We live in a world where power is down to money or politics, only dreaming of obtaining this power through hard work or multiple lottery tickets. But in the worlds of fantasy power can come in the form of superheroes, fighting crime and saving the day for regular folk like you and me. This has led to our superhero culture, idolising those who can save the day with super strength, speed, and a series of other powers. This is always a fantasy though and rarely do we perceive superhero’s as characters that can be corrupted by the wants and needs of real life.
Well, almost all shows perceive that fantasy, Amazon's Original series “The Boys”, based on the comics with the same name, takes a different perspective. Showing Superheroes as both corrupt and easily manipulated by corporations, The Boys flips the script and pits some of the strongest and most corrupt superheroes against a team of humans who hold grudges over the sups.
Jumping into season 3 we join Butcher and his team after a period of peace, with many mysteries still in play from season 2. Season 3 ultimately proves to be the most ambitious and interesting season yet, introducing the factor of temporary superpowers to the world.
Starting off on what is a cushioned introduction into the lives of Hughie and Starlight, now dating and working in their respective fields. All seems to be well in their lives as they spend their days and nights in the spotlight together, Starlight standing within ‘The Seven’ and Hughie playing as the watchdog over Butcher's boys. The Boys, now down to 4 members, spend their time reeling in supes who abuse their powers at the cost of human lives. This culminates with an opening episode that leads to blood, coke and more blood covering multiple returning characters.
As the series unfolds, we see characters such as Homelander become increasingly unhinged and unnerved by the pressure of being at the top. With the introduction of Jensen Ackles as the war-torn hero ‘Soldier Boy’ returning with a vendetta against his old team. We get to view the anxiety and worries of many characters until they all arrive on screen for an action-packed finale.
Season 3 does an incredible job of breaking the toughest characters down under the pressures of the situation, allowing them to come to terms with who they truly are. MM struggles with the anger of not being with his family and being a single parent. Also Grappling with the return of soldier boy, who was the cause of his grandfather’s death and eventually also his father.
We see Homelander lose Stormfront, and be confronted with the shocking news of his lineage, which also leads to his discovery of his ally’s keeping secrets from him. We also see Butcher grapple with the events of the last season, finally losing his wife and having to move on, keeping his promise to raise her son, and also dealing with his general actions caused by his abusive passed.
Season 3 blows the heads of our main cast wide open (not literally) giving further depth to their character arcs and connecting with the viewers on a real human level. This coupled with the humour the series is known for, the prime example being the mid-season episode of ‘Herogasm’. We get the grossness, gore and humour that the series is known for, but we also delve into the history between characters that lead to many of the fights within the series.
Hughie, now sporting superpowers in various episodes due to Temp-V, is able to hold his own in fights with supes, even helping to pin down Homelander in a brawl with Butcher and Soldier Boy. This season oozes growth, and the road all these characters go down to get there is a truly entertaining one.
Finally, I have to mention the obvious leap up in effects on this show, as we get to see a lot more because of Temp-V. The Power-on-Power tussles are spectacular in both choreography and writing.
The effects of powers, destruction and even animated woodland characters (stay with me) is truly breathtaking.
This series has been known for next-level effects that stand out to the level that movies now provide, but when thrown in with the characters, the story and everything else that makes this show what it is. I truly can’t see many shows that top it.
The Boys Season 3 is a spectacular time, growing the cast both big and small in body and mind. Very few shows have the same kind of tenacity that this show has, having a similar vibe that the animated series ‘Invincible’ has, but with far more sinister and real-world experiences. This season is a must-watch for fans, and the show is a must-watch for anyone with amazon prime.
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