Martin Carr reviews the fifth episode of The Boys season 1…
Things were never going to improve for anyone. Whether enhanced or otherwise this situation is messed up and groundwork is being laid for things to get considerably worse. Whether we are talking evangelical crowdfunded retreats, bible bashing brow beatings or messianic figureheads losing perspective The Boys is far from finished. Publicised porpoise bumper fodder, a little light sexual blackmail and some subtle graveside vandalism demonstrates that redemption is in short supply.
Suddenly everything is personal. Hughie might have been left holding the severed arms of his girlfriend but Frenchie, Butcher and Mother’s Milk carry their own crosses. Something is slowly being uncovered between Homelander and Stillwell which is not only hard to stomach but deeply sordid. Forget the head crushing cunnilingus or body morphing congressional honey trap this is inching into the arena of Oedipus. Queen Maeve’s little peccadillos are small potatoes in comparison to the A-Train debacles, elastic Ezekiel’s after dark diversions or even Vought’s manipulation of political policy.
We get more Butcher backstory, more narrative progression between Hughie and Starlight not to mention the softer side of these mismatched mercenaries thrown in. Right now Butcher and company represent the beating heart of The Boys as Vought has slowly screwed up everyone else. Aside from a segue involving incubators, heavy artillery and laser beam babies Good For The Soul is a dark little character piece. Christian summer camps, religious awakenings and evangelical money making might be under examination, but ultimately Butcher’s boys offer up perspective.
Elsewhere the cracks are beginning to open up as these Seven reach boiling point. For some it’s time for a confessional while others seek solace from old friends. There is such a seedy vibe to The Boys that choosing a side, laughing out loud or feeling upset is somehow inappropriate. In this world, with these characters there is no black and white just shades of grey. Any honour exists only amongst thieves as agendas are rife, collateral damage a tactical necessity and seemingly everything else is expendable.
Rarely has a series come crashing into the public consciousness with such confidence and no small amount of bravado. From Karl Urban down there is a sense of belief in the material which adds an authenticity to the end product. Kripke, Rogen and Goldberg have given us a hard R rated social conscience dramedy which refuses to scrimp on anything. Comic book tongue in cheek it may be but character drives this hybrid and never employs a heavy hand to make the point. No wonder Amazon greenlit a second season before showing us a frame of footage.
Martin Carr
