The latest installment of THE BOYS has a different vibe – a showbiz vibe. Moving away from the corporate background, the drama takes place in the context of filming a movie based on The Seven, where the seven are played by…themselves. It’s strange and very meta, but it in the context of the twisted Boys universe, it works.
While not necessarily breaking new ground, it is interesting to see the characters’ main storylines play out through the script. Homelander being sadistic, Maeve struggling with her relationship, A-Train coming to grips with the end of his time on the team. None of these plot lines are new, but the movie filming structure makes it feel fresh. The Hollywood vibe extends further, as shows like Extra are used to give us an update on The Deep. I’m still not sure how I feel about his plot line. It seems to a lot of running in place to keep him around, but I’m prepared to be patient.
Homelander’s plot is the most interesting this episode, featuring a public relations nightmare. Meanwhile, his rivalry with Stormfront takes a new turn that promises to move the show in a new direction.
While the superhero side of this episode was strong, the Hughie/Butcher crew fell a little flat. While that side of the show brought us as insanely gory fight scene, it felt a little like the show was just moving them around to position them where they were earlier in the series relationship wise.
Random Thoughts of the Episode:
- Butcher’s aunt is cool.
- I’ll never look at laser vision the same way again.
- Black Noir is generally awesome, but I wasn’t feeling him this episode. I can’t put my finger on why.
- I’m fighting it, but am I going to feel sorry for A-train? If so, kudos to the writers and Jessie Usher’s acting.
- Greg Grunberg (there’s an 82.34% chance you’ve seen him in something) is in this episode. Not only is he a good actor, but he was nice to me at Comic-Con, so he’s aces in my book.
The fifth episode of THE BOYS is now available.
Check back soon for my thoughts on the sixth episode.
What are your thoughts on the season so far? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
