The following contains spoilers for Peacemaker Episode 5, “Monkey Dory.”Picking up the next morning after the events of Episode 4, the team at the heart of Peacemaker is still reeling from their encounter with a family of Butterflies. It’s time for the team to really get down to business, and they decide to follow up a lead with their Glen Tai business card. That leads them to a factory manufacturing and packaging food for the Butterflies - and their investigation takes a violent turn when the factory is, in fact, full of Butterflies as well.
This episode is fairly light on the Easter eggs, but it is chock-full of developing the dynamic of the Project Butterfly team. Some much-needed camaraderie forms between the five while Murn stays behind to deal with the White Dragon situation. Fans are more likely to get a chuckle out of the pop culture references made while the team bonds than they are to spot any comic book Easter eggs this time around.
The Slew Of Pop Culture References
Not only does Peacemaker make some unkind remarks about Superman in “Monkey Dory,” but he also lets out a slew of pop culture references when mad at John Economos for framing his father.
Every person Chris Smith names as a potential for Economos to have framed instead of his own father is either a celebrity or a fictional character. While Economos points out that some of the people he names are dead, the likes of the red lion from Voltron is an animated character. The end-credit scene from the episode is also an extended version of the same scene with Smith naming even more pop culture figures, mostly those from the Muppets or Sesame Street.
The only pop culture figure that Economos claims he would never frame from the long list? Musician and actress Ariana Grande.
The John Carpenter Homage
When Peacemaker and Leota entire the factory to investigate its connection to the Butterflies, fans are treated to something of a John Carpenter homage. It might not be entirely intentional, but Carpenter fans will likely have They Live called to mind by the sequence of events.
Peacemaker opens fire with the help of a shotgun and an x-ray helmet on the Butterfly-infested workers in the factory. Roddy Piper plays a similar role in They Live in a sequence that is visually much the same. The 1988 film saw his character find a pair of sunglasses that allowed him to see below the surface of the world and find that many humans in the upper echelons of society were actually being controlled by aliens.
Nyasir
Murn mentions to his old contact that they fought together in Nyasir. Nyasir is a fictional country in DC comics. Located in North Africa, it's best known for being the location of the First Church of Redemption in the comics. The church was converting locals to their religion with the help of a metahuman protector known as Redemption.
Real name Jarod Dale, Redemption had a lot of abilities, including energy absorption, super strength, and flight.
Charlie The Gorilla
Charlie the Gorilla was a zoo escapee in last week’s episode. The numerous hints and Easter eggs that pointed to a DC comic book character of the same name are paid off this week as he appears in the flesh.
Some fans might have been hoping for the trail of Easter eggs to lead to Gorilla Grodd or another super-gorilla instead, but Charlie is simply a victim of the Butterflies like so many of the humans in the episode.
Kite-man
When Leota gets herself invited into Chris’ home for a drink, she takes the opportunity to stash “Peacemaker’s diary” that Amanda Waller gave her in the very first episode of the series. She also, however, gets the chance to walk around his mobile home for a bit, giving the audience a nice look at a framed article on the wall.
The article references Peacemaker as a “new hero” who apprehended the villain Kite-Man. Kite-Man wasn’t a big name villain for a long time, and as his name would imply, his shtick is wearing a kite to allow himself an escape flight from any of his crimes. DC fans who weren’t familiar with the character before, however, might be now. He actually played a major recurring role in HBO Max’s Harley Quinn animated series. The villain frequently found himself in the middle of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy’s escapades, and as part of a love triangle.
Henenlotter Video
For the first time in the series, there's a clear shot of the abandoned video store the team has made their home base. The old signage indicates it's Henenlotter Video. That name references filmmaker Frank Henenlotter. Henenlotter is based known for his work in horror, specifically for cult classics like Basket Case. Peacemaker showrunner James Gunn is a fan.
Peacemaker is currently available to stream on HBO Max. New episodes arrive on Thursdays.