The Choad Less Traveled

Season

1

Episode

4

Writer

James Gunn

Director

Jody Hill

Episode guide
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Better Goff Dead	Monkey Dory

"The Choad Less Traveled" is the fourth episode of the HBO Max series based on the DC Comics character Peacemaker. It premiered on January 20, 2022.

Synopsis[]

Following a somewhat successful mission, Murn recruits Vigilante. Meanwhile, after learning that the team helped land his father in prison, Peacemaker confronts his complicated past.

Plot[]

As the special taskforce is returning home from the Goff mission, Vigilante complains incessantly about potentially losing his pinky toe. He tells the group that he needs it for balance. Harcourt and Leota for their part try to dispute this.

Back at their headquarters, Murn delegates tasks; ordering Leota and Harcourt to search important files while Economos watches over the unconscious Judomaster. Murn then ushers Chris into his office for a private chat.

Murn questions Peacemaker’s dedication to the mission, notably since the latter failed to take out the Goff butterflies.

Meanwhile, Leota and Harcourt commence their assignment, and Leota apologizes again for not shooting Goff’s guard. Harcourt firmly reminds her she needs a stronger stomach in this business.

Leota eventually flees to the bathroom to compose herself.

Elsewhere, Judomaster is still unconcious on a couch while hooked to an IV. All while Economos monitors him.

Vigilante drives Peacemaker to grab a few helmets at Auggie’s house. But Vigilante and Chris bicker over Peacemaker's failure to save Vigilante from Goff torturing him. It becomes abundantly clear to Vigilante that Peacemaker feels no empathy for Vigilante’s half-amputated pinky toe.

After swiping all of his father’s helmets, Peacemaker gets into an argument with Auggie’s older neighbor . The older man believes Chris isn’t a superhero, but rather a villain. He uses Batman as an example of a hero who doesn’t murder people constantly. However, Peacemaker points out that he doesn't have a rougue's gallery because unlike Batman, he kills his villains. Which according to him is better because Batman just puts his villains in jail, and they inevitably break out and kill more inocent people.

However, it is through Auggie’s neighbor that Peacemaker learns of his father’s imprisonment. Chris then calls Murn to chew him out and asks Vigilante to drive him to the prison.

Murn tasks Leota with the challenge of talking Peacemaker out of visiting his father. According to Murn, Leota is the only one Chris trusts.

Meanwhile, Judomaster wakes up, and finds a way out of his restraints.

Leota hails Chris outside the jail facility and urges him to refrain from seeing Auggie. But Peacemaker refuses to listen, as he thinks they all betrayed him. However, he softens his edges when he discovers that it was only Economos who framed his father. Leota then mentions Peacemaker’s file, which raises his attention.

Unfortunately, Leota’s impassioned words aren’t enough to dissuade Chris. After Peacemaker heads inside, Leota quickly identifies Vigilante, even with the latter in civilian attire. Vigilante tries to disguise his voice but to no avail.

Inside the jail, Peacemaker spills the beans to Auggie by telling him Murn and the team framed him. Chris asks his dad to stick it out behind bars a little longer while he finishes eradicating the butterflies. However, Auggie spews more vitriol and hurls insults at his son, stating he’ll go to the police to clear his name.

While outside chatting, Leota surreptitiously plants the idea of killing Auggie in Vigilante's brain. As a result, Vigilante leaves the premises.

Once Peacemaker returns from his visit, Leota offers to drive him home.

Vigilante brazenly barges into a cop gathering, grabs a trashcan and attempts to toss it through a window. But the police officers arrest him on the spot. As he lays on the floor to be arrested, he just tells the cops to watch the pinky toe as he previously sustained an injury.

Economos calls Leota and Chris while they’re on the road to inform them of Judomaster’s escape. Suddenly, Judomaster attacks Economos. When Peacemaker and Leota finally arrive, they find Economos on the floor, gasping for air. Peacemaker then chases Judomaster outside, and the pair duke it out.

When Judomaster tries to tell Peacemaker the butterflies aren’t what he thinks, Leota shoots the former in the chest. However, Judomaster is still alive for now.

Later, Vigilante marches through the prison in his jumpsuit. He immediately sits with Auggie and his Nazi white supremacist lackeys. He tries to incite a fight that will lead to him killing Auggie by throwing out words that will rouse them, and suddenly, one of the Nazis lunges for Vigilante. However, Vigilante is prepared, as he fights of all of Auggie’s buddies with ease. Auggie refrains from fighting Vigilante claiming that he won't be goaded into a fight by him. While the cops seize the duo, Vigilante blurts out that Auggie is a terrible father. Thus, revealing his identity to Auggie. Auggie then emphatically demands to speak with Detective Song.

Meanwhile, in Peacemaker’s humble trailer, he procures a mason jar with none other than Goff’s butterfly.

Leota inadvertently lets it slip that Vigilante is in prison trying to kill Auggie. Murn’s infuriated, and he orders the gang to remedy the situation. Afterall, he points out that framing Peacemaker’s father and then murdering him isn’t going to endear Peacemaker to them.

So, Economos looks up Vigilante to uncover his civilian identity.

Later, Chris meets Harcourt at the local pub to ask her about his file. She divulges how it dictates his father’s abusive behavior. Moreover, that Auggie trained his sons to kill at a young age and that Chris' brother died under mysterious circumstances, but is thought that Chris was likely involvemed with his brother’s death.

In his trailer, Peacemaker puts on a record and dances sadly to the music.

Harcourt then breaks Vigilante out of prison and picks him up. He slides into the passenger seat, formally introduces himself and emotionally informs Harcourt that he “messed up.” Due to the fact that Vigilante didn’t kill Auggie, now the latter believes his son sent someone to murder him.

While Peacemaker dances, he recalls his traumatic childhood. One of which includes Auggie giving Chris a screwdriver to stab a man to death. Then, Peacemaker remember his brother writhing on the ground before he dies. In the present, Chris then falls on the floor, crying, and finds comfort in Eagly and Goff the Butterfly as he smokes some marijuana.

Leota strikes gold amid her search through some documents. She finds a business card for Glan Tai, a bottling company. Then, Leota procures a similar card for Glan Tai among Annie Sturphausen’s belongings. She calls Murn to inform him of her discovery.

He explains that he is on his way, but first unbeknownst to anyone, he first takes the time to slurp honey-colored goo in a bowl with his elongated tongue.