The Boys - Amazon Prime Original - (**Spoilers**) (No Comic Spoilers!)

pixelburp

Episode 3 and man, anyone even ideologically adjacent to PETA mightn't enjoy that episode!

Still doesn't quite know what to do with Hughie. Wish they made him a tech wizard or something practical and vaguely indispensable, because the "canary" argument is a bit of a thin excuse to keep him around. He's obviously the audience surrogate, but he just needs that critical piece of agency.

Stormfront's big scene was decently handled even if I suspected it coming (and seemingly inadvertently spoiled way back when she was revealed, to those not familiar with the cultural connotations of the name). Wasn't quite sure how it gelled with her earlier, not-fúcks-given feminist angle earlier, but perhaps it's going for the contrarian "free thinker, wake up sheeple" schtick that's sometimes a smokescreen for

alt right or full on neo Nazi ideology

.

Mr.Nice Guy

pixelburp wrote: »

Wish they made him a tech wizard or something practical and vaguely indispensable, because the "canary" argument is a bit of a thin excuse to keep him around.

They seemed to be going in that direction in the early part of season 1, like when he helped them spy on Popclaw. But I agree there hasn't been much in that way since.

mcsean2163

Thecageyone wrote: »

There's a lot to nit pick at, but you either roll with it or give up, just like every other series out there. I'm enjoying it more now than I was to start, almost gave up on it midway through S1 tbh. Homelander is definitely my favourite character, you don't have to like what he does but you are definitely interested in what he'll do next

I wish there was more of French in the boys. He just needs to be a bit stronger, I.e. the whole hand over kimiko's brother to the CIA was crazy.

Homelander

Thargor wrote: »

It was a stupid decision not to make anyone who joins The Boys

take compound V and become super strong

like in the comics.

I am struggling with this as the show goes on, really enjoy it but it doesn't really make much sense at all.

It was literally the core premise of the comic, now it's just a bunch of "lads" who can magically outrun and outfight superheros, the FBI, CIA, etc.

Maybe they're building to it, I'd be incredibly disappointed if they aren't.

CastorTroy

With Compound V now known about publicly, in regards to that comic

, it may happen

.
Wonder if there'll somehow be Compound V on the streets with random people getting superpowers

Birneybau

I don't know what to make with Stormfront being eulogised by the far-right on Twitter. Surely Amazon must have known this would happen.

Good show nonetheless, one of the best around, hope she gets her comeuppance.

Thecageyone

Birneybau wrote: »

I don't know what to make with Stormfront being eulogised by the far-right on Twitter. Surely Amazon must have known this would happen.

Good show nonetheless, one of the best around, hope she gets her comeuppance.

Oh they knew, her Hero name hails from a Neo Nazi website to begin with

J. Marston

They're only following the source material. So far, she's quite tame compared to the comic Stormfront.

They've made a lot of changes from the comic and they're all for the better, in my opinion. The comic can be very edgelord-y.

ManOfMystery

Anthony Starr was brilliant - as always - in this scene.

He has somehow mastered the art of being able to switch from smiling and jovial to psychotic in the flick of a switch, but either way there's constantly this bubbling undercurrent of menace from him. The way he calls Butcher "William", probably just to piss him off and then taunts him about having breakfast with his wife. "Deeee-licious" :P

Birneybau

Thecageyone wrote: »

Oh they knew, her Hero name hails from a Neo Nazi website to begin with

Yeah, I know. These kind of disingenuous tweets are the result though. I'm not going to bang on about it now. Love the show.

https://twitter.com/LordFalconMan/status/1304533397906296832

Dravokivich

Thargor wrote: »

It was a stupid decision not to make anyone who joins The Boys

take compound V and become super strong

like in the comics.

