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

steve_r · 13-08-2019 2:13pm

Standman wrote: »

Really enjoyed this.

Some of the scenes that dealt with serious issues/incidents were kind of jarring, and I wasn't sure if they were going for dark comedy or just straight realism. Whether they meant it one way or the other, I've never seen it done like that in a show like this. Can't decide if it's a sign of writers breaking the mold in an interesting way or if those scenes were intended differently and just poorly executed...

That's a product of how Ennis writes. He uses shock value a lot to make a point - both for humour and for serious points.

It can be polarising and a lot of people don't like his style but its quite distinctive.

The best example of his writing I can give is Hitman #34 "Of thee I sing" which is a one off comic where Tommy Monaghan/Hitman meets Superman.

It's a great one off comic that talks about Superman's role in society- but even it has a shocking ending which comes from nowhere

Skerries · 13-08-2019 3:09pm

link for that Superman story

https://boards.fireden.net/co/thread/98827152/

El Duda · 13-08-2019 3:31pm

4 episodes in and loving it. Sticking the boot into Disney, Marvel, MCU and superhero films in general whilst also proving that superhero adaptations have a lot more milage in them.

I imagine Zack Snyder watching it and crying.

pixelburp · 15-08-2019 2:41pm

Yeah I haven't read the original material, so dunno how faithful the adaptation has been, but I've had difficultly putting a pin on this show's tone and register. Sometimes there's a strong sense of pitching for "cake and eat it" territory, whipping between an intent to shock through taboo-pushing moments, and earnest drama (sometimes sourced from the former). The Deep typifies this wandering tone, and I've no idea what I'm to take from him. Without reading the original comic, I've wondered if perhaps there's a clash between Garth Ennis' misanthropic, seedy material, and the adaptation's writing room trying to add a gleam of authenticity to what were otherwise empty shocks.

Finished episode 7 and that was the first episode that just didn't work at all for me: overstuffed, with a couple of lazy revelations by way of characters just talking to each other in a room, including hitherto unseen or unmet.

Homelander remains the standout though; anyone who has read comics has seen plenty of the "evil Superman" trope, but the execution here has been great. He's basically a walking, sociopathic nuclear weapon, and for me it has been the little touches that make the implication of his existence work. Everyone wears a veneer of false smiles around him, but you can see abject terror in their eyes when he looks their way - even Madelyn shows flickers of fear. The public obviously know nothing, but Voight employees et al know this guy could kill you before your brain even knew you were dead - and he'd remain the hero. That's terrifying.

pixelburp · 15-08-2019 10:08pm

... and finished the last episode. So many open threads made it feel like a serialised TV show, aside from the mini-series it had come across as. Apart from one shocking - and of course, gory - moment the episode otherwise fizzled, with the "twist" ending not particularly surprising TBH (did anyone seriously ever think

Butchers wife was truly dead?

). Again, the tone went all over the place - are we supposed to sympathise with, hate or laugh at The Deep? All three? Pick a damn lane, The Boys.

Overall? Yeah, it's a gutsy show with a lot of adolescent swagger and gore, but the true impact were the moments that didn't involve blood (see; the airplane. What a horrible scene I couldn't look away from), and the writers had the headspace to let it's characters stand out. Less dripping entrails, more metaphorical knife twisting for me.

Firblog · 15-08-2019 10:40pm

I had thought that Amazon Prime streaming offering was a near total waste of time; apart from the man in the high castle I hadn't actually been able to watch anything through to the end (not even any of the films) in the 3 years I've had access to it. The Boys has changed that now, really enjoyable, ran through it in 3 nights and looking forward to season two.

17-08-2019 10:16pm

Standman wrote: »

Really enjoyed this.

Some of the scenes that dealt with serious issues/incidents were kind of jarring, and I wasn't sure if they were going for dark comedy or just straight realism. Whether they meant it one way or the other, I've never seen it done like that in a show like this. Can't decide if it's a sign of writers breaking the mold in an interesting way or if those scenes were intended differently and just poorly executed...

i was reading up about the scene with starlight in ep 1. apparently it was a lot worse in the comics (holy jaysus), and it was going to be left out, but the women in the crew insisted the story had to be told what with their personal experiences. i found that interesting to read about.
i'm on ep 3 now and i think it's very good

i kinda thought karl urban was letting his NZ accent through to be honest... it's very NZ/aussie

kerplun k · 17-08-2019 11:27pm

pixelburp wrote: »

(see; the airplane. What a horrible scene I couldn't look away from), and the writers had the headspace to let it's characters stand out. Less dripping entrails, more metaphorical knife twisting for me.

