Summary: Homelander comes to see Ryan after getting his location from Neuman, and the two of them reconcile. Homelander takes him away. Butcher knocks Hughie out in a gas station and leaves him behind. Starlight comes to pick him up and tells him the V24 is fatal. Hughie apologizes to her. Maeve is moved in a truck since people are coming to search the Vought building, but she is able to escape. She contacts Starlight and they meet up. Soldier Boy and Butcher head to Vought tower, while everyone else chases after them. Black Noir arrives to help Homelander fight, but Homelander kills him, furious that he kept Soldier Boy a secret from him. Deep kills a senator to allow Neuman to become Vice President. The Boys confront Butcher and Soldier Boy but Maeve betrays them and joins the two to kill Homelander. The others are locked away, delayed for several minutes. Butcher, Soldier Boy, and Maeve confront Homelander and find Ryan there. Soldier Boy goes for the kill but Butcher can't allow risking Ryan's life and stops him. Homelander fights Maeve while Butcher fights Soldier Boy. Everyone else arrives and a huge fight breaks out. Frenchie goes to a Vought lab to create Novichok with Kimiko's help. He gives the drug to Kimiko who takes it to Soldier Boy. However, Soldier Boy stays awake and is about to detonate, but Maeve knocks him out of the building and he blows up in mid-air. Maeve is presumed dead, but she survives and goes into hiding with help from The Boys. Homelander arrives at a rally and publicly introduces Ryan as his son. A Starlight supporter throws something at Ryan and Homelander kills him to silence which ends up becoming applause.
The Good: Ryan's return so late in the season is a great twist, and it gives this finale a real sense of importance, even after we got so much action and suspense in the last few episodes. Ryan growing to appreciate Homelander is unexpected, but it makes perfect sense for the story. Ryan is upset and angry with Butcher for abandoning him and blaming him for killing Becca, a tragic accident that he will obviously be haunted by forever. So when Homelander shows dedication to Ryan by tracking him down and forgiving him for what happened with Becca, it is everything that Ryan could have ever wanted. It's no wonder that Ryan decides to go with Homelander, and after all that he suffered after the events of season 2, Ryan is strong enough to survive in the real world this time. The kid actor who plays Ryan nailed a pretty challenging role in this episode, and it sold me on Ryan's slow transformation into another scary presence, and that final scene was genuinely chilling (see: Best Moment). Outside of that, much of the episode is spent with The Boys as they prepare for a climactic confrontation between Soldier Boy and Homelander. The character dynamics are quite fun to watch. Butcher once again shows us a rare glimpse of his morality as he tricks Hughie into staying behind to protect him from killing himself with the V24; Butcher is willing to lay his life on the line, but he refuses to let Hughie throw his life away like Lenny did. Meanwhile, Starlight and Hughie are finally able to make up after all of their problems in this season. I have my issues with this (see: The Bad), but the interactions between them were well written, well acted, and it was a sensible way to conclude their story for the season. With Butcher and Soldier Boy heading after Homelander, and Starlight and The Boys trying to stop him, the pieces were effectively moved into place for an engaging climax. But a wrench was thrown into the plans with Maeve, who was an excellent wild card in this episode. Initially Maeve agreed to help Starlight, but her motives became clear when she aligned with Butcher (which is consistent since they both share a hatred for Homelander and came together a few episodes ago because of that). The twist caught me off guard, but it works very well. Maeve doesn't think she is a hero and is more of a vengeful beast like Butcher. This made for an exhilarating action sequence at the episode's climax as Maeve took on Homelander in a very personal fight. But of course, Maeve proves to be more heroic than even she expected as she sacrifices herself to stop Soldier Boy in the end. Dialing back to the big action climax, I thought the whole sequence was excellent. Homelander's confrontation with Soldier Boy was excellent (more on that in a bit), and the ensuing fights breaking out was intense and well choreographed. The Boys all heading to the confrontation added an extra level of suspense, making for a climactic sequence that had me at the edge of my seat. It felt like anything could happen, and I was taken on an engaging thrill ride with all the action. There were some nice moments within the climax as well. I enjoyed Starlight getting a moment to shine (pun not intended) as she took on Soldier Boy, and Maeve's big sacrifice to stop Soldier Boy was dramatically satisfying as well. I also liked Butcher standing up to Soldier Boy to protect Ryan, an act that will not help him win Ryan over, but an act that demonstrates Butcher's softer side and ability to do what's right when it matters most. As always, Homelander is a highlight of the episode. One of the best scenes had to be his confrontation with Soldier Boy. We have known of Homelander's daddy issues since the very start, so it was powerful to see him finally meet someone who he thinks will recognize him and praise him like a parent should. But of course Soldier Boy is a textbook awful old-school father, and he squanders the moment by insulting Homelander's personal growth, saying he would have been better if he was raised by Soldier Boy. I love that both characters are similarly self-absorbed, which leads to them never having even the slightest chance of connecting in a meaningful way; of course they were going to piss each other off, their egos are far too big for them to ever cooperate. I enjoyed Frenchie and Kimiko's relationship this season, so I was invested in their side mission. Kimiko's "maniac" sequence was very well made and entertaining to watch, a great way to celebrate the character getting her powers back. I've come to enjoy Kimiko a lot more this season, and I think that she is one of the best written characters of the season. I also love how Frenchie and Kimiko's relationship has grown. This episode's funniest scene came from Frenchie aggressively slandering Butcher while Kimiko silently expressed such pride in his rant. Much like seasons 1 and 2, I appreciate how conclusive these season finales are. Soldier Boy's story was suitably resolved, as was Maeve's, and the pressing conflict resolved cleanly to set up for a fourth season that looks like it will delve into a completely different storyline. The V24 changed the series ina big way this season as the threat of supes was nullified since Butcher and Hughie could fight back easily. But with the V24 being lethal, it's no longer a feasible option and The Boys will have to readjust to having limited options to fight back again. I really love this development as it reinstates the tension and fear of supes that made