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

steve_r · 06-08-2019 12:01pm

Really enjoyed it. Thought they took the best out of the source material and avoided the worst. I find Ennis veers between having a really interesting viewpoint on things to being completely gratuitous for no reason.

I think the showrunners did a good job of reining that in and sticking to the core concept of supes being exploited for corporate purposes and allowed to run amok with no oversight.

I thought the casting in general was excellent - Anthony Starr in particular - I watched Banshee and I'd no idea I was looking at the same guy.

I did feel the guy playing Hughie was weak, and would have preferred someone rather than Urban as Butcher. The presence Butcher had in the comics was completely different and was a much more compelling character.

I think 8 episodes was the right call - leave the audience wanting more. Well set up for another season.

everlast75 · 06-08-2019 12:20pm

Loved it.
First superhero show I binge watched.
Didn't know it was Dennis Quaid's son as Hughie until i saw the credits and guessed.
Loved Urban and the lad from Banshee.
Great casting all round.
Nice and gritty too.

Salvation Tambourine · 08-08-2019 9:34am

I thought Eden Hazard was excellent as Frenchie

cdgalwegian · 08-08-2019 11:45am

steve_r wrote: »

Really enjoyed it. Thought they took the best out of the source material and avoided the worst. I find Ennis veers between having a really interesting viewpoint on things to being completely gratuitous for no reason.

I think the showrunners did a good job of reining that in and sticking to the core concept of supes being exploited for corporate purposes and allowed to run amok with no oversight.

I thought the casting in general was excellent - Anthony Starr in particular - I watched Banshee and I'd no idea I was looking at the same guy.

I did feel the guy playing Hughie was weak, and would have preferred someone rather than Urban as Butcher. The presence Butcher had in the comics was completely different and was a much more compelling character.

I think 8 episodes was the right call - leave the audience wanting more. Well set up for another season.

Not a graphic novel reader, so thanks for that.

Looking back on it, the budget for this must have pretty mediocre, and yet it's impact has been huge. Being an avid dabbler in superhero fare, I had grown bored of it, until BAM!- this shows up.
The ending was clever enough coz it left some of it's revelations til near the end, so that simpletons like me didn't have time to predict (well, half-predict).

Karl Urban's accent really did grate though.:(
Can't wait for season 2.

Slydice · 08-08-2019 1:03pm

Nokotan wrote: »

I thought Eden Hazard was excellent as Frenchie

Doesn't he look the image of someone who should be in a Predator film?

DrumSteve · 08-08-2019 4:57pm

I kept thinking Homelander was Bradley Cooper...what a villain though. Brilliantly acted.

Been a while since I binged an entire show in 2 days. Really enjoyable, looking forward to season 2.

Potential-Monke · 08-08-2019 6:01pm

This is exactly what I have been waiting for in the world of superheroes. Haven't read the comic/novel, so had no expectations other than 'It better be good'. And boy was it good. I loved every second of it. I know it's mentioned above that Hughey wasn't anything really like the comic, but I thought it was excellent and you could see him evolve from the scaredy cat into someone who might actually take action now. Loved his evolution. Can't wait for season 2, but I'd imagine Starlight

will have some moment where she accidentally kills/injures an innocent and there's a few episodes where she comes to terms with it.

Hopefully I'm wrong.

Starr was fantastic as Homelander, great character and perfectly acted. I thought Maeve was a bit dull tbh, maybe she'll be more active in S2. Butcher was really good, sometimes dodgy accent aside. Wasn't too gone on A-Train, possibly the actor to blame but unsure. Translucent was ok, didn't really do much but enjoyed the few bits he was in. Good idea behind him. Black Noir wasn't really looked into, so can't really comment on him. He only had 1 fight scene. The Deep kept turning me from hate to not so much hate, to hate again, to 'maybe I should feel sorry for him' to hate again. Good character, and had one of the best scenes in the entire show. Loved every scene with Frenchy and Mothers Milk, they were brilliant on screen together. Frenchy in general was brilliant, and I thought I'd hate him.

This show gave me what I wanted insofar as even superheroes make mistakes, and it's nice to see a 'realistic' version of the Marvel/DC characters. I also read that in the comics, in relation to Compound V that

The Boys use it to power themselves up, so I've no doubt they're saving that for S2. I look forward to it.

This along with Brighburn has filled a void in my superhero heart that has been there for a while now, so long may it last!

pixelburp · 11-08-2019 7:44pm

Finished the 5th episode and I'll be honest it had grown on me; it's still crude, vulgar and deeply seedy to a degree I generally don't like in my storytelling, but it's also a much smarter beast than that gory, nasty top layer would lead one to believe. It really nails the reality of superheroics as a private enterprise, coupled with the complexity of flawed people being worshipped as gods.

Karl Urbans accent remains f*cking atrocious though.

And there's something odd about a show skewering an omnipresent, monolithic corporation airing on Amazon of all services

Mr E · 11-08-2019 8:35pm

I watched the whole thing over the weekend (quiet weekend)

Really loved it and it kept me guessing. If I had one criticism, I thought

episode 8 felt like a regular episode

- but maybe thats an indicator of the strength of the story overall.

Starr was superb.

Standman · 13-08-2019 11:08am

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...

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.

coffee_cake · 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

coffee_cake · 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.

[Deleted User] · 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.

[Deleted User] · 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?

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

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