That scene made me seriously consider whether I should stop watching. There’s no doubting that it’s a decent show, but there’s a limit to how dark a show should go. I mean, who has time for that sh1t? Why spend my free time watching a psychopath casualty abandoning kids on a plane that’s about to crash? Real world is bleak enough without this cr@p. For me it was a bit cheap and left a real sour taste in my mouth. Don’t think I’ll be watching season 2.

Dave_The_Sheep · 19-08-2019 12:52am

I watched the first season and ****ing loved it.

I've ploughed through a third of the comics in a single night and all I have to say is that a) they're awesome and well worth a read and b) Billy Butcher and Terror are absolutely ****ing comedy gold at times. This is some superb stuff.

PsychoPete · 19-08-2019 1:00am

kerplun k wrote: »

That scene made me seriously consider whether I should stop watching. There’s no doubting that it’s a decent show, but there’s a limit to how dark a show should go. I mean, who has time for that sh1t? Why spend my free time watching a psychopath casualty abandoning kids on a plane that’s about to crash? Real world is bleak enough without this cr@p. For me it was a bit cheap and left a real sour taste in my mouth. Don’t think I’ll be watching season 2.

To be honest I wouldn't call that dark. For me that scene pretty much summed up how much of a self absorbed d!ck Homelander is

19-08-2019 8:38am

Finished it last night. Next season pls

pixelburp · 19-08-2019 9:09am

kerplun k wrote: »

That scene made me seriously consider whether I should stop watching. There’s no doubting that it’s a decent show, but there’s a limit to how dark a show should go. I mean, who has time for that sh1t? Why spend my free time watching a psychopath casualty abandoning kids on a plane that’s about to crash? Real world is bleak enough without this cr@p. For me it was a bit cheap and left a real sour taste in my mouth. Don’t think I’ll be watching season 2.

The problem was that at this stage, it was already well established - or at least suspected - that Homelander was a total psychopath. It was still a visceral scene, and ultimately the Inciting Incident for the main background arc of the season, but was a big swing that didn't really serve a purpose [*] - except as the "Big Shocking Moment". In fact, in the spirit of this show's contradictory swipe at corporate culture, I'd cynically suggest it was inserted by the producers to create the 'viral talking point', symptomatic of modern day television. Nevermind strong pacing or characterisation, here comes a "Buzfeed Top 10 Ways The Boys Shocked" article. The scene probably would have worked better in Episode 1 or 2, when we hadn't yet figured out Homelander was the true Big Bad here (but then, we'd already seen him crash a plane, with a child on board)

[*] Technically it did, I know: this scene felt like it was told from Queen Maeve's perspective, to further awaken her that Homelander was a threat and danger; but her arc went precisely nowhere so again, made the scene feel like it was nothing but empty calories. A shock for a shock's sake ... oh wait, Garth Ennis wrote the comic? Forget everything I said then :rolleyes:

kerplun k · 19-08-2019 9:56am

PsychoPete wrote: »

To be honest I wouldn't call that dark. For me that scene pretty much summed up how much of a self absorbed d!ck Homelander is

It all just felt a little bit cheap, tacky and unnecessary. I mean a child begging for her life on a crashing plain.... they didn't need to do that. I'm not a prude or anything and I like dark humor and black comedies, but that kinda hit a nerve with me. :mad:

Homelander · 19-08-2019 11:02am

pixelburp wrote: »

[*] Technically it did, I know: this scene felt like it was told from Queen Maeve's perspective, to further awaken her that Homelander was a threat and danger; but her arc went precisely nowhere so again, made the scene feel like it was nothing but empty calories. A shock for a shock's sake ... oh wait, Garth Ennis wrote the comic? Forget everything I said then :rolleyes:

In fairness if you've read the comic, then you'd know the comparable scene isn't pointless, at all, nor simply excessive for the sake of being excessive. It tells us something...a lot, even. I mean we've only seen S1 thus far, all that's been laid is the groundwork. You can't expect major characters to flip 180 or every plot thread to provide immediate dividends within a few episodes.

19-08-2019 5:09pm

Hate the whole Marvel and DC over-saturation of consumer entertainment (mainly for stealing the big budgets in cinema) but this was completely different and great.

I just doubt that they can keep up the same balance and momentum for following seasons as a lot of the appeal rests with the fresh-factor of the presentation.

Think that the fact that the titular "The Boys" aren't augmented adds to the story imo (even if it was in the comics).

Karl Urban and Antony Starr were great.

Gbear · 20-08-2019 1:10pm

Just to clarify things...

