Synopsis
The Sage Grove Center® is dedicated to caring for those struggling with mental illness. Our compassionate doctors and counselors provide personalized services to help patients live their best lives. If you or a loved one need help, call the Sage Grove Center today at 1-800-122-8585. A proud subsidiary of Global Wellness Services®, which is a proud subsidiary of Vought International®
Review
I quit saying that The Boys characters can’t possibly get any more deplorable. I have now officially learned my lesson when it comes to this show.
“The Bloody Doors Off” has easily some of the shows most bat sh*t crazy imagery to-date. I never thought I’d be writing a review of an episode where one of the characters is strangled by an enormous piece of male anatomy.
This episode finally finds the show shifting some of its focus back towards Butcher and his crew. The second season has spent much of its first five episodes fleshing out the world of The Seven in the wake of the season one finale. Whilst it’s been interesting to watch it has felt like Butcher, Hughie, Frenchie and the crew have needed more screen time.
“The Bloody Doors Off” is one of those key moments where both storylines and groups intersect perfectly. With Stormfront acting as a crossing point between the two.
I was surprised to see that the storyline is continuing to pair up both Stormfront and Homelander following their dangerous liaison in the previous episode (reviewed here). It’s given me an inkling about where their storyline is headed as we move in to the season 2 endgame.
Bringing Homelander in to her racist agenda seems mutually beneficial for both characters. Stormfront can ride on the coattails of his popularity and putting Homelander in front of a crowd gives him the sense that he’s back in control of his situation. I fully anticipate him using his platform as leverage with Vought when one of the two eventually betrays the other.
Exploring Stormfront’s backstory (no spoilers here) has become a highlight of the season. Given her history it’s no surprise to find her working with Vought at The Sage Grove Center. The idea that they are trying to perfect a master race of supers feels intrinsic to her history and cements her character as the worst-of-the-worst in this cast.
The centre makes for a great tipping point in the story. Intersecting both sets of characters and allowing chaos to ensue which will undoubtedly spill over in to the remaining episodes.
With Butcher and Hughie we’re able to see more of Butcher’s paternal side shine through. Despite everything he has been through in this last two seasons we’re starting to see the writers soften his character a little. Only a few episodes ago we saw him looking to leave Hughie behind and dump him from the crew. Now we’re seeing him be much more protective and it feels like a nice development for his character.
There’s a lot to digest at the Sage Center. Some of it is absolutely ludicrous (see: above mentioned giant penis) and some of it hitting much more closely to home. The introduction of Lamplighter feels perfectly pitched and was not at all what I had expected coming in to the episode.
His character has ties to Frenchie and the CIA crew in top of his former allegiance to The Seven. It feels like there’s a lot of story mine here and is an exciting eleventh hour turn in the story.
Particularly with season 2, The Boys feels like it is at its most successful when it balances its characters like this. It gives the story a much more urgent sense of pace as both groups chase down their ultimate goals. Episodes which focus on just one group often feel a little more subdued and flat.
Heading in to the final two episodes of the season it feels like the narrative is coming together ready for an explosive end.
Verdict
“The Bloody Doors Off” is a season highlight for The Boys, balancing its characters and its story brilliantly.
8/10
The even more intense, more insane season two finds The Boys on the run from the law, hunted by the Supes, and desperately trying to regroup and fight back against Vought. In hiding, Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) try to adjust to a new normal, with Butcher (Karl Urban) nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Starlight (Erin Moriarty) must navigate her place in The Seven as Homelander (Antony Starr) sets his sights on taking complete control. His power is threatened with the addition of Stormfront (Aya Cash), a social media-savvy new Supe, who has an agenda of her own. On top of that, the Supervillain threat takes centre stage and makes waves as Vought seeks to capitalize on the nation’s paranoia.
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