Summary: After Butcher sees Becca, he passes out and wakes up in a parking lot. He is determined t get back to her. After reuniting with The Boys, they work together to find the supe terrorist. Butcher convinces Mallory to give him a lead and they check it out, intent on capturing him. However, the supe terrorist is Kimiko's brother. Butcher tries to kill him anyways, so he and Kimiko escape. Hughie and Butcher argue and Butcher reveals Becca is still alive. Kimiko and her brother have a nice reunion, but Kimiko learns her brother has committed to the Shining Light Liberation Army. They fight and he is captured. Starlight works with the other women on Ashley's attempt at feminism-related publicity. Stormfront speaks out against it and Starlight is drawn to her. A-Train wakes up from his coma. Starlight gets the Compound V from Gecko and A-Train finds it. He threatens to tell someone but Starlight blackmails him to keep him quiet. Deep goes through therapy and is forced to come to terms with his appearance.
The Good: The best stuff here comes from the reunion between Butcher and Hughie. They did not part on good terms, and I'm glad to see that reflected in their interactions. The Boys are back together, but they do not feel strong as a unit. Hughie can't stand Butcher and refuses to trust him, while Butcher is still bitter towards Hughie and abuses him physically and verbally whenever he gets a chance. Their dynamic remains fun to watch, especially since M.M. and Frenchie are now loyal to Hughie who has shown more kindness to them than Butcher ever did. I quite liked the scene where Butcher tells everyone that Becca's still alive, which was motivated by his accusations of everyone else being motivated by "pussy". Realizing that he is the same, he decided to come clean and tell everyone. I would like to think that he did this because he felt that he could no longer feel like his goals were more noble, but I'm quite sure that he actually did it because he realized that his motivation is now sympathetic to them and they would side with him if he revealed it. That's very good character writing. The remaining storylines had good moments, but nothing too special. Kimiko connecting with her brother was nice, and it was quite sad when she realized that he had become a terrorist in heart, unlike her. Her acting sold the scene and their ensuing fight for me. Ashley's fixation on "progressive" marketing is consistently funny to watch, especially when Stormfront, Maeve, and Starlight act out. I enjoyed Stormfront's behaviour, and I'm intrigued to find out if she is being genuine or if this is another marketing act targeted at those who speak out against Vought. Homelander continues to be the show's most frightening and engaging character. Seeing him threaten Becca and attempt to awaken his son's powers is intimidating and you just know that it is going to end badly. A-Train waking up was a cool reveal and will hopefully lead to more interesting moments. The Bad: The stories here aren't very interesting, mainly because not much actually happens and what does happen is somewhat weakly executed. Kimiko's relationship with her brother didn't feel as fleshed out as it needed to be. Kimiko is silent, so it's very tough to get us to understand her and care about her, especially since she doesn't have much screentime. As such, I didn't feel much emotion when she finally reunited with her brother, and I felt less when she realized that she had to fight him. The acting was good, but there wasn't enough heft to the scene for it to feel important. It was also quite sloppy that The Boys only restrained his hands with duct tape. His power is telekinesis! It's a real gamble to assume that he needs his hands to use that power just based on what they have seen. What's to say that he won't be able to use a finger to unwrap the duct tape? Or use his mind to attack them without hand motions? I wish that the writing spent more time on how they restrained him. A-Train and Starlight's story was almost bafflingly bad in its execution. Repeatedly, A-Train shows up after Starlight does something and acts like he was watching her the whole time. What? A-Train is not Homelander, he can't watch her from a distance. He just moves fast, and we know when he is around because there is a loud shockwave every time he shows up. So how does he always seem to know what's happening and show up at the most convenient times? I could forgive this if the story went somewhere interesting but it didn't. A-Train threatens to reveal the truth to somebody, but he inexplicably does not tell anyone. Starlight says that it's because he's afraid that she will tell somebody important about A-Train killing Popclaw. But this is such a weak moment because there is absolutely zero solid proof that A-Train is connected to this crime, so he should not be afraid of it. Furthermore, if A-Train tells Vought that Starlight is involved with Compound V, they will have no choice but to eliminate her to keep their secret, which I'm certain is what they would do. If that happens, then Starlight won't have a chance to contact someone like Sports Illustrated anyways! Her threat is nowhere near strong enough to stop A-Train, and it feels like a poorly written plot device to explain why A-Train does not tell the truth to anyone. It sticks out like a sore thumb since almost everything else in this show is so well written compared to this. Deep's story isn't that interesting to me. I had a similar problem in season 1, but the show made up for it by making his storyline incredibly funny. When that humour disappears, we are left with a subpar story. Deep is in an arc where he has to come to terms with his own body, but I'm not invested in this at all, especially considering how disconnected he has been from the main storyline for several straight episodes now. I didn't get much out of his drug trip where he talked to his gills. The squelching sounds were disgusting, and the conversation was so on-the-nose that it disconnected me from his character arc. I was also annoyed that we did not get a resolution to his drug trip in this episode. The Unknown: How long will it take to awaken Ryan's powers? Will Homelander be successful? What happens if he is? What happened to Elena? Maeve telling her such crucial information on Homelander feels like a huge mistake. What will she do with her knowledge? Will she tell someone? Who is Dr. Park and what deal did he make with Becca? Does Becca still love Butcher? How does Homelander feel about this? How far does Homelander's super-hearing go? I was surprised that he was able to hear exactly what Becca was saying to Mr. Park. Is Stormfront genuine in her approach? Does she actually feel like Vought is problematic and wants to raise awareness? I struggle to believe that it's real since Edgar himself appointed her. I suspect that her behaviour is a marketing act to keep the Vought naysayers in check and focused on the wrong things. Because of this, it's a pretty bad idea for Starlight to open up to her. What will happen to Starlight if she does? Best Moment: Butcher coming clean and deciding to tell everyone that Becca is still alive. Character of the Episode: Butcher. Conclusion: This was a surprisingly off-colour episode of "The Boys". Not much of note happened, there aren't many standout scenes, and some developments feel sloppy and poorly thought out. I expect more from this series. Score: 55
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Summary: A-Train is in a coma so Starlight continues to work with The Seven. The Boys have gone into hiding. Hughie calls Starlight and asks her to get some Compound V for him. She blackmails an old friend, Gecko, and gets the Compound V. After a super terrorist is smuggled into the country, The Boys go to Raynor to report the information. Her head suddenly explodes and they run back terrified. Starlight calls Hughie, who tells her to be careful and doesn't reveal what happened to Raynor. Frenchie calls Butcher, who returns to join The Boys. Black Noir kills Naqib. Deep is contacted by Eagle, who offers him a way back into The Seven. Translucent's funeral is held. Homelander has taken control of Vought, appointing Ashley in Maddy's old position and ensuring she is loyal to him. However, Edgar appoints Stormfront into The Seven without consulting Homelander. Homelander meets with him and tries to intimidate him, but Edgar isn't fazed. Homelander is angry and leaves to see his son.
The Good: I enjoyed catching up with all the characters and seeing what had changed. It was interesting to see what happened with Starlight/A-Train, how The Boys are laying low, how Vought moved on from Maddy's death, and where Butcher has been this entire time. The gradual resolution of these mysteries was fun to watch throughout the episode. Hughie continues to develop nicely. This quiet life does nothing for him because he has lost everything and no longer has anything that he's working towards, unlike M.M. who is trying to get back to his family. All he has left is to do good in the world and to try to get with Starlight, and he's fighting hard for that to happen. And poor unlucky M.M. keeps getting dragged into situations that always blow up in his face unexpectedly; this time literally with what happened to Raynor. Raynor's death was a huge shock at the episode's climax, but it's a great moment to raise the stakes and set the story for season 2 into action. Starlight's role in the episode is also engaging. It feels like she is operating on borrowed time. She has gotten better with media work, but in exchange she is actively working against The Seven more often than before. She's actively helping Hughie whenever she can, opting to blackmail an old friend to get Compound V for The Boys. And with eyes from Vought watching everything, the risk of Starlight working against them in enormous. It feels like things can be over for her any second. Furthermore, if A-Train wakes up he will have one hell of a story to tell about Starlight. Pretty soon she's going to be busted, and she needs to be as far away from Vought as possible when it happens. Homelander continues to be one of the best parts of this show. With Maddy dead, Homelander sees this as his chance to take over Vought. He plants Ashley as someone loyal to him, and immediately intimidates her when she dares to think that she would have autonomy in the role. Homelander's brutal destruction of Blindspot, and his callous dismissal of bringing a cripple into The Seven is fantastic to watch. He doesn't care about marketing or the way of the world and simply wants to do whatever he wants. It's telling when a focus group is used to figure out some branding ideas, and Homelander completely ignores them. Hilarious. But of course Homelander's dream is not fully realized. He thought he was going to be the man in charge, but his dreams come crashing down after a superb scene with Edgar (see: Best Moment). I enjoy this show's sense of humour a lot. I feel like I laugh in every single scene at least once, and I enjoy this show's style of comedy. I appreciate how many different types of comedy are present here as well. I've noticed dark humour, referential humour, satire, and even slapstick. All four styles are executed brilliantly and I find myself laughing frequently. It's important that a show with such crushing brutality can make me laugh so that I don't end up feeling too bummed out to enjoy watching. The Bad: Did we need the gross scene of Homelander drinking Maddy's milk? This show still has a habit of grossing me out unnecessarily. The Unknown: I saw on a newspaper that Shockwave broke A-Train's speed record. Will he be heading into The Seven soon? Where has Butcher been this entire time? What has he been doing? How has he evaded the law? Who is Starlight dating now? Will Hughie be able to get back together with her, or has that ship sailed? Who smuggled in the super terrorist? Why? What is the goal with him? How do Eagle and Carol plan to get Deep back into The Seven? Why are they helping him? Who is Stormfront? Why was she allowed to stream everything behind the scenes? Why did Edgar let her in? What does she have to offer? Who killed Susan? How? Why? What did she discover? Best Moment: The conversation between Homelander and Edgar was tense and awesome. Two powerhouse actors going up against each other, both commanding the room; I loved it. Homelander thought he had the advantage going in, but Edgar proved why he's higher ranked than Maddy and why he can't be bested. For the first time, Homelander has found someone who isn't afraid of him. Edgar knows that Homelander isn't his best asset, and he knows that Homelander can't kill him or everything falls apart. The way Edgar turned the situation around with such confidence was impressive, and it shows that he is a far more formidable adversary to contend with. Homelander came in feeling confident, and he left feeling frustrated and helpless. Brilliant writing and brilliant acting made this scene. Character of the Episode: Edgar. I already love this new character. Conclusion: An engaging and entertaining season premier. With how much changed between seasons, this almost felt like a second pilot episode with how many new story elements had to be introduced. I enjoyed this, and it did its job of getting me hooked for season 2. Score: 67 Summary: Homelander kills a group of terrorists in Syria and obtains Compound V from them. Susan tells Billy that they decided to keep Compound V secret and that The Boys are still fugitives, angering him. Billy and Hughie go to Mallory for help, she tells them about Homelander's relationship with Maddy. Meanwhile, M.M., Frenchie, and Kimiko are caught. Billy realizes this when he returns and leaves. He argues with Hughie who storms off after realizing Billy only cares about himself and his revenge. Starlight confronts her mother about Compound V and storms out. She goes to church where Hughie finds her to ask for help Starlight is furious, but Hughie's words reach her. Hughie gets caught intentionally and breaks out Frenchie, M.M. and Kimiko with his retainer. They are overrun, but Starlight arrives and saves them. A-Train shows up to stop them, but he has a heart attack from the Compound V. Starlight and Hughie attempt to resuscitate him. Maddy is facing a promotion for her success when Homelander meets with her and reveals that the secret supervillains was his idea. He and Maddy have sex and Homelander realizes that her story about his lost child did not align with Vogelbaum's. Maddy goes home and finds Billy waiting for her. He ties her up with explosives and Homelander arrives. However, Homelander is furious about the lie and has learned from Vogelbaum that his child is alive. He kills Maddy. Billy blows everything up anyways but Homelander saves his life and takes him to see his son, who is being raised by Becca.
The Good: This episode closed out the supes in the military storyline nicely. We see the immediate effects with Homelander annihilating a group of terrorists on his own and obtaining the Compound V to keep it all secret. At first it feels like a victory for Vought, but in reality it's a victory for Homelander specifically. The huge reveal when he tells Maddy his plan is fantastic. This whole time I was certain that it was a company plan, but it makes so much more sense that this ill-fated "supervillain" idea was all because of a crazy, rogue Homelander who just wants to prove that he's more than the failure people treat him as. This implications of this reveal are marvelous. Compound V was a tightly kept secret, and the only thing that caused it to leak and for The Boys to find out about it was Homelander's actions. He was the one who sent A-Train on the mission where he killed Robin, and Kimiko was one of his experiments that went wrong. The only reason Vought was in a pickle to begin with was because of Homelander's actions. Maddy would easily have sealed the deal with supes in the military on her own, but it was Homelander's actions with Compound V and the supe terrorists that led to the plan almost falling apart. As for our main protagonists, they are going through some huge things right now. Starlight has found out the truth about her superpowers, and has had her faith in god utterly shattered. She's horrified that she was raised the way she was under a total lie, and she's appalled at how her mother groomed and manipulated her to make sure that she would do this job and only this job. It's horrifying, and it's no surprise that Starlight is angry about this. With all of this anger behind her, Starlight's conversation with Hughie is perfect. She's angry and unsure of what to do, but Hughie points out the one thing she wants and this is where she finds her resolve: she wants to be a hero. This leads into a lovely conversation with Maeve that pushes her over the line into becoming a rebel. Maeve is the only member of The Seven who seems to understand Starlight, having been like her at one point before giving up. Maeve encourages Starlight to make a better choice than she did, and the result is Starlight finding newfound resolve in being a superhero and helping Hughie. As for Hughie, we finally see him reach his breaking point with Billy. Hughie has continuously been pushed further and further into this mess against his will because Billy has guilted him into doing it. As the season has gone on, Hughie has slowly realized who Billy really is, and he finally calls it out in this episode. The fight between them is an outstanding scene as Billy continues to manipulate, and Hughie finally realizes how bad this man is for him and severs ties permanently. The show has built up to this for a long time, and when the moment finally comes it is one of the finest scenes in this episode. Following this, Billy moves on in his selfish hunt for vengeance, while Hughie does the right thing and goes back to help his friends. It's amusing to see how they treat Hughie when he arrives to break them out (the punching the retainer out scene was hilarious), but it's clear that Hughie's actions meant something to them, and that's more than what they can say about Billy. This takes us to the episode's climax where everything comes together. We get a thrilling escape scene where every character has great moments. Hughie has completed his transformation into a badass as he uses his resourcefulness but is also okay with taking over some shooting to help his friends out. M.M. and Frenchie have finally made peace with each other as M.M. risks his life to save Kimiko. And of course, Starlight makes her choice as she arrives in the nick of time to kill the assailants and let Hughie and his gang go, doing her duty as a superhero. These are all great character pay-offs and they make for a satisfying finale. In the end, we're left with a fateful confrontation with Hughie and Starlight facing A-Train. This is the first case of supe-on-supe violence in the entire show and it is quite the spectacle. I appreciate that the show didn't get bogged down by action scenes and always focused on the characters ahead of spectacle. Even in this action scene, the memorable part comes after with A-Train's heart attack after he went to the Compound V well a few too many times. It's a great way to end the season, and I'm curious to see what happens next. Then we come to the episode's ending with Homelander, Billy, and Maddy. Maddy has been interesting to follow all season. She's a wily company woman who does what she has to do for business, and it seems like what she has to do is also placate Homelander by playing into his fantasies. But this became a real problem because she never had control over him and was always scared of what he would do. Now she faces the consequences of that because Homelander learns she has lied to him and can't be trusted. With Billy out to get both of them, Maddy's only hope lies in a now disillusioned Homelander, and it is remarkable to see the fear in her eyes when she realizes that Homelander will not save her because of what she has done. The exchange between the two is fantastic (see: Best Moment), and Homelander killing her feels like the conclusion of a story. Billy is left with no options, and it's satisfying to see him blow the place up anyways, knowing the game is done. But Homelander doesn't let Billy go so easily, and in a great ending twist, we see Homelander take Billy to the house where Becca is raising his son. It's an enormous shock for Billy, and you get the sense that this is Homelander getting some revenge by showing Billy that all he has done has been over a lie. This will no doubt change Billy in a significant way, and the way the season ends with so many potential avenues for season 2 makes for a highly satisfying conclusion that more than pays off of a whole season worth of storytelling. The Bad: Nothing I can call outright bad. That scene with A-Train being racially profiled feels a bit out of place and unnecessary, but it is still a good scene to reveal more about A-Train's instability. The Unknown: Why is Mallory exiled away? What exactly happened that led to this? Why is Kimiko finding joy in prettying herself up? Is it simply a good feeling for her to do something "ladylike" for once in her life? If so, that's quite sad. Who is Mallory's spy? Is there someone in particular that will come up again or is the spy just there to get Billy to attack Maddy? Who was it that captured M.M., Frenchie, Kimiko, and Hughie? Was it Vought? Will we see more from Lamplighter? He has been mentioned a lot. Was it intentional to have Mr. Edgar reference taking a trip to Belize? There's a clear "Breaking Bad" joke in that, surely it was intentional. Regardless, I found it hilarious, another example of this show's subtle reference humour. What will Starlight do now? Will she openly leave The Seven and join The Boys? Or is there another direction for her? What happens to A-Train? Will he die? Become comatose? Or will he recover? Did Homelander kill Vogelbaum? What does he plan to do now that he's found his son? What will Billy do when he speaks with Becca again? What is Becca's story? Did she willingly raise Homelander's child or was she forced into it? Best Moment: Homelander threatening and killing Maddy was a fantastic scene. Antony Starr kills it once more as his unhinged behaviour is genuinely terrifying to contend with. The way he brutally melts her eyes is horrific and you get the sense that he enjoyed killing her, having separated any emotional attachment to her once he realized that he can't trust her. As for Maddy, she knew she messed up and it was uncomfortable to see her pleading to Homelander and admitting that their relationship only exists because she is terrified of him. Character of the Episode: Homelander. Conclusion: This was a terrific season finale that ended the first season on a high note. The genius of this finale is that it changes so much fundamentally about the show and left me completely unsure as to what comes next. That's how you know this was a significant episode, and it has me feeling wholly satisfied and excited for season 2. This first season of "The Boys" was great. After being so oversaturated by superhero shows, I slept on this show for a long time. But this is exactly what the genre needed. A fresh look on superheroes that cares more about realism, compelling conflict, creative storytelling, and unique themes instead of a cheap thrill ride that feels the same as everything that came before. This show was a breath of fresh air for me, and it managed to do that while telling a compelling story with very well-written and complicated characters. There was little in this season that ended up being must-watch or something downright incredible, but what we got was a layered and interesting story that has hopefully set up for even better things as the show goes on. This finale was the first time I felt that the show was genuinely great as it paid off several storylines that had been building since the start of the show. I hope that this is a sign of even better things to come. I'm very excited to move on to season 2. Score: 72 Summary: A flashback shows Billy and Becca meeting with Homelander at a party. In the present, Hughie has sex with Starlight in a hotel. Later, Homelander meets with The Seven and accuses Starlight of being a traitor, showing the faces of The Boys. Maeve defends Starlight so Homelander lets her be, but Starlight is upset with Hughie. The Boys realize that they are burnt when A-Train calls Hughie, threatening his father. Hughie and Kimiko team up to take out A-Train, breaking his leg, and saving his father. M.M. convinces his family to go to a safe location. M.M. convinces Billy to take the deal with the CIA so that they can protect their loved ones. Billy gives Susan the Compound V and she meets with Maddy, threatening Vogue to comply with their demands. However, their plans go awry when a supe terrorist named "Naqib" suddenly emerges. Homelander meets with Maddy and Vogelbaum, learning that Becca became pregnant with his child, but that they both died during childbirth. Hughie convinces Starlight to meet and he tries to explain himself. The encounter goes badly and Billy shoots Starlight so that they can both escape. Deep is sent to Sandusky where he is ordered to lay low while the controversy goes away.