It makes sense from a TV perspective. As they are very Anti-Vought, viewers wouldn't be interested in The Boys, if The Boys

became the thing they were fighting against. Which is focused around accountability and being invunerable. Their problems will be whisked away, with compound V

Thargor

Dravokivich wrote: »

It makes sense from a TV perspective. As they are very Anti-Vought, viewers wouldn't be interested in The Boys, if The Boys

became the thing they were fighting against. Which is focused around accountability and being invunerable. Their problems will be whisked away, with compound V

Don't agree with that at all tbh. It would also explain why the CIA are deferring to them, they do what the government can't be caught doing. As it is it makes no sense whatsoever.

pixelburp

Continuing the above segue about people on the internet being thundering idiots, the show is being review bombed - because of politcs? Oh no. Because Amazon are releasing this weekly. Ye gods. Maybe it's just CoVid craziness coming out in weird ways.

sky88

pixelburp wrote: »

Continuing the above segue about people on the internet being thundering idiots, the show is being review bombed - because of politcs? Oh no. Because Amazon are releasing this weekly. Ye gods. Maybe it's just CoVid craziness coming out in weird ways.

i prefer the shows coming out weekly

Thecageyone

pixelburp wrote: »

Continuing the above segue about people on the internet being thundering idiots, the show is being review bombed - because of politcs? Oh no. Because Amazon are releasing this weekly. Ye gods. Maybe it's just CoVid craziness coming out in weird ways.

Yup, 'reviewing' something you haven't even watched is as dumb as it gets. It wasn't Amazon decided to only release them weekly either, it was the producers, they wanted fans to take time to digest each episode and discuss ... not just binge through them asap.

https://toofab.com/2020/09/13/the-boys-eric-kripke-review-bomb/

golfball37

Homelander with a Joan Burton esque comment at the start of ep 5.

These people are starving but have cellphones- top class

Mr E

That crowd lasering scene... yikes.

Another great episode.

ilovesmybrick

Mr E wrote: »

That crowd lasering scene... yikes.

Another great episode.

The face scene with The Girl :eek:

soap1978

Mr E wrote: »

That crowd lasering scene... yikes.

Another great episode.

What was so good about it, nothing happened?

Mr E

It was a wow scene for me. Pity it didn't stick.

SimonTemplar

Why is The Boys being singled out for criticism of its weekly release schedule. Other shows like Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian were released weekly? Is it an Amazon thing?

pixelburp

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Why is The Boys being singled out for criticism of its weekly release schedule. Other shows like Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian were released weekly? Is it an Amazon thing?

I don't get the impression there's any stance in it beyond Internet Brats behaving in a manner along the spoilt, "first world problem" manner. I just presume desperate folk who live their lives on social media and nowhere event adjacent to the real world.

ManOfMystery

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Why is The Boys being singled out for criticism of its weekly release schedule. Other shows like Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian were released weekly? Is it an Amazon thing?

It's a modern era thing. People want it now, now, now. I'd love to see them all at once too but I can appreciate that adding a week between them builds anticipation and lets you digest each episode better. It's slowly savouring a meal and not stuffing it all in your face at once.

These people leaving reviews would never have survived 80s TV, I remember waiting a week between every Knight Rider episode and counting down the minutes. And those episodes were almost always self-contained/procedural, there wasn't even an overall series arc!

gandalf

soap1978 wrote: »

What was so good about it, nothing happened?

I have a feeling he is going to snap for real in a future episode.

Stormfronts chat with A Train just shows what a nasty b!tch she is!

Interesting episode moving things on a bit.

Mr.Nice Guy

Decent episode. They're building to a few confrontations.

I'm now thinking that

Stormfront will turn out to be Homelander's mother which will make that love scene even more disturbing in future. I think the wording of Maeve's comment to Elena was a bit of foreshadowing from the writers: 'we're going to get that motherf*cker.' If Stormfront is seventy-odd then it's quite possible. Their powers seem quite similar and they've both had the all-American persona. Plus it plays into the issues we've seen Homelander have these past two seasons. Pretty sure this will be a big reveal late on. Just not sure if Stormfront know it or not...

J. Marston

Stormfront is a ride.

Thecageyone

Well .. that was something alright! So many possible outcomes, my thinking;

Stormfront and Homelander become the ultimate Villains and the Boys need help from the other heroes to take them down

- but it's too obvious, maybe?

mcsean2163

Hughie is pretty annoying now.

Laser my tits. Good grief. The last scene was out there. They're putting layers of personality around stormfront, which it makes all the darker I suppose.

Felt sorry for atrain, despite the fact he's a murderer. It's some show.

Thecageyone

mcsean2163 wrote: »

Hughie is pretty annoying now.

Laser my tits. Good grief. The last scene was out there. They're putting layers of personality around stormfront, which it makes all the darker I suppose.

