Step aside, Deadpool.
After watching the first three episodes of The Boys season two, I can confirm that not only is this the nastiest, goriest R-rated superhero show around, but it takes no prisoners and goes places you never dreamed a show would go. Anyone suffering from DC/Marvel fatigue will embrace this takes-no-prisoners attitude and everyone else will simply ‘marvel’ at the pure audacity of showrunner Erik Kripke and what these characters will do for what they believe in.
Amidst the chaos, gore, and brutality of season one, there were a few targets, such as capitalism, power, superhero worship. Season two is no different, this time with Scientology, girl power, and the ugly truths behind power-hungry corporations, franchises, and diversity. As usual, The Boys hits these targets with all the subtlety of a tank, blowing them wide open and then crushing them underfoot, just for good measure.
The show picks up shortly after wonderfully foul-mouthed Butcher (Karl Urban) finds out his wife is not only alive but has a son, and, unfortunately, the father is the psychotic Homelander (Antony Starr). Watching Homelander’s attempts at being a dad are as creepy as anything he’s ever done and, with his eye not on The Seven, new girl Stormfront (Aya Cash, who steals almost every scene she’s in) to capitalize and build her popularity in ways that are so relevant in today’s society.
Meanwhile, the rest of The Boys, Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon), and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) are trying desperately to keep the good fight going, but with limited success. Starlight (Erin Moriarty) is the key to helping them but as with all things with this motley group, chaos follows them everywhere, even when trying to accomplish the simplest of plans. In a show full of relentless cynicism, dark tones and gore, Starlight is indeed the shining light for everyone, the connection, with Hughie being the anchor that helps The Boys from drowning and completely overloading the senses of the viewers.
Season two continues its crass, crazy, and outlandish sense of humor with the story arc that follows The Deep (Chace Crawford) into strange territories. A group called The Church of The Collective (*cough…Scientology….cough*) comes into his life, as does it’s obsession with a certain soft drink and some crazy mushroom-induced quiet time with his gills. It’s so ridiculous yet works, which I guess should be the mantra for this show in general.
The Vought International corporation grabs more attention, for all the wrong reasons, and is challenged by Homelander and congress that again, smacks of familiarity in the current world order and plays out like something you’d see in corporate America. Giancarlo Esposito plays Stan Edgar, current CEO of Vought International, perfectly, explaining just what part The Seven plays and how Vought is the poster child for corporations gone horribly wrong.
Dark, diabolical, destructive, and with absolutely no apologies, The Boys season two continues to go places no one thought possible. It is an assault on the senses at times. The gore and demonic glee some characters get out of violent acts can be a tough watch, but everyone is on the same page, delivering more physical and verbal carnage than I ever thought possible on a TV show. Nothing is safe from The Boys…just as it should be.
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