The Good: I'm quite surprised by how quickly the plot moved in this episode. Mere minutes into the episode, Homelander has already briefed everyone on Mesmer's findings, The Boys have all been burnt, the conflict between Hughie and Billy bubbled up, and Starlight finally found out the truth about Hughie. This was all very exciting and it was compelling television to watch. I expected Homelander to take immediate action, but I didn't think that he would involve The Seven with his plan. Seeing him intimidate Starlight was cruel and engaging, and you got the sense that Hughie's actions were about to result in massive consequences for her. But it seems like that has been put off (for now). Starlight was heartbroken to learn the truth about him, and the episode builds up to their eventual meeting very well. It's sad to see them fall apart when they started the episode closer than ever. Billy has another very strong character episode. We open on a good flashback where Billy meets Homelander for the first time and we see how he always seemed to have an interest in poor Becca. Billy's pain from what happened is again reflected nicely by his conflict with Hughie, where he refuses to accept Hughie's decision and tries to shame him and guilt him into giving up on Starlight at every turn. It's so interesting that one of the main protagonists of the series is such a villainous character. This is again reflected in Billy taking his vengeance on Mesmer. He could have killed him quietly, hell he could have even let him live and used him to help them out. But Billy takes the extreme option. He relishes in letting Mesmer know that he's here to kill him, and he murders him as brutally as you can imagine in the bathroom. There's a fine line between heroes and villains, and Billy's actions clearly plant him on the wrong side of that line, there's no doubt about it. On the other side, he does comply with M.M.'s wish to get the CIA involved afterwards, but it's telling that he does so only when he has no other choice. Again, I respect that this show is bold enough to make Billy the second most heinous character in the entire show behind only Homelander. Speaking of Homelander, he has an interesting story in this episode when he investigates what happened to Becca. Intriguingly, he seems to have been unaware of what happened to her and asks both Maddy and Dr. Vogelbaum about her. Maddy doesn't tell him much (I don't buy her story), and Vogelbaum tells him a horrifying truth about what happened (I feel like he may be hiding something though). Watching Homelander search for answers is more interesting than I expected, and it was especially nice to see him speak with his "creator", who labels him as an enormous failure. We spend such little time with Vogelbaum, but I loved the idea of a man despising retirement because he is guilt-ridden by the mistakes he made during the creation of the supes. Hughie and A-Train finally have a moment of reckoning. Hughie feels like he's at A-Train's mercy, but he uses his wit and some assistance from Kimiko to defeat him in a moment that was hugely satisfying. We also get to see how deluded A-Train has become as he lashes out at Hughie and condemns him, completely ignoring his own role in Robin and Popclaw's deaths. A-Train seems crazy in these moments, and Hughie is able to exploit that perfectly by manipulating him with Compound V. It has been satisfying to see Hughie get better at this line of work, and this moment where he controls a situation by himself is the pinnacle of his growth. Some other parts of the episode amused me a lot. Deep failing to save another sea creature was fantastically funny. With him being a celebrity, it makes sense that he may not realize that the lobsters are killed before being given out at grocery stores, and his reaction when he sees the lobster killed is fantastic. This show is really good with using pop culture references in subtle ways so that people who notice them can laugh and those who don't won't be affected at all. I've noticed it a few times in previous episodes, but the most striking moment happened where as Hughie answers Annie's phone call with "Annie, are you okay?", an amusing reference to Michael Jackson and a fun way to remind us that Hughie is a "smooth criminal". The Bad: That gills scene was horrific to watch. It went too far in terms of being disgusting and was self-indulgent in how long we were forced to watch it. If there is a good reason, I'm fine with television disgusting me and horrifying me. But a throwaway scene like this? I don't see why it was necessary for the show to gross me out like this. The scene almost derailed my investment in the episode. The Unknown: What can Deep get up to in Sandusky? What happened with Mallory in the past? How did Billy's first attempt to fight the supes go wrong? What will Starlight do now? Is she going to stay loyal to The Seven or will she join up with The Boys? Will Maeve face consequences for sticking up for Starlight if she turns on The Seven? Was Becca really killed by Homelander's baby? Is there more to this story? Maddy clearly wasn't telling him the truth about what happened to Becca, so I wonder if there is even more that she hasn't told him. Who is Naqib? How many more terrorist supes are there? Could he possibly be Kimiko's brother? How will the CIA handle the threat of Naqib? Will they be forced to put supes in the military after this? What will Starlight do now that she knows about Compound V? Seriously, who is Mr. Edgar? Best Moment: Homelander briefing everyone on the situation was fantastic, especially when he started threatening Starlight directly. The guy is so unhinged that it felt like anything could happen, and I connected with Starlight's fear. Purely terrifying stuff. Character of the Episode: Billy. Conclusion: This was an exciting episode that kicked things into gear while setting up for the finale. There aren't any incredible stand-out moments in the episode, but it's good storytelling all around, with the notable exception of the nasty gill scene. Score: 68 Summary: Hughie is pulled aside by Billy who tells him the story of Becca, she was raped by Homelander and then either committed suicide or was killed by him. He warns Hughie against getting feelings for Starlight. However, Hughie continues to date her, frustrating Billy who interrupts one of their dates to remind him. Starlight meets with Maddy and refuses to do her bidding, threatening to go public with Deep's sexual assault. Maddy is frustrated and ends up getting Deep to issue a public apology, using the whole situation to promote an upcoming film for Starlight, who is upset that the company turned things around on her. Frenchie convinces M.M. to take the supe lady to Mesmer to learn more about her. M.M. relents and Mesmer finds out she was kidnapped as a child and indoctrinated into a terrorist camp. She's since been captured by Vought and injected with Compound V to turn her into a supervillain that can be defeated by The Seven. Her name is Kimiko. Billy gets this proof and goes to the CIA, but when they can't promise that Homelander will face justice, he relents and leaves, aiming to do the work with only The Boys. Mesmer contacts Homelander and tells him about The Boys, hopeful for getting a position in Vought again.
The Good: This was Billy Butcher's episode through and through. After building up the mystery behind his motivations for several episodes, we finally see him bare it all to Hughie and it is fascinating. It starts with Billy going to a survivors meeting that offers a safe space for people who have been harmed by supes to speak. Billy hilariously uses this as an example to dissuade Billy from dating Starlight, and he's incredibly vicious and awful to the people in the meeting, looking down at them for not selling their souls for vengeance like he has. He unleashes a tremendous rant that is easily one of the episode's highlights. Following this, he takes a more mellowed out approach, telling Hughie the story about Becca: she was raped by Homelander and then she either killed herself or he killed her. Karl Urban is fantastic here in conveying how tough it is for Billy to reveal all this, while also making it clear that he's only telling Hughie this so that he can keep manipulating him. When Hughie hears the story and still continues to see Starlight, Billy feels betrayed and angry, and that's telling of his motivations for opening up with Hughie. Despite being one of the "good" guys, it's blatantly clear that Billy is self-motivated and doesn't care about others beyond the use that they serve him in the moment. Hughie is seeing this from Billy firsthand since he is now consciously motivated to do something that Billy doesn't want. This seems to be setting them both up for a big conflict likely at the end of this season. Starlight's story is also developing well. It was very satisfying to see her spin the speech at Believe Expo in her favour by threatening to reveal who assaulted her to Maddy, ensuring that she could do whatever she wanted. It was a very temporary victory, but it felt good to see Starlight standing up for herself against a company that doesn't care about her wishes at all. Naturally, Maddy makes it her immediate priority to remove Starlight's leverage by having Deep come out and apologize, restoring her control over Starlight. This was a nice examination of how corporations like Vought put in extra effort to keep their control over society, compared to the minimal effort that is put into actually doing good in the world. The Mesmer storyline is solid too. It's good to finally learn Kimiko's backstory (and to finally get a name for her so I can stop saying "the lady" or "the supe lady" in every review). Frenchie has shown her tons of kindness and it's lovely to see it paying off. I was also pleased to see M.M. come around and help him as they seem to be overcoming their past difficulties and developing some respect for one another. It's satisfying to watch. I like how M.M. used Mesmer's humanity to ensure he would stay quiet, but unfortunately it didn't work and Mesmer has sold his soul to the devil yet again by betraying The Boys. I suspect he will face dire consequences for this, and Billy will likely have an unfortunate "I told you so" moment that will only further support his brutal and vengeful approach. I was amused by the propaganda videos, especially the intro one showing the supes doing incredibly mundane things among the community. This idea of making them relatable only to show that they are anything but is quite funny. The best example of this comes from Deep picking up trash on a beach, only for the producers to request that all the trash be put back on the beach so that they can film another take. The Bad: This episode feels like an in-between episode. It fills in some gaps and sets up storylines for the final two episodes, but it rarely feels like it is doing more than that. As such, this episode falls short of the quality of the last few. I'm starting to grow weary of the show constantly presenting corporations doing awful, selfish things with such shock value. It's starting to feel predictable and is losing its lustre rapidly since every single episode spends a lot of time showing us how corrupt this society is. I hope the show has more to say about this idea. The Unknown: What was Homelander's upbringing like? Was he raised entirely in a lab? Is this why he hates that blanket so much? Because it's a reminder of his traumatic upbringing? Was Hughie's friend Anthony an important character? It felt like his arrival was there to set up Billy showing up later, but I wonder if he will serve a greater role in the show. What is Starlight's future? Surely Maddy will want to get rid of her after she threatened the company in the way she did. I imagine that Starlight will have to fight hard to stay in The Seven. So Kimiko was indoctrinated into a terrorist organization, captured by Vought, and injected with Compound V to become a supervillain for the supes to defeat. Is this all correct? Where is her brother? Is he still alive? Will Kimiko try to find him? What's Billy's next move now that he has refused help from the CIA? How does he plan to take Homelander and Vought down by himself? Mesmer leaking information to Homelander was a surprise. Is he going to be killed? Will Billy kill him as vengeance, or will Homelander kill him? What will Homelander do with this new information? Does he remember Billy from the A-Train/Shockwave race? Best Moment: Billy steals the show in this episode. His standout moment to me is him opening up to Hughie about what happened to Becca. Karl Urban acts this scene perfectly, showing us how hard it is for Billy to be telling this to somebody. You can tell that Billy sees himself in Hughie and views them as one and the same, so he shares his most personal story with him in hopes that it will let them see eye to eye. A fantastic moment that answers the question of Billy's backstory in a tragic fashion. Character of the Episode: Billy. Conclusion: This episode felt transitional in terms of plot, but it did a good job of diving deeper into its characters, especially Billy Butcher. Score: 66 Summary: A-Train gets Popclaw to admit that she told someone about Compound V and he kills her. Later he is watching a tape of them having sex and finds a recording of her killing her landlord. He sees Frenchie's face on film and Vought tries to track him down. Hughie and Starlight go to Hughie's Believe Expo. Billy tells Hughie he needs to get Starlight to get him to meet Ezekiel so they can blackmail him. She agrees. Starlight grows uncomfortable with lying at the expo to maintain her image. Homelander gives a speech but veers off script to appeal to the Christians, upsetting Maddy. Hughie is baptized by Homelander and blackmails Ezekiel. He's forced to improvise when his phone is killed by the water, but it still works. Ezekiel reveals the location of the shipment. M.M. and Billy go to investigate and they find that supes are being grown in a lab through injections of Compound V. They are found, but Billy uses a supe baby to kill their attackers. Starlight gives a speech but sticks with her gut instead of spouting things she doesn't believe. The crowd is stunned but Hughie is happy. They talk afterwards with Starlight being upset at him for using her, but Hughie tells her about Robin and they make up. Frenchie is on the run and decides to let the supe lady out instead of leaving her to be found. Frenchie is found by Black Noir. The lady saves him, but she is killed by Black Noir. However, she regenerates and all of her wounds heal.
