The Boys
Superheroes. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear that word? I think of Marvel, the MCU, and the cast of characters that make up a saga of films spanning over 10 years and with no end in sight. Maybe for some of you it’s the same answer, or you go in the direction of DC Comics with characters such as Batman and Superman. There’s no right answer as in today’s superhero media empire there’s more than enough choices. Perhaps that’s why it took me so long to consider a show like The Boys, an Amazon Prime based on a comic of the same name. More superheroes? And not even ones I’ve ever heard of? That’s a hard pass from me. As it turns out, this may be one of the most realistic representations of how living with super-powered beings would actually be, and it’s all the better for it.
Something the MCU has done over the years is develop a culture and format for their films that can’t be matched by other studios (I’m looking at you, first 5 years of DCEU). The truth of the matter that there’s nobody better at created stories in a lighthearted manner than Marvel. But, let’s think about the feasibility of the MCU for a moment. If superheroes were to be real in some way shape or form, do we believe everything would be just joyous and there’d be no issues other than the occasional villain attack ending with New York City or -insert any famous monument here- destroyed? In Captain America: Civil War, the true cost of these heroes and the destruction that follows them was shown. It was refreshing and helped delve into a part of these heroes we tend to push under the rug. But, it was only one film and was barely scratching the surface of a topic prime for harvesting.
The Boys starts off with a bang, introducing us to a multitude of major players. The very first scene, in fact, sets the tone perfectly. A robbery in progress is stopped by a Superman-like being: Homelander, an American icon who dons a well textured blue costume with an American Flag draped down his back; and a generic brand Wonder Woman: Queen Maeve. After the criminals are dealt with Homelander poses for pictures with two boys who were used as a stick up.
Just when you think everything is normal: one criminal’s body comes hurdling back to Earth after being thrown into the sky, landing on a parked vehicle behind them exploding into a million pieces. The best part of this? Nobody even bats an eye at this event. All the cards are on the table for those dark interests you’ve wanted to see from superheroes since they're popularity has skyrocketed. It’s an incredible first impression only enhanced by the even more important second scene. That’s where we’re introduce to our friendly neighbor nobody named Hughie. Walking with his girlfriend on the sidewalk, Hughie is presenting exposition into their relationship as he discusses his interest in moving in together. But, just when things seem to be going fairly well for him, his girlfriend disintegrates into a cloud of blood. Face to face with another super: A-Train, the fastest man alive, Hughie realizes what has occurred.
Superheroes in this universe are under different organizations, making films and having their every actions chosen and determined by algorithms to get the most hits on social media. Homelander, Queen Maeve, and A-Train are all members of a team of superheroes known as “The 7,” a sponsored group ran by the Vought Corporation. And it just so happens that they’re about to introduce a new member: Starlight, a wide-eyed 20-something girl who thought her trials and tribulations were about to end.
Everything described above happens in the first five minutes of the pilot, and really sets up the plot effectively in a way I wasn’t expecting. It’s not told in a completely dark manner as it may sound though, as there’s quite a good amount of comedic bits included, making for a unique mixture of tones. I would venture as far as to call it a dark dramedy, as it knows when to be serious and when to be comedic. The best moments of the season often result from this dichotomy of tones and styles.
The Boys does something few others shows manage to: making all of their main characters interesting. It finds a way to go back and forth between humanizing and showing the dark sides of nearly every single character. There wasn’t ever one good and bad guy throughout the story, but you know the characters you’re supposed to root for. Starlight, the budding new superhero is one of the few exceptions to this rule, in that she’s portrayed to have a tenderness the others do not, as result my immediate worry was that she would be one note, but there’s so much depth and scene work given to Erin Moriarty, the actress behind Starlight, that you really get invested in her story and actively root for her.
Visually, The Boys once again throws everything at you. Sometimes so much so that it almost feels like it’s over the top at times. Being that Homelander is most definitely a carbon copied Superman, he has laser eyes that are used to full effect throughout the show. These eyes present one of the best examples of my point where, when the lasers hit human bodies, they separate and burst with blood. While it’s not that specific action that feels overdone, it’s often that the blood that comes out looks more liquid than you would anticipate. But, it’s only a minor concern when the majority of the rest of the effects are down right gorgeous. Along with that, the set designs, costumes, and overall look of the show match really well and fit with the themes and tones of the characters and their situations. For example, anything with Hughie usually exhibits much darker and grayer tones to show his mental descent into anger, while Starlight’s hopefulness is represent by more vibrant colors. Overall, I think something that I noted almost immediately is that it feels like the art department took a page out of Zac Snyder’s art book, and runs with it.
When thinking about this show as one large package, it definitely stands up there with some of the best superhero television that has ever hit the small screen. Something about the way the story is told in such a matter of fact way, but handled with such nuance is a testament to the skill of those performing, and those behind the camera. At times the writing may not be doing the characters enough justice, but overall it makes up for that with a thrilling introduction and conclusion. Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Jack Quaid, and Erin Moriarty are an incredible core to build around; and I can only hope for even better (and bloodier) moments from The Boys when it inevitably returns for it’s second season.
