‘The Boys’ Season 2 Premiere Review (Episodes 1-3)

Spoilers Ahead for Episodes 1-3 of The Boys Season 2!

When we last left our heroes on The Boys, much remained looming over them. At the moment, Vought still stands with power over the masses despite our heroes’ efforts to take down the Supes in conflict brewed from personal stakes and fueled by the everlasting corruption with Homelander at the behest of it all. What we’ve seen so far has demonstrated the implications of what superpowers would bring about realistically, contrasting the idealistic fiction we’ve all come to know. It has seen who we might contrive as civilians become the true heroes of the narrative by going beyond their own limits in order to shake up the status quo.

Episode 1: “The Big Ride”

The first episode opens immediately on a scene that was revealed early on Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), founder and former CEO of Vought brought to the forefront after the demise of Madelyn Stillwell (Elizabeth Shue). Esposito ever-so-stoically delivers marching orders to Vought’s board as Black Noir brings his savagery across the world to eliminate the flame-powered super terrorist introduced last season, Naqib (Krishan Dutt). These moments are intercut perfectly to serve as a reminder of both the methodical and brutal practices of Vought International. Another similarly intercut scene that follows is the routines of both Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) and Annie January/Starlight (Erin Moriarty). Hughie’s quite literal underground lifestyle is juxtaposed against Annie’s penthouse appearances at Vought, but the two worlds begin to blend as they make their way to one another. Even though it is well-known Hughie and the gang are wanted, the stakes are especially present on Annie’s end, particularly with A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), who learned of her allegiance with our vigilantes, still in a coma.

The characters do remain consistent in their development. For example, Vought overall, Homelander (Antony Starr) especially, pridefully remember Translucent at a funeral service in such a way that his death is repainted instead of truthfully conveyed. The same is done with Stillwell to clear Homelander’s name and drag Billy Butcher’s (Karl Urban) through the mud. The Deep’s (Chace Crawford) downfall is quite abysmal, his reputation ever wavering in the continued slippery slope of drinking and tormenting kids at a water park. Amidst all the chaos, dynamics come to a head when Vought is trying to replenish the Seven. Homelander doesn’t seem to want anyone else on the team, as he deafens the Daredevil-esqe Blindspot.

When it comes down to Hughie and Annie, the chemistry clicks upon their meet-up. There’s even a shot on their knees touching and sharing smiles: it’s quite electric. The closeness is immediately contested by Annie’s screen presence with another celebrity, and further opposed by reflection on Hughie’s manipulative flaws last season. Still, he cares for her safety. Hughie brings his intentions with the team, reminding them that the endgame of freedom comes from being “awesome” and taking down Vought. His power move? He intends to pursue Billy Butcher’s lead in the CIA, Susan Raynor (Jennifer Esposito)

The newest addition to the Seven known as Stormfront (Aya Cash) also causes a ruckus. She comes across as very obsessed with social media and feels the need to flaunt everything, which could potentially put the corruption into the spotlight, infuriating Homelander. Homelander then goes to confront Stan Edgar, who hits him with some significant yet not-so-shocking revelations about the man that Vought began with, Frederick Vought. It brings forth a shift in the dynamic that exists within Vought: every decision made regarding Compound V, from dealing with the FDA to its overall public exposure, means more than the supes themselves. It puts into perspective that the Supes are in fact just employees and can easily be replaced.

Episode 2: “Proper Preparation and Planning”

Billy Butcher returns amidst the chaos that the team’s brought about, as he’s been dealing with his own personal conflict with Homelander in regards to what happened to Stillwell and his family. Such weight reflects on how he handles reuniting with his team, especially given how much he’s trained them in dealing with the situations they find themselves in. This makes the friction that sparked in the confusion of Billy not being present at the start of this season even greater, however their willpower keeps to drive them and makes what happens next volatile. All the while, Homelander is trying to get to know his son and furthermore encouraging use of his powers, even going so far as to evoke a Luke/Vader conversation. Becca Butcher (Shantel VanSanten) wants her son to lead a normal life, and the juxtaposition of both Billy and Homelander’s scenes drives our yearning to see this conflict come to fruition.

The Deep has sought out some type of counseling, which has evolved into taking shrooms. His “gateway” experience results in his gills talking to him, giving him some sound advice. Maeve also receives a call from her flame from last season who has a medical emergency. It seems that even the Supes outside of the Seven are all relentless in their hearts and pursuits of self, making them sympathetic in the ever-changing world they live in and begs the question if they will assist in taking down Vought.

During an interview with Stormfront, she is raw in her behavior by being incredibly honest on equality and appearances. In this way she breaks the fourth wall to some degree and is a good foil to Starlight, who is still trying to put up a front of sorts. The chaos continues and stakes elevate when A-Train is revealed to have “returned from his mission” and confronts Starlight about her allegiances against Vought, while she rebuts with his killing of Popclaw. Meanwhile, our team receives a lead on another so-called “Super Terrorist” who we come to find out has a connection to the team that adds heart to the ferocity of one particular member’s dynamics. Regardless, though ferocity takes the higher ground in the midst of conflict and a concern for power being in the right hands, as this super terrorist is dealing with issues similar to America’s on his home turf and doesn’t know who to trust.

Episode 3: “Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men”

As priorities shift for when matters become ever more personal for more and more members of the team, and trust in what they were once in pursuit of is surely brought into question. By doing this, said characters are given the chance to embark on these personal journeys to see where they lead which adds to their depth. On the other hand, characters that find themselves void of this depth and have bad karma working against them are facing the consequences to some degree. For instance, A-Train’s abuse of Compound V seem to have taken a toll on him physically.

Back at Vought, meta-discussions on their next film have Stormfront verbally subverting superhero tropes ahead of time. As if matters weren’t turned on their head enough, the truth behind Compound V is revealed to the world, forcing Supes to come to terms with everything that they once knew. It furthers those already evolving in character development and creates an equilibrium of sorts for certain characters to potentially seek similar understanding.

Vought may be exposed to some degree, but Billy reminds the team to stay on their toes. During this time, the “Super Terrorist” they have prisoner whose motives are understood returns to being the threat he once was. The Deep also gets a second chance at the Seven by pursuing this threat. All of it culminates in the ultimate showdown between Starlight, by the instruction of Homelander, and Hughie. The suspense mounts, culminating in the team lead by Billy subduing Homelander and allowing them to live another day. Stormfront also gets to exhibit both her powers and her somewhat-unexpected deep flaws as most of the Supes possess, and brings the stakes to a most concerning level at the end of the third episode.

Final Thoughts

Overall, The Boys Season 2 premiere offers a solid transition between seasons, slowly building up in the fallout of all that was revealed in the previous season. The characters and their dynamics with each other remain generally the same, but have interesting, significant twists that do drive the story further in many respects. The stakes rise with the corruption, and all of it comes to a head when we learn of just how dangerous both Stan Edgar and Stormfront are in what drives them and the power they have in manipulation and super abilities respectively.

Be on the lookout for reviews on the rest of The Boys season 2 coming soon, and for everything cinema, all the time, follow The Cinema Spot on all social media!