The Good: This episode is built strongly around religious themes, which was an unexpected surprise. It doesn't go too far in exploring them, but I still greatly enjoyed what the show had to say, and I'm glad that a show about superheroes touched on the role of religion in this fictional world. Very few TV shows do this, and I greatly appreciate that "The Boys" took the effort to do it. The religious themes are limited to simple discussion, but I do admit to finding it quite funny every time the show pokes fun at the hypocritical nature of religion and how flawed religious extremism is. The dark comedy/satire aspect of this show has been really good from the start. Easily the funniest and most crude moment has to come from Billy commenting his thoughts on religion (which are exactly what you would expect) to a random old man at a stall, a laughably cruel condemnation of god to a devout Christian. The scene is played out perfectly. But the best part about the religious theme is how it affected the characters. This Believe Expo is used to have two contrasting speeches that perfectly show us the difference between two characters: Homelander and Starlight. Homelander is as phony as they come and his speech tells people exactly what they want to hear. So as you expect, he's cheered through the roof and everyone loves him. Well, everyone except for Maeve because she is the only one who knows him well enough to see how awful he really is. The plane crash from the last episode still ways heavily on her (I'm very pleased to see continuity from such a cataclysmic event), and seeing Homelander so flippant about it only alienates her more. Then there's Starlight who refuses to read out her script and openly says what she feels. She's honest, real, and empathetic and yet she leaves the stage to sheer silence. Everyone hated it and she is most likely going to have something of a PR crisis next episode. But the one person who loved it is Hughie, who is able to see the good in her and celebrate it. These speeches were terrific character exploration, and they nicely explain why Starlight, who is a good person, likely won't be celebrated by the public while Homelander, perhaps the worst person in this show, is so well loved. Hughie's arc as he becomes increasingly amoral continues to be compelling. This episode is a big step up as he is forced to blackmail Ezekiel and has to develop his skills on the fly. The phone video was supposed to do the job for him, but since his phone stopped working, he had to do all the work himself and he stepped up brilliantly. Despite being so hesitant to do it, Hughie is clearly quite good at blackmail and is an expert manipulator. Tragically, he uses this new skill on Starlight at the end of the episode too. Starlight is frustrated at him for using her, but Hughie is cunning enough to bring up Robin's death in this moment to save their relationship and lie about his intentions for meeting Ezekiel. It's possible that Starlight's speech did connect with him and help him move forward, but it's just as possible that he made all of that up just to stay close with her, both because he likes her and because he needs to use her more in the future. The other storylines had several good moments as well. I'm always fascinated to learn more about Billy, and the additional details on his past were interesting. I especially chuckled at the scene of him openly defiling Rebecca's grave. Clearly he isn't ready to move on yet, just like Hughie. The Compound V reveal is pretty big and I wasn't expecting to learn more about it so soon. The scene in the neonatal ward was huge for the show, and also hugely entertaining. Watching Billy use a baby to kill his assailants was fantastic. Popclaw's death was a shocking moment to start the episode. A-Train is awful as he uses his connection with Popclaw to exploit her for information and ultimately kill her. The scene is deeply sad and uncomfortable to watch, especially since A-Train did seem to genuinely care about her. Frenchie being burned is a major development, and he can't ever go out publicly again without risking his life, which is an enormous obstacle. I continue to enjoy his connection with the lady, and he seems to have finally made some headway as she risks her life to save him. Lastly, we have The Deep who is becoming a comedic highlight in the show. Watching him fidget and panic during Starlight's speech was a delight. The Bad: So Starlight's cover was notably blown a few episodes back, which should be a huge PR problem. Yet we have seen no follow-up on this as Starlight has been going around normally ever since without any interference or instructions. Hell, she's started dating someone and going to public places, but still she hasn't been informed about anything. I'm very confused why Vought is allowing this to happen without at least talking to her. A couple little things bothered me. There was clearly air in the IV tubes going to the baby, so that baby should be dead. Also, I don't understand how Black Noir let Frenchie escape, especially since Frenchie didn't actually go anywhere and is still with the supe lady. The Unknown: Is A-Train really going to sop using Compound V? I doubt it. Will the company say something about Starlight publicly being with Hughie? Especially since her cover was blown a few episodes back. We learn that Billy's wife Rebecca went missing 8 years ago. What happened to her? Is she dead? Is what happened to her the reason why Billy is so hellbent on killing supes? How important will Elena be? She seems like an old relationship for Maeve. Did Maeve's drinking habits drive her off, or was it something else? How does Billy get all of the fake IDs and keycards he is always using? So Compound V is used to create supes in a lab. Are all supes made in a lab like this? What are the risks of doing this? How does Vought choose which babies to inject with Compound V? What is the relationship between Homelander and Maddy? How is the lady able to regenerate? Is this her special ability? Or does it have something to do with the Compound V that was being injected in her? Where is Frenchie going to go? Best Moment: Starlight's decision to stray from expectations and her ensuing speech is great. Character of the Episode: Starlight. Conclusion: Another very strong effort from "The Boys". The show hasn't hit that next level yet, but it's doing almost everything right in building up the story and its characters. I'm sure that if the story continues to be told this competently, we will get some fantastic television soon. Score: 67 Summary: A flashback shows Billy with his wife. In the present, The Boys watch a noodle shop where A-Train gets the Compound V from. They go in and Frenchie frees a trapped girl, but she is a supe and kills all of the workers there before leaving. A-Train goes after her but The Boys try to find her first. Frenchie finds her in a tech store at Penn Station and tries to talk to her, empathizing with her story. But she escapes. Later, The Boys catch up with her again and when she attacks Frenchie, Billy knocks her out with gas. Hughie goes on a date with Starlight and hacks into her phone. Maddy sees a hijacked plane over the ocean and sends Homelander and Maeve to resolve the situation to help get supes into the military. Homelander ends up crashing the plane instead and refuses to save anyone to prevent witnesses. He appears on TV claiming that the plane crashed before he could get there and that supes need to be in the military so that he could respond faster and prevent this tragedy. Maeve is horrified by Homelander's actions. Deep tries to raise awareness on dolphin mistreatment at Oceanland by stealing a dolphin. However, he is stopped by the police and the dolphin dies after being run over by a truck.
The Good: The central story involving an escaped supe who is out for blood is very chaotic and entertaining. This was not at all where I thought the investigation into the noodle shop would go, and I'm curious to learn more about this lady and what was being done with her. We had some great action sequences, particularly when she was released and when A-Train found her, to give us some exciting action and suspense to make this more interesting. However, the highlight of the story was the focus on Frenchie. Frenchie was a bit of a gimmicky character in the first three episodes, but this gave him a tremendous amount of depth. We have a better idea of why Frenchie and M.M. dislike each other (M.M. is all about following orders while Frenchie is more emotionally driven), and we learn a great deal about Frenchie's terrible upbringing, which no doubt played a role into why he ended up in this line of work. It's fascinating to see Frenchie see a kindred spirit in this lady, and his continuous attempts to get her to trust him so he can help her are very well done. Hughie has a great character-based story as he goes on a date with Starlight. There is no action whatsoever in this story, but we get some well written scenes as Hughie and Starlight get to know each other better while Hughie has a crisis of his beliefs. We can tell that he recognizes Starlight as a good person, and that makes him extremely hesitant to hack her phone and use her to bring down supes - he knows she doesn't deserve it. It's further compounded by Billy's black and white approach of "all supes must die", which horrifies Hughie (and us by extension), blurring the lines between which side is good and which side is bad. As such, Hughie is tempted to let Starlight go because he doesn't want to punish her and take advantage of her. But as he goes on this date, he finds himself getting attached to her and is wracked by guilt through hallucinations of Robin staring at him. With her loss so recent, Hughie feels guilty to be dating Starlight and he forces himself to stick to his mission to hide from this guilt. Even though his moral compass is stopping him from hurting Starlight, his guilt leads to him doing despicable things anyways. That's a really complex and compelling scenario to explore. The plane hijacking scene is the biggest setpiece of the episode and it works so well (see: Best Moment). It's been interesting to watch the development of this supes in the military story, and we get a comprehensive reason why they should be nowhere near national security with what happens here. Homelander hits a new level of awfulness with what he does on that plane (again, see: Best Moment), and I am thoroughly disgusted that the whole tragedy was still spun by him to support supes in the military anyways. Maeve's sheer horror at what transpired makes perfect sense and it helps make her more relatable even though she hasn't really been explored as a character yet. Deep is not in this episode very much, but what we get from him is fantastic. He wants to do good by helping the dolphins, and when he doesn't get permission from Maddy to pursue this, he goes rogue, kidnaps a dolphin, and witnesses its death in the most gloriously over-the-top and brutal fashion. It's so obscenely dramatic in its directing, and horrific in terms of what happens that it becomes easily the funniest scene in the whole show (so far). I loved it. A-Train and Popclaw continue to have an interesting relationship. There is a lot of tension between them right now, but they also seem to genuinely care about each other despite the bad scenario that they are in. The acting has been good, and I'm interested to see this relationship develop. The Bad: I am starting to grow weary with how strongly the show is pushing the idea that supes are bad for society. It has felt like the same idea has been hammered repeatedly into our heads for these first four episodes. I hope we start to explore other themes as well, or at least explore the supes in different ways, maybe highlighting their positive impact or exploring different ways that they affect society. I was disappointed to get such little of Billy's backstory. The flashback at the episode's start got me excited to dive into the character, but it ended up being just a tease. I wish we had gotten a little bit more because the scene feels out of place since it was just a one-off. The Unknown: Who is the girl? Why was she being injected with so much Compound V? Was she a test subject? Why was she selected? What is her story? Why did she kill specific people? Is there more to Frenchie's story? Why did he end up choosing this line of work after his traumatic upbringing? Is Ezekiel providing the Compound V? Or is his place just a front? Where is the Compound V coming from? Will there be evidence within the plane of what Homelander did when it went down? What will happen to Deep after his failed rescue attempt? What are The Boys going to do with the girl? Do they have a plan for her? Best Moment: Homelander on the plane was a stunning moment. He easily had the power to use his vision to see where the terrorists were in advance so that he could take them out efficiently. Instead, he chooses to pander to the crowd and soak in the applause, not even caring about what could be happening in the cockpit. And then it's his own rash actions that destroy the plane controls and cause it to crash and sink. The sequence is phenomenal with outstanding acting, and Maeve's horror at Homelander's despicable nature is shared by us as we watch. It's disgusting to see him give hope to people he knows are going to die, refuse to save them at any cost, and just be an overall prick. The sad truth is that these people would have been better off with the terrorists than with Homelander. Character of the Episode: Homelander. What a performance we are getting from Antony Starr. Conclusion: This was a great episode. Good storylines all around supported by a couple standout scenes. I thoroughly enjoyed this. Score: 68 Summary: Billy disposes of Translucent's remains. He meets with M.M. and recruits him to help the team on their next objective: investigating Popclaw. Hughie is able to get access to her cameras and they listen to her speaking with A-Train about Compound V, which they deduce is a steroid for supes. They learn that A-Train was using it when he killed Robin. A-Train is racing against Shockwave so The Boys go to the race to try to find Compound V, but A-Train already injected it all. A-Train wins the race and Hughie meets Annie again, this time learning she is Starlight and getting her number. Popclaw injects Compound V after being angry with A-Train for not going public about their relationship. She plans to have sex with her landlord to get back at him, but the Compound V causes her to accidentally kill him. Billy and Frenchie meet with her after to get more information. Homelander and Maeve used to be dating and Homelander wants to get back with her. Starlight is given a new superhero outfit that she doesn't like, but she's forced to wear it anyways. The Deep finds Translucent's remains in a box with a threat written inside.
The Good: This is more solid stuff. I continue to enjoy Starlight's story as she continues to get jaded by her new job. The reveal of her new costume was outright funny, especially with the men describing it as "feminist". The political bullshit in this scene was amusing to watch, and it was fair for Starlight to feel frustrated. It paid off in a big (though unsubtle) way later in the episode when Starlight interacts with the young girl in her old costume. Starlight's frustrations also make her a prime target for The Boys, and it looks like Hughie has unwittingly made her a target by merely trying to offer her a safe space to vent her frustrations. It's easy to see why Starlight would want to be with someone who treats her normally, but it's heartbreaking for Hughie who would want to help but knows that any interaction with him only puts her in more danger. It's telling that Hughie turned off his mic before continuing his conversation with her. I'm interested to see where this dynamic goes in the future. Hughie has a good episode overall. He gets to show his smarts in a clever way when he gets access to Popclaw's cameras, and shows his emotional side in a great moment with A-Train (see: Best Moment). It's nice to see him admit that he's willing to pay any price to keep chasing down supes to get justice for Robin, only to realize that paying any price could mean becoming a terrible person himself. The episode's climax is well done. The scene between A-Train and Popclaw established their relationship perfectly, provided the necessary context for everything that went down after the race. We also got some key reveals on Compound V and Robin's death, which were welcome. A-Train's race was a big event, and it felt important since I was unsure if A-Train would win or not, and if the Compound V would work or if it would cause another horrific accident. But it was all a red herring for Popclaw to cause the real drama. Heartbroken by A-Train refusing to go public on their relationship, Popclaw drugs up and tries to get back at him by sleeping with her landlord, only to accidentally kill him and provide an opportunity for The Boys to capitalize. This climax was well done, offering a great twist by the end that should make next episode quite interesting. Homelander continues to be a frightening character. His advances on Maeve are very creepy and disturbing. I was also amused by how lackadaisical Homelander and Maeve were in defusing the shooter situation, being more concerned about their conversation than about saving lives. M.M. got a fun introduction. He seems like a genuinely badass character, which made it quite funny that he was so sweet and cute with his wife. The phone call with her was a legitimately funny moment, played up by some good directing. The Bad: This show doesn't shy away from graphic content for better or worse. Sometimes, it feels like a refreshing look at reality as the show doesn't shy away from things that most TV shows avoid. But other times, it just feels over-the-top for the sake of being over-the-top. I feel like the toe-sucking scene was completely unnecessary and is the perfect example of graphic content just for the sake of grossing out the viewers. I don't get anything out of that, and I would rather just enjoy the story. Having some outrageous scenes thrown in my face does nothing but annoy and disgust me needlessly. I find most of the characters to be pretty unlikeable so far. Hughie and Annie are the most sympathetic characters, but they aren't as fun to watch as others like Billy and Homelander. But Billy and Homelander are not good people, so it becomes difficult to fully engage with the story in these early points where the characters aren't yet fully fleshed out and are still tough to like. This issue can iron itself out in a few episodes with some good writing, but it is detracting from these early episodes. A few minor things bothered me. It was disappointing that Starlight's problem from the last episode was immediately resolved without any fanfare. It felt like such an anticlimax to just say that everything worked out in the end and not address what happened for the rest of the episode. It felt very silly that The Boys went to A-Train's race specifically to steal the Compound V when it should be clear to them that A-Train was using it before the race. M.M. should absolutely have suggested to stay on Popclaw instead, especially seeing that he had already identified a fix kit in her house. Billy staring down Homelander felt unnecessarily risky, shouldn't he be minimizing any sort of interaction with him in case he runs into him later on? Why hasn't Vought done anything to better train Starlight for her new job? Especially after her latest incident, they should be on top of her to make sure she understands what is and is not acceptable to them. The Unknown: Did Vought fake the woman coming forward to confirm Starlight's story? I strongly doubt that the woman actually came forward to help the situation. Who are Becca and Mallory? How were they involved in whatever Billy and M.M. did in the past? Why does M.M. hate Frenchie? What happened to Mallory and her grandchildren? Who is Mr. Edgar? Why was he so invested in A-Train's race? What happened in Homelander and Maeve's past? Clearly Maeve can't stand him anymore, what did he do to her? How will Vought address the threat that The Boys sent them? Will they reveal Translucent's fate? Will they set traps? How will they prepare for what's coming? Is Hughie fine with letting other innocents die for the cause of getting revenge on the supes? Or will this cause friction between him and the others? I can see a situation arising where the others are compelled to manipulate or harm Starlight for their cause. Will Hughie allow this? Will he be able to sit by and go through with it? Best Moment: Hughie running into A-Train was a terrific scene. It's clear that Hughie is terrified because A-Train will recognize him and the plan will be busted. But A-Train doesn't even recall his face, and that actually makes it worse for Hughie who feels insulted that A-Train can't even remember a man who he hurt so badly. The fury on Hughie's face is phenomenal, and his delivery of "haven't we met before" is so venomous. He went from being terrified of jeopardizing the mission to risking it all just out of his sheer disgust towards A-Train. A terrific scene that subtly tells its story with some fantastic acting and writing. Character of the Episode: Hughie. Conclusion: Another solid episode with several fun moments, although I had a couple of gripes this time around. Still, this has been a strong first three episodes and I am excited to watch more. Score: 65 Summary: Billy goes to his acquaintance Frenchie to figure out how to kill Translucent before they are found. Hughie panics about his situation. Maddy scolds Homelander for impulsively killing Steve, which she learned from The Deep. Homelander intimidates The Deep to make sure he doesn't report anything against him again. Starlight works a case with The Deep, but it is exploited for PR. Later, Starlight bets up some drunk guys attempting to rape a girl, but it is caught on camera without evidence of rape, getting Starlight in trouble. Maddy negotiates with a senator to get her Supes approved for national defense. Homelander goes to find Translucent himself when the security team can't locate him. Billy checks in with Susan, his CIA contact, but she doesn't help him. Frenchie figures out that they can kill Translucent from the inside and he stuffs a bomb up his butt. Homelander arrives to investigate, but Frenchie and Billy trigger an explosion elsewhere to distract him. Hughie blows up Translucent when he tries to escape.
