North Texas Daily

Content Warning: “The Boys” season one and two spoilers

“See, people love that cozy feeling Supes give them… but if you knew half the shit they get up to… Fuckin’ diabolical. But then, that’s where I come in. To spank the bastards when they get out of line.”

Based on the dark superhero comic created by Garth Ennis and Darick Roberston, Amazon Prime’s “The Boys” released the first three episodes of season two last week after the debut of a cruel-humored, bloody explosion of a first season in 2019.

“The Boys” enters a superhero-genre style similar to “Deadpool” (2016) and “Logan” (2017). Following a recipe of blood, gore and dark comedy, season two cooks with those same ingredients and again proves to be diabolically entertaining.

Season one ended with Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) getting laser-beamed in the face by Homelander (Antony Starr), The Deep (Chace Crawford) unintentionally killing a dolphin and shaving his head, and William “Billy”  Butcher (Karl Urban) not only finding his missing wife, but finding out she had a son with Homelander. During this crisis, Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) helped rescue the rest of the gang after being captured by Vought.

Each member of The Boys gradually falls into their own role as the first season progresses, but the group would be nothing without their leader, Butcher. Urban steals the show with his endless list of hilarious one-liners and an accent that could arguably be a mix between Cockney and New Zealand. Whatever the accent is, he is butchering it in the best of ways.

Butcher has a deep hatred for Homelander, who was the last person Billy’s wife was seen with before she disappeared. His sole purpose in season two is doing anything and everything he can to find his wife, but he’ll need help from his crew. Billy regroups with The Boys at the end of the first episode of season two, concluding the episode with the phrase “Daddy’s home.”

Hughie Campbell was recruited by The Boys after his girlfriend exploded due to A-Train (Jessie Usher) running through her, leaving only her detached hands still in Hughie’s. Like the other members of The Boys, he developed a hatred for supes (superheroes). So far in season two, Hughie feels out of place with the group, and struggles to continue onward with them while things get even more chaotic.

Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) and Frenchie (Tomer Kapon) have similar storylines in that they both want to see Vought fall. Milk is an ex-marine with a tender side, and Frenchie is a mad scientist of sorts who is also the only one who can connect with Kimiko. 

Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) is the only one with superpowers in the group. What exactly her superpowers are isn’t clear, but she’s good at tearing people apart, and her wounds also self-heal. Kimiko’s brother is introduced in season two as a super-terrorist, but he unfortunately has his neck snapped by the new addition to The Seven, Stormfront.

Stormfront (Aya Cash) brings a lot to the table as the new supe in season two. Originally a male character in the comic, she has already made her arrival apparent when she didn’t follow Homelander’s orders, and basically told him she isn’t afraid of him. She’s also apparently racist — after killing Kimiko’s brother, she called him a “yellow bastard.”

Homelander is the ticking time bomb of this season. Mr. Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) put him in his place after an intense conversation about jurisdiction over who gets to be a part of The Seven. Stormfront has been the first supe to stand up to him and steal his spotlight, and he’s also struggling to connect with his son. It’s only a matter of time before the laser eyes are turned on and things start blowing up.

The comedic aspect of the show is undoubtedly still there, and once again it centers around The Deep. Unfortunately, he gets another sea creature killed when Butcher drives a boat into a whale. He also sings “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker to his gills. 

With plenty of episodes left in the second season, there’s already overwhelming amounts of heads being exploded, snapped, chopped off and literally ripped apart from the jaw. Already renewed for a third season, “The Boys” season two can be best described in one word, courtesy of Billy Butcher… diabolical.

Season Two First Impression Rating: 4.5

Featured image: Courtesy Amazon Studios