Where Season 1 was mostly table setting, Season 2 is the true beginning of this adventure, embracing the weirdness and warmth of the source material for better and worse.
There's admittedly a whole lot more to like in this season, but with the trappings of the Boys-verse looming large over this spin-off, those pleasures are fleeting, even expendable.
As good as it is, Peacemaker is still going through growing pains. It's messy and scattershot and occasionally overindulgent at turns, but as we saw with Superman, that's all part and parcel with the new (improved?) Gunn. We can't expect a perfect product when he's left to his own devices — but also, do we really need one?
Suits LA can't reconcile the new, lowered expectations of the TV medium with the show it wants to be, and that sabotages any genuine attempts to keep the franchise alive.
There's so much to like in this series, from its lush design to its offbeat, go-for-broke comedy. But its best merit may be its characters, who (for better or worse) feel like people you'd know.
It takes real skill to take what is essentially the same story and disguise it as a fresh idea. That gambit has served The Boys well before, but Season 4 may be the weakest so far. Jagged stakes have been softened from season after season of repetition; the series has now been completely overwhelmed by its nihilist themes.
Through it all, Glover and Erskine find new ways to mine their dynamic for more vulnerability. Mr. & Mrs. Smith becomes a densely layered character study with this couple at the helm.
If shows about teens made for adults is your thing, Gen V will definitely scratch an itch. But as an extension of the universe that built its brand on social satire, it doesn't add much to the conversation.
