Episode two for Amazon Prime Video’s Original Series The Boys starts off with a descent into darkness. Karl Urban’s Butcher contemplates whether he should take the temporary compound V. However, the viewer hears the voice of Antony Starr’s Homelander on the television where he proceeds to taunt Butcher into not taking it. And just as he is about to take it, the viewer hears yet again another voice. From the sounds of the voice, it seems to belong to Jack Quaid’s Hughie. Suddenly it changes to the voice of a child. The child seems to know Butcher as he appears on the tv. Obviously, the people he hears are a manifestation of his sub conscience. Which makes Butcher a very interesting person to watch. He knows that taking it is a path of no return. You can see in his eyes he knows this to be a fact. There just seems to be more than a need to get an edge over the superheroes. It’s almost as if it’s some sort of self-punishment he believes he deserves. Ultimately, he injects himself with the substance. From there the viewer sees Butcher’s eyes start to glow bright yellow. With a laser sound soon following. Luckily, it was all just a nightmare he was having at the time. Or maybe it was a dark premonition of what is to come.
Later during the episode, the viewer sees Tomer Capone’s Frenchie, and Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko go to an amusement park. Where they are sent to question Laurie Holden’s Crimson Countess about Jensen Ackles’s Soldier Boy. The park itself has a familiar feeling of family fun time like Disney. Then again, the show tends to parody well known commodities. That is why for the viewer the amusement park could be seen as a humorous joke. Eventually, Frenchie and Kimiko find the Crimson Countess leading to a fight which ends in a horrific way. This gruesome act causes the amusement park to be covered in a new color. It can be said that the show is trying to show a parallel with the destruction of the park and Kimiko. From earlier seasons the viewer knows about her past. Seeing how the destruction hit hers speaks volumes about who she is. She sees it as her own childhood being destroyed in a matter of seconds. Not only that but she has ruined the childhoods of other kids. What’s worse is she sees herself becoming the very monster she hated.
The episode ends up taking a turn in a whole new direction. The next time the viewer sees Hughie he’s doing some investigating on his own. Which brings the episode to one of its biggest mind blowers. Leaving Hughie to realize that the game has been rigged from the very beginning. Instead of being a knight he was merely a pawn in Vought’s game. This takes a toll on Hughie’s mind and sanity. He is a person that wants to do good in the world. Unfortunately, the world only accepts strength. That is something tends to bother Hughie the most. The fact that every person in his life has always been strong. While he was just a helpless person who needs saving. Obviously, you cannot have The Boys without a little Butcher action. Which is exactly what the viewer gets when he goes to a gun convention, in search of Sean Patrick Flanery’s Gunpowder. Apparently, he was Solder Boy’s sidekick during his early years. Butcher being Butcher decides to talk to him in the most humorous way possible. While they both relief themselves, Butcher strikes up a conversation with Gunpowder. With the Latter opting to shake the former’s hand, but unable to do so for obvious reasons. Then the real fun begins for the episode.
Eventually, the conversation ends in a gun fight while in a parking garage. Where the viewer is treated to a fantastic demonstration of Gunpowder’s ability. Showing just how deadly he can be with a single bullet and a great slow-motion sequence that comes along with it. Unfortunately, the viewer does not see the end of the fight until later in the episode. As Butcher returns to the hideout, he has another vulnerable moment and finally decides to stop. Until he calls Hughie to tell him about his decision, only for Hughie to inform him about what he has found. This leads to one of the best deaths in the series where Butcher unleashes his newly gained superpowers, thus killing Gunpowder. Showing that he is the biggest hypocrite in the world of monsters and men. Also, it shows that Butcher deep down has no redemption in his sight. Since he was a child, he always had phycological problems. Due to the abuse, he suffered from his father Butcher was taught to hurt. It can be said that when all He’s known is pain kindness to him is odd. That is why despite his best-efforts Butcher can’t help hurting people. Even when he tries to do good, he can’t live without that pain. That is what makes Butcher one of the most tragic characters in the series. At the end of the episode, the viewer sees Homelander have a meltdown on live tv. Which is an indication that he is starting to not care about how others see him. All his life he has had no one to care for. The only people he had were detached scientist that subjected him to horrendous experiments. It’s not wonder why he can never connect with anyone. One must be born from love not profit to connect with someone. However, just when he sees that the world has given him someone to love she’s taken from him. Yet another crack in his fractured mind has been added. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks completely. Making him change from a monster into a real devil.
Rating: 8/10