Monkey Dory

Last updated
"Monkey Dory"
Peacemaker episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 5
Directed by Rosemary Rodriguez
Written by James Gunn
Produced by
Featured music
Cinematography bySam McCurdy
Editing byGregg Featherman
Original air dateJanuary 27, 2022 (2022-01-27)
Running time42 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Choad Less Traveled"		Next →
"Murn After Reading"
Peacemaker season 1

"Monkey Dory" is the fifth episode of the American superhero television series Peacemaker , a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad . The episode was written by series creator James Gunn and directed by Rosemary Rodriguez. It originally aired on HBO Max on January 27, 2022.

Contents

The series is set after the events of The Suicide Squad, and follows Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. Smith returns to his home but is forced to work with A.R.G.U.S. agents on a classified operation only known as "Project Butterfly". Smith also has to deal with his personal demons, including feeling haunted by memories of people he killed for "peace", as well as reconnecting with his estranged father. In the episode, the police re-open Auggie's case as he claims he was framed by his own son. Meanwhile, the team prepares for an operation on a factory connected to the Butterflies.

The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the humor, action sequences and character development, although the pacing received some criticism.

Plot

Clemson Murn briefs the rest of the team (Emilia Harcourt, John Economos, Leota Adebayo, Christopher Smith / Peacemaker and Adrian Chase / Vigilante) on the Butterfly aliens. One year prior, after a billionaire and a singer died in a plane crash, Butterflies were found in their heads during autopsies; subsequently more Butterflies were found in politicians, celebrities and industry leaders. Butterflies enter humans through the body's orifices, take over the brain, and greatly enhance the host bodies' strength. Official operations against Butterflies were shut down by high-ranking government officials, thus Amanda Waller was running this team as a secret operation with no backup. With Butterflies only feeding on a particular amber liquid, Murn sends the team to raid the Glan Tai Bottling Company factory, where the team suspect the liquid is made. Peacemaker displays outward resentment towards Economos for framing Peacemaker's father Auggie for Peacemaker's crimes.

Murn stays back to deal with Auggie, arranging for his associate, Caspar Locke, to take over as the local police captain. In prison, Auggie asks Detectives Sophie Song and Larry Fitzgibbon to retake his fingerprints, which exonerate him, so Song and Fitzgibbon confront Evan and Amber Calcaterra, who had helped to frame Auggie. Evan admits the truth, identifying Peacemaker as the culprit. Captain Locke overrides Song, proclaiming Auggie guilty, keeping him in prison. Song and Fitzgibbon secretly ask Song's uncle, Judge William Judy, to issue a search warrant regarding Peacemaker.

The team finds that Glan Tai Bottling Company mass-processes the Butterflies' food, while Peacemaker's X-ray vision helmet shows the employees as Butterflies. The team shoots and bombs the Butterfly employees to kill them, but are attacked by the factory's guardian, a Butterfly-hosting gorilla, Charlie. Peacemaker, Vigilante, Harcourt and Adebayo save each other from Charlie, but are overmatched. When the team stops communicating with Economos, he leaves their truck to help and kills Charlie with a chainsaw, earning Peacemaker's respect. The team bonds together following their success, naming themselves as the 11th Street Kids.

Peacemaker invites Adebayo into his home to drink, asking her for advice on wooing Harcourt. Adebayo advises Peacemaker to stop aggravating others as a defense mechanism. Adebayo secretly plants a diary in Peacemaker's home to frame him, per orders from her mother, Waller. Returning to headquarters, Adebayo wears Peacemaker's X-ray vision helmet, and sees that Murn is a Butterfly. Murn realizes this, chases Adebayo down, and bats her gun away.

