really good gets 5 stars & the last episode was 4/5. I think that averages out to 4½/5.
I have to say John Cena surprised me the most. The dude proved he had range. For a guy who got criticized by wrestling fans for years for being the same stale character, he was given the opportunity to show some nuance. I don’t tell many people this but Cena was the first big star I ever met. It was at an autograph signing in San Francisco 16 years ago. John was just great to talk to. He loved what he was doing & he loves talking to his fans. A future WWE Superstar Bayley was also in that same line I was in.
For me to write reviews of a wrestler who got Polarizing reactions joining a franchise with similar Polarizing reactions has been very cathartic to me. I am looking forward to writing reviews for Season 2 next year. Thank you all for checking these out. I’ll have more articles coming out this year. Stay tuned.