Butcher blew up a baby at the end there right?

everlast75 · 20-08-2019 1:11pm

Gbear wrote: »

Just to clarify things...
Butcher blew up a baby at the end there right?

I think so?

Unless Homelander saved it too (unlikely)

PsychoPete · 20-08-2019 1:23pm

Gbear wrote: »

Just to clarify things...
Butcher blew up a baby at the end there right?

Collateral damage I suppose

corwill · 20-08-2019 2:30pm

everlast75 wrote: »

I think so?
Unless Homelander saved it too (unlikely)

Given

Homelander's general, psychotic disregard for non-supes and particular jealousy towards the bab for distracting Madelyn, it's not looking good.

20-08-2019 6:37pm

what's the explanation for why Homelander saved Butcher? -

just to rub it in that he impregnated his missus and now effectively has a son with her?

Clareman · 20-08-2019 7:55pm

I binged watched this, great show. I have to admit to once drinking a pitcher of Guinness as a bet once, I won but it was vile, MT Pockets was a great pub

Agent Coulson · 20-08-2019 8:08pm

https://twitter.com/therealKripke/status/1160250587142746114?s=20

ixoy · 20-08-2019 8:09pm

Really enjoyed this - lots of crazy moments mixed in with some genuinely disturbing moments. Antony Starr did a superb job as Homelander (I didn't even recognise him from his Banshee days) and added a lot for me. His attitude on the plane was chilling.

glasso wrote: »

what's the explanation for why Homelander saved Butcher? -
just to rub it in that he impregnated his missus and now effectively has a son with her?

That's exactly how I took it.

How much worse will Butcher feel now that his wife never bothered to let him know she was okay and had a son with the man he hates?

. Suits Homelander's sociopathic personality perfectly.

20-08-2019 8:38pm

ixoy wrote: »

Really enjoyed this - lots of crazy moments mixed in with some genuinely disturbing moments. Antony Starr did a superb job as Homelander (I didn't even recognise him from his Banshee days) and added a lot for me. His attitude on the plane was chilling.

That's exactly how I took it.
How much worse will Butcher feel now that his wife never bothered to let him know she was okay and had a son with the man he hates?
. Suits Homelander's sociopathic personality perfectly.

so what is going to stop him being killed instantly at the start of season 2 then!?

20-08-2019 9:33pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovsct8lg36A

s7ryf3925pivug · 20-08-2019 9:40pm

Anyone who liked the comic and disliked the Preacher TV show have thoughts on this...? I liked the comics of both this and Preacher. Decided the Preacher TV show was dire and too different after an episode or two. I watched the first episode of this and liked a couple of bits but found it a bit dull and seemed like it was taking a different angle then the comic as well (characters a bit changed, and a different character doing something). Glancing at this thread suggests it might be worth checking out further?

20-08-2019 9:57pm

Caylee Short Burglar wrote: »

Anyone who liked the comic and disliked the Preacher TV show have thoughts on this...? I liked the comics of both this and Preacher. Decided the Preacher TV show was dire and too different after an episode or two. I watched the first episode of this and liked a couple of bits but found it a bit dull and seemed like it was taking a different angle then the comic as well (characters a bit changed, and a different character doing something). Glancing at this thread suggests it might be worth checking out further?

it's good. leave your baggage of previous knowledge of the comics and comparisons at the door and just watch it. you would be in the minority if you're disappointed.

Thargor · 20-08-2019 10:03pm

Its p1ss weak compared to the comics tbh, I gave my thoughts a couple of pages ago, my main issue was my hatred of the Hughie character:

Thargor wrote: »

Enjoyed it but I also think it really suffered by not having The Boys
superpowered themselves like in the comic, it would help to make them interesting (why the feck did they call MM Mothers Milk if they're not going to give him his arc from the comic? Thats just stupid.) In the books Butcher is so menacing and mysterious yet likable, but in this he's just a guy with a dodgy Eastenders accent.

I also preferred in the comics that Compound V
was just floating in the environment randomly effecting babies, not fully controlled by Vought.
Again it would have made things more interesting.

Another thing that annoyed me is that in such a short series they wasted a huge chunk of it in the dragged out
kidnap/killing of Translucent
, an incredibly boring and bland character who didn't deserve that screentime in any way whatsoever. The time could have been way better spent just showing The Boys day to day work like they did in the comics, messing with Teenage Kix etc, investigating etc.