Production

Development

In July 2021, it was announced that Rosemary Rodriguez would direct an episode of the series. [1]

Writing

During the beginning of the episode, while the team is preparing for their mission, Adrian Chase asks if the headquarters have cable television, as he wants to watch the series Fargo . Due to the inconsistency of the episode's air date, executive producer Peter Safran explained that inside the DC Extended Universe, "It's Fargo's seventh season in the DCEU. Embrace the alternate reality." [2]

Casting

In December 2020, Christopher Heyerdahl joined the series in the recurring role of Captain Locke. [3]

Critical reception

"Monkey Dory" received generally positive reviews from critics. Samantha Nelson of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "The Butterfly conspiracy continues unfolding in Peacemaker Episode 5, which delivers a satisfying mix of plot, character development, and mayhem. Considering that it effectively involves three interlocking stories spread across genres, it's an impressive testament to James Gunn's writing and vision that everything is fitting together in such a satisfying and funny way." [4]

Jarrod Jones of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "Peacemaker's extermination of the alien horde is the first display of unrestrained havoc we've seen from the character since his pissing contest with Bloodsport in The Suicide Squad , but the real shock of 'Monkey Dory' is that the brutality of Chris' massacre is matched and then wildly exceeded by none other than Economos himself." [5] Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Even in a relatively 'down' episode, Peacemaker is one hell of a TV series to experience. Apparently audiences agree as at least one analytic firm has pegged it as the streaming world's most-watched show. Hopefully those viewers appreciated learning that Superman has a poop fetish and Poison's preferred pronouns are 'long live rock' this week." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Agee</span> American comedian, writer, actor and musician

Steven Douglas Agee is an American comedian, actor, writer and musician, known for roles including Steve Myron on the Comedy Central series The Sarah Silverman Program and as John Economos in the DCEU superhero film The Suicide Squad (2021), the streaming television series Peacemaker (2022), and in the film Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). He also served as the on-set stand-in for Nanaue / King Shark.

A.R.G.U.S. is a government organization in DC Comics. A.R.G.U.S. first appeared in Justice League vol. 2 #7 and was created by Geoff Johns and Gene Ha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DC Extended Universe</span> Shared fictional universe

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. The DCEU also includes comic books, short films, novels, and video games. Like the original DC Universe in comic books, the DCEU is established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.

<i>The Suicide Squad</i> (film) 2021 superhero film by James Gunn

The Suicide Squad is a 2021 American superhero film based on the DC Comics team Suicide Squad. Produced by DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and the Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is a standalone sequel to Suicide Squad (2016) and the 10th film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). The film was written and directed by James Gunn and stars an ensemble cast including Margot Robbie, Idris Elba, John Cena, Joel Kinnaman, Sylvester Stallone, Viola Davis, David Dastmalchian, Daniela Melchior, Michael Rooker, Jai Courtney, Peter Capaldi, Alice Braga, and Pete Davidson. In the film, several convicts join a task force known as the "Suicide Squad" in exchange for lighter sentences. They are sent to the South American island nation of Corto Maltese to destroy all traces of the giant alien starfish Starro the Conqueror before it falls into the local government's control.

Jennifer Holland is an American actress and model. She is best known for her work as Emilia Harcourt in the DC Extended Universe productions The Suicide Squad (2021), Peacemaker, Black Adam, and Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023). She also appeared as Ashley in the sex comedy film American Pie Presents: The Book of Love (2009).

<i>Peacemaker</i> (TV series) 2022 superhero series by James Gunn

Peacemaker is an American superhero television series created by James Gunn for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character of the same name. The first season is the only DC Extended Universe (DCEU) television series and a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. Set after the events of the film, it further explores jingoistic mercenary Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. It was produced by the Safran Company and Troll Court Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and with Gunn as showrunner. The second season is produced by DC Studios and set in the DC Universe (DCU), a "soft reboot" of the DCEU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Waller (DC Extended Universe)</span> Fictional character

Amanda Waller is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and later the DC Universe (DCU) media franchise. She is portrayed by Viola Davis and is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. A morally ambiguous character as portrayed in the comics, Waller is a ruthless, calculating government official who oversees the operations of the Suicide Squad, tasking them with deadly missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Characters of the DC Extended Universe</span>

