The boys are back in town!
Thanks to our friends at Amazon Prime, we have had the chance to watch the first three episodes of The Boys season 2 and we can’t wait for you to see what is in store.
The series returns with a bang thanks to that opening sequence which was shown off during The Boys live stream a couple of months ago. From there things only escalate as we introduce new characters and deal with the fallout of season one’s finale.
It’s important to look at this new batch of episodes like the second volume in a comic book series. These new episodes aren’t representative of a new season with a new storyline. This is a continuation of the storylines which were introduced in season 1.
With that in mind The Boys season 2 doesn’t necessarily feel fresh or unique. It feels like more of what we got in season 1, but I mean that in a good way!
The level of storytelling from Eric Kripke and his team allows The Boys to be one of the most serialised shows out there. The consequences of the season 1 finale are felt both within The Seven and for Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his team.
In these first three episodes the focus is heavily on The Seven and Vought Industries, with Butcher’s team an ever present threat to the status quo. Therein lies the biggest shift in the narrative from season 1. We now understand who the “good guys” and “bad guys” are in this world and we’re able to take sides.
That’s not to say that The Boys won’t throw you a curveball or two in these brand new episodes. Early in the season we meet Stormfront (Aya Cash). At face value she challenges many of the stereotypes which Vought and The Seven play into. But as these episodes unfold we learn there’s more to her that possibly makes her more deplorable than Homelander (Anthony Starr).
Speaking of Homelander, he’s on shaky ground following the events of the season 1 finale. The public are aware of a very skewed version of events which led to Madelyn Stillwell’s death. But Homelander remains the Superman-archetype amongst the people of this world. But he’s thoroughly shaken and the cracks are beginning to appear.
Stormfront provides a very interesting foil for Homelander. The character has been gender-flipped from the comics. A nod to the fact that Homelander is far more easily challenged by women in authority than he is men. It plays in to Oedipus complex perfectly and should be an interesting plot-thread as the season goes on.
Starlight (Erin Moriarty) and Hughie (Jack Quaid) are still the beacons of hope amongst both teams. I had anticipated that she would be working with The Boys to take down Vought. Whilst that is true to an extent, it isn’t the overarching plot line which I had expected it to be. Likewise season 2 also moves away from the romantic subplot between the two characters.
Even in these first three episodes there are still plenty of elements at play. Stormfront finds herself very much a central hate figure for both The Seven and The Boys. Starlight, conflicted about her allegiances, seeks to leak information to the press about compound-V. There’s also a meatier story for Karen Fukuhara’s Kimiko with the introduction of her brother Kenji (Abraham Lim).
One of the more interesting sub-plots features Homelander bonding with his son. The fact that the mother is Billy Butcher’s ex-wife really complicates matters and looks to be a huge bone of contention between the two leaders across season 2.
If these first three episodes are anything to go by then season 2 is another shining example of how to do genre TV perfectly. The storytelling is outstanding, visual effects are truly cinematic and there isn’t a single character who isn’t perfectly cast.
We can’t wait to see the rest of the season! But in case you missed it, here’s the trailer for The Boys season 2:
Episodes 1-3 of The Boys season 2 are available to stream from Friday, September 4. The remaining five episodes will drop weekly thereafter. Season 1 is available now.
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