The Good: This was a fun story to follow. Following the events of the last episode, Billy and Hughie are scrambling to dispose of Translucent, made worse when they realize that he survived and now they need a way to kill him. Billy and Frenchie's urgency in the situation coupled with Hughie's sheer panic makes this a tense storyline to follow. It feels like a hopeless situation, and I was engaged watching the trio come up with a solution to take out Translucent. The episode builds up nicely to the ending with Frenchie finally thinking outside of the box and killing Translucent from the inside, but not before a superbly tense sequence. The story is written wonderfully with sensible plot beats. The bullet ricocheting and destroying the Faraday cage around Translucent is smart writing, and it's sensible that nobody would notice since they are too preoccupied with needing a way to kill Translucent. Homelander himself coming down to search works because of how well the episode established him as something of a loose cannon earlier. This led to a magnificently tense scene when Homelander interrogates Frenchie and starts investigating the van with Billy hiding nearby. This was terrific, and with Hughie on the verge of detonating Translucent and getting Homelander's attention, I was at the edge of my seat to see what happens next. It's always a good sign when a show has you so invested in just the second episode. Homelander has a standout episode overall. Last episode suggested that Homelander was much more intelligent and sinister than he initially seemed, but it's clear that this isn't the case. Instead, he's protected intensely by Vought, but is a total loose cannon. Homelander is frightening, intimidating, and believes he can do whatever he wants because of his position of power. He's a threat not only to his enemies, but also to his allies with how dangerously he operates, and you can tell from Antony Starr's terrific acting that Homelander is not all there mentally. I didn't expect Homelander to steal the show like this, and I'm excited to see more from the character now. His near-breakdown with Maddy was compelling as you could tell he was forcing himself to keep his calm, and his terrifying intimidation tactics with The Deep and Anika were compelling to watch. I enjoy this show's twisted brand of humour. For a show that tackles such a dark subject matter, it's forced to maintain a darker tone of comedy. This is nailed in the episode with the best example being the darkly hysterical scene between A-Train and the cancer patient who was disappointed not to get his wish. The dialogue in this scene was fantastically awkward and funny, and while I felt terribly for the kid, I couldn't help but laugh at how poorly A-Train handled the situation. I'm also enjoying the political aspects of the show, even if they aren't quite fully-formed yet. Starlight is rapidly becoming jaded by her career when she realizes how much of it is political and PR instead of actually doing good in the world. This arc has been engaging to watch so far. Maddy's story hasn't fully engaged me yet, but I'm interested to learn more about Vought and the company's goals. The Bad: Maddy claiming that the photos of the senator are legitimate can still be countered by claims of doctoring, so they aren't as powerful as the show wants you to think they are. Also, what's stopping the senator from coming up with other claims to discredit the pictures? I find it very hard to believe that Starlight wasn't immediately given PR training upon joining The Seven. Did Vought really just gamble by not ensuring that the new Supe is aware of expectations? This is not consistent with a company that is so concerned with public image. The Unknown: Will the Seven learn that Translucent was killed? How will they react to this? Will Homelander connect Translucent's death to Frenchie being in the van? If so, Frenchie iwill be wanted now. Will that be a problem for him? Why did Homelander act on his own to kill Steve? Will he continue doing this? Will there be consequences? How did Steve find out about Compound V? Is somebody from within leaking information? Why doesn't Black Noir speak? What is Susan and Billy's past? I noticed Starlight's camera feed started late. Is somebody trying to frame her by catching her attacking people? What consequences will she face for what she did? What will Popclaw know about what A-Train has been up to? Best Moment: The ending sequence with Homelander interrogating Frenchie combined with Translucent's attempted escape had me at the edge of my seat. Character of the Episode: Homelander. Conclusion: A really strong follow-up episode that follows the classic format of 1) we kill someone and 2) we dispose of the body. It's not the most original, but the concept is executed well and this is a good episode of television. Score: 66 Summary: Hughie is horrified when his girlfriend Robin is accidentally killed by A-Train, a superhero, right in front of him. Hughie wants to sue but is discouraged by his father. After he rejects a settlement, he is approached by Billy Butcher who offers him a chance to fight back at the heroes. Though he's reluctant at first, Hughie joins in and is assigned with planting a bug in the headquarters of "The Seven", a group of the world's best heroes. Hughie plants the bug but attracts the attention of Translucent, who follows him to work and tries to kill him. Billy saves Hughie and fights Translucent, but right when he is about to be beaten, Hughie steps in and kills Translucent with electricity. Meanwhile, Annie, who goes by her superhero name Starlight, is accepted into the Seven but is horrified when she is forced to blow another superhero The Deep, who threatens to ruin her career if she doesn't comply. Annie thinks about leaving, but runs into Hughie who empowers her to keep fighting. A man, Steve, threatens to leak information about something called Compound V used by Vought, the company behind The Seven. Steve is killed in an airplane by Homelander, the leader of The Seven.
The Good: This episode doesn't take long to hook you and get you invested in the storyline. Robin's gory death comes right out of nowhere and is an indication of the type of show that we are watching. After an opening sequence that comedically highlights the superheroes' powers and justice, we are immediately shown the consequences of having such powerful individuals in the world. Robin's death feels completely unfair, but it is very realistic that innocent bystanders will be caught in the chaos of whatever superheroes do. From the get-go, "The Boys" has promised to explore superheroes in a way that most other TV shows do not, and that's a great hook to watch this show, especially for those like myself who are jaded by the sheer quantity of generic superhero films and TV shows in today's day and age. And for those people who cry out for the mass civilian casualties that go ignored in superhero films like "Man of Steel", this show promises to be something far more satisfying. I'm enjoying that this show appears to have a political side to it, exploring how superheroes effect the functioning of our society. Vought appears to have dominated the world with superhero marketing and branding being all over the cities, and this first episode promises to explore this idea in unique ways. I was engaged by Steve negotiating with Vought, and seeing him be eliminated because he revealed knowledge of some shady business perfectly demonstrates the corporate ruthlessness of Vought. I also appreciate that The Seven are not even close to being an idyllic group of people, as Starlight discovers to her horror once she meets The Deep, who hilariously wastes absolutely no time in taking his pants off. Characters like The Deep and Translucent are comically awful people, but they are awful in a way that is still entertaining to watch. The real scene-stealer has to be Karl Urban's Billy Butcher. He comes into the life of the depressed and angry Hughie like a force of nature, offering him a chance at revenge in the most crass way imaginable. Billy is so fantastic to watch because of his natural charisma, his profuse swearing, and his straightforward way of doing things. He's a blast to watch and I greatly enjoyed his interactions with Hughie. The highlight scene has to be him visually instructing Hughie during his phone call. The encounter between these two characters leads to a couple of great sequences at the end of the episode. The first is Hughie planting the bug in the headquarters of The Seven. Hughie's anxiety is gripping to watch, almost as satisfying as his ecstasy in the car after he pulls it off, and the entire sequence in the building is wrought with tension. The second terrific sequence comes at the end of the episode as Hughie is confronted by Translucent, who ends up in a brutal and well-directed fight against Billy, ending with his death. One more scene I want to highlight is Hughie's talk with Annie (Starlight). I thought that this scene was very well done, combining the episode's two central characters for a scene that was thematically quite strong, connecting both characters' tough decisions. I would like to see more of them together, and the episode did well to make me root for them meeting up again and possibly allying with each other in the future. Lastly, I enjoy this show's sense of humour. Despite covering some dark subject matter, this show is consistently funny and I laughed at a couple points throughout the hour. The Bad: Some moments in the show go too far and could use some subtlety. For example, the store filled with constant A-Train references feels like a step too far in showing the influence of the superheroes in the world. It's hard to imagine a store with this much brand marketing geared towards a single individual. If it is an A-Train store specifically, why did Hughie go in there to buy something? While The Deep was amusing in his sheer awfulness, it felt very blunt to have just about all of The Seven be irredeemably awful people in this episode. This episode swung too far towards villifying them, and I hope we get more balanced characterization going forwards so this can become legitimately thought-provoking television. Robin's death at the start was fantastic, but it makes me nervous that this show could become over-indulgent on graphic content like nudity and violence. I hope that the show remains focused on telling a story and doesn't get lost in trying to provide shock value. So far the show is going strong, but the signs are there that the show could potentially get lost in providing cheap thrills. I won't penalize this first episode since it hasn't fallen for these trappings, but I am still lightly cautious going forwards. The Unknown: What's going on with A-Train? What was he taking in that bag? What business is he keeping secret? Who else is involved? Why did A-Train say he couldn't stop? Does he mean that literally? How many of The Seven are as awful as The Deep, A-Train, and Translucent? Will Starlight find anyone who is genuinely good, or are they all corrupt? What is Homelander's role in all of this? The ending scene suggests that he's much more sinister than he seems. How involved is he with the politics of The Seven? How is it that Billy hasn't found any dirt on him yet? What is Compound V? What does this do? Is it connected with whatever is going on with A-Train? I wonder what will come out of Hughie empowering Annie to go back to The Seven. Will this decision benefit him (maybe with an inside agent), or will he come to regret it? Who is Billy? What happened to him that led to him seeking revenge against The Seven? Does he have any other allies? How did he acquire fake FBI identification? How will Billy and Hughie dispose of Translucent's body? I guess it won't be too hard to get rid of an invisible body, but the show has a chance to do something very creative with this. What will be the fallout from Translucent's death? Best Moment: It's difficult to top Robin's gruesome death at the episode's start, which comes out of nowhere and is a propelling force for the story throughout the episode. I have to applaud the special effects department for making it look as brutal and shocking as possible. Character of the Episode: Billy. Conclusion: It's not hard to see why this show has become so popular. The premise introduced in this pilot episode is tantalizing, and the hour of television flies by with several memorable moments, twists, and insightful scenes. This show promises to be more than just another superhero show, and I'm curious to see if it can live up to the potential of treating the world's superheroes as villains. Score: 69 Summary: BoJack has no memory of what he has done while the Philbert crew try to clean up the mess. Princess Carolyn talks to him and gets him to do an interview with Gina so that things can continue normally. However, Henry Fondle is ousted as a sexual predator and is forced to resign in shame. Todd kills him and leaves his position. This results in Philbert being cancelled anyways. Princess Carolyn is called by Sadie, who wants to give up her baby again and Princess Carolyn immediately goes to her after Philbert's cancellation, finally becoming a mother. Mr. Peanutbutter is conflicted by his feelings for Diane and they have sex again. He wants to get back together but Diane says she doesn't want to and that he should tell Pickles what happened. However, he's unable to and asks her to marry him instead. BoJack goes to Diane and wants to be held accountable for what he's done but Diane tells him that it won't help anyone. Instead, she takes him to a rehab centre so that he can truly recover.
The Good: The fallout from BoJack strangling Gina was beautifully told. BoJack didn't even remember what he did, but everyone went in complete damage control mode, an indicator of how justice is often pushed aside to protect the bigger picture; it wouldn't do for the company to have controversy surrounding Philbert so they would rather hide it away instead of doing something about it. The most heartbreaking aspect is that Gina is also complicit with it since she doesn't want to see her newfound career go up in flames because of what BoJack did. In the end, BoJack gets a free pass despite doing something absolutely awful, and it's horrifying and sad to see that there is no way for him to atone or be punished because it would just make things worse for the victim. Wanting help with the situation, BoJack goes to Diane because he knows her as someone moral enough to let him be punished. But even Diane is jaded enough by society to understand that BoJack being ousted will not help anyone. But Diane is still able to do some good, and she is able to capitalize on BoJack's shame to get him to go into rehab and put his trust in someone else to guide his recovery. Their final scene together as BoJack heads to rehab is brilliant, an exploration of their friendship which BoJack knows he does not deserve, but Diane finds herself incapable of letting go of. The animators do a great job showing Diane in this scene and they are able to portray her complex emotions towards BoJack in a compelling way. Speaking of Diane, her story with Mr. Peanutbutter is also very well done. I'm glad that she is still firm on not getting back together with him, but the complexity of her emotions leads to her making repeated bad decisions as they hook up multiple times. Mr. Peanutbutter knows he wants to get back together because he still has feeling for her, but Diane's situation is more complicated and her inability to deal with her negative emotions puts her back with Mr. Peanutbutter repeatedly. But she is firm about not wanting to be with him, leaving Mr. Peanutbutter with a real problem now that he has cheated on his current girlfriend. The fall of Henry Fondle has its problems (see: The Bad), but it does offer some good entertainment. After repeated sexual comments, it is amusing that it's a "low battery" warning that gets him in trouble. I was entertained by how Fondle's fall parallels the MeToo movement, and Todd's interview about him is pretty amusing. I got a good laugh out of the line "this is a great day for the women of this company, many of whom will be laid off". I liked the little things as well. Henry Fondle's death being an homage to Of Mice and Men was a clever reference. Tracy and Stuart have to be the most annoyingly incompetent characters in this show, and seeing them be too incompetent to realize that they are each other's long lost twin is a fantastic payoff. There are a few nice animal jokes in here, like a couch with a bed bug hiding in it, and Mr. Peanutbutter referring to the "humany style" sex position. We also get more amusing headlines with my favourite being "US military solves refugee crisis by bombing all refugees". Lastly, I like how Flip's story concluded with him getting lost in the themes of his own show ("I was Princess Carolyn the whole time"), which is also a nice reference to "Mr. Robot" with Rami Malek voicing Flip. The Bad: Henry Fondle was certainly funny, but I think the show went too far with it by making Fondle such a significant plot point in this season finale. It was tough enough to stomach Fondle becoming the CEO to begin with, but now we have people finally feeling offended by him, leading to a forced resignation, the fall of What Time Is It Right Now, and the cancellation of Philbert. Considering how serious the show has treated BoJack strangling Gina and how realistic the fallout from it has been, it is a slap in the face to have the Philbert storyline ended by something so absurd and stupid. It's a step too far in suspending my disbelief, and I'm not happy with the decision to have Henry Fondle be the reason that the Philbert storyline ends. This episode drives home how underutilized Todd and Princess Carolyn were in this season. Todd had a huge new role in What Time Is It Right Now, but he never did anything meaningful or substantial with his new role, barring a few jokes. But now Todd has lost his position and has reverted to the exact same place he was in at the start of the season, making the whole ordeal feel pointless. I wish that Todd had more to do in season 5 so that this did not feel like such a waste of the character. Princess Carolyn's story was similarly underwhelming. She doesn't undergo any significant growth after "The Amelia Earhart Story", but she's rewarded with a baby anyways, which feels like an anticlimax to her adoption story arc. Much like with Todd, I wish this season had done more with her. Because she was so underutilized, the ending of her season 5 story falls flat. The Unknown: Will rehab be able to help BoJack? Is it still possible for him to change and become a better person? How will Princess Carolyn handle being a single mother? What's next for Todd now that he's quit his new position? He can pretty much do whatever he wants. Will Mr. Peanutbutter tell Pickles the truth, or is he going to continue to string her along? Best Moment: The ending scene with Diane sending BoJack away to rehab is heartfelt and beautiful. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: Barring some disappointing conclusions for Todd and Princess Carolyn, I thought that this episode had some of the strongest storytelling we have seen in a "BoJack Horseman" season finale, especially when it came to the stuff with BoJack and Diane. In the end, season 5 was another great season of "BoJack Horseman". The season's biggest strength came from its creativity with there being a large number of unique gimmick episodes, all of which are the best episodes of the season ("Free Churro", "The Showstopper", "The Dog Days Are Over", "INT. Sub", etc.). This resulted in a number of great standalone episodes that I will remember for a long time. I also have to praise this season's story of relapsing, which was told with realistic depth and subtlety, and becomes a more complete story by the end of the season with BoJack finally deciding to go to rehab. However, I don't enjoy season 5 as much as I enjoyed seasons 3 and 4, and that's likely because of how poorly the season utilized its side characters. Mr. Peanutbutter and Diane had good stuff, but Princess Carolyn and Todd had forgettable stories. The minor characters also felt like a step back as Gina, Flip, and Pickles weren't nearly as interesting or funny as other characters like Hollyhock, Sarah Lynn, Ralph, and Kelsey from previous seasons. Despite this problem, I still found season 5 to be an entertaining and compelling watch, and another strong addition to the show. Score: 70 Summary: BoJack's reality gets confused as he takes more and more drugs and struggles to separate his personal life from his job. He begins to believe that there is a conspiracy against him and Gina and he takes measures to discover who is coming after him, confronting Diane and Todd, and also calling Kyle. Eventually Gina discovers his drugs and leaves him. Later, BoJack and Gina act out a scene where the characters fight, but BoJack goes too far and strangles Gina in real life.