The worst thing about it I think would be the actor and character of Hughie, compared to the funny and sarcastic Wee Hughie from the comics we get yet another bland weedy nerd character that so many American tv series and writers seem to love, stuttering and bumbling along with nothing of interest to add at all. His scenes with Starlight were just wasting big chunks of the episodes all over the place. I absolutely despise this type of character especially when they give it a love interest to stutter at and be all "cute" with in a way we've seen 1000X before, it must have its own TVtropes page at this stage.

I did enjoy the series and devoured it in a couple of days but with what Ive listed above and a lot of niggles its definitely a wasted opportunity. Anthony Starr was sublime as Homelander though.

Still perfectly watchable though, everyone at work is praising me for recommending it, if somethings not on Netflix it doesnt exist for them.

El Duda · 21-08-2019 12:09pm

People found the plane scene disturbing?

I was in hysterics.

ManOfMystery · 21-08-2019 4:51pm

Binged this last week and loved it. I tend to like anything Karl Urban acts in and went in expecting him to be the standout - don't get me wrong, he's delightful and owns the screen as Billy Butcher - but Antony Starr is something else as Homelander. I hadn't seen him in anything before. Really, truly intimidating and has this aura of menace even when he's just standing there. You expect him to suddenly fly off the handle and vaporise everyone at any point, and this fear even seems to extend to the other superpowered characters in the show.

glasso wrote: »

so what is going to stop him being killed instantly at the start of season 2 then!?

I would envisage that Homelander suddenly finding out he has a son may inspire some sort of shallow attempt on his part to mould him into something better than himself, given his own very twisted version of childhood. And a good start to this would be to not laser Billy Butcher on the boy's lawn.

The flipside of course is that he convinces his son to share his own sentiment, that humanity are basically all worthless ants beneath him.

ManOfMystery · 21-08-2019 4:52pm

El Duda wrote: »

People found the plane scene disturbing?

I was in hysterics.

I found it disturbing only in Homelander's complete nonchalance about letting a few hundred people die. Genuinely wasn't fazed in the slightest.

cdgalwegian · 21-08-2019 5:23pm

El Duda wrote: »

People found the plane scene disturbing?

I was in hysterics.

That's disturbing.:D

If there was any doubt that Homelander was a cold-blooded psychopath, this removed it. The chance to save someone was rationally dismissed as something that would blight the supes' brand. That wasn't gonna happen. Chilling. Good tv.

21-08-2019 6:30pm

ManOfMystery wrote: »

The flipside of course is that he convinces his son to share his own sentiment, that humanity are basically all worthless ants beneath him.

it's pretty doubtful that Homelander will turn out to be a model dad figure

will go about undoing any normality infused in the child by the mother quick smart I imagine.

Heckler · 21-08-2019 10:27pm

ManOfMystery wrote: »

Binged this last week and loved it. I tend to like anything Karl Urban acts in and went in expecting him to be the standout - don't get me wrong, he's delightful and owns the screen as Billy Butcher - but Antony Starr is something else as Homelander. I hadn't seen him in anything before. Really, truly intimidating and has this aura of menace even when he's just standing there. You expect him to suddenly fly off the handle and vaporise everyone at any point, and this fear even seems to extend to the other superpowered characters in the show.

If you need an Anthony Starr fix watch Banshee. Brilliant OTT series. And yeah he's terrific as Homelander. I don't know the comics but found "The Boys" fantastic. Had no problem with Urbans accent. A series based around Superheroes and there's grumbling over a dodgy British accent ? Please..

Oh and if I didn't mention it watch Banshee :-)

neirbloom · 22-08-2019 11:21pm

Yea Antony Starr is great, haven't found a character in a Tv show that menacing or intimidating in a long time, not since maybe Chris Parlow from the Wire or Al Sweerenger from Deadwood.

Slydice · 22-08-2019 11:41pm

Is that a legit season 2 trailer or not? anyone compare the kid to the scene where we saw young homelander?

Mr Crispy · 22-08-2019 11:57pm

Slydice wrote: »

Is that a legit season 2 trailer or not? anyone compare the kid to the scene where we saw young homelander?

Not real - a fan used deleted/bonus scenes from season 1 to make it.

Skerries · 23-08-2019 1:10pm

El Duda wrote: »

People found the plane scene disturbing?

I was in hysterics.

have you been tested?

did you kill small animals as a child?

Thargor · 23-08-2019 4:04pm

Skerries wrote: »

have you been tested?

did you kill small animals as a child?

So if you take any enjoyment from a disturbing scene played out by actors in a violent tv series you need to be tested or it sounds like you tortured animals as a child?