the first two seasons so engaging. This is an effective reset for season 4, and with Butcher's death seemingly impending, it gives some urgency for The Boys to take down Homelander before it's too late. As a result of these developments, this episode is a very good ending point for the story, and it leaves me excited to see what happens next. The Bad: Black Noir's death is the one part of this finale that I thought was actually bad and disappointing. We spent all season learning more about him and his backstory, and it felt like we were building up to some compelling stuff from him as he returns to face Soldier Boy. But then Homelander just kills him in a scene that feels like such an empty surprise moment. Seeing how mysterious Black Noir was in the first two seasons, and how interesting his backstory was, I'm massively disappointed that the character was killed off like this without providing any memorable emotional moments or story beats. The character deserved a lot more than what we ended up getting. There are several cases of spectacle overpowering logical storytelling, which hurt the episode a lot. I'll list off a few here, but there were several more. Maeve somehow surviving the fall from Vought tower is ridiculous since she would have immediately lost her powers from Soldier Boy's attack. The show doesn't even attempt to explain her survival, which is frustrating. Kimiko's "maniac" sequence is great, but it is so out of character for her to enjoy killing in the way she does. We know that she has her powers to protect Frenchie, and yet she gets so lost in the violence that she lets Frenchie get shot. It all feels quite contrived. Speaking of contrived, Frenchie just being able to make Novichok is a step too far for me, this should not be so easy for him to do. I'm also confused with Frenchie surviving since he was left alone and injured in the lab, and yet he somehow makes it out. Maeve should never be able to hold up in a 1 on 1 fight with Homelander. She performs far better than she ever should have, and it removed a lot of tension from the climax when it became clear that the writers would always find a convenient solution to get the characters out of trouble. Lastly, I found it forced that Butcher would directly fight Soldier Boy the way he did. Yes, he does need to protect Ryan, but I feel like the extent that the two of them fought with each other was completely unnecessary, and the situation escalated in an unrealistic way that was inconsistent with the motivations of both characters. I've seen a lot of people criticize this finale for being anticlimactic and simply resetting things to how they were at the start of the season. While I think that this is almost entirely unfounded considering how much has changed and how much emotional catharsis we had in this season, there are a few aspects of storylines resetting that disappointed me. The biggest has to be Hughie and Starlight making up. They were slow drifting apart all season, but now we see them get reset to being the same as ever in the blink of an eye, which is very underwhelming. Considering that they are the main characters and their relationship is at the centre of the show, I feel like they needed to have a lot more going on in this season. Their story was easily one of the show's weakest aspects. The Unknown: Is Ryan going to get corrupted now? How will he handle his new publicity? Will his relationship with Homelander lead to him becoming a terrible person just like him? So Butcher will be dead in under 12 months. What will he do with the time he has left? It makes sense that there is no happy ending for someone like him, so the big question will be how he dies. How will Butcher die? Will MM be able to keep a good relationship with Janine and his family, or will the evolving political landscape and Todd's fanaticism for Homelander create a rift? It's hilarious to see Deep screw himself over by separating from Cassandra. Will he be able to recover from the damage she did to his reputation? What's next for him now? Will Soldier Boy return in future seasons? He's been sent back to Russia, but I imagine he'll likely be broken out again at some point. How about Maeve? Will we see her again in the future? All she will need to do is take some Compound V to come back.. Ashley and Anika decided to help Maeve and not report her survival. Does this mean that they will eventually act out against Homelander in the future? Are they questioning their loyalties? What will Neuman do with her new position? How will her rise to power affect the dynamic of the show? Will The Boys be able to bring her down? Will they have a plan for her? Best Moment: That final scene is absolutely chilling. Its been three seasons of waiting for the public to find out who Homelander really is, and we finally get that moment here when he snaps and kills someone in public. And in an incredible moment of irony, the moment goes off not to screams and terror, but to cheers and applause. It's a horrifying moment, and Homelander's slow smile as he realizes that the people will celebrate him no matter what he does is genuinely terrifying. An uninhibited Homelander is the one thing worse than what we have right now, and that's what is about to happen. Perhaps even more terrifying is Ryan's slight smile as the episode's final shot, letting us know that Ryan's trauma, Homelander's tutelage, and Butcher abandoning him is almost certainly going to turn him into yet another despicable monster with superpowers. Character of the Episode: Homelander. Conclusion: While this wasn't quite a slam-dunk finale like the ones in seasons 1 and 2, I thought that is was an action-packed, exciting, and revelatory end to the season that changes the status quo and sets us up for an interesting fourth season that will almost certainly take us in a completely new direction. Season 3 was a great season overall, right up there with season 1 as the best in this show. There was remarkable consistency, a standout episode in "Herogasm", and some great developments that propel the show in an interesting new direction for season 4. I thought that the Soldier Boy story was set up brilliantly, and it led up to some fantastic confrontations and action sequences as Soldier Boy went up against Homelander. Other aspects of this season like the V24 were also brilliant, giving the heroes a chance to fight back, but at a great cost in the end. Characters like Kimiko, Maeve, and Homelander were handled very well and I continue to enjoy the dynamics at play in this show. There were some flaws throughout the season as it was far from perfect, but overall I feel very positive about what I watched because of how consistent and entertaining it was while developing characters and pushing the story forwards. This isn't an all-time great TV season by any means, but it's an easy to watch and enjoy season that makes "The Boys" a stronger show overall. If this is the type of quality that "The Boys" can maintain until it finishes, I will be very satisfied. Score: 68
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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