The Good: The biggest strength of this episode is how brilliantly it captures BoJack's fraying mental state through unexpected cuts, hallucinogenic experiences, and repeated confusion of whether BoJack is at home or on set. These aspects of the episode show us how BoJack is growing increasingly manic and dissociated from reality, building up tension and suspense as the episode goes on. Further tension comes when we see little things eating at him, like his obsession with Flip's "popsicle guys" (a nice reference to last episode's storyline), and the sense that somebody is coming after him. I got a chuckle out of seeing his insane board of connections between people, but it was also sad to see BoJack becoming so delusional as he believes everyone is out to get him. The episode goes the expected route with BoJack's fall, and it maintains tension through the mounting feeling that something is going to go horribly wrong. It all comes to a head when BoJack argues with Gina and she abandons him after realizing that he's a junkie who is endangering her newfound career. It's tragic that BoJack spent the entire episode trying to protect her, not realizing that he was the bigger threat to her the entire time. Unfortunately, this also means that Gina's departure has left him with resentment, especially after he hyperfixates on Gina being afraid for her career instead of being afraid for him. This leads to the episode's shocking climax when BoJack strangles Gina on set, letting his emotions get the better of him in a horrifying and deeply uncomfortable way (also, it's a remarkably ironic callback to BoJack saying "obviously choking women is bad" back in "BoJack the Feminist"). It's a perfect place for the season's f-bomb, and the culmination of BoJack's fall from grace in this season. While it may feel repetitive for BoJack to do something awful in the penultimate episode again after all of his recovery, I feel that it was necessary and helps to tell a more realistic story of recovery. Nobody gets it right on their first try, and this season has been explicit in showing us that BoJack is not strong enough to change on his own. He has spent the season mostly isolated from his friends, refusing to get any extra help from places like rehab or therapy. His stubborn refusal to do this is what leads to him relapsing and once more doing something terrible. Nobody has the strength to change on their own, and the message that this season is telling us is that we have to be open to outside help or we will never be able to achieve true permanent change. BoJack, being stubborn and short-sighted, is somebody who needs to learn this the hard way, and now by reflecting on the awful things he has done in this season, he realizes that he is not strong enough to change on his own. Season 5 has told this story of relapse superbly and subtly (I didn't start connecting the dots of this story until "Ancient History"), and I think that it is a remarkable exploration of how and why people can relapse in spite of all they have accomplished. I also found this episode to use symbolism in a superb way. The episode consistently shows visuals of BoJack seeing the giant balloon version of himself floating around, and a heavenly staircase appearing in backgrounds. By the episode's end, BoJack ascends these stairs only to find the balloon staring down at him from above. This is a memorable and evocative image, made better by the fact that we have to interpret what this means on our own. To me, the staircase symbolizes truth, and BoJack finally climbing it is him finally seeing reality after he spent the entire episode distracting himself with drugs and false conspiracies. But all that awaits him is the balloon, a symbol of his own true nature and the terrible things that he does to those around him. The balloon is crucially dressed up in the Philbert costume, highlighting that when he truly looks at himself, BoJack can only ever be the worst aspects of Philbert that are explored in the show he is making. It's a crushing realization for BoJack to make, and it makes us wonder if true change is really possible in a world where BoJack refuses to get help and repeatedly has his actions glorified by the red carpet of Hollywood. As always, there are plenty of little things I enjoyed. the Philbert intro sequence is an inspired choice, and I love how well it parodied real life TV show intros. The cheesy dialogue in Philbert is always entertaining, and provides some chuckles throughout the episode. I thoroughly enjoyed the "ad break" as Todd practically begs everyone to give him money so he can sponsor them. I was amused by BoJack's "let's find out!" reference, which he seemed to do unconsciously. BoJack's call to Kyle and his terrible telemarketer accent was really funny, easily the comedic highlight of the episode. Lastly, Mr. Peanutbutter's obvious guilt over having sex with Diane is pretty funny and a clever way to confirm our suspicions about what happened between them after the previous episode. The Bad: I understand people who criticize this episode for being too similar to seasons 2 and 3 with BoJack once more doing a terrible thing as the climax of the season. Though as I outlined above, it doesn't bother me and I think this was the logical next step for the show to explore relapsing. The Unknown: What's next for BoJack? Is this the end of his career? Is this the end for Philbert? Best Moment: The don't stop dancing musical performance is creepy, unsettling, and a fantastic exploration of the trauma that BoJack has buried deep inside of him. The song is well performed, but the visuals clearly reference multiple images from BoJack's past, like the dead Sarah Lynn, his dead mother dancing into a coffin, and the Old Sugarman Place where he stayed for so long. The sequence is masterful, and a memorable exploration of the fear and trauma that BoJack carries deep within him. The abstract nature of the sequence only makes it more captivating and more interesting to rewatch. Character of the Episode: BoJack. Conclusion: A magnificent episode that captures BoJack's dissociative episode beautifully. It's heartbreaking to see BoJack fall in this season after coming so close to recovery, and this episode serves as a somber, painful reminder of the nature of this character. Score: 81 Summary: Philbert's first season receives great reviews from critics, and the crew go to the red carpet screening. BoJack makes a brief speech about how Philbert makes it feel like it's okay to be awful, which horrifies Diane who doesn't want this to be the show's message. Diane and BoJack have a long and tense argument afterwards. Diane storms out and is driven home by Mr. Peanutbutter, who was abandoned by Pickles at the screening, and she invites him inside. BoJack kisses Gina publicly. Todd's sex robot Henry Fondle ends up becoming the next CEO of What Time is it Right Now. Princess Carolyn resolves a dispute between two comedians who Flip plagiarized.
The Good: The Philbert premier story is superbly executed. The event takes over the episode, and it's engaging to find out what exactly is going to happen here. The centerpiece ends up becoming the pay-off for the tensions that BoJack and Diane have had all season. After their latest arguments and a long break where they did not talk with each other, the blowout finally comes and it is glorious. Diane's respect for BoJack has dropped massively, and hearing him use Philbert to excuse his own actions is horrifying for her. Diane has always wanted to make positive change in the world, so it's very fitting that she would go into crisis mode upon realizing that awful people may be getting a pass because of their show, and this leads to her heated confrontation with BoJack where she finally dives into the problem she has with him: what happened in New Mexico? The ensuing scene is absolutely fantastic. We've seen heartbreaking dissolutions of relationships in this show before, but none have been as messy as this with BoJack and Diane venting at each other about BoJack's actions and if they can be justified. Diane's approach may not be the best, but she absolutely has a point in that BoJack should be seeking help and needs to be held accountable for what he's done. Horrifyingly, BoJack seems to be blissfully ignorant of all of this, hammering in that he really hasn't changed like we thought he did. Hearing him argue that he is the biggest victim of his own actions is disgusting, and while you can see how he may think that, it requires a devilishly narrow mind to completely ignore the effects he has had on the lives of others. This scene ended up being fantastic, and I enjoyed everything that it had to offer. The brutality of the sequence also made it far easier to accept BoJack and Diane both turning to sexual acts to feel better with BoJack going public with Gina and Diane inviting Mr. Peanutbutter into her studio. The side stories in this episode had problems (see: The Bad), but they had aspects I enjoyed. The popsicle guys were neatly set up as we did see Flip eating these popsicles in previous episodes. It's no surprise that he blatantly plagiarized. Watching Todd's sex robot take over a company through innuendos is so stupid, but also quite amusing. The storyline didn't add much, but it made me chuckle at a few points.\ There are lots of little bits I enjoyed in this one. The "sixty days earlier" followed by "fifty seven days later (three days before the thing with the nuns)" transition was fantastic. It was a great example of subversive humour as I started to grow excited by the prospect of an episode that would take place across sixty days, only to have that completely nullified literally five seconds later. Hilarious. I got a chuckle out of Princess Carolyn's coffee having her name spelled as "Pringles Cartilage". Flip had a good episode as he said some absolutely outrageous things that neatly highlighted the flaws within the film industry (especially how one person often ends up with full credit for a team's performance). I was entertained by the dark joke with Flip saying "well who's hung now mom". The Bad: Side stories have been an issue throughout season 5. So many of these storylines have not been memorable, have felt like filler, and haven't developed characters in interesting ways. This trend continues in this episode, and the side stories were underwhelming. Princess Carolyn dealing with the two comedians was a poor story. The characters weren't funny or interesting, and Princess Carolyn didn't add anything to that story either. It felt like a waste of time by the time it was over, especially since nothing became of the copyright story in the end anyways. Todd's sex robot taking over as CEO is mildly amusing, but it feels too ridiculous for me to fully believe it. It's also disappointing that we spend so much time with a robot instead of with Todd. I appreciate that the show tried to keep the Diane/BoJack argument light by having some light comedic moments where they get interrupted. But I can't help but wonder if these interruptions ultimately detracted from the sequence by breaking our immersion at key thematic points in the argument. I almost wish that "BoJack Horseman" had fully committed to serious storytelling just for this sequence. The Unknown: Are Diane and Mr. Peanutbutter about to get back together? What happens when Pickles finds out? BoJack has rashly decided to make his relationship with Gina public. Where is this going to go? I don't imagine this will have a happy ending for both of them. So Margo Martindale is alive on some island. Is this the last we will see of her? Best Moment: The argument between Diane and BoJack is tremendous. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: A couple of underwhelming B-stories prevent "Head in the Clouds" from being one of the show's best efforts, but the main story, especially the argument between Diane and BoJack, is fantastic and ensures that this episode is still high quality. Score: 70 Summary: Hollyhock stops in LA to visit BoJack. She gets nervous in his house and ends up dumping all of his pain meds. BoJack can't go without them and tries numerous methods to get more pills, accidentally continuing his relationship with Gina in the process. Hollyhock realizes BoJack isn't in much pain and is likely abusing drugs. BoJack drops her off at the airport, and then intentionally crashes his car to get more drugs. Princess Carolyn meets with Ralph to get rights for a movie Mr. Peanutbutter wants to make. She is called by her adoption agent to get a baby and Ralph comes with her. Ralph wants them to get together again but Princess Carolyn doesn't want to. She doesn't end up getting the baby. Emily returns to Todd and Todd builds a sex robot to fulfill her needs so they can be together, but it doesn't work out in the end.
The Good: I really like the idea behind this episode. "Ancient History" is not only a line that BoJack says, but it ties into the fact that BoJack, Princess Carolyn, and Todd all end up meeting with characters who used to be prominent parts of their lives. This gives the episode a slightly nostalgic feel, and highlighted the theme of moving forward, especially in the Princess Carolyn/Todd stories. Diving into the individual storylines, it is BoJack's that is the most effective. Having Hollyhock back is a treat, and her presence immediately leads to several fun capers, like their trip to Gina's house, and the drug deal gone wrong. It's a blast to see these two together, and you can tell that it's good for BoJack to have her in his life again. But it's not necessarily a good thing for Hollyhock, and while she cares for BoJack, it's clear that she is unsettled by his apparent drug abuse. This reveal came as a surprise, but it has been quietly built up in previous episodes. BoJack appears to be falling off the wagon, and I thought that the show highlighted this admirably well, with the intentional car crash at the end being the final step for BoJack. This episode has a few lovely details, like the reveal that BoJack has a bottle of alcohol for each day of the week (in the season premier he has one bottle for the week), and the increasing evidence that BoJack's drug use is not for his pain. BoJack's angry rant when Hollyhock suggests that he doesn't need the drugs is exactly what you would hear from a junkie, and it's sad to hear him claim that he's been in pain his whole life as if that justifies him abusing drugs and making his life worse. It's sad that he's quietly relapsed in the background, and this episode excels in how it makes you realize the reality of BoJack's situation. The Todd and Princess Carolyn stories are quite good too. Princess Carolyn ends up face to face with Ralph again, and the story they have is quite sad. We are quickly reminded of how well they work with each other and how much they still do care for each other, but things just didn't work out. The episode does a good job of exploring how two people who loved each other ended up falling apart permanently. Todd's story is a bit sillier, especially with that obscene and ridiculous sex robot, but it contains the sad reality of Emily and Todd trying to find a solution to be with each other since they don't feel like they connect with anyone else. But because their needs are different, it was never going to work. A few little things and jokes throughout the episode amused me, as ever. I laughed at Flip telling everyone "I'm proud of what I've done here". The character's ridiculous ego is amusing to watch. BoJack wearing his Philbert costume everywhere has been pointed out a few times (see: The Unknown), and I appreciate how the show handles it. The drug deal scene is especially funny with Meow Meow Fuzzyface making a fantastic cameo return as the most blatant undercover cop imaginable. Princess Carolyn having a "La-Z-Baby" car seat is pretty funny. Dr. Hu's return is also quite fun, and it's amusing that he doesn't believe the completely true story BoJack tells him about how he lost his pills. I also quite liked how Dr. Hu threw Sarah Lynn back in BoJack's face, highlighting that BoJack's personal plan for improvement hasn't worked perfectly and that he would do well to seek outside help. But of course, BoJack can't admit that he needs help and he won't see that he's relapsing again in spite of his personal plan. The Bad: Nothing bad about this one. The Unknown: Why is BoJack in his costume all the time? This is the second episode in a row where he has been wearing it, and even the show's intro has BoJack in his costume now. Is BoJack relapsing? He is drinking more alcohol and is clearly dealing with substance abuse issues. Will he be able to get back on track, or is he on a downward spiral again? Is this the end for Princess Carolyn's relationship with Ralph? I can't see her getting back with him. Best Moment: BoJack's goodbye to Hollyhock is very well done. Hollyhock is feeling a bit upset by how things went, but she still cares for BoJack, and is happy when she hears him admit that he might have been abusing his pain medications, and she gives him some advice. This seems like a good moment for BoJack, but based on what happens right after, it's clear that the pain of Hollyhock going back is enough to prevent him from taking her advice to heart. It's also sad to see Hollyhock express her love to him, but he's still so tragically unfamiliar with wholesome interactions that he doesn't know how to respond, even though it's clear that he wants to express back. Great stuff here. Character of the Episode: Hollyhock. It was great to have her back for an episode. Conclusion: A solid episode with three good storylines and a nice overarching theme of characters interacting with other characters from their past. Another good effort from this fifth season. Score: 68 Summary: The episode takes place across four different Halloween parties at BoJack's house. In 1993, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Katrina to BoJack's house for his first Halloween party. Mr. Peanutbutter gets caught up in the excitement and leaves Katrina alone, causing her to freak out and angrily leave. In 2004, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Jessica Biel to the Halloween party, but she freaks out after seeing a mummy and angrily storms out. In 2009, Mr. Peanutbutter takes a nervous Diane to the party. She meets BoJack but ends up being very awkward. She runs out of the house, feeling uncomfortable in the party. In the present, Mr. Peanutbutter takes Pickles to the party but she ends up drinking and gets upset with Mr. Peanutbutter, especially when Diane gets stuck at the party as well. Mr. Peanutbutter is confused by why he makes women less fun but Diane explains that they are just maturing while he does not mature. Diane talks to Pickles and gets them to reconcile. Everyone goes home as the party ends.