Felt sorry for atrain, despite the fact he's a murderer. It's some show.

He's been annoying since S1 IMO, I just grin and bear him now, someone has to be the weak link I guess. As for the Stormfront thing, Mr. Homelander realised he couldn't just dispose of her as he thought up to now, hence why I think they will become some kind of nasty duo [can't beat her, join her] ... for now - he'll find a way

fritzelly

https://twitter.com/therealKripke/status/1306673603908259840

pixelburp

Episode 4, the plot thickens and certainly if it weren't clear already, the nature of Stormfront's tactics compared against real world social media concerns and manipulation became fairly apparent. "You have fans, I have soldiers" indeed. Homelander remains the shows MVP and the range of emotion that flits across Anthony Starr's face is unreal. Especially during his scenes with Maeve (though I find it hard how there wouldn't be public blowback if someone

outed another on TV, against their will

) This is the kind of show that'll never win awards but Starr for sure deserves nomination at a minimum. Meanwhile, if Butcher died next episode I'd shed no tears.

Sonics2k

I have to say, I've a big soft spot for Karl Urban and generally love him in movies and TV shows, but it really is Anthony Starr carrying this show. I tune in each week to see what madness his character will do.

Homelander

Most of the actors are perfectly competent - decent even in some cases - but the way Anthony Starr dominates every scene he's in as Homelander is just something else entirely.

Even just the range of emotions on his face in capturing the mindset of a completely unhinged sociopath with unlimited power, the genuine sense of dread, tension that follows him everywhere.

I honestly never thought an adaptation that diverges quite a bit from the comic would end up being this good, but really he's carrying the whole show. He's actually better in the show than he is in the comic.

Latest episode didn't disappoint, I was thinking it was fairly good as it was - that crowd scene is a foreshadowing of what's to come - but the last few minutes really elevated it entirely to next level.

On one hand it's a shame we can't binge the season, but I've come to appreciate the down-time in between episodes far more, it was the same with other dense shows like Better Call Saul which embraced the staggered release.

Sudden Valley

Although I'm enjoying this season I'm finding some of the episodes dragging fierce. Like last week we had the road trip and this week we had too many scenes on a film set. Maeve really has the Xena vibe going now.

Basq

I'm struggling through the first 3 episodes of season 2 to be honest..

.. Aya Cash is adding nothing!

Mr.Nice Guy

Agree with the positive comments on Anthony Starr. Every scene he is in is unmissable.

Will never happen, but I'd love a Superman vs Homelander movie. That would interest me far more than Supes against any DC or even Marvel character. It would need to be R rated though.

I kinda zone out when anyone but Homelander is on the screen

Thecageyone

He is so enjoyable to watch, it's kind of unfair on the rest of the cast as we mostly just await Homelander scenes I'm not sure I'd have stuck with if not for him tbh, as I felt mid way through S1 it was becoming a bit of a chore, glad I stuck with though, I'm much prefering S2

PsychoPete

The only one I don't really like is Starlight, I don't even mind Butchers accent but I try not to take the show seriously. I can forgive the many flaws because its good fun with plenty of violence to keep me entertained

pixelburp

The violence puts me off sometimes, and stops me from otherwise recommending the show to folks. It's a genuinely razor-sharp attack on superheroes and corporate culture, but the intermittent ultra violence keeps interrupting that enjoyment. It can reinforce the power of the Supes but some moments betray needless gore for its own sake (such as in episode 5 when Kimiko

literally rips a man's face of, the audience getting a good look at the result

)

Thecageyone

From what I've heard the sex and violence was toned down quite a bit from the comics, to make it more tv friendly - though still R rated

Slydice

5: Shockin scenes! I'm back to only having a vague notion of where the story is going now. Gotta be

Kimiko vs Stormfront although still could see Homelander throwing her under the bus.. unless she gets both of them. Then The Boys changing to just a plan to release Becca. Not sure what could happen to Starlight, she's in a way more dangerous place now.. I think?

Homelander

This is a comic spoiler in relation to Stormfront, so please don't read if you have not read the comics.

Anyone who has, I would love to hear your opinions on my thoughts on this...

Now, about Stormfront. Initially I was disappointed about the gender swap and apparent change of character function.

