Just getting my thoughts out there. Feel free to add yours
spoilers for The Boys
I am so glad Maeve didn't die in the comics. You don't see her actually die in the comics either. You just see her head fall off the side of the building. Also lol at Maeve training with a sword in her montages only to fight Homelander barehanded. There's no reason for not to bring a weapon to the fight. Get an adamantium baseball bat. I don't care. You fucking fight dirty if you're fighting to the death. It wouldn't be as cool looking or choreographed, but it didn't feel like a fight to the death.
I am also glad that A-Train got his brother calling out his shit. However, his brother of course went lib and complained that he didn't do a cool thing killing Bluehawk. "I wanted his face on the news." I get in the series, that it would have more impact to get the guy's face on the news given that it's about supes especially with all the shit ramping up on the show. But when I heard that, my knee jerk was 'look what that's doing about cop violence.' the real world messaging felt dissonant to me. Idk
On that note, a bizarre thought I had was that it would be cool if Butcher recruited A-Train's brother to The Boys. I mean he's a perfect person to have join on. Severely harmed by a supe. Knowledge about training and working with a supe. And fitting in what I think is crucial messaging about The Boys.* I'll come back to this
I'm glad Annie's arc looks to be shaping up. I wish she would drop the holier than thou vibes, though. The people willingly working at Vought and covering up shit are culpable too and far worse as villains than Homelander. He's just the symptom of the real thing that needs to die. Anyway I also liked the dynamic between her and Hughie improved. He considers using the temp v but tries trusting in her instead and working with her powers. It showed them actually working together.
I don't know what Frenchy's actor did, but they're just demolishing his character. I don't like how they're depicting his addiction issues and his rant just felt cartoony. Also kinda oooof that complaining about workplace rights was lampooned like that by an Amazon property. I feel like Frenchy is losing what characterization he had.
Kimiko, no notes. Love everything Karen Fukuhara does. I'm loving her friendship with starlight and low-key hope that they hook up. They both deserve better.
Hughie is eh. But I feel weird how much they're treating him like a child. He's fucking thirty. Stop it. Black kids get mistaken for adults so much that it affects police statistics. I think we could have a little honesty with how much he's responsible for? He has been a huge dick with power and control issues since the first season. I feel like Robin being a forgotten character is a missed opportunity. They could've shown some of Hughie's issues through how he treated his former girlfriend in the relationship. Also it would've done good to see how a lib couple moved through the world of supes.
*It's something that really bugged me. The Boys 's about bringing people together to stop an oppressive threat. It's cool that Butcher did that, but why didn't others? Why aren't there other cells out there also working to bring down supes? The general population is so stupid and helpless. Why aren't there other serious groups trying to bring down supes? I get that most people would fall into easily managed opposition like online protests and peaceful in person protests, but out of almost four hundred million people, some of whom supes, only like seven people are a serious threat to vought?
I'll add comments as I think on more things.
I thought it was good but also
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Humanizing Homelander, while interesting almost feels like it's going to just make chuds love him more and that scene where Butcher and he both laser eyes soldier boy and share that little nod made me extremely angry. If they try to redeem him somehow it would ruin all they have built up to
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That was also :yikes: for me too. 'Oh man he's like me. My dad says I'm a disappointment too. And I really just need love.'
I'll say though that his killing of the protestor was a chillingly accurate depiction of how brazen fascists will get with their use of violence. I just hope they manage to connect the two. That utter selfishness and being a total dick is why he's not loved, ya dips.
I'm also bothered by the oversimplification they're doing with his character. Him making a super supremacist just feels so out of left field. He's a selfish child who only cares about how immediate gratification. It just feels like a Saturday morning cartoon plot. Just make him stronger and go on a giant temper tantrum.
But I'm interested in how he's using the human chuds to advance his power. I don't necessarily feel like it's in character for homelander, but I do think it's an interesting exploration of power in the media interactions.
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I saw killing the protester as another direct Trump reference
:homelander: “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and wouldn’t lose any voters, ok? It’s, like, incredible.”
Oh shit that's right. I'm sure glad The Boys isn't political or it'd be really saying something about fascism that fascists wouldn't like.
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If they're basing it on trump it sorta makes sense right, he's the head of a fascist movement but thinks the actual fascist are losers? He wants to hang out with cool people who are on tv.
Exactly
The scene with :reddit-logo: and :homelander: where she's talking about creating a master race summed it up perfectly
:trump-anguish: : "No I'm the master race!"
That actually makes a lot of sense. His own inferiority is driving him to feel superior somewhere.
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I haven't seen the newest episode yet, but I thought in the last one they were heavily leading you to believe Butcher's daddy issue is that he knows he's his dad and hates himself for it.
Is it necessarily humanizing to show the contradictions that created his psychopathic nature?
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I don't even think homelander can be considered as person morally. He's so outside what people experience.
deleted by creator
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Oh shit, I forgot about the little nod. I get not wanting Ryan to get hurt, but this the man who ruined your wife's life right here. The guy who ruined your life. I think you could get Ryan out of there without it complicating things in the fight with Homelander. When would you get another chance like that? Like what kind of lib bullshit is that to make Butcher and Homelander fight side by side, if even for a little bit? Over some little shitty kid. I get Ryan is innocent in all this, but again it just seems like they're playing different rules.
I would be so fucking mad if they redeem Homelander or have Butcher give him some 'good game' respect nod lib shit.
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I personally think the fact that CHUDs idolized such a clearly loathsome character in the first place shows that their responses probably shouldn't be the determining factor of where the writers take things. If they can co-opt one of the biggest piece of shit tv villains to exist in a painfully obviously left leaning show for their vile movement then nothing is off limits for them, and trying to preempt that wld limit what art can be to a suffocating degree. And I feel like it usually deepens a work to show why an evil person ended up the way they are, while trusting the audience to still understand that they're evil through their clearly destructive action. Though yeah if they try to redeem him that would be full on 🤢 but I trust them not to take the show in that direction, if anything he's primed to get worse since they are setting him up as the leader of a fascist movement.
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I hope you're right. I think the treatment of A-Train being criticized promises to really deliver something even more powerful once Homelander is brought to a position where he has to hear his reality check. I think Stanley Edgar is an interesting character, but I hope he isn't the one responsible for Homelander's defeat.