The Good: Once more, we get an excellent concept episode. Season 5 has been very creative so far, with an episode where Diane writes a blog post detailing the episode's events, an episode that's a 20 minute monologue, an episode told by a random couple who interacted with the main characters, and now an episode split across four different timelines that tells a cohesive story. These episodes have used their gimmicks very well to be highlights of the season. This episode is no exception as its exceedingly fun to see 4 different time periods in one episode, and the transitions between the time periods are consistently delightful. The comedy is a standout in this episode. The amount of cut away gags referencing events in other time periods are terrific, and they all pretty consistently made me laugh. Mr. Peanutbutter's costumes are a blast as well, and there are plenty of tongue-in-cheek jokes about what will become of his relationships. I also enjoyed how the supporting cast were handled. BoJack growing frustrated by the parties, drinking heavily, and demanding they do another one by the end is quite funny. Diane having her car boxed in, making her unable to leave is also really funny. Princess Carolyn being stuck on door duty is a funny twist, and it's amusing that she gets to interact with kid Todd, telling him to come back when he's older (the cut to an older Todd arriving is a nice touch as well). The star of the show is obviously Mr. Peanutbutter. This episode is all about him, with the show taking some time to critique its (arguably) most lovable character. We've always known that Mr. Peanutbutter gets lost in his love of parties, and that has worked against him in his relationships. We see Katrina getting frustrated by being abandoned by Mr. Peanutbutter as the most direct consequence of his actions, and we also see Diane being extremely uncomfortable in her first party which Mr. Peanutbutter ends up completely forgetting time and time again as he continually arranges parties (as an aside, I got a good laugh out of him saying that it's good they discussed Diane's feelings so they never have to have this argument again). But this aspect of Mr. Peanutbutter's character is something we already knew. The episode needed to go deeper, and thankfully it did. As Mr. Peanutbutter starts to reflect on how the women in his life seem to grow more miserable around him, he makes the connection that he ruins women. But that's not the case at all and Diane hits the nail on its head when talking with him: the reason for Mr. Peanutbutter's failed relationships is his inability to mature as he grows older. He stunted his development in his mid 20s, and now 20+ years later he hasn't changed or grown as all. Meanwhile all the women in his life have matured into fully formed adults, and that's where Mr. Peanutbutter gets left behind. This is a nice bit of character exploration as it informs us more about Mr. Peanutbutter while also providing some humous with how Mr. Peanutbutter completely fails to grasp what is going wrong without Diane's help. The episode also offered some lovely bits of storytelling with the side characters. Diane meeting BoJack awkwardly at the Halloween party is perfect, and it's amusingly fitting that BoJack would forget that he ever met her and Diane would be too embarrassed to ever bring this up. But it's also sad that BoJack was affected at this party by learning about what happened to his dad at the duel, which was heartbreaking and it seemingly got in the way of BoJack connecting with Diane at an earlier point. Another sad moment is BoJack telling Todd he can stay as long as he wants. It was nice to see how Todd originally ended up at BoJack's, but it's also sad considering that Todd has long since moved on and doesn't often interact with BoJack anymore. Princess Carolyn wearing a pilot costume to every party, a reference to her love for Amelia Earhart, is a lovely character detail. The Bad: If there is a major flaw with this episode, it's that there isn't really a standout moment in all of this. The one moment that could have been great was when Diane spoke with Mr. Peanutbutter. Diane explaining to Mr. Peanutbutter why his relationships all fall apart explores the episode's central idea well, but it felt too straightforward and lacked subtlety. Diane just spelled it out for him without any real nuance. I feel like this should have been the episode's big emotional moment, but instead it felt surprisingly simplistic, lacking most emotional resonance. This episode is also very heavy on reference humour. I got most of the jokes, so I got a good laugh out of it. But I understand that these jokes will be a complete miss for some people, and that will weaken this episode for them. The Unknown: Will Mr. Peanutbutter's relationship with Pickles last? Or is this one also doomed to fail, just like his previous ones? Best Moment: I'll go with the cuts between all of the awkward freakouts at the Halloween parties over the years. It's remarkable how Mr. Peanutbutter consistently pushed all of his significant others away at these parties, and I thought that this sequence of repeated arguments showed the flaws in his character far more effectively than Diane's words. Character of the Episode: Mr. Peanutbutter. Conclusion: This is the best character exploration we have ever got for Mr. Peanutbutter. It was fascinating to learn more about how and why his relationships all fall apart, and in typical "BoJack Horseman" fashion, this was all done in an exceedingly funny episode, possibly the funniest of the season. The episode didn't ever threaten any all-time great moments, but it was a fun experience that offered up plenty of entertainment for me. Score: 71 Summary: The story is framed by a married couple telling stories of their clients to each other. BoJack is distressed by his mother's death but is struggling to express it. He wants to talk with Diane, but she needs space from BoJack after hearing the tape. Diane tells BoJack her therapist says she shouldn't talk to him so BoJack storms off to see the therapist and ends up becoming her client unintentionally. Diane is furious and leaves, but BoJack also leaves when he realizes this is therapy and not just a new friend. Diane and BoJack argue and Diane writes a scene into Philbert that mirrors what happened to BoJack in New Mexico. Princess Carolyn and Todd have a disagreement when Todd accuses her of stealing his cheese string. After some drama, they end up working it out and Todd gives Princess Carolyn a new office.
The Good: This episode has such a creative concept behind it that makes it so much more interesting. This could easily just be a normal story exploring two separate conflicts but instead the episode goes the extra mile and tells a vast majority of the story from the perspective of a married couple swapping stories in a restaurant. This is a breath of fresh air, and it leads to several hilarious jokes involving the characters who are now alternate versions of themselves. The new intro with "BoBo the Angsty Zebra" is fantastic, and the rest of the episode is filled with similarly comedic characters. Flippy the dolphin is really funny, Todd being "Emperor Fingerface" for some reason is really amusing, and I got a real laugh out of the simplicity of "Mr. Chocolate Hazelnut Spread". I also like that the character of each of the wives is established with how they name the characters. Indira isn't particularly creative and just makes character names sound laughably similar to what they actually are, while Mary-Beth comes up with outrageously left field ideas to describe everyone. It's consistently entertaining and I got a lot of laughs out of seeing what variations of existing characters we will get. The storytelling is pretty good too. I thought that BoJack and Diane's conflict was very realistic. BoJack's way to handle problems has always been to clamour for attention without outright asking for it, leading to nobody actually caring. So he just ends up complaining to whoever will listen to him, which is usually Diane. However, Diane wants to stay away from him this time and that puts BoJack in an awkward place. He desperately needs to talk to someone but his one friend he usually relies on is unavailable. To make matters worse, Mr. Peanutbutter continues to make him feel bad about himself because of how BoJack is unable to connect with people like he does. It's amusing to see everyone console Mr. Peanutbutter on a loss that doesn't ring true like it does for BoJack, and it's easy to understand his frustration. Meanwhile, Diane just needs some time to process what she heard on the tape and collect her thoughts regarding BoJack. But he doesn't give her the opportunity because he ends up going to her therapist (courtesy of some awful advice from Indira) and even steals her therapist away. Indira is pretty deplorable here to cause all of this chaos, and you can't help but feel bad for Diane who has now lost her safe space to BoJack. Their eventual argument at the end of the episode feels earned, and it makes sense that Diane would lash out angrily at BoJack considering what she knows and how her morality will not let her stand for BoJack's awful behaviour. This was a well written story that perfectly captures how frustrations can lead to a divide in friendships. The end of the episode is a perfect catharsis for everything. Diane is fed up by BoJack relating with her and thinking they are the same because she knows that he crossed a boundary that she never will cross. And his stubborn refusal to do therapy pushes her over the edge, doing something that will most certainly hurt BoJack and could potentially undo all of the progress he has made to become a better person. Diane writes a scene for Flip and makes it so that the character BoJack is playing will be struggling with the very same past mistake that BoJack is dealing with, forcing BoJack to relive his nightmare every single day. It's a cruel and vindictive thing to do, and it's heartbreaking to see BoJack realize what Diane has done and that she knows about what happened. We know BoJack has been trying to get better, and it's sad to see that he is unable to escape from his past mistakes, even if he justifiably should be condemned for what he's done. This is a dark and complicated moment that really made me think about what is justifiable and who is in the right in this fight between BoJack and Diane. Princess Carolyn and Todd's B-story doesn't add much (see: The Bad), but it's a decent way to flesh out their relationship more. I was especially amused by the cheese string reveal at the end of the storyline, which had been subtly set up by some dramatic drumrolls any time Todd reached for his pen earlier in the episode. There are some little things as always. The various iterations of our main characters were quite funny, and I love that the show went all out with making a new intro featuring BoBo instead of BoJack. I enjoyed Mary-Beth quite a bit because her mediation tactics were laughably simplistic. Her flowchart in the background called "Mary-Beth's mediation map" is laughably simplistic and utterly useless. I also quite liked the 4th wall breaking joke as Mary-Beth and Indira talk about how it will be better to intertwine their stories as a tongue-in-cheek reference to how TV shows handle A-stories and B-stories. Lastly, I really liked the jab at cliched action movies with the "barf me a river fartbags" line during the intense submarine shootout. The Bad: The Todd/Princess Carolyn story feels completely pointless. It has been a pattern in this season where the side stories don't go anywhere interesting and only serve to provide a comedic B-story. Previous seasons had more substance to their side stories, but this season has not offered the same storytelling depth. Instead we get what is basically a typical animated comedy storyline that doesn't offer much outside of the novelty of the episode's main premise. The Unknown: I imagine that BoJack will tell Diane the full story of New Mexico at some point. What happens when Diane finds out? Will they reconnect, or will this destroy their friendship? Best Moment: The final scene is done very well as BoJack slowly realizes that this submarine scene has been maliciously inspired by his most shameful moment in real life. Character of the Episode: Diane. Conclusion: Another creative episode, this time one that is rooted in the compelling developing conflict between BoJack and Diane. The story was good and I got some of the biggest laughs of the season out of this one. Score: 73 Summary: A flashback shows Butterscotch picking up BoJack late after soccer and ranting to him about Beatrice and life in general. In the present, BoJack gives an extended eulogy for his mother but it turns out he was at the wrong funeral.
The Good: It was a genius idea to have this episode be one long monologue. Well technically two if you count the flashback sequence as well, but it's still the same brilliant idea. A whole episode of listening to BoJack speak and process his mother's death as a way to dive into the character deeper than we have ever gone before. This concept is basically the inverse of season 3's fantastic "Fish Out of Water", and it is every bit as effective. The whole premise is BoJack giving a eulogy, in which he amusingly uses his stand-up comedy skills to make it more entertaining. Throughout this self-indulgent, emotionally messy speech, we get to learn more and more about BoJack's past, unearthing new details we never knew, while also exploring his current mental state and why it has been so hard for him to deal with his parents dying even though he never even liked them. The episode handles this stuff superbly well and I can't wait to dive into what this episode had to offer. First and foremost, BoJack's grief for his mother is crushingly sad. What makes it so impactful is that the episode doesn't outwardly show his pain, instead it subtly reveals it underneath the surface of a man who is trying to stay put together and explain this pain that he can't seem to understand. The loss of an abusive parent is so much more complex than just losing a parent, and I love that this episode cared to address the contradictory feelings that one experiences in this situation. It's the accuracy to reality which makes this so affecting and so painful. So many little things are perfectly accurate. BoJack's jokes about his dead mother scream defence mechanism to save himself from hurting too much. I also absolutely loved seeing BoJack ranting about the bad parts about his mother, and yet still finding solace in one of the few beautiful memories he had: when his father would come out to watch her dance at parties. The only moment when the monologue stopped all episode was for a brief bit of recollection in this moment as BoJack remembers the one hopeful memory he had. And just like in real life, it's gone in a flash and we see him snap back to reality and the eulogy he is giving. Brutal stuff. The obvious highlight of the episode for me is BoJack trying to attribute meaning to his mother's "I See You" (see: Best Moment). He dwells on this for a long period, going through the rational and emotional aspects of his brain in trying to figure out what it all meant, before discovering the truth towards the end of the episode in a heartbreaking moment. This is all outstanding storytelling, and a compelling dive into the character of BoJack and the episode's theme of the complicated grief after losing family members. The episode started away from BoJack's monologue in an interesting flashback sequence where we get another horrifying snapshot of BoJack's life when his father comes to pick him up. The sequence is horrible as Butterscotch rambles on and on, somehow saying worse and worse things every sentence while a hurt and angry BoJack cowers, looking outside the car window. Anyone who has experienced similar ravings from a parent can understand and connect to BoJack, and the scene is fantastically written. It does hold some storytelling weight to it as well since Butterscotch advises BoJack that he can never rely on other people and that he's all alone. It's an awful thing to say to your own kid, but ironically, Butterscotch telling this to BoJack accomplishes the opposite. Instead of believing he is alone, BoJack lived a life in denial of this fact, waiting for it to be proven wrong because he so desperately wanted some sort of affection from his awful parents. But as BoJack repeats Butterscotch's dialogue about how good it is that he learned not to rely on others at Beatrice's funeral, it's clear that BoJack has finally been defeated by this lesson. That's a tragic overarching theme for this episode, and it's told naturally with such great attention to detail to make it all the more devastating. More on Butterscotch, we learned quite a bit about him. We never knew how he passed away, but now we get the half-funny, half-sad reveal that he died after tripping and falling during a duel because people didn't like his novel. It's painfully ironic and exemplifies all of Butterscotch's worst character traits, but you can only imagine how this would have affected BoJack and Beatrice. It also stemmed one of the episode's best lines: "my husband is dead and everything is worse now", a line that is explored in great depth by BoJack throughout the episode. Before I ramble on about every little thing I loved about this episode, I'll go ahead and talk about the ending. After BoJack finally finds some clarity and closure for saying goodbye to his mother, he decides to do an open casket and honour the one thing he knew his mother wanted. It's here that we're given a fantastic gag to close out the episode as BoJack realizes he was in the wrong funeral parlour and gave this heartfelt eulogy to a dozen lizards who don't even know Beatrice. This is a hilarious and excellent closing joke, but it also reflects BoJack's character perfectly. This eulogy is incredibly self-indulgent, which is what we expect of BoJack who has always struggled to see things outside of his point of view. Him not even noticing that he might be in the wrong room is perfectly in-character with someone who is so self-obsessed that he doesn't think a single thought about the audience members, failing to even realize that he's at the wrong funeral. It's fantastic, it's fitting, and it ends the episode on the right note. I've got a few other small bits that I want to touch on before finishing this review. I loved the gag with the musician, who always seemed to do the wrong thing at the wrong time. It was amusing and added to the feeling that BoJack was using his stand-up skills to get by with this eulogy. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing BoJack reference his attempt to save Todd back in "Out to Sea" when he's talking about how a grand gesture of love isn't enough to make up for consistent failings. It's clear that BoJack has taken the incident to heart and regrets what happened with Todd, but he understands that he failed as a friend, which is a beautiful detail to include. The story about how he got a free churro was a good way to kick off the speech since it's BoJack contemplating something odd he couldn't quite explain (getting a free churro because your mother died). It sets the right tone for the contemplative nature of his eulogy, and it also gets called back brilliantly at the end with BoJack referencing the kindness of the stranger giving him a free churro in contrast to his mother's cruelty. Lastly, as a writer I couldn't help but chuckle when Butterscotch talked about his unique sentence that went on for pages and pages. If only we could have a chance to read his novel, I'm sure it was awful. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Will BoJack ever find peace after his mother's passing? How will this affect him going forwards? Best Moment: BoJack's realization that "I see you" was actually "ICU". This is a crushing realization for BoJack who had blissfully tries to use this final line as closure, perhaps just one moment where his mother recognized him. But it was false, and the realization launches BoJack into a heartfelt rant where he gets to address his disappointment and frustration in his mother and why it still hurts to lose her. Consistent with how BoJack learned everything from TV, he compares his feeling for her passing to his feelings for the TV show "Becker", a profound way for him to communicate his feelings in a way we don't usually see from him. In an incredible and profound monologue, this small section stood out the most to me. Character of the Episode: BoJack obviously. Conclusion: One of the best episode's of the show yet, easily. The premise behind this one was creative and unique, and the result was a focused and emotional deep dive into BoJack with some brilliant writing and voice acting. You don't get episodes like these from every TV show. This is a rare gem, and it will go down as one of the most memorable experiences from this show. Score: 86 Summary: Loki puts in every effort to prevent the Temporal Loom from exploding but he fails at every turn and it is simply not possible. Loki goes back to stop Sylvie from killing He Who Remains, but is also unsuccessful. He realizes he may have to kill Sylvie to save everyone but doesn’t want to do it. After talking in the past with Mobius and Sylvie, Loki decides to destroy the Temporal Loom and keeps the timelines in balance with his own power, choosing to remain at the End of Time himself to govern the multiverse.
