In addition to seeing how the gang is faring, this episode gives us a front row seat into how Vought has handled the fallout from the the season finale. Vought Industries’ spin machine is in full effect, brilliantly explaining Transclucent and Stillwell’s death while promoting their new partnership with the military. Translucent’s death means there is a spot open in The Seven, and we get to meet the new recruit in this episode. In her brief time on screen, Stormfront (Aya Cash) flashes a lot of potential as a character. She certainly brings a new dynamic to The Seven, with plenty of opportunity to shake things up on the team. Speaking of vacancies on The Seven, we get a peek at what The Deep (Chace Crawford) has been up to during his exile in Sandusky, Ohio. I’m curious to see where the writers take his character. Will be continue to be a punchline (much like the character he is based on) or will he get a redemption arc?
Superheroes are typically portrayed as altruistic people who use their power for good. Sure, some people become super villains, but there tends to be little gray area in between. THE BOYS is a dark, gritty series that examines what would happen if the superheroes were corporate employees with plenty of flaws. Season 1 saw a group of vigilantes join forces to try to take the corporation down, with varying degrees of success. Season 2 of THE BOYS picks up fairly close to where Season 1 left off. Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon), and “The Female” (Karen Fukahara) are in hiding…without Butcher, who has disappeared after the revelation at the end of Season 1.
Homelander (Antony Starr) also continues to grow into an interesting character. Beneath his All-American veneer is a layer of menace and creepiness. Without Stillwell around to control him, Homelander flexes his muscles at Vought, displaying this dynamic even more. At first, I didn’t like his character, but as he grows, I become more interested in him.
Given that most superhero powers have been depicted by comic books already (see X-Men), The Boys does a good job of putting new twists on them. If you liked Season 1, this episode has more of what you like, with excellent dialogue, bloody superhero violence, and some genuine surprises. I do recommend watching the first season, or at least reading my Season 1 recap to get ready.
Season 2’s first three episodes will premiere on September 4th. New episodes will then air once a week until the season finale on October 9th.
Have you watched season 1? Are you excited for season 2? Feel free to chat with me on Twitter or leave a comment below!
[…] THE BOYS opened with the first three episodes being made available at once. I reviewed Episode 1 on its own and since 2 and 3 were also made available, I’ll give a spoiler free review of these […]