The Amazon original series The Boys has called it a wrap on its second season with a bang. The superhero dramedy series has taken the streaming world by storm with its second season ratings putting up a test against Netflix’s catalog such as Criminal Minds and The Office while closely following behind Lucifer and Cobra Kai, according to Forbes. Additionally, its success on the Amazon platform has resulted in the recent announcement of spin-off series for the superhero series. Regardless, the second season of the Amazon original premiered its first three episodes on September 4 with the remaining five being released on a weekly basis.
The Boys centers on a group of vigilantes that have come together in an effort to fight the corrupt superhero corporation Vought in response to its “supes” utilizing their powers recklessly towards the public behind closed doors. The series’ cast of vigilantes includes Karl Urban (Dredd) as the groups’ leader in Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games) as main protagonist Hughie, Laz Alonso (Avatar, Detroit) as Mother’s Milk, Tomer Capon (Fauda) as Frenchie, and Karen Fukuhara (Suicide Squad) as Kimiko.
Meanwhile, the supes at Vought consist of Antony Starr (Banshee) as the psychopathic supe leader Homelander, Jessie Usher (Shaft) as the fastest man on the planet A-Train, Dominique McElligott (Moon, House of Cards) as Queen Maeve, Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) as The Deep, Nathan Mitchell (Supernatural) as the silent assassin Black Noir, and Erin Moriarty (True Detective) as Annie/Starlight, Hughie’s love interest. Joining the supes cast for the second season is Aya Cash (You’re the Worst) as a millennial supe in Stormfront in addition to Shawn Ashmore (The Following) as the ex-member of The Seven, Lamplighter.
The second season finale episode, entitled “What I Know,” was released on the streaming platform on October 9 and faced the daunting challenge of handling its different storylines and character arcs that have ensued throughout its eight-episode run. The episode kicked off with hints at the rekindling of love between Annie/Starlight and Hughie following his rescue mission of her and her mother in Vought tower in the previous episode. As the two drive to investigate a lead onto Stormfront, Hughie divulges to Annie about his mother, who left him and his father when he was young, and her being the reason for his passion for Billy Joel, the mainstay of the mother-son dancing parties. During the drive, the former Seven members, A-Train, abruptly enters their car and declares that the three are even following Hughie’s actions in last season which saved the supe from a heart attack. A-Train hands over information about Stormfront’s past life, stolen from the Church of Collective, which gave concrete evidence to her status as a Nazi.
Meanwhile, in Vought Tower, Stan Edgar, President of Vought, arranges a meeting with Butcher concerning the retrieval of Homelander and Butcher’s wife, Becca’s, son, Ryan (Cameron Corvetti, Big Little Lies) in fear of not managing his powers properly at a young age. The deal is cut between the two that Butcher would secure the boy and return him to Vought while creating a life for himself and Becca in the process. Despite knowing that Becca wants to be reunited with her son, Butcher agrees to this deal but does not disclose it to the rest of the group.
As Hughie and Annie release the information to the public revolving around Stormfront’s true identity, the vigilante group of Annie, Hughie, Butcher, Becca, Frenchie, Kimiko, and Mother’s Milk set up camp outside a cabin in which Homelander, Stormfront, and Ryan are residing in. Stormfront sees the breaking news and runs off while Frenchie’s sonic bomb discombobulates Homelander and Ryan in the cabin, giving Butcher enough time to retrieve the boy. Following his retrieval, Butcher tells Becca the deal, but states that he will send the two on their way and instead confront Homelander and Stormfront. Becca, Ryan, and Mother’s Milk begin to drive off before their car is flipped by Stormfront and a battle ensues.
Stormfront confronts Kimiko and Starlight as they enlist themselves in a battle of fists and their superpowers. After time continues on, Stormfront eventually breaks the neck of Kimiko and hope is seemingly drained from the group. However, Queen Maeve intervenes after initial hesitation and begins to lay the hurt on Stormfront. During this, Kimko resurrects herself and joins the fight alongside Starlight and Queen Maeve against the evil supe in one of the most badass fight scenes The Boys have produced over the course of its two-season run. Stormfront then flies off to go confront and stop the fleeing Becca, Ryan, and Butcher in the woods.
The evil supe proceeds to put Butcher’s wife in a chokehold as Butcher aimlessly fights back to no result. Ryan, out of hatred for Stormfront, displays his powers and lasers Stormfront. However, due to his inexperience with his powers, he fatally wounds his mother in the process and begins to frantically apologize and cry. Homelander arrives to take a claim for his son, but Ryan becomes hesitant towards his father and begins to inch towards Butcher. As Butcher intends to face the wrath from the all-powerful supe, Queen Maeve appears and gives Homelander an ultimatum, leave Starlight, Butcher, Ryan, the rest of the boys, and her girlfriend Elena alone or else she will release the footage of the purposeful deaths at the hands of Homelander on an overseas plane from the previous season. Out of frustration, Homelander leaves.
After the reveal and dismemberment of Stormfront, Stan Edgar publicly announces the placement of Compound V on hold and that Stormfront’s actions were of her own and is now being held in a safe and secure environment. The episode begins to wrap up with the Church of the Collective revoking the guaranteed spot back into The Seven for The Deep in favor of A-Train due to his stunt involving revealing a church critic in Stormfront. The Deep, frustrated, lashes out against the church and suggests his departure from the Scientology parody.
The episode concludes with a short montage of Mother’s Milk reuniting with his family Frenchie and Kimiko going out for a dance, and Homelander masturbating on top of a New York City skyscraper. Hughie and Annie sit alone on a park bench and share a big kiss with Hughie revealing his desire to go on his own two feet away from the boys while also maintaining a relationship with Annie. Butcher and Ryan sit in silence on a riverside and Ryan explain that he does not feel safe. Realizing his wife’s final wish to keep the boy safe as her death was an accident, he places Becca’s Saint Christopher necklace she once gifted to him around Ryan’s neck, informing him of its significance and the presence of his mother with him always. The two depart as Mallory takes in Ryan and Ryan recites a lesson he learned from Butcher, “Don’t be a cunt.”
After Ryan enters the car, Mallory informs Butcher of a new government agency, overseen by Congresswoman Victoria Neuman, to be funded in order to keep supes in line. Given that the vigilantes are now free of all charges, Butcher walks away with the suggestion of their third season storyline. The second season finale episode concludes with a phone conversation between Neuman and the leader of the Church of the Collective in which he asks for tax exemptions in exchange for information on other faulty Vought supes. Yet, Neuman reveals that she is a supe in herself and prompts his brain to explode, revealing herself as responsible for the attack at the hearing at the end of episode seven.
The Boys have received a third season renewal as announced at San Diego Comic-Con @ Home over the summer and have been working on scripts virtually throughout quarantine. However, as stated by Kripke in mxdwn’s roundtable discussion with him and the cast of The Boys in July, there is no expected date for production to resume. For television fans interested in viewing The Boys, its two seasons are available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video in its entirety.