TV Show Review: The Boys
By: MAX MANTEL
Where once the idea of a new Batman movie, Spiderman cartoon, or Avengers team-up seemed fresh and exciting, recent superhero movies have been slipping, turning the genre into low-stakes reprisals of CGI action climaxes.
A show like The Boys thus stands out. Created by Amazon Prime Video, this rather bloody series follows a ragtag group of semi-terrorists (it’s complicated) as they seek to bring justice to the people who are supposed to save the world.
Despite being a show about superpowers, the main focus is on ordinary people. We start the show with Hughie, a relatively drab young guy who “still lives in the same bedroom he grew up in.” Hughie’s life takes a turn for the worse when his girlfriend Robin is popped into jelly by super-speedster “A-Train,” one of the most powerful super men, in the entire world. A-Train’s connections and money keep him in the clear, and Hughie has to live the remainder of his life keeping quiet. That is, until “CIA Agent” Billy Butcher struts in.
Butcher offers Hughie a chance for revenge. However, after the “supes” catch onto their plans, Butcher, Hughie, and the rest of their team find themselves at the center of a nationwide conspiracy and duck hunt.
The show’s strongest asset has always been its writing. Against all odds— an almost cringe-worthy amount of edge and unhealthy dosage of gore— the script delivers heart and life into the show. So much happens in each episode that without a strong script the show very well could get lost in its ambition. One of its strong suits are the set-ups and payoffs: the show knows how to deliver on what it has promised, and introduces enough new leads and plot points in each episode to keep viewers hooked.
Another strength of the show is the characters: each feels like a consistent presence that constantly adds value to the story. The characters themselves are also consistent; their developments and actions informed by their histories but also delightfully unexpected. Take Hughie and Butcher: though their often snark at one another, they clearly have a deeper, brotherly bond and are there for each other. These heroes also play off well against the show’s central antagonist, Homelander, who you might imagine as an amalgamation of Superman and Captain America. Homelander may be evil, but he also inspires sympathy, which perhaps makes him even more terrifying. This most well-known and feared supe was created from a test tube, and engineered to be a product, ever monitored by the wealthy elite. His mental deterioration throughout the show is a real highlight. Between the supes and “the boys,” each conflict packs weight, and also carries a heavy amount of emotion.
The real tragedy of the world of The Boys is that it mimics our own world. Superheroes get away with murder and assault thanks to their status and corporate backing. And aren’t people in power also guilty of these sins? Casual corporate racism and malpractice are on full display in The Boys. Homelander himself sounds like a real-life politician when addressing his adoring fans, and his marketing messages are built on saving “traditional America.” The show isn’t subtle, but it isn’t trying to be: its parody and open mockery convey much more than assumed jabs ever would.
The show is a lot to get through but is worth it at the end of the day. With the amount of content prepared (season four and a spin-off), I trust that The Boys will be diabolical enough to put its money where its mouth is.