The Good: So many MCU shows have had awful season finales, opting for a basic and predictable action climax with zero twists, turns, or emotional character moments. “Loki” stunned me by refusing to adhere to conventions, crafting a terrific finale that celebrates the character of Loki and all he achieved throughout the show. I was invested in this show and the characters, and that paid off beautifully by the end. As Loki climbed to the throne with a far more honourable motive than anything we’ve ever seen from him before, I felt genuine catharsis, evidence that this show succeeded with the story that it was telling. The episode earned this ending by having Loki do everything in his power to fix the Temporal Loom without resorting to this. The early parts of the episode are terrific, editing Loki’s attempts to save the world in increasingly comedic ways as the character grows more and more frustrated by his failures. Even after studying time for literal centuries, he was unable to save the world, a fantastic reveal and a terrific twist in this finale. I appreciated that the story went back to the season 1 finale with He Who Remains, and forcing Loki to negotiate with someone who is basically another god was highly compelling stuff. But the show did not get lost in plot. The final act of this show is determined by two emotional conversations with Loki and his two closest companions, Mobius and Sylvie. Loki knew he would have to kill Sylvie to save the world, and couldn’t bear to do it. But he knew he had to make the hard choice to save the world after a great talk with Mobius. But after speaking with Sylvie, Loki understands that he needs to preserve free will, and so he makes the ultimate sacrifice; instead of sacrificing Sylvie, Loki sacrifices himself, using magic to create an ideal universe for everyone to live the lives that they want. It’s a beautiful bit of character development with Loki opening his mind to accept the truths that others have told him throughout the show, finally achieving the glorious purpose he was hunting in the series premiere, albeit in a way he never would have imagined. The storytelling is brilliant, and it leads to a beautiful and satisfying conclusion that thematically fits the show, and achieves everything that the show set out to achieve involving its main character. I was very pleased by this ending. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Will Loki ever be able to leave the End of Time, or is this his fate forever? Will his new TVA be able to stop the Kang variants from starting a multiversal war? Best Moment: Loki stepping up to his new throne and finally achieving his glorious purpose. Character of the Episode: Loki. Conclusion: This was an immensely satisfying finale, closing out Loki’s character arc in a beautiful and dramatic way, while making every event in this show feel like it had weight. Now this is how you do a finale episode. Score: 73 Summary: Loki starts time-slipping again as the TVA is destroyed. He keeps teleporting to alternate variants of his friends in various universes. After talking with OB, he realizes he needs to reunite them to save the TVA. While OB builds a TemPad, Loki recruits everyone else, but he fails to get Sylvie. Sylvie changes her mind and joins him when her timeline is destroyed. Everyone is assembled, but the TemPad disappears and the universe is destroyed. Loki manages to control his time-slipping and moves to before the Temporal Loom’s destruction.
The Good: I enjoyed this. It felt like an old-fashioned sci-fi movie with Loki jumping around through time with OB playing the role of an intelligent scientist who can help the protagonist deal with a situation that’s almost impossible to navigate. This was simple entertainment, and it felt different from anything else we’ve seen on the show. It was also enjoyable to see Loki going from friend to friend, recruiting them for his mission to save the TVA. It was great to finally see Mobius’ alternate life, and his role as a salesman fits the character perfectly. B-15 being a doctor is also fitting with her sharp desire to start saving lives in the TVA, Casey being an escaping inmate is pretty funny, and OB’s alternate life as a fiction writer is pretty entertaining too. I enjoyed getting the chance to see all of these alternate lives. The centerpiece scene of the episode is Loki speaking with Sylvie, and it works to an extent (see: The Bad). I like that this scene was used to ignite the Loki/Sylvie conflict one more time, and the exploration of how Loki has become attached to his new friends was nice. The end of the episode provides a fun cliffhanger as Loki’s extreme frustration seems to lead to him mastering time-slipping. The Bad: Loki’s scene with Sylvie has one huge flaw: why does he not bring up that all timelines will be destroyed if she doesn’t help him? He practically couldn’t shut up about this earlier, so why didn’t he mention it here? Especially since Sylvie does change her mind when her timeline is destroyed. Clearly this was only omitted because the show wanted Loki’s hidden motivation reveal to be more dramatic, but it’s always unsatisfying when the writer’s fingerprints are so plain to see without much thought. The Unknown: Did Loki control his time-slipping at the end? Can he use the time-slipping to go back in time and save the Temporal Loom? What can he do to save it? Best Moment: Loki’s frustration when things fall apart for him once again at the end of the episode. Character of the Episode: Loki. Conclusion: This was an atypical, but fun episode paying homage to older sci-fi films. I enjoyed it for its simplicity and found it to be an engrossing set-up for the finale. Score: 66 Summary: Ravonna learns that she commanded He Who Remains’ army but he erased her memories. Ravonna kills Dox and her people, recruiting Brad in the process. Timely works to help solve OB’s problem but he is captured by Brad while taking a break. Sylvie uses Brad to prune Ravonna, while OB reboots the system to deactivate Miss Minutes. Timely decides to help fix the Temporal Loom by using the Throughput Multiplier, but he is immediately killed by the temporal radiation. The temporal loom explodes.
The Good: The fourth episode was a climactic and surprising episode in the first season, and the same rings true for the second season. This episode had a lot going on, and it was interesting to see where the story went next. It was challenging to predict, and there was plenty of tension with Ravonna’s impending presence, the failing Temporal Loom, and Timely being captured. I especially enjoyed the scenes with the Temporal Loom. There was still a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo, but it’s grounded in the amusing mutual respect between Timely and OB. Timely has another great episode with his entertaining interactions and fascination over the TVA. The importance of saving the Temporal Loom is communicated well, so I was invested in seeing if OB and Timely could save it, even if I did not fully understand why. The twist at the end is terrific as Timely is immediately disintegrated against all odds and the Temporal Loom seems to collapse at the end. It’s difficult to see what comes next, and I’m excited to see what twists “Loki” has in store for the final two episodes. The Bad: The Dox storyline is over, and it all feels completely pointless. They didn’t end up doing anything for the plot, and the resolution with all of them being killed by Ravonna was underwhelming. I was also disappointed with how things were resolved for the Ravonna/Miss Minutes storyline. I expected them to play a bigger role and have a more climactic finale. Instead, the story fizzled out after a very simple enchantment by Sylvie, and one technical adjustment from OB. The reveal that Loki pruned himself in “Ouroboros” fell flat because it didn’t really add anything interesting to the story. The Unknown: Is this the end for Ravonna and Miss Minutes? What will become of Brad? Is the TVA going to be destroyed now that the Temporal Loom has exploded? Can Loki do anything to stop this? What will come next? Best Moment: Everything going up in smoke at the end. Character of the Episode: Timely. Conclusion: This is a fun and climactic episode, but some disappointing aspects of the story prevent it from reaching the highs I expected. Score: 62 Summary: Loki and Mobius hunt for Miss Minutes to try to help OB. Miss Minutes is with Ravonna and they are meeting Victor Timely, a Kang variant. Loki and Mobius arrive and the two parties fight over Timely, each trying to use him for their own ends. Ravonna and Miss Minutes betray each other, Sylvie arrives, and Timely ends up being taken to the TVA successfully by Loki and Mobius. Sylvie sends Ravonna to the End of Time, and Ravonna allies with Miss Minutes again to fight against He Who Remains.
The Good: I thoroughly enjoyed this episode’s mad scramble to get to Victor Timely. There were almost countless different groups all hunting him down, and this led to a momentous and thrilling chase episode. Timely is the star of the whole process. He’s much more than just a smart man as he exhibits a feigned innocence to sell his act of being a con-man that profits off of the stupidity of rich white men. On top of that he’s incredibly prideful and arrogant, so it’s fun to not only see him try to grasp what is happening around him, but to pick an choose who he wants to support because of how they treat him. It’s amusing to see him betray Ravonna for the crime of viewing herself as an equal, just as fun as any other exciting chase sequence in the episode. The Bad: I’m disappointed that there was virtually no follow-up on the end of the previous episode. It’s quite convenient how quickly Loki and Mobius find Ravonna and Timely in an enormous fair. Motives are once more a problem. I’m not sure what Ravonna and Miss Minutes are after with Timely. Are they trying to make another He Who Remains? How will they do that, and why do they care to do that? These are important questions, but they aren’t addressed throughout the episode. After, we get a twist that their motives changed and they no longer need Timely, which just confuses me more. Sylvie’s motives are even worse. She’s a wild card, but I fail to understand why she wants to kill the HWR variants when she is the reason for their existence. I don’t understand why she cares so much. That’s the issue with this episode, it’s fun on the surface but the muddled motivations make this harder to enjoy. The Unknown: What will Timely do now that he’s in the TVA? Will he comply with Loki and Mobius or does he have other aspirations? What is Ravonna’s secret? Best Moment: Timely’s introduction on the stage is a brilliant moment, and Johnathan Majors’ performance is electric. Character of the Episode: Timely. Conclusion: The mad chase for Timely was fun to watch and it gives this episode a unique premise. Unfortunately the muddled motives get in the way and damage the episode’s quality. Outside of that, this was a good episode. Score: 59 Summary: Loki and Mobius track down X-5 to find Sylvie. They find him living normally as Brad and they capture him. Together they wear him down and convince him to reveal where Sylvie is. Loki meets with Sylvie but she doesn’t want to help him save the TVA. OB works to repair the Temporal Loom, but is stumped when he needs a scan of He Who Remains, who is now dead. Brad reveals that Dox plans to prune all branching timelines, which she does, causing mass casualties.
The Good: I’m thankful that this season is giving us plenty of scenes with Loki and Mobius together as they were one of the highlights of the first season. The whole section where they had to get the truth out of Brad was very well done and made good use of the characters. Loki got to show his development by using his mischievous nature with some restraint, Mobius got some much-needed direction as we explore how his character has handled learning about the real life he has, and Brad was entertaining as a sleazy villain that they needed to break down. This was fun stuff, and the heart to heart over pie between Loki and Mobius was especially compelling. The Bad: Unfortunately things start falling apart when we look at the bigger picture. Loki and Mobius spend the episode hunting for Sylvie, and I can’t quite figure out what they want to accomplish with her. When Loki and Sylvie finally meet, all he wants is answers but surely he knows that she won’t have any for him! It’s Brad who knows what Dox is up to, which should be a more urgent issue for Loki and Mobius right now. I was also very confused why Brad didn’t reveal anything to Loki and Mobius, surely giving up Sylvie’s location won’t interfere with Dox’s plan. I was also confused why Dox seemingly didn’t make any contact with Sylvie after the last episode established that she was going after her. The end of the episode completely falls flat. The TVA being able to prune entire timelines came out of nowhere, and everyone’s horrified reaction at what happened did not have any impact. I’m not sure how this will affect the story at all (what’s stopping more timelines from popping up), and I struggle to believe that the TVA will be so horrified about all this death when they have been killing variants for centuries, which is surely a bigger tragedy to process than this. It also felt redundant to have Sylvie return to the TVA, only to leave again immediately after what happened. I also found the episode’s pacing to be inconsistent. We sped through the opening and ending scenes without giving any context to what was happening, yet we spent an eternity on the Loki/Mobius/Brad storyline. It felt wrong. The Unknown: What will be the consequences of the timeline destruction at the end? Why isn’t OB allowed into the Temporal Loom? Did Miss Minutes change this? Where has Ravonna been found? Best Moment: Mobius and Loki having a heart to heart over pie. It was nice to see Loki diving into Mobius’ psyche to help him process his meltdown against Brad, a nice inversion of season 1. Character of the Episode: Mobius. Conclusion: Loki and Mobius do their best to make this enjoyable, but the episode is weighed down by strange pacing, murky character motivations, and a confusing ending. Score: 55 Summary: Loki is time slipping, constantly jumping uncontrollably between timelines. Mobius and B-15 meet with the TVA judges and convince them to stop killing branched timelines with help from a manic Loki. General Dox doesn’t agree and sends out X-5 to find Sylvie. Mobius takes Loki to Ouroboros (OB) to get help. Mobius and Loki learn that Loki has to prune himself while Mobius uses a Temporal Aura Extractor on the Temporal Loom with risk of death if they fail. Mobius uses the TEA properly but Loki is unable to prune himself in another timeline. However, he is somehow pruned anyways and survives. Meanwhile, Sylvie starts a new life in 1982.
The Good: The time-slipping concept is a lot of fun, and it’s executed well in this episode. It’s simultaneously dramatic and terrifying, while having an amusing comedic timing that works very well. Loki being stuck with this condition immediately gives this season momentum as there is a rush to get him back to normal, and healing him also puts the lives of Mobius and Loki in danger. This makes the premiere episode unexpectedly climactic and intense, and this works to make season 2 immediately exciting and interesting. I really enjoyed the presence of OB, played by the talented Ke Huy Quan. OB is instantly charismatic, and his way of talking is quite funny. He seems like a good addition to the cast while also offering some important information about how the TVA functions with the Temporal Loom. The Bad: This episode missed the mark a few times. There is a lot of scientific mumbo-jumbo thrown into the exposition scenes, which has the unintended side effect of making it hard to engage with the plot since it does not make sense. I’m also quite certain that OB’s explanations will not hold up to scrutiny if you think about it, making the convoluted exposition feel like a plot device whenever I hear it. I enjoy this show’s mix of comedy and drama, but sometimes it was too much. For example, a joke about a random TVA lady overhearing Loki’s crazy explanations breaks my immersion because this is information that Loki and Mobius should be keeping to themselves to prevent a panic; we should not be laughing at the fact that someone else is learning this stuff. The Unknown: Will Mobius talking to OB 400 years ago be an important plot point? How did Loki get pruned? Why was Sylvie there? When did this happen? Loki heard Kang and Ravonna talking? When did this happen? Where is Ravonna? What is Sylvie doing in this new universe? Will Dox find Sylvie? Best Moment: I’ll go with the charm of OB’s introduction. The character is so fun and full of energy, and he plays the role of all-knowing helper very well. Character of the Episode: OB. Conclusion: This was a fine way to start a new season. Things were immediately dramatic and there’s plenty to enjoy here. Score: 66 Summary: Loki is time-slipping uncontrollably and he and Mobius get help from OB, who gives them a task to do to fix him. It works, so Loki and Mobius move on to finding Sylvie, and they interrogate Brad, a TVA hunter who was hunting down Sylvie. They find her and realize that General Dox intends to destroy all the branching timelines, which she does, horrifying everyone. Sylvie agrees to work with them again after this happens. Ravonna and Miss Minutes meet with Victor Timely, a variant of Kang. They are tracked by Loki and Mobius who need Timely's help to fix the Temporal Loom to stop the TVA from being destroyed. The groups all try to get Timely, but Loki and Mobius end up succeeding and bring him back. Ravonna and Miss Minutes return and get Brad on their side after murdering Dox and all of her soldiers. They intercept Timely, but are ultimately defeated. OB explains that Timely needs to correct the Temporal Loom, but they are too late and he dies. The TVA is destroyed and Loki is stuck time-slipping again as he desperately tries to correct the past> Eventually he realizes that he can't save the TVA since this is all predetermined since Sylvie killed He Who Remains. Loki realizes he has to kill her, but he finds a new solution and ends up taking the place of He Who Remains, keeping all the timelines intact while the TVA manage the Kang variants.