Initially.

However, they're starting to reveal that this character is a total sociopath just like Homelander as well as a racist to boot, with a deep backstory that's still shrouded in a lot of mystery so the potential is still enormous.

Now here is the big - HUGE - thing for me.

Homelander comes from Stormfront in a sense in the comics. I can't remember the exact details but Homelander is like a newer, more powerful version of his predecessor based on the same DNA/genetic material/whatever.

So, was the gender swap here, so that in the show, they can reveal that Stormfront is Homelander's mother? Either literally, or figuratively.

Either way, imagine how that would play with his mommy complex which they are making a major theme of the show....which leads me to think this could be a very strong possibility.

CastorTroy

SimonTemplar wrote: »

Why is The Boys being singled out for criticism of its weekly release schedule. Other shows like Better Call Saul and The Mandalorian were released weekly? Is it an Amazon thing?

Not defending them but Better call Saul is AMC so they always release weekly. Disney said from the start that they were releasing weekly.
Amazon are just inconsistent in how they release their series. Season 1 of The Boys was released all at once. And more recent Amazon series like Bosch, Carnival Row and Hanna had all their episodes released at the same time.

I don't mind weekly releases and at times would wonder why Amazon didn't do it. Like what incentive is there to subscribe once you binge the season?
I'd say that's possibly the reason they're doing weekly episodes this time with the likes of Carnival Row being heavily delayed due to the pandemic.

Homelander

The same is true of Netflix though. Some show were dropped, others were weekly.

CastorTroy

The only weekly ones on Netflix that I can think of are the likes of Better Call Saul, iZombie and other similar shows which air weekly in the States and aren't made by Netflix, though it doesn't stop them sticking "Netflix original" or whatever at the beginning.

ManOfMystery

Latest episode was great, a bit twisted in places as per usual but enjoyable all the same.

From reading social media and other forums, there seems to be a general downward turn in Butcher's popularity. I still like the character. Between the accent and his generally not giving a f**k, I find it quite refreshing when he's on the screen and he's somewhat of a foil to Hughie and the other guys who are generally trying to keep their heads down. I think the show would be worse off without Urban around to bring that balance.

Not much I can add about Anthony Starr that hasn't already been said. The man is a force of nature. We've all seen lots of movies and TV shows over the years, and there have been lots of very good villains. But few that I can remember who - despite not having huge physical stature or some other notable feature - can express such subtle menace and tension every single time they're onscreen. And it's not because Homelander is so physically powerful, because there are lots of powerful characters in this show. It's his utter unpredictability and Starr's capacity to sell that whilst also playing the two faces of the character; the villainous private side, and the smilling/PR friendly public side.

Homelander wrote: »

So, was the gender swap here, so that in the show, they can reveal that Stormfront is Homelander's mother? Either literally, or figuratively.

Either way, imagine how that would play with his mommy complex which they are making a major theme of the show....which leads me to think this could be a very strong possibility.

It's an interesting theory. I don't think they will.....

Go down that route literally, given the closing scenes of the last episode. Even for a show like The Boys which thrives on doing stuff that other shows won't, I think such blatant incest would be a step too far.

Figuratively? Yes, I could certainly see it being revealed that Stormfront's genetics or DNA were somehow part of Homelander's makeup.

Rothko

Basq wrote: »

I'm struggling through the first 3 episodes of season 2 to be honest..

.. Aya Cash is adding nothing!

Don't agree with that at all. I think she's great. Hughie is the only one that I don't really like.

Stormfront wrecks my head. She's the new girl yet is so sarcastically hostile to absolutely everyone. I don't get it.

pixelburp

Deleted User wrote: »

Stormfront wrecks my head. She's the new girl yet is so sarcastically hostile to absolutely everyone. I don't get it.

I dunno, I think that's part of the brilliance of the satire. She's clearly the corporate-manufactured outsider; her role to play the anarchic pot-stirrer and whip the public into a frenzy to ultimately side with Vought's militaristic plans.

The entire exchange between Maeve, her girlfriend and the corporate flunkies trying to comodify their relationship into performative liberalism (right down to Maeve's bisexuality not being liberal enough) the mirror image of Stormfront's own messaging. Vought are playing both sides of the American cultural divide here and the new girl is part of that tactic.