To start of the summer, Amazon Prime Video released its first episode of season three for its original series The Boys. This episode is a mix between sunshine with happiness on the side and complete insanity. At the beginning of the episode, the viewer can see the core cast has now split up. Jack Quaid’s Hughie is attending an event with Erin Moriarty’s Annie, but things are not all sunshine and rainbows. If looks could kill, the viewer would be dead. Especially, with the cold dead eyes Antony Starr’s Homelander gives the camera that sends shivers down anyone’s spine.
Further along, the viewer sees how everything has changed for the core cast. Laz Alonso’s Mother’s Milk now is focusing on his family. Hughie has a good life with Annie, Karl Urban’s Butcher is still a crazy psychopath, but he now is keeping on the straight and narrow. Even though he’s still keeping superheroes in line. Of course, in genuine fashion the job he does goes sideways. Tomer Capone’s Frenchie nearly gets killed in the most hilarious way possible. While Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko is left with trying to save him in an equally hilarious way. Ultimately, Butcher saves the day at the end of the fight. And he does the most unexpected thing to the crazy superhero. Surprisingly, Butcher has a tender moment in another part of the episode where he acts like an actual human being. He even shows a vulnerable side to himself. That alone is a great character development moment for the show.
Later, the viewer sees that a certain character appears in a stable condition. And the viewer is treated to a cringe scene with a humorous moment between Homelander and the character. Throughout the episode the viewer can see that slight changes have happened to the seven. Such as Homelander is on the outs due to his relationship with Anya Cash’s Stormfront. With Annie being the new poster person for Vought. One of the most chilling scenes involves Homelander and Jessie Usher’s A- Train. With Homelander grabbing A- Train by the neck like a wild feral beast, after A- Train told Homelander off for calling him fat. Homelander then proceeds to order him to apologize while growing. He even has his laser eyes primed and ready to kill A- Train. But the part that is most scary is that A- Train told him off in a whisper. Homelander was already a good distance away. And he heard everything A- Train said with his super hearing as he was walking away. Having someone being able to hear a whisper from a distance is extremely haunting.
It can be said that in a way Homelander is devolving while Butcher is evolving. These two characters are practically from the same stitch. The only difference is Butcher has people that care about him. It goes even deeper than that when comes to Hughie. At this point Hughie is basically Butcher’s conscience. The show even makes note of this during the last season. The confrontation between these two in this episode speaks volumes. The dynamic has changed for them both. Now Hughie is the one in charge. While Butcher is the one following orders.
Towards the end the viewer can see that someone in the seven is helping Butcher out with taking Homelander and Vought down. Leading to season three’s plot of finding a weapon that can kill Homelander. Mixed in with the subplot of Butcher getting his superpowers. And how it shows he’s no better than Homelander. All the while the viewer sees the two have a conversation about equal ground. Going on about how they both want to fight until the last man is standing. Leading to the finale of the episode that ends with a gruesome pop.