The Boys review: “The Last Time To Look On This World Of Lies”

Another solid episode of The Boys sets it up for bigger successes to come. The parts of the show that work still work here, and a lot of the show works.

Let’s start with our weekly report on Homelander’s sanity. Is it still there? The answer: no more or less than usual. Probably a little less, if anything.

Homelander is moving to consolidate his power at Vought. He’s already stacked the board with sycophants like Ashley, who is happy to eject another board member who would dare ask Homelander a question about a share price he’s not 100% prepared to answer.

I love watching Homelander’s insanity reflected in Ashley’s face, whether she’s parroting his cruelty or coming this close to admitting to Starlight how terrified she is before retreating into posturing authority at the last second. She has her own mental breakdown that’s happening on the side; I can’t say enough nice things about how much bounce Colby Minifie is bringing to what could be a very boring supporting role.

Homelander also drafts the ever-mysterious Black Noir to neutralize Maeve, although we don’t know exactly what he’s done with her yet. With Homelander it could be just about anything, which is one of those things that makes you want to watch the next episode immediately after finishing the last. It can’t be good, though.

Soldier Boy is Homelander, with a Captain America coating

We’ve gotten little hints about Black Noir’s backstory, but I think we’re due for a deeper exploration of just who he is. I expects we’ll get it when Soldier Boy steps further into the spotlight. It ends up that Soldier Boy has the ability to get rid of a Supe’s powers, which he accidentally demonstrated on Kimiko at the end of the last episode; naturally, she’s thrilled that she’s become a normal person, so thrilled she imagines a blissful song and dance number with Frenchie in the hospital…although I wonder if she’ll want them back when she finds out that Frenchie has been abducted by a vengeful Nina. Yet another solid cliffhanger the show has layered in here.

Anyway, Soldier Boy is on the loose. After hitching a ride back to the U.S. from Russia (we’re just not gonna think about the logistics of how he managed that), he visits Vought’s old talent manager (a hilariously crass Paul Reiser, a million miles from Stranger Things) and sets his sights on the Crimson Countess, who sold him up the river to the Russians back in the day. A lot of our principle players meet up at her trailer, interrupting her anal bead-themed cam show for Seth Rogen, which is very on brand; pretty much everybody on The Boys gets up to something depraved in their off-time, especially if they’re a Supe.

Butcher, Hughie and Mother’s Milk are hoping to intercept Soldier Boy at Crimson Countess’ place, but this is where plans diverge. Mother’s Milk calls Annie and tells them their plan ahead of time. Those two think they’re coming here to stop Soldier Boy before he can do more damage, but Butcher and Hughie are planning to use Soldier Boy to sap Homelander of his powers and then kill him.

It’s not the worst plan in the world…only yes it is, because everything we’ve seen of Soldier Boy indicates that he’s a malignant narcissist every bit as bad as Homelander, so how they plan to work together, or to get leverage over Soldier Boy, I have no idea. Best case scenario: Soldier Boy kills Homelander and replaces him as the despotic power-mad child-god de jour. Worst case: the two of them team up and be the worst forever. Either way, Homelander definitely isn’t dying by the end of this season.

The road to Hughie’s own personal hell is paved with good intentions, naked teleportation

I hope we don’t look back on this season and feel like The Boys was marking time, because I worry the Soldier Boy plot is a long walk to nowhere. Although, Hughie teaming up with Butcher behind Annie’s back drives enough of a wedge between them that I’m not sure if they can recover from it, and this at a time when she’s in real danger of Homelander up and squashing her like a big.

Although that brings up another question: do we buy that Hughie would take things this far, lying to Annie about taking Compound V and obsessing over his need to “save” her, even though she’s literally a superhero with superpowers and can take care of herself just fine? A lot of The Boys is about the corrosive effects of toxic masculinity, with Homelander, Soldier Boy and maybe Butcher being exhibits A, B and C. But I always got the impression that Hughie was a little more sensible than that, that he didn’t buy into the cult, that he was fine having less power if it meant he could be happy.

But no, it ends up he has a chip on his shoulder as big as anyone’s. He’s eagerly taken to the rush he gets from having superpowers for a day at a time. I know this won’t end well, I just don’t know if it’ll end in his death.

Cause I’ll believe that Hughie will die before I’ll buy that they’re going to knock off Homelander this early. Remember, we still have at least one more season to go after this, thank goodness.

The Bullet Points

• The implication is that Soldier Boy picked up his superpower-obliterating abilities during his long stay in the Russian lab, right? I don’t think that was part of his move set originally.
• I knew there was a musical sequence coming and was kind of disappointed that it all took place in Kimiko’s mind. Ah well.
• A-Train learns the drawbacks of compromise when he arranges for a racist Supe to apologize for over-policing a Black neighborhood. Things get out of hand, the Supe mains A-Train’s brother and later blames the community members for being angry. A-Train got Supersonic murdered for this, essentially. How long until he decides that his principles are more important than appeasing the monsters he works for?
• Meanwhile, the Deep has his nose shoved all the way up Homelander’s ass, maybe literally for all we know. I liked Annie eating the candy after she saw how the Deep had gutted the crime analytics department. In very short order she’s lost most of her allies in Vought Tower. She’s in real danger.
• Next week is “Herogasm.” Whoo boy.

Episode Grade: B

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