“Peacemaker” takes viewers on a roller coaster ride that culminates in a spectacular season finale. In the Season 1 finale, Peacemaker and his team prepare to fight an alien invasion with minimal resources and no hope of reinforcements. As the threat of the butterflies looms, our heroes accept the challenge and fight against the aliens. Naturally, viewers have to wonder if the titular antihero and his peers are succeeding in their mission, and what prices they’re paying along the way. In that case, here’s everything you need to know about the end of episode 8 of “Peacemaker”! SPOILERS AHEAD!
Peacemaker Season 1 Finale Recap
The eighth episode of “Peacemaker” is titled “It’s Cow or Never” and opens with Adebayo apologizing to Peacemaker for planting the newspaper in his home. Soon the group arrives near Cloverdale Ranch where the butterflies are guarding the Cow, an alien who creates food for them. Adebayo calls Amanda Waller and reports the situation while asking for a backup. However, Harcourt insists they have very little time before the butterflies teleport the cow away. Therefore, the team must quickly come up with a plan to kill the cow and prevent the butterflies’ plan from succeeding.
Adebayo suggests using Peacemaker’s sonic boom helmet to take out the butterflies patrolling the ranch. However, when Peacemaker tries to use Eagle’s help to strategically place the helmet near the barn, the bird drops the helmet in the woods. The team retrieves the helmet, but Peacemaker is haunted by a vision of his deceased father, August Smith. The team dresses John as one of the officers to infiltrate the ranch and plant the helmet. However, John gets scared after seeing the cow and drops the helmet before running away. John is caught, but Adebayo blasts the ranch with the sonic boom helmet to create a distraction.
The butterflies retreat and Peacemaker, Vigilante and Harcourt decide to fight their way through the enemies and kill the cow. However, during the ensuing fight, Peacemaker is trapped under rubble. On the other hand, Vigilante and Harcourt get injured and knocked out. Adebayo steps in and eliminates the remaining butterflies. However, before she can save Peacemaker, Detective Song saves him and reveals the aliens’ real plan. Ultimately, based on the newly acquired knowledge, Peacemaker must make a decision that will decide the fate of mankind.
End of season 1 of Peacemaker: is the cow dead? What happens to butterflies?
In the episode’s final act, Peacemaker learns from the butterfly queen residing in Detective Song’s body about the aliens’ true plan. Butterflies came to Earth from their home planet, which had become uninhabitable. As they quietly survived on Earth, they realized humans were making the same mistakes as their race. Therefore, the butterflies take it upon themselves to prevent humanity from destroying itself. Thus, by taking charge of the bodies of important personalities throughout the world, the Butterflies advance their program.
Peacemaker is offered a chance to join the butterflies. Like the butterflies – who are sworn to protect humanity no matter how many lives it costs – Peacemaker also believes in peace at all costs. Therefore, it seems that the ideologies of Peacemaker and the butterflies align. However, at the last moment, Peacemaker outwits the Butterfly Queen and uses the human torpedo helmet worn by Adebayo to kill the cow. With the Dead Cow, the Butterflies have no chance of surviving on Earth and will soon cease to exist.
In the end, Peacemaker saves the day with the help of his teammates. The hero also completes his journey of redemption by making the morally correct choice only after carefully considering the cost of his decision. As the team walks away, the Justice League arrives to lend a helping hand. However, it’s too late and our heroes have everything under control. The moment serves as a visual motif for the importance of the team accomplishing the mission and showing immense courage while doing so. In the end, Peacemaker, Adebayo, Harcourt, John, and Vigilante prove themselves to be nothing short of Earth’s first superheroes.
What’s happening to Peacemaker? Did he win his freedom?
With the threat of the butterflies nullified, Peacemaker can now look to his future. After Harcourt regains consciousness, she and Peacemaker share a tender moment that signals the start of a real bond forming between them. In the final moments, Adebayo clearly reveals to the media the origins of Peacemaker’s diary. She blames her mother, Amanda Waller, for using convicts for black ops missions as part of her Task Force X. Thus, Adebayo thwarts Waller’s attempt to scapegoat Peacemaker for Project Starfish. In the end, Peacemaker appears to have won his freedom and returns to his trailer.
A different challenge awaits the hero in the last moment of the episode. The butterfly queen returns to Peacemaker, who gives her the last yellow liquid. Eagly is also by his side, and it looks like Peacemaker will open a beer and enjoy the sunset. Peacemaker experiences a bodily version of his father joining him as he sits outside his house. The moment means that Peacemaker continues to be haunted by his father’s death.
Moreover, the mistreatment inflicted by his father has already warped the hero’s psyche. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Peacemaker deals with his increasing psychological issues in the future. Peacemaker’s struggles with his sanity could end up risking the lives of his teammates on the field of action. However, these are issues we will deal with another day. As the season finale draws to a close, Peacemaker is enjoying a well-deserved break.
Read more: Peacemaker episode 7 recap and ending, explained
