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
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Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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