Written By: Tyler Zucker
In a year without the usual blockbuster superhero movies, there is still one available binge to quench comic book fans. Amazon Prime’s series The Boys returns for a sophomore season filled with violence, crude humor, and everyone’s favorite vigilante Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, Dredd). On last season’s finale, the boys were on the run from Vought and it was revealed the Butcher’s assumed deceased wife is still alive and taking care of Homelander’s son. With a whole new season of mayhem and mischief to unfold, these first few episodes calm any nerves about a potential sophomore slump. The Boys remains one of the most enjoyable and bloody good times on TV.
The true standout of the cast remains the sociopathic Superman-esque Homelander (Anthony Starr, Banshee). The patriotic leader of The Seven continues to terrify both his teammates and his non-superpowered subordinates. In one particularly graphic scene, he deafens Blindspot, the blind superhero and potential new addition to The Seven. The tension was incredibly heightened during the buildup to this moment, but, even still, the fact he permanently disable an already disabled hero was shocking. It is this kind of shocking moment that easily reminds viewers that having powers like Homelander could lead to some devastating results.
Starr’s portrayal is as terrifying as it’s ever been. Every time he appears on screen, it’s a nerve-wracking moment just waiting for him to possibly snap and commit another atrocity. However, he does lend himself to some well needed comedic moments. His storyline with his son Ryan (Cameron Cravetti, Big Little Lies) leads to some darkly funny moments in which he tries to get Ryan to unleash his superpowers, to varying degrees of success. It’s a pleasure whenever he is on-screen threatening a member of the team and hating his actions or if he’s trying to force his kid to fly by coercing him off a rooftop.
While the show’s best moments lie with the boys themselves or Homelander, supporting superheroes like Starlight (Erin Moriarty, Jessica Jones) and The Deep (Chace Crawford, Gossip Girl) also have their own moments to shine. The latter continues to be a spy for Hughie (Jack Quaid, Logan Lucky) and the gang, slightly butting heads with her new colleagues, while the former deals with his internal issues. After being casted out of the Seven, The Deep spirals downward deeper into alcoholism. He stumbles around the city until he’s arrested. Later, he’s bailed out by his teammate Eagle the Archer (Langston Kerman, Insecure) and introduces him to an odd, cult-like group known as the Church of the Collective.
Crawford handles The Deep’s inner struggle exceptionally well, and it is especially evident during the second episode where The Deep is hallucinating that his gills are talking to him (voiced by Patton Oswalt, Ratatouille). The sequence is one of the most bizarre things an already out-there show has included, but, once the absurdity of it all wears off, viewers are left with a deeply hurt man who just wants to feel loved and normal. The show does remind viewers that he still has done some despicable things in the past but it seems as though his redemption is soon to come.
The second season also brings out a few new additions to the cast. Stormfront (Aya Cash, You’re the Worst) joins The Seven after CEO of Vought Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito, Breaking Bad) insists on adding a fresh female face to the group after The Deep’s departure. At first, Stormfront appears as someone like Starlight, a hero that actively wants to help and cares about those around her. However, by the end of the third episode, it is clear that she may be more like their sadistic leader. She shows no remorse to the dozens of civilians she inadvertently kills while chasing super terrorist and Kimiko’s (Karen Fukuhara, Suicide Squad) brother Kenji (Abraham Lin) and is even more cruel to him due to his race. Cash plays her “in your face, don’t care” attitude with ease in the first two episodes and the sudden shift to her more dastardly and true side makes for an uneasy feeling. It’s the literal interpretation of the phrase “never meet your heroes”. In true The Boys fashion, it is sure to be brutal.
By the end of the third episode, it’s clear that Stormfront may pose a bigger threat to the group than Homelander. Kimiko is out for vengeance against Stormfront and Butcher is slowly starting to realize that he cannot continue to obsess over his wife while the people he is currently with are falling apart. Urban still is a charismatic powerhouse in the role and hopefully this season will allow him to show off some versatility. Giancarlo Esposito’s character Stan Edgar is also a wonderful addition and already proves to be a worthy human foe for Homelander. He remains completely composed in the face of the hero’s threats, similar to another infamous Esposito character and I do hope to see more of their interactions in the future.
The Boys returned with a smashing first three episodes and the boys themselves actually seem to have the upper hand now that Vought has been outed for creating superheroes. With another five episodes to go, it is sure to be another thrilling ride.
