The fourth episode of Peacemaker turns out to be a build-up episode that gives viewers a look back at earlier events while establishing conflict for later episodes after three high-adrenaline episodes. The fourth episode of Peacemaker focuses heavily on Chris’s history and discloses his childhood trauma, which undoubtedly had a significant impact on how he views superheroes. Also, it fosters animosity between Chris and his father, which is likely to lead to a confrontation between the two during which Chris will undergo his actual metamorphosis.
Matter-Eater Lad, Batman, Charlie the Gorilla (an endangered Silverback Gorilla species), and Chris’s brother Keith, who passed away when he was a young boy, are all mentioned in Episode 4. Chris remembers his awkward team-up with Matter-Eater Boy, who has the ability to absorb all types of matter thanks to his superpower, in the episode. Let’s look at what happened in the episode and what it means going forward.
Vigilante Tries To Kill Auggie Smith, aka White Dragon
Because Auggie despises his son, there is reportedly a communication gap between them. In Episode 2, Auggie was detained on suspicion of killing Annie Sturphausen. But, he chose not to tell Chris since doing so would have given the impression that he was a parent in need of assistance, and asking for assistance went against his supremacist ideals.
As Chris returns to his father’s home to pick up some helmets following a struggle with the infected Senator Royland Goff, the Nosy Neighbor informs him that his father has been arrested. At this point, Chris also informs Vigilante of his father’s brilliant mind and the establishment of a quantum unfolding storage facility in the home. Vigilante finally sees the White Dragon suit, which will likely be worn by Auggie in the next episode, inside the secret lab.
Chris encounters his father in prison despite Murn’s warning and is humiliated. Chris reveals to Auggie that his new Black Ops friends wrongly accused him of the crime. Auggie makes a vow of vengeance and chooses to tell Detective Song about their misdeeds.
Murn sends Leota to assist Chris while Adrian Chase (Vigilante) is encountered outside the prison and persuaded to assassinate Auggie Smith by Chris. Adrian is informed by Leota that she has studied Peacemaker’s file and believes that Adrian’s strict father is the cause of all of his problems. Adrian’s fascination with Peacemaker and his willingness to do all it takes to keep his best friend safe have already been established in earlier episodes. Adrian therefore obtains his own arrest and visits Auggie in jail. Nevertheless, Murn uses his connections to save Adrian before he can assault Chris the Old Man.
Auggie thinks his son intends to kill him because of this entire irrational retaliation plan. And as the kind of parent he is, he won’t hesitate to kill his own son in order to preserve his life or his reputation, which he values more than his family. In subsequent episodes, Auggie might ultimately don his White Dragon outfit, setting up a final confrontation between his father and son.
Peacemaker Had A Brother
Because he didn’t want to harm the children, Chris choked when squeezing the trigger in Episode 3. Chris has vowed to maintain peace at all costs, but he also harbours a childhood tragedy that adds conflict to his personality.
Chris’s attachment to vinyl records and the reason he took them in Episode 2 to get away from Annie Sturphausen’s apartment are established by the fact that he used to listen to vinyl albums with his brother Keith when they were younger. Another flashback scene implied that Keith had been punched, and shortly afterward, he had a seizure, which is likely what caused his death. In one scene, Auggie forced Chris to stab a man who might have been the assailant of Keith.
Yet, this specific occurrence from Chris’s youth also left Auggie unstable in addition to leaving a scar on Chris. After losing a son, Auggie became a heartless being who blamed his son Chris for not standing up for his sibling when given the chance. This may be the reason Auggie despises Chris and always refers to him as a weakling. If this is the case, Chris may have become a superhero to show his father that he is capable of bringing about world peace. The conflict will be better explored in the next episodes.
Peacemaker Episode 4: Ending Clemson Murn Is A Butterfly
The conclusion of Peacemaker Episode 4 makes it clear that Clemson Murn, the director of Project Butterfly, has also contracted a butterfly infection. This is possibly the reason Murn was intrigued by a shape-shifting spaceship Chris discovered at Annie Sturphausen’s residence. However, it is not mentioned in Episode 4.
Although the episode doesn’t go into much detail concerning the invasion of butterflies, it does give the impression that they may have come from space and resemble the Men in Black villain Edgar the Bug. Judomaster, the guardian of Senator Royland Goff, briefly explains to Chris that these butterflies are not what everyone thinks of even if everything up to this point has suggested that they have a sinister purpose. Leota shoots him, though, before he can tell the riddle. Thankfully, Judomaster escapes the assault, and if he lives, he will probably assist in filling in the gaps.
Chris tells his buddies he shot the butterfly that came out of Goff’s head at the beginning of the episode. In the end, it turns out that Chris captured the animal and brought it home in a jar. To encourage the butterfly to soar higher, he even smoked inside the glass jar.
Leota discovers a business card for the bottling company Glan Tai in the final scene. The same guy who sent Judomaster to inform Goff about the Black Ops attack and who Goff mentioned in Episode 3 is responsible for this. Leota learns that former Glan Tai Bottling Company employee Annie Sturphausen, who was a butterfly as well, used to work there. So, it would appear that the themes of Butterfly Invasion and Glan Tai are interconnected. This connection will be further examined in later episodes.
Watch the fourth episode of Peacemaker on HBO Max.