That's exactly my thoughts...watching each episode one by one, we're subjected to analysis of each one, whether or not it had too much filler, is this season worse than last etc.
Its also a different story...the timeline has moved on, the introduction to this messed up world and the uniqueness of it...its hard to compete with the first season regardless, I'd imagine.
Homelander has a presence, doesn't he? I think he's my favorite too...he's just fucking unhinged...he exudes menace, but it masks a crippling insecurity that serves to make him that much more on edge. Yeah he's an amazing character that owns every scene he's in...the guy can act the part, right??
Stormfront is my second favorite, I'd say...she's evil as hell, but also razor sharp, she's way intelligent and that adds to her creepiness. Also strangely charismatic...I can't help but enjoy her complexity...she's funny, almost charming.
Yep, I wanted that scene to be real too...it'd have thrown the series in a whole other direction and showed that they're not afraid to mix things up. That being said, its not like we really need confirmation on that, the show is mesmerizing as hell, but that'd have been above and beyond going there already.
Haha yeah liked that line too.
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Iffy762 (1334)
4 years ago
I really like Homelander as a character. By which I mean, I hate him. He's such a great villain. I agree that this actor is perfect for the part.
I think the first season of any show is going to have the most novelty for the audience, because you don't know what the show is about, yet. Are the Seven good or bad? What is the deal with Elisabeth Shue's character? Is Billy Butcher just a meanie or is there a reason he's so grumpy all the time? By the end of the first season, the major game pieces are on the table, and you know what kind of show you are watching. By the end of the first season, I had worked out that every episode will have at least one extremely gory death. That is the show's version of "fun."
In general, I avoid shows with a lot of gore, so The Boys is not the kind of show I would generally watch. But I think it's actually a show with a good story theme so I'm willing to stick with it, for now. I like that they are skewering some of the superficial practices that seem to pass for Christianity in our culture (which many serious Christians recognise as pseudo-theology and disapprove for the same reasons as the show), so I'm willing to accompany them on that storytelling path for now. It's a bit strange to see Christianity addressed at all in a modern tv show, but I think that the way they are doing it fits with the moral questions in the show and with the theme of monetised "feel good" entertainment morality as an empty and corrupting imitation of true morality.
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Jehosaphet (1063)
4 years ago
You think they're skewering Christianity? I haven't given it much thought really, but it seemed like Scientology to me for some reason. Maybe it was the whole way they went about getting the celebrity endorsement, but I'm glad they went there...I kinda enjoy seeing religion of any sort skewered a little. So much to explore there, you know?
Yep, my thoughts exactly on the first season, very well put.
OHH you're talking about capes for Christ, huh, not the Deep arc...
Yeah, they absolutely nailed it...I forgot all about that! Stargirl crucified the concept in that speech of hers, pardon the pun...that was some truth right there, I don't care what religion you are!
"An empty and corrupting imitation of true morality"...that's way poignant...and so very true. What a way to put it.
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Iffy762 (1334)
4 years ago
I am fairly religious so I don't necessarily appreciate it when religion is skewered, but it depends on how it's done. I tried The Real O'Neals which was supposed to make fun of Catholicism and I found it to be superficial. The main couple was getting divorced, and they both immediately started talking about dating new people, without seeming to notice that might be a problem for Catholics. The writers just completely failed to understand or make use of the thematic base from which all their conflict was supposedly generated. If you're going to offend an entire religion, at least offend them in an interesting way!
I liked Starlight's background with the Christian youth group thing (sorry, that is not a culture I grew up with so I don't know all the lingo). The vapidness of how youth are taught Christianity nowadays is actually something that bothers many serious Christians, so Starlight's concerns resonate with me! I'm curious to see where the series goes with it. If they can state something true about how moral rules should be constructed, then that will be really interesting. We'll see.
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Iffy762 (1334)
4 years ago
Another thing that was interesting was the Supers (including Starlight) who were told that their superpowers were a gift from God, and then found out that they came from Compound V. That was a terrific writerly reverse because it immediately forces each young person who has superpowers (Starlight, in short) to confront the question of whether anything about their faith is real, as well as question the assumption that superpowers are necessarily a sign of goodness, vs just another arbitrary genetic feature (enhanced by pharmaceuticals). So I think that goes to the thematic element in the show where Supes are shown as beautiful and good, and their images are carefully crafted to make them look beautiful all the time, because their whole business model depends on convincing the public that if something is beautiful and powerful and gets lots of likes on social media, then it must be good. And then the question is, how do you know what is good?
There is a lot in here to be examined and it's really timely.
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