The very first thing you see when you start watching The Boys (based on the eponymous comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson) are the warnings: Adult Content, Graphic Language, and Graphic Violence. Not quite the start we are used to.
We are then introduced to Hughie Campbell, a likeable, everyman type who serves as the audience’s entry into this world. Hughie is a passive, que sera sera kind of person as established by the conversation he has with his girlfriend, Robin, when she asks him why he didn’t ask for a raise at the electronics store where he works.
The kicker though occurs just under six minutes into the episode (heavily featured in the trailers) when the world’s fastest man, A-Train (this universe’s version of The Flash), ploughs right through Robin, who is “one step off the kerb”, leaving behind a pool of blood and gristle. All that is left of her are her hands which Hughie is still holding. Well, we definitely aren’t in Kansas anymore!
Robin getting fridged is the catalyst for the events ahead. A-Train is part of The Seven, an elite group of superheroes and the pride and joy of Vought International (even their logo has a visible 7 in it). The behemoth has a monopoly on 200 plus superheroes and controls all aspects of their public lives, from deciding which city they will be deputed to, the films they star in (all made by Vought Studio), the individual’s branding and the crimes they fight.
- Language: English
- Cast: Karl Urban, Elizabeth Shue, Chace Crawford, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid, Dominique McElligott, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Tomer Capon, Karen Fukuhara, Laz Alonso, Jennifer Esposito
- Directors: Eric Kripke, Dan Trachtenberg, Matt Shakman, Phil Sgriccia, Fred Toye, Stefan Schwartz, Jennifer Phang, Dan Attias
- Storyline: An eight-episode series based on the eponymous comic that turns the idea of superheroes on its head.
- Where: Amazon Prime Video
The Seven (like the Justice League) consists of de facto leader Homelander (a Superman-type figure), Queen Maeve (who is like Wonder Woman), The Deep (who is like Aquaman), Black Noir who is quite the mystery (get it?), Translucent, who can turn invisible and has diamond-hard skin, A-Train, and the idealistic Starlight who replaces the retired Lamplighter after an intense audition process.
After the accident/murder, Vought scrambles to pay off Hughie and tries to get him to sign an NDA. Enter Billy Butcher. It’s personal for Butcher even if he does hate all superheroes. He tells Hughie that supes lose hundreds of people each year to collateral damage and convinces Hughie to help him find out what’s really going on.
As matters escalate, he involves the former members of his team: Mother’s Milk (hilariously, it is unclear if this is a nickname or his actual name) and Frenchie, whose skillset includes figuring out the right way to take down a supe. A later addition is The Female, a traumatised woman with some intense powers.
Both Captain America: Civil War and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice dealt with the collateral damage caused by superheroes and the subsequent question of whether laws were needed to keep them in check. The difference is that in those films, the superheroes had a conscience, but in this universe, they are a depraved and hypocritical lot, treated like gods by an adoring public with their image built by the calculating marketing department at Vought. (Showrunner Eric Kripke has even said, “DC people were held up as these gods whereas the Marvel heroes were always regular people.”)
The VP of Vought, Madelyn Stillwell, personally handles The Seven and at a shareholders’ meet states that it’s a great time to be in the superhero business. With theme parks, merchandising, and films generating big bucks, her next point of action is to get superheroes into the military.
The series is structured in such a way that the audience gets information bit by bit with each episode, building to the bigger story. The colour palette is dark like the DCEU but The Boys isn’t bogged down by taking itself too seriously unlike that universe. There is a lot of humour and plenty of pop culture references while dealing with larger themes and subjects such as capitalism, consumerism, the question of identity, manipulation, nature versus nurture, and the #MeToo movement.
The cast is great, particularly Karl Urban who plays the smug, colourful Billy Butcher, Elizabeth Shue as the cool and collected Madelyn Stillwell, Tomer Capon as the impetuous Frenchie, Laz Alonso as the level-headed Mother’s Milk or MM, Karen Fukuhara as The Female and Chace Crawford as The Deep, a pretty but dumb guy with… well, not much depth.
The standout though is Antony Starr as Homelander, who is also the most compelling character. This is a superhero who is the most powerful but who verges on the sociopathic and clearly has some mommy issues (on brand for the DCEU!). The only letdown is Starlight, played by Erin Moriarty, whose line delivery is quite flat and who doesn’t have a ton of chemistry with Hughie, played by Jack Quaid (the son of Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan).
Ultimately though, this is a great series to watch for anyone who is suffering from superhero fatigue. Tired of larger than life, pure of heart, good people saving the world? Time to see what will happen in a world where superheroes have all the power but there is nobody to keep them in check. Well, except for The Boys . As Billy Butcher would say, “[insert curse word] diabolical”.
Stray observations
- The music is excellent and includes Daniel Pemberton’s ‘Take You Down’, ‘Wannabe’ by The Spice Girls, ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ by Bill Withers, ‘London Calling’ by The Clash, ‘Big Shot’ by Billy Joel (Hughie’s third favourite artist), ‘Cherry Bomb’ by The Runaways, and ‘Everybody Hurts’ by REM.
- Keep an eye out for Hughie’s enviable collection of music t-shirts which ranges from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, to The Ramones, Nirvana, Van Halen, James Taylor, and Billy Joel.
- In a nice bit of meta casting, Haley Joel Osment plays a former child star superhero who had his own catchphrase. The catchphrase endures and the public can't get enough of it. (It does make you wonder how many times he has to tell strangers, "I see dead people."
- Homelander tells Mauve, “But they snap their fingers and we jump. Why?’ to which she replies “Because they sign our checks?” Honestly though, what do the most powerful people on the planet need money for? It’s not like Homelander needs to buy a plane ticket to Paris. What they do need the humans for is marketing and making them into gods. That’s the power right there.
