Here we are, finally. After a magnificent, horrifying, and truly messed up season, The Boys wraps up its second year in spectacular and satisfying fashion. Well, mostly anyway. Throughout the series we’ve seen tensions rise between supers and humantiy, the introduction of a Nazi villainess, and Homelander’s rapidly unravelled mental state. It’s been an emotionally exhausting run, but one that leaves us equally craving more.
Spoilers follow.
The episode begins with a creepy pre-recorded safety message. It shows Homelander instructing children on what actions to take in the event of a school supervillain attack. This is another brilliant, and potentially quite close to the bone, example of the show echoing real life horrors and fears to further illustrate its grim tone. Never one to shy away from harsh real world comparisons, the episode definitely starts off on quite an unsettling note. Ordinarily, public outcry and backlash (particularly among American audiences) would be a concern. But, lets not pretend that The Boys has ever aimed for anything less than provocative imagery and controversy. The beauty of the show is that its unique blend of satire and black comedy makes these darker moments all the more exciting to behold.
From here onwards the episode operates at break-neck pace, in an attempt to tie up the numerous dangling plot seeds that have been steadily planted throughout this season. Does it accomplish this successfully? Almost. By the time the credits roll there is definitely a feeling of completion with the manner in which the majority of these story arcs are paid off. Unfortunately, some of them are more satisfying than others. Both A-Train and The Deep, two of the most interesting characters, have gone round in a bizarre circle with the church of the collective to essentially end up back where they started at the beginning of the season. It’s a puzzling decision that seems like a wasted opportunity, but we have to believe that the fate of the church’s leader means there is a bigger payoff waiting down the line.
The stories of Billy, Homelander, Becca and Stormfront are intrinsically connected and have been interwoven from the beginning. Of course, the common McGuffin that links these characters is Ryan, and the writers clearly know that he is worth his weight in narrative gold. It will be very interesting to see where Ryan’s future lies, and how quickly we will revisit him. Although, it’s thoroughly disappointing that Billy did not take on the father role for Homelander’s bastard child, as he was surely destined to. Perhaps our favourite foul-mouthed cockney comes with too many profanities and baggage for that just yet. But, it’s great to see some genuine emotional development for Billy, with him seemingly headed for a much brighter moral path from here.
Homelander’s future is a lot more darker from the looks of things. The homicidal hero has been subdued for the moment, but Stormfront’s horrific disfigurement has clearly done even more psychological damage here. Although, there is a debate to be had over how much he genuinely loved her, or whether he just loved his fragile ego being stroked to the max. Whether Stormfront reappears in future seasons remains to be seen, but in classic love-to-hate villain tradition, her comeuppance definitely wasn’t pretty. It was also absolutely glorious to witness Starlight, Kimiko and Maeve deliver some much needed, extremely violent justice to her. Regardless, it’s obvious that Homelander has very few things left to lose, and even less humanity remaining. Time will tell how much longer he can maintain his façade of humanity to the world. As long as Antony Starr is contracted until the series eventually ends, we don’t care.
The Boys season 2 has been one hell of a ride. By amping up everything that made the first season great, the canvas has now become much bigger, much darker, and much more disgusting. Hughie and Annie have officially reconciled their star-crossed romance, Frencie and Kimiko have finally started one, and MM has been reunited with his family. Such a happy ending for our troubled heroes seems far too kind, which begs the question of where next season’s jumping off point will be. Victoria Neuman is being positioned as an incredibly formidable foe. But, can exploding heads really compete with Giancarlo Esposito’s menacing demeanour? Either way, it looks like the power dynamic is starting to shift once again. It might feel like a long wait to find out. But, with at least one more season, and a college-set spin-off on the way, fans have plenty to look forward to in the coming years from the world of The Boys. Remember, you’re the real heroes.