The Good: It's clear as day that the second season of "Loki" was the second half of a single story instead of a cash-grab sequel, and I thoroughly appreciate that. The cohesion between seasons 1 and 2 means that the show feels focused, important, and thematically relevant at every turn. When I watched the finale, it felt like the story had been building up to this episode from the very start, developing Loki and destroying the balance of time specifically so that Loki could finally make the benevolent decision to save the world and finally claim the throne he long sought after, even if it was not the throne he had imagined. The storytelling here was exceptional, and it's a big reason why "Loki" is a step above every other MCU TV show. The show develops Loki organically and gives him a wholly unique arc, letting the emotional aspects of the character sink in and hit hard. Season 2 has numerous terrific Loki moments. The highlights have to be his admission that he values his friends and his final conversations with Mobius and Sylvie, leading to his fateful decision. Great character moments that the whole show had been building towards from the beginning. Compared to most Marvel projects, this show has excellent side characters. I'm pleased to say that season 2 does not change that. Mobius was a highlight in season 1, and I'm glad that season 2 did not diminish or simplify the character in any way. Mobius was very well-written in this season as he maintained his usual aloof style while his over-arching story of being scared to find out what his real life was served as an interesting way to explore the character further. The final scene where he looks at his reality is surprisingly beautiful and impactful. I wasn't the biggest fan of Sylvie in season 1, but she is used superbly in this season. I'm thankful that the writers put the romantic aspect of the story away and mostly utilized Sylvie as a wild card, a character who finally achieved her dream but is now willing to do anything to preserve that dream. I'm also pleased that Loki and Sylvie's great debates about the importance of freedom continued into this season, as freedom is a very important theme of the show that is explored in a fairly compelling way. I'm less positive on the Ravonna and Miss Minutes storyline (see: The Bad), but I still appreciate that the show found a good use for the characters, giving them a mostly satisfying conclusion albeit one that felt a bit rushed. Lastly, there's B-15 and Casey, who I enjoyed more this season. B-15 played far too big of a role in season 1 considering how flat of a character she was, but I enjoyed her role in this season. The character has inexplicably had the biggest change of heart since the end of season 1, but the new role suits her better, and I'm glad that she spent most of this season in the background. Casey didn't do much in season 1, but he was pretty fun in this season as somebody who isn't important to the plot and it pretty much just there. He adds a more human element to the wildly sci-fi plot which I appreciate. While the old characters were utilized well, the new ones were the highlight for me. Ouroboros, or OB, was a ton of fun in ever scene he's in. The character is written brilliantly, and his quirky style makes him play the typical role of all-knowing scientist wonderfully well. Ke Huy Quan's performance is what sells the character to me as he brings the role to life with his amusingly straightforward line delivery. Victor Timely was a thoroughly entertaining Kang variant. I was expecting to see a more ruthless and terrifying version of the character in this season, so I was caught off guard by the nervous, stuttering Timely. But I really enjoyed the character and I thought that he added a lot to the show. It was amusing how Timely was such a brilliant mind that was sought out by everyone, but he had next to no physical skills and was left at the mercy of those around him. Yet the character was still a proud, conniving con man who took advantage of situations using his sly nature, which consistently entertained me. I wish there was more of him in the show, but what little we got was entertaining. As for the plot of the show, I had more problems with it this time around (see: The Bad). But that doesn't mean that there aren't aspects that I greatly enjoyed. Season 1 had some brilliant twists and creative episode premises that made the plot so engaging to follow. While season 2 doesn't hit that same level, it still has some truly great aspects. For twists, season 2 has some great highlights like the destruction of the TVA in season As for creativity, the fifth episode, "Science/Fiction" is a very fun episode that turns Loki into a typical 1900s sci-fi flick, which was a lot more entertaining to watch than it should have been. The Bad: This season was not without its flaws, and I took more issues with this one than with season 1. The biggest deterrent for this show is how much sci-fi expositional mumbo jumbo we get. I'm okay with expository dialogue, but when the exposition is just meaningless words that go in one ear and out the other, then it's disengaging me from the story. That's what happens in "Loki" season 2 because the content is so needlessly complex and confusing that exposition is difficult to grasp. Plus, I'm sure that actually thinking about what is being said will only make the story feel more flimsy and half-baked. It's a shame that this type of exposition is all over "Loki" season 2 because the first season was notable in its ability to keep the story grounded. Season 1 handled the concept of the TVA and time travel brilliantly and I was never confused or overwhelmed by the story. I can't say the same about this season, where the main plot is centered around the complex and confusing concept of the Temporal Loom, which is never adequately explained or visualized to us at any point. This season also very clearly did not have as much story as season 1, and some secondary storylines highlight this a lot. The most damning storyline is the one involving Dox, who shows up out of nowhere as a character in this season and offers damn near nothing to the story. Her entire subplot doesn't amount to much more than a convoluted way to have the TVA destroy the branching timelines, a plot point that was ultimately unnecessary in the grander scheme of the show. Furthermore, we spend a ton of time with her and Brad, two characters who did not captivate me. Dox was always half-baked in her morals, and then she has a half-baked character turn before being killed off in an underwhelming matter. Brad is another character who disappointed me. The concept behind the character is great (a disillusioned hunter who went to live his real life), but the show doesn't do enough interesting things with him, and he's not given a proper resolution. While I enjoyed Ravonna's storyline to an extent, I thought that it was resolved far too flippantly and did not have the importance that I thought it would. I was also disappointed by how the TVA reacted to Ravonna, as they never treated her like the major criminal she is supposed to be after season 1. I never found Ravonna to be the most interesting character either, and I was hoping that season 2 would change my mind on her role overall. It did not. The final issue I took with this season concerns character motivations. I enjoy the characters and their personalities a lot, but a lot of their goals left me scratching my head throughout the season. It was never clear what exactly the major characters were after, and this made several dramatic moments fall flat because it was hard to understand why the characters did what they did. A few examples stand out in particular. Loki was hard to connect with until the final two episodes because it was difficult to understand what he hoped to accomplish by saving the TVA and what his overall goal was. Sylvie was similarly difficult to understand because she seemingly only wanted to live in her own timeline, but kept getting involved with the TVA for increasingly unclear reasons. Ravonna and Miss Minutes were especially perplexing because I never knew what they wanted to achieve. Did they want to save the TVA? Destroy the world? Simply create a new Kang? Rule the world on their own? None of this ever became clear, and it affected how I viewed them and their stories. Best Episodes: E01 Ouroboros: The first episode of the season was one of the easiest to wrap my head around: Loki was stuck time-slipping and he and Mobius had to get help from OB, the expert to save him. A simple concept can sometimes lead to very entertaining drama, and that's what happened here. E06 Glorious Purpose: The season finale was a beautiful piece of work, concluding Loki's story and bringing the character full circle in a wildly entertaining and compelling hour of television. Worst Episodes: E02 Breaking Brad: Barring the amusing episode title, this episode doesn't do much for me. Character motivations and plot points are quite confusing, and the show doesn't help itself by moving through the Brad storyline at such a slow pace. E03 1893: This is a fun episode, but it's still hurt by the confusing character motivations. This is especially problematic since the episode is focused on how almost every character wants to find Victor Timely, but without knowing exactly what they have to accomplish it is not as engaging. Character of the Season: Loki. This was his story through and through. Conclusion: In the end, I'm very glad that I watched the second season of "Loki". I've been disillusioned with the MCU for a while now and have grown weary of the constant influx of mediocre TV shows. But amidst all the garbage, "Loki" shines brightly. This show remained creative and unpredictable throughout its run, it had excellent characters and storylines, brilliant visual presentations, and an impactful story with themes I have never seen explored in the MCU before. Sure, season 2 had its fair share flaws and wasn't as well-written or compelling as season 1, but I enjoyed the season overall and I found it to be a great way to conclude "Loki". I hope we see more creative TV shows like this going forwards. Summary: Kendall is working hard to secure votes for the board meeting, while Shiv does the same for Matsson. Kendall and Shiv track down Roman at their mother's house and try to get him to vote. Matsson doesn't want Shiv as CEO and offers the job to Tom. Tom doesn't inform Greg, who tells Kendall about Matsson looking for a CEO. Kendall tells Shiv, who is upset, and the siblings decide to band together to back Kendall and stop Matsson. They share a fun night together in Caroline's house. Shiv learns that Tom is the CEO and she tells him that they have the votes to turn the board meeting in their favour. Tom gets upset with Greg for leaking information. Roman has second thoughts before the meeting but Kendall uses pain to get him back on track. At the board meeting, Shiv ultimately backs out. Kendall and Roman follow her out to discuss and a huge fight breaks out. Shiv thinks Kendall would be a bad leader and cites his killing od Andrew Dodds, but Kendall claims it never happened, alienating his siblings. Shiv votes against Kendall. Tom ends up as the new CEO of Waystar and opts to protect Greg, keeping him close. Roman, now free from the company, goes to a bar. Shiv and Tom continue their relationship. Kendall sits in a park looking out at the water with Colin watching over him.
The Good: I loved almost everything about this. This 90 minute finale told a complete story with one last battle, one last reunion, and one last betrayal in the Roy family, ending the series with what the show does best. In the end, this was always about the relationship between the three siblings, their dysfunction as a family, and their inability to succeed because of who they are and what they represent. This finale explored these ideas masterfully, and ending with the Roys all falling apart and failing spectacularly was truly the only way that this show could have ended. The build-up to all of this was excellent. Roman's breakdown in the last episode was a huge emotional climax for the character, so I like that the episode started with the big question of where Roman was and how he's taking everything. In true "Succession" fashion, the siblings checking in on him mentally quickly turned to political maneuvering as both Kendall and Shiv fought to get Roman on their side. It's an engaging war between Kendall and Shiv, but the show hits us with a major twist as Shiv falls out of the race when Matsson betrays her and hunts down another candidate for CEO. Shiv's slow realization of this, her denial, her frustration, and her despair is portrayed phenomenally. Naturally, Shiv's total defeat allows for Kendall to do his usual thing. Kendall has always been entitled, and he always grabs onto whatever point he can to make himself look good and support his own goals. Here he latches onto Shiv's loss in an effort to promote himself, practically begging his siblings to band together and let him be CEO. And now that both Shiv and Roman have no other recourse, they both agree. What results is one of the most fascinating scenes of the entire show as we see the three siblings supporting each other and being on the same page to for the first time ever. Kendall is so happy because he has always dreamed of his siblings supporting him like this, while Roman and Shiv look so much more in their own element without the burden of trying to fight from below for the CEO position. It's so brutally tragic because the three of them look so happy, and there are genuinely great laughs like the concoction Kendall is made to drink and Roman having a weird sexual experience with Peter's precious cheese. Of course after what happens next, they will almost certainly never interact like this again. It's fitting that the show concludes with a vote at a board meeting, hearkening back to "Which Side Are You On" all the way back in season 1. Back then, it was Roman who stopped Kendall from taking over, and this time it's Shiv. I thought the build-up to this was exceptional with Kendall showing such disgusting traits that make it clear he will just be another Logan, except worse. When Roman expresses doubt, Kendall hurts him, manipulating him to stay by his side in one of the show's darkest scenes. Instead of helping his brother, Kendall enables him because it will work in his favour. Shiv is not so easily pacified, and true to what we've seen from the character, she's observant enough to notice Kendall's disrespectful, flippant, and careless demeanor in a position of power. Shiv recognizes how disastrous it would be if he has power and behaves like this, and this doubt is what leads to her acting against Kendall in the meeting. This doesn't feel cheap because we are shown in advance why Shiv wouldn't be able to handle Kendall taking over, and it is consistent with the behaviour we have seen her exhibit throughout the whole season. Shiv backing out sets up one of the most painful and stunning scenes in the entire show as Kendall, Shiv, and Roman go to the other room to have an intense personal argument (one that is amusingly overheard by everyone in the board room). This scene is downright stomach-churning to watch, with the characters unleashing some fantastic personal jabs and letting emotions run sky-high. Several moments stood out from me from this phenomenal sequence. Shiv saying she can't stomach Kendall is perfect writing because it neatly encompasses her feelings about him from the start. She loves him for sure, but she has never agreed with the way he has done things, and this line perfectly lets out the frustration she has had with him. Kendall's desperation to win her back is fantastically acted, and it leads to him saying something so horribly wrong, and yet I understood why he did it in the moment: Kendall denies his role in killing Andrew, the waiter. Shiv was completely awful to use this against him, but Kendall is so desperate to win her back that he denies it even happening, completely ignorant to realizing how this destroys their relationship. Kendall opening up to them was one of the best moments of the show because of how it strengthened the bond between the siblings, who struggle so much to be real with one another because of the constant competition between them. Revealing that this one intimate moment was a strategic play, even if this is not true, will permanently damage the relationship between these three forever. When Kendall denies it happening, not only does he lose Shiv but he loses Roman too, a tragic mistake that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Another standout moment is Roman telling Kendal that Logan believed his kids to be illegitimate. Kendall's children not being related to him is something that I suspected in the back of my mind for quite some time (just look at Sophie), but I'm incredibly impressed that the writers held out on using this stunning personal jab until the bitter end. It would have been so easy to use this in any earlier argument, but saving this for one final jab makes it so much more devastating. This almost certainly ends the relationship between Kendall and Roman, especially with how Kendall physically attacks Roman right after this. This entire sequence is deeply upsetting and one of the biggest accomplishments of the entire show. This leads me to the conclusion for the three siblings. After all that they have been through, none of them end up as CEO and the company is completely lost to them forever. Shiv is the closest to the company as she's married to the new CEO and pregnant with his child. But they are trapped in a loveless marriage, and the beautiful final scene as Tom and Shiv "hold hands" in the least intimate way imaginable makes it clear that it will be exceedingly difficult and highly unlikely that these two will be able to work through their problems and get something good out of their marriage. Roman is back where he started the series, cut off from the company, a free spirit doing whatever he pleases. His scene in the bar is great as he relishes in his new freedom, but reflects on all that he lost (he's drinking Gerri's signature drink, a beautiful touch). Then we have Kendall, who suffers the most brilliantly tragic fate. That final scene highlights his isolation, and you get the sense that he may have jumped had Colin not been there to watch over him. Jeremy Strong's acting says it all about how lost he feels, and with suicide not happening, Kendall now has to pave a new way forward, one without any connection to his estranged siblings. I also have to mention how much I love the way water has been used as a recurring motif for Kendall. Water is commonly used as a metaphor to indicate Kendall's connection with Waystar Royco, and countless scenes have indicated this (scenes from "Secession" and "Chiantishire" come to mind as examples"). But now that Kendall is no longer with the company, his final scene sees him longingly staring out at the water, a beautiful metaphorical end to this story. I haven't talked about Tom, Greg, and Matsson at all yet, but they had a significant and well written part of this episode. Tom's meeting with Matsson is terrific, and it was great to see how Tom's willingness to be a beta ironically made him a better candidate to become CEO than the drive and motivation of the siblings. His victory was satisfying to watch, and it led to a number of amusing moments. He has some funny scenes with Greg as always. It's beautifully ironic that Tom doesn't tell Greg the news, only for Greg to find out using a Swedish translator (hilarious), that Shiv is out and Matsson is looking for someone else. Then he unintentionally sabotages himself by reporting the information, leading to a hilarious bathroom brawl between Greg and Tom. Thankfully, in parallel to the fight between the siblings, this one is not relationship-ending, and it highlights the genuine bond that we have seen these two develop. As Tom is crowned at the end of the episode, it brings a smile to my face to see him still looking out for Greg and making sure that he is taken care of. For all the spite between him and Shiv, his relationship with Greg has always been far more positive, and I'm glad that these two had a happy ending. Connor in this episode is perfectly representative of his role in this series: he never gets involved, he's just there in the background offering up comedy and serving as a mirror for the siblings. Connor's presence offers this fantastic scene where the siblings get to watch a video of Connor and the other execs spending some quality time with Logan, revealing a side of him that it's clear the siblings never got to experience. They were all too busy fighting each other trying to earn their father's affections, and because of that, they never got to experience the softer side of Logan as much as they should have. All three of them convey the sadness and regret in this scene perfectly. Fantastic acting and storytelling in this scene. The Bad: I wish that Frank had played more of an active role in this final act. Kendall gave him a key offer a few episodes ago, but we never had any follow-up and Frank is now pro-Matsson without any real explanation of his motives. I wish that Frank had been handled better and given more to do in this finale. Another missed opportunity was Lawrence. They brought him up again in this finale, but he remains one of the strangest characters in this show. I wish that the show did more with him and gave him a more active role. In general, I found that a lot of the side characters that weren't directly involved with Waystar were underutilized, with Stewy and Lawrence being standouts. The Unknown: Will Connor keep Slovenia, or will he fade into obscurity once more? Will his marriage with Wylla last? What's next for all the siblings? What will Kendall do next now that he's lost the company? Does he try to commit suicide? Does he find something else to do? Does he ever repair his relationship with his siblings? What's next for Roman? He's a free spirit again, just like he was back in the pilot. What will he do? Will he be able to find his way in the world? I feel like he would be better off than everyone else. Will Tom and Shiv's relationship last? Where will Shiv go with her career? Back to politics? Is Tom going to be a long-term CEO, or will he be replaced soon by Matsson? Best Moment: The ugly spat between siblings at the board meeting was horrific, personal, and hard to watch. It's like a bomb going off. It's scary and disastrous, but you can't help but admire the sheer majesty of it all. Character of the Episode: Kendall. Conclusion: This felt like a grand finale. The extended length, methodical pacing, numerous call-backs, and heavily emotional moments turned this into a genuine epic, closing out "Succession" in a perfect way. Score: 82 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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