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Hi! I'm Zach, the Editor-in-Chief here at The Cinema Spot. The TCS team and I are always hard at work to put out the best content we can, and we're even developing a few new features! Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest contests, daily news articles, comprehensive reviews, and more!
The Boys are back, and with the first three-episode premiere, the series does not disappoint in this Season 3 sophomore episode. This article will be a spoiler-free review, so don’t fret over having anything ruined for you!
Plot Summary
After Hughie (Jack Quaid) discovered Victoria’s dirty little secret during the Season 3 premiere episode, he and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) begin to plan out what to do next. After some impatience on the young, freshly-minted federal agent’s part, Hughie heads out to start looking into Victoria Neuman’s (Claudia Doumit) past on his own. Meanwhile, Butcher (Karl Urban) heads to a gun convention to learn more about what killed Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), while Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Kapon) tackle the problem from a different place — Voughtland. Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) struggles to come to terms with his own demons and his past entangled with Soldier Boy.
For the supes, Homelander (Antony Starr) prepares to celebrate his “birthday” while A-Train (Jessie Usher) tries to find a new way to stay relevant given his recently-discovered heart condition. With the introduction of a few new supes in this episode, you’re sure to get your fill of the usual gore and terror.
Happy Birthday, Homelander
While her boyfriend goes in search of answers on Victoria’s supe abilities, Starlight prepares for her own role in Homelander’s massive birthday special, set to be broadcast to the public.
During their shared screentime, Starr and Moriarty definitely display fantastic acting, showing the audience the clear disdain the two have for one another, but fighting to keep their feelings from boiling over for the sake of peace. The concept of Homelander’s “birthday” is explored through this episode, and Starr really brings a stellar performance, especially in the closing moments of the episode. Whatever it is he uses to channel rage through to his performance as the evil “hero”, it shines through during his minute-long monologue, spewing what can only be described as alt-right rhetoric and self-importance and indulgence. It’s extremely and horrifically reminiscent of today’s displays of similar speech, as something we as an audience have come to expect from this on-the-nose type of storytelling.
Moriarty puts her own acting prowess on display in this episode. She seems to bring a sense of genuine concern for those around her to her role as Starlight, and her line delivery is entirely on-point. Moriarty is, in my opinion, the most consistent member of the cast, delivering great performance after great performance, with Starr a very close second.
Saluting Soldier Boy
Frenchie and Komko take a little trip to Voughtland to learn more about Soldier Boy’s death, talking with the supe, Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden). Though only on-screen for a short while, Holden’s performance is quite great. She displays a fantastic ability to change demeanors at the drop of a hat, and I hope to see a lot more of her throughout the season.
Kapon’s own performance as the smooth-talking and fierce Frenchman is, as always, terrific. He shows his range in this episode from tough guy to tender soul as he deals with Komiko’s own feelings toward her childhood.
Fukuhara for her part is outstanding. Playing a character that offers no line delivery must be extremely difficult, but Fukuhara has tackled this role with seeming ease. Her capability of conveying emotions with looks and her eyes is unmatched, and she puts it on full display in this episode while walking through Voughtland.
World’s Fastest Man
Trying to find his way, A-Train pitches a few new ideas to the Vought Development Team of Ashley (Colby Minifie) and… another Ashley (Sabrina Saudin). Though A-Train’s ideas are definitely out there, Usher’s performance is magnetic. He takes these outlandish ideas and truly makes you feel he believes in them. All this is, of course, a poorly-hidden attempt to maintain A-Train’s relevance, and Usher pulls it off masterfully. His screentime has lessened this episode, but he’s well-positioned to have a great return to the spotlight.
You’re Starlight’s Boyfriend
Hughie heads to where Victoria/Nadia got her start. Quaid, with his usual tentativeness, pulls off the jealous lover trope fantastically with his limited interactions with Supersonic this episode.
Excuse Me, Mr. Powder
Butcher heads to a gun convention to meet with Soldier Boy’s former sidekick, Gunpowder (Sean Patrick Flanery). Both actors’ alpha male roles are perfectly executed. They go blow for blow with insults that are well-delivered, though I personally favor Butcher’s (I may be biased against supes). But the story is far more interesting than the great acting.
It takes on the idea of teenage sidekicks, an often (albeit weirdly) criticism of some comic fans. It deals with abuse in a very blunt way, as the show so regularly does with deep topics. But the two’s first encounter leads Butcher to make a choice he seemingly struggled with at the beginning of the episode. That struggle, as it happens, is quite informative of Butcher’s fracturing psyche- his desires to bring down the supes and not cross the line of becoming a supe himself are at war with one another. That scene in particular is extremely well done, as reality breaks around him and he begins to consider the action he intends to take. All in all, it is an excellent portrayal of the inner workings of Butcher’s mind and was beautifully pulled off by Urban.
Roundup
The writing of this episode is astounding; the story practically forces the audience to stay seated with their eyes glued to the screen. The editing and directing are fantastic, and all in all, the performances are terrific. Episode 2 is, of course, still an unbottling of the mystery episode, but that mystery just keeps getting juicier and juicier. As for gore, there’s a little — nothing like Episode 1’s opening sequence.
The set design itself is very well done, with some oddly-named venues found in Voughtland, like BLM BLTs, for instance. There’s one scene, in particular, that is quite reminiscent of a famous Superman story, written by the great Grant Morrison and illustrated by the talented Frank Quitely, as I’m confident was intended.
With the conclusion of Episode 2, the story for Episode 3 and the remainder of Season 3 is well-established, and Jensen Ackles’ debut as Soldier Boy is still somewhere out on the horizon. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Trust us, we’ve seen all of it already; you will not want to miss out on this!)
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Hi! I'm Zach, the Editor-in-Chief here at The Cinema Spot. The TCS team and I are always hard at work to put out the best content we can, and we're even developing a few new features! Be sure to keep an eye out for the latest contests, daily news articles, comprehensive reviews, and more!
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