The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on superhero films and other series starring various titular superheroes produced by DC Films / DC Studios, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and based on characters that appear in American comic books published by DC Comics. Despite numerous film series in the past on characters such as Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern, none of those film series were connected. The DCEU debuted in 2013 with Man of Steel, centered on Superman, and has grown to include other characters such as Batman, Wonder Woman, and several others included in this list. The shared universe, much like the original DC Universe in comic books, was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters, and crossed over with separate timelines from other DC-licensed film series in The Flash to create a "multiverse" before being largely rebooted as the new DC Universe franchise under new management from DC Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peacemaker (DC Extended Universe)</span> DC Extended Universe character

Christopher "Chris" Smith, also known as the Peacemaker, is a fictional antihero in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and DC Universe (DCU) media franchises, based on the Charlton / DC Comics character of the same name. Adapted for film by writer/director James Gunn, he is portrayed by John Cena. Smith operates as a vigilante who aims to achieve peace at any cost, which results in a 30-year prison sentence at Belle Reve Penitentiary. He is approached by the facility's warden and the director of A.R.G.U.S., Amanda Waller, to join a strike team called Task Force X along with other inmates on an infiltration mission to the remote island of Corto Maltese. After being incapacitated during the mission, he is nursed back to health by A.R.G.U.S. and assigned to accompany a group of their agents for "Project Butterfly".

"A Whole New Whirled" is the series premiere of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written and directed by the series creator James Gunn. It originally aired on HBO Max on January 13, 2022, alongside the two follow-up episodes.

"Best Friends, For Never" is the second episode of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written and directed by series creator James Gunn. It originally aired on HBO Max on January 13, 2022, alongside "A Whole New Whirled" and "Better Goff Dead".

"Better Goff Dead" is the third episode of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written and directed by series creator James Gunn. It originally aired on HBO Max on January 13, 2022, alongside "A Whole New Whirled" and "Best Friends, For Never".

"The Choad Less Traveled" is the fourth episode of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written by series creator James Gunn and directed by Jody Hill. It originally aired on HBO Max on January 20, 2022.

"Murn After Reading" is the sixth episode of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written and directed by series creator James Gunn. It originally aired on HBO Max on February 3, 2022.

"Stop Dragon My Heart Around" is the seventh episode of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written by series creator James Gunn and directed by Brad Anderson. It originally aired on HBO Max on February 10, 2022.

"It's Cow or Never" is the eighth episode and first season finale of the American superhero television series Peacemaker, a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. The episode was written and directed by series creator James Gunn. It originally aired on HBO Max on February 17, 2022.

Creature Commandos is an upcoming American adult animated television series based on DC Comics featuring the eponymous team. Produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, it will be the first television series in the DC Universe (DCU) and the first installment overall. It focuses on a black ops team of monsters assembled by Amanda Waller. All seven episodes were written by James Gunn.

<i>Peacemaker</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of the American superhero television series Peacemaker is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the only television series in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. Set after the events of the film, the season further explores jingoistic mercenary Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. It was produced by the Safran Company and Troll Court Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and with James Gunn as showrunner.

The second season of the American superhero television series Peacemaker is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is set in the DC Universe (DCU) and serves as a "soft reboot" of the series, which started as a spin-off from the 2021 DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film The Suicide Squad. The season continues the story of jingoistic mercenary Christopher Smith / Peacemaker. It is produced by DC Studios with James Gunn as showrunner.

References

  1. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (July 12, 2021). "'Peacemaker': Here Are the Directors of John Cena's DC Series on HBO Max". Collider . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ Webb Mitovich, Matt (January 27, 2022). "What Does Peacemaker's (NSFW!) Riverdale Nod Mean for The Flash? — Plus, EP Explains Odd Fargo Mention". TVLine . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  3. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2020). "'Peacemaker': HBO Max James Gunn 'Suicide Squad' Spinoff Series Adds Four". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  4. ↑ Nelson, Samantha (January 27, 2022). "Peacemaker Episode 5 Review - "Monkey Dory"". IGN . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ Jones, Jarrod (January 27, 2022). "Peacemaker eases tensions and ramps up the mayhem". The A.V. Club . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
  6. ↑ Bojalad, Alec (January 27, 2022). "Peacemaker Episode 5 Review: Monkey Dory". Den of Geek . Retrieved August 6, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.