Do you limit yourself to only watching PG material and below in that case?

s7ryf3925pivug · 24-08-2019 7:33am

Thargor wrote: »

Enjoyed it but I also think it really suffered by not having The Boys
superpowered themselves like in the comic, it would help to make them interesting (why the feck did they call MM Mothers Milk if they're not going to give him his arc from the comic? Thats just stupid.) In the books Butcher is so menacing and mysterious yet likable, but in this he's just a guy with a dodgy Eastenders accent.

I also preferred in the comics that Compound V
was just floating in the environment randomly effecting babies, not fully controlled by Vought.
Again it would have made things more interesting.

Another thing that annoyed me is that in such a short series they wasted a huge chunk of it in the dragged out
kidnap/killing of Translucent
, an incredibly boring and bland character who didn't deserve that screentime in any way whatsoever. The time could have been way better spent just showing The Boys day to day work like they did in the comics, messing with Teenage Kix etc, investigating etc.

The worst thing about it I think would be the actor and character of Hughie, compared to the funny and sarcastic Wee Hughie from the comics we get yet another bland weedy nerd character that so many American tv series and writers seem to love, stuttering and bumbling along with nothing of interest to add at all. His scenes with Starlight were just wasting big chunks of the episodes all over the place. I absolutely despise this type of character especially when they give it a love interest to stutter at and be all "cute" with in a way we've seen 1000X before, it must have its own TVtropes page at this stage.

I did enjoy the series and devoured it in a couple of days but with what Ive listed above and a lot of niggles its definitely a wasted opportunity. Anthony Starr was sublime as Homelander though.

Yeah I didn't like the change to Wee Hughie. Now a boring "relatable viewpoint character". Butcher should be more imposing too, and MM broodier.

I like the angle that they don't have access to powers though. There was no way that

MM's mother

was making it onto the TV.

s7ryf3925pivug · 25-08-2019 4:05am

Butcher detonating the bomb beside the baby makes him a definite villain to me. Not sure he's going to be cast as that in the next season, so it's a bit fncked up otherwise.

Hughie saving A-Train was a little lame.

gandalf · 25-08-2019 9:10pm

OK just binge watched this over the weekend and it was good, not exceptional but it was good. The lad playing Homelander is excellent and Karl Urban is brilliant as Butcher. Never seen the comics but this is a good addition to the super hero genre.

Slydice · 25-08-2019 9:18pm

gandalf wrote: »

Homelander is excellent

In case ya missed it posted earlier in the thread, he was yer man the cop in Banshee

Zero-Cool · 25-08-2019 9:42pm

Slydice wrote: »

In case ya missed it posted earlier in the thread, he was yer man the cop in Banshee

Seriously, if ye haven't seen Banshee, watch it ASAP.

cdgalwegian · 25-08-2019 9:53pm

Zero-Cool wrote: »

Seriously, if ye haven't seen Banshee, watch it ASAP.

Didn't want to turn this into a hijacking of this thread by continuing about Banshee, but I can only find season 3 and below for it in the forum search. Is there a season 4 thread for Banshee?

Zero-Cool · 25-08-2019 10:26pm

cdgalwegian wrote: »

Didn't want to turn this into a hijacking of this thread by continuing about Banshee, but I can only find season 3 and below for it in the forum search. Is there a season 4 thread for Banshee?

There was a general thread for it that covered all seasons. Careful about the latter pages as spoilers are allowed.

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056784337/1

Venom · 26-08-2019 11:46am

Caylee Short Burglar wrote: »

Yeah I didn't like the change to Wee Hughie. Now a boring "relatable viewpoint character". Butcher should be more imposing too, and MM broodier.

I like the angle that they don't have access to powers though. There was no way that
MM's mother
was making it onto the TV.

Regarding Compound V, I think the writers went the right direction for the show by keeping the team unpowered.

In the comics all the heroes were complete non-threats to the team apart from Homelander, which was Ennis just having another dig at the superhero genre.

Bandana boy · 29-08-2019 11:52pm

just finished this and loved it

Homelander was bugging me in episode 1 as I just couldn't place him , I was a huge Banshee fan and the change longer blonde hair makes is astounding.
My first thought was he would have been an amazing casting choice for the Bily Butcher based on his Banshee days , but in fairness Urban does a fine job and Starr is outstanding as Homelander.

Role on Season 2

Brief_Lives · 24-09-2019 1:33pm

Just finished this on Netflix... great show, love the dark themes....
The girl abusing the Deep was justice enough...

claiva · 25-09-2019 5:22pm

Brief_Lives wrote: »

Just finished this on Netflix... great show, love the dark themes....
The girl abusing the Deep was justice enough...

It's not on Netflix tho.........
Just sayin.....

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

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