The Boys has a knack of producing binge worthy seasons with great season finales. The first season ended with the revelation that Becca was raising Homelander’s son. Whereas the second season ended with Nazi Stormfront’s brutal take-down.
The Boys Season 3
The third season of The Boys started airing on the 3rd June on Amazon Prime Video. So far, the show is very interesting and is pursuing new avenues for many of our main characters’ development. Butcher (Karl Urban) who has been basically a murder machine pointed at Supes has finally gained something worth living for with his son. They address that explicitly in a rather heartbreaking scene. That is to say that when you’re seeing him having these emotions it really looks like the weight of everything has finally gotten to him. Hughie (Jack Quaid) in previous seasons sort of plays the role of Butcher’s moral compass and stops him, inadvertently or otherwise, from basically going full maniac. However, in this season Butcher is more determined than ever to assassinate Homelander (Antony Starr) after the loss of his wife Becca. He directs an inquiry into the hiding of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), a deadly past supe.
Additionally, a brand-new serum that gives regular people superpowers for 24 hours would enable The Boys to take on the villainous superhero-creating company Vought. Although, after defeating Nazi Stormfront, The Boys are shattered. Working for anti-Supe Congresswoman Victoria Neuman—who also happens to be a covert super-powered assassin—at the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Hughie struggles with his helplessness while trying to hold the Supes marginally more responsible for all of their horrifying collateral damage.
Frenchie (Tomer Capon) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) are contemplating moving away from The Boys while guilt-ridden Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) takes time off to spend time with his family.
The Boys’ third season covers much more while overflowing with jokes, biting satire, and absurd action scenes to produce the most highly entertaining, eye-catching concoction.
Season Finale
The final episode of The Boys Season 3 starts off with Homelander and Soldier Boy reacting to finding out that they are related. Homelander heads to Mallory’s to make amends with Ryan, in an effort to build a family and a bond with this son- both that he’d never had. For Soldier Boy though, the suffering runs deeper. Before preparing to kill the final payback member Black Noir, Soldier Boy confides in Butcher about how he felt unworthy in his father’s eyes and about the tense relationship with his father. He volunteered for Vought’s experimental testing only to have his father accuse him of cheating. Jensen Ackles plays a brilliant role in switching between vulnerability and arrogance.
Soldier Boy and Homelander play off one another well, as the blonde, wicked Superman rip-off begs Soldier Boy to accept him to unite into a superfamily but Soldier Boy rejects him- just as his own father did. Maeve expresses her true hatred against Homelander and they finally face each other off.
Long before the battle between Soldier Boy and Homelander, Black Noir is killed by Homelander for all along, the truth about his father was kept from him. On the other hand, MM shares a powerful moment with Frenchie about being the best version of himself for his daughter, Frenchie and Kimiko decide to let go of their past, A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) has an emotional dispute with his brother and realizes that he has the same heart as Blue Hawk, whom he kills for being so outraged by his morals. On the brighter side, the development of Starlight (Erin Moriarty) gets more exciting as she is set to officially join The Boys, leaving Vought behind. The Boys have their focus on Victoria Newman who is now running for the Vice President of the US.
Towards the end of the final episode, Butcher is informed that his time is running out due to the effects of Temp V. Homelander’s true colors are now exposed to the world as the psychotic Supe saws in half a Starlight fan. Despite this, his admirers still adore him, and it is obviously alluring to imagine a Homelander free from constraints.
Final Verdict
The series is one of the most graphic shows in terms of violence and gore ever seen outside of anime. The effects are excellent, even in their often gory, head-popping detail. The writing transitions seamlessly (and often, instantaneously) from hilarity to horror without missing any beat-downs. The dysfunctional characters are multi-faceted, from the schizophrenic antagonist “Homelander” to the girl-next-door super heroic girlfriend (Starlight) of the hopelessly screwed-up protagonist, Hughie.
In the off chance that anyone reads this that would not otherwise be interested in a super hero show please know this: It goes far beyond being another action superhero show. It’s a genuinely important and serious look at corporatism (Ironically brought to you by Amazon though) and elitism that justifies your time and rewards you with a non-cliche plot. One must also admire the outstanding acting, the likes of which I can’t have remembered seeing by so many different actors in one show. If you’re willing to step outside of your comfort zone, give Season 3 of The Boys a chance to win you over. If you do, I can almost assure you that you will be well rewarded!
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