By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Photos copyright Amazon Prime
So in this episode The Boys infiltrate a conference slammed with propoganda about the evil of the Starlighters for reconnaissance only. Kicked out of the gang, Butcher arrives and Mother’s Milk keeps him in close proximity. Despite the fact they all now know Butcher is dying, Mother’s Milk sees him as a liability and expels him from the team. Butcher is desperate to show they need him and he needs them but he has an agenda; Ryan. Propaganda is the name of the game here as Homelander’s campaign gains momentum.
I’m loving Sister Sage and her complete disregard of everything anyone has to say to her including Homelander. At the same time she tells Deep he has to be better than any human and not to let Ashley speak down to him. When Deep takes Sage’s advice to slap Ashley down betrays his need to sort his image too. He is still a threat to animals for banging his octopus and threatening Ashley gives him a false sense of power.
To further Homelander#s image, Ryan gets to play a superhero in his very own family friendly movie. However Dad and the Deep find their noses out of joint because they aren’t in the movie. So Sage arranges it for them. Noir hasn’t a clue what he’s doing in the suit looking stage directions from his fellow heroes and directors. I’m wondering how long before Homelander will stand his son’s doubts about what he is and what they are doing. Using the kid as propaganda to maintain Homelander’s good guy image shows how much Homelander is losing it. He needs to control everything even what should be his son’s solo movie debut. Ryan is to be shaped in his image.
Kimiko has flashbacks and is triggered by signs at the conference of kids in peril. Getting drunk lets her tell Frenchie that he has to go all the way with Colin and not use her as an ecuse to not take hold of that happy life. However sound that advice, it is not as simple as that. Frenchie has a secret.
Now Supernatural creator Eric Kripke adds yet another Supernatural icon to the Boys as Rob Benedict appears as Splinter. Rob played God in supernatural until the Winchesters kicked the crap out of him. Splinter is able to create himself new bodies in the Michael Keaton Multiplicity style. The Boys also meet Firecracker who can only spit sparks from her hand; a crap power. However her gift of the gab allows her to spew blatant lies about the Starlighters as an uber social media influencer. Again The Boys shows that the wilder the propaganda the more the ordinary Joe on the street will believe it. Homelander is right to a degree about humans; they are easily led. Is our self worth so low that we will latch on to any rubbish to the point we will riot?
The war of the superheroes continues as Starlight is out to kill A Train for his part in murdering the three fans last episode at the courthouse. However the divide between the heroes is deepening when A Train’s brother shows his sons that the stories their uncle is telling them is fake. Feeling isolted, he is desperate for some validation from his own family. You actually feel sorry for A Train who has not been happy in the superhero ranks for a long time so how long before he picks a side in this fight? The first foot on that path may have started as he gives Hughie and Starlight footage that will prove the Starlighters are innocent. Theey were nowhere near when the murders occurred. It is a clear reminder that family is all even to the bad guys as Hughie has also found since his mother turned up at his dad’s bedside and revealed she now is his power of attorney. Everyone is suffering even Mother’s Milk who, taunted by Butcher, beats him and wishes they could be brothers again.
Now every season, indeed sometimes every episode the Boys shock the audiences and this week is no exception. Ryan accidentally slams the stuntman into a building splattering him all over it. Homelander sees the boy has regrets and is constantly trying to worm his way into his mind to rid him of conscience. His kingdom must rise and if every human needs to be splattered then so be it.
Second of all Frenchie and Kimiko see Splinter doing the human centipede on himself before all hell breaks lose. Gros is an understatement but Sage has set a trap and full frontal Splinters mass to kill them. Butcher arrives to save them so when he is rejected it looks like Kesslar’s offer may be too tempting to resist.
You could ay this episode should have been called God Showed His Dick as Splinter keeps dividing more of his naked self to take the Boys out. We have naked and clothed Splinters left, right and centre attacking. Motherr’s Milk risks all to save Butcher and who knew the only way to stop such a foe was to kill the original body? Dean and Sam would have been proud. This is just a brilliant scene with so much to enjoy. With Firecracker surviving will she be back?
This episode’s social commentary is so on the nose with the world around us right now, you cannot fail to enjoy the references to the real world. It’s also how complicated personal issues can be amisdt the chaos. Frenchie is trapped by his secret about his connection to Colin’s family, Starlight is trapped by her refusal to become Starlight again even though it is badly needed. Hughie has it out with his mother while Butcher now stands alone; a dying man with no idea how to keep his promise before he dies. Even Homelander is held back by his son’s humanity. Ashley is now firmly on a leash after Deep’s threat to murder her; what power she thought she had ended in that second. She is now a toy to be used by the superheroes just as Homelander said. Butcher’s speech to Mother’s Milk after the battle is poignant and made even more so by being rejected outright by him.
We walk the line between what is good for the world against what is good for us as an individual. Sage is shaping out to be a more enjoyable version of the Flash’s Thinker. But has she an agenda of her own?
Another enjoyable slice of action but we are aware there are multiple bombs ticking. Which one will be blow first and who will be caught in the crossfire?
The Time Warriors and Beyond 