What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! February 13 - 19, 2022 TV FEATURE BY KYLA BREWER TV Media L ooks can be deceiving. Upon first glance, TV's latest superpower has all the hallmarks of a hero: a chiseled jaw, bulging muscles, a fancy suit and even a sidekick. Yet on the inside, he's a bit of a hot mess — though that's exactly why audiences seem to relate to him. John Cena ("Bumblebee," 2018) stars as Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker, in the season finale of "Peacemaker," airing Thurs- day, Feb. 17, on HBO Max. The series is a spinoff of the hit 2021 action flick "The Suicide Squad," in which Cena was first seen as the titular character. Peacemak- er believes in peace at any cost, even if it means killing people to get it. The show picks up months af- ter the movie left off. Peacemak- er has recovered from the inju- ries he sustained in the film only to be pulled back into a life of conflict when he's recruited to a mysterious black-ops squad by intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis, "How to Get Away with Murder"), head of Task Force X, aka the Suicide Squad. Given a choice between re- turning to jail or tackling an alien threat in a mission known as Project Butterfly, Peacemaker reluctantly agrees to the mis- sion. While traditional superhe- roes would jump at the chance to save the world, Peacemaker is less than enthusiastic. In a Janu- ary interview with Fandom. com's Eric Goldman, Cena ex- plained what his character is go- ing through. "Peacemaker is a dude who has had a series of events, which has made him question his en- tire life," Cena said. "And I think that's very relevant to a lot of us." Creator and director James Gunn ("Guardians of the Gal- axy," 2014) obviously agrees. He was reportedly inspired by Ce- na's portrayal of Peacemaker while filming "The Suicide Squad" and wrote the spinoff during the 2020 COVID-19 lock- down. It was ordered straight to series by HBO Max in Septem- ber 2020 and filmed in Vancou- ver between January and July 2021. Gunn has brought his trade- mark tongue-in-cheek vibe to the new series, as evidenced from the very beginning in the goofy opening credits dance scene. It immediately tells view- ers the show is not taking itself too seriously as the characters show off their moves to Wig Wam's "Do Ya Wanna Taste It." As each of the main cast mem- bers joins the fun, viewers meet the characters who bring the story to life. First up after Cena is Danielle Brooks ("Orange Is the New Black"), who plays Leota Ade- bayo, a new member of the Proj- ect Butterfly team who happens to be Waller's daughter. Al- though she and Peacemaker have very different views, they quickly strike up a genuine friendship. Unlike many of the others in the series, her charac- ter does not exist in the original comics. Freddie Stroma ("Harry Pot- ter and the Half-Blood Prince," 2009) is the next to show off his moves as the crime-fighter Vigi- Bentonville Acupuncture 5 x 5 continued on page T10 John Cena stars in "Peacemaker" Hero or zero? Not a subscriber? No problem, subscribe today and receive an iPad with your subscription*. *iPad must be returned within 30 days of termination of account. now available on the digital replica! NEW INTERACTIVE PUZZLE PAGES Get the new puzzle pages on the digital replica, featuring puzzles daily! CROSSWORDS KIDS' GAMES SUDOKU WORD GAMES STRATEGY & MEMORY NUMBERS Call 479-684-5509 or visit nwaonline.com/nwaipad