In Review: The Boys (S3 – EPs 1,2 & 3) ‘Payback’, ‘The Only Man in the Sky’ and ‘Barbary Coast’

Synopsis: The Boys are back! It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into the Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first Superhero: Soldier Boy.

The Story

After a little over a year since last seeing our favorite anti-heroes. The Boys are back! But much has changed. However, some things have stayed the same. It’s been over a year since Homelander and Billy Butcher last fought and Vought the corporation that controls the Superheroes has been attempting to clean up its image. Helping with that and thinking that he can change things for the better from within is Hughie. As for Butcher and Frenchie. They are still working for the CIA. However Mothers Milk has left the team in an attempt to be there for his family, but settling down is proving quite difficult for him.

A New Mystery

When word gets out about the suspicious way in which Soldier Boy. The leader of the original Seven died. Billy, Frenchie, and the team begin to look into it. But Billy has been dosing himself on Compound V in order to give himself an edge in fighting the supes and his erratic behavior isn’t going unnoticed by his team or his young son.

Meanwhile, within the confines of Vought. Starlight has been made joint leader of The Seven alongside Homelander. However, when Homelander speaks his truth to America his approval rating goi up with the audience and the adulation goes to his head. So much so, that when Starlight threatens to release a tape of him letting innocent people die on a flight. Homelander calls her bluff and says if she releases it. He will just do what he wants to anyway.

Things get even more difficult for Starlight when Homelander brings The Deep back into the team.

The Acting

Karl Urban continues to absolutely kill it as Billy Butcher the leader of The Boys. Likewise, Antony Starr continues to do a fantastic job of depicting Homelander who becomes more and more unhinged in each episode. The scene where he calls Starlight’s (Erin Moriarty) was absolutely terrifying. So much so that I think UK Tourist will be likely looking to steer clear of New York. At least until Homelander is done with it.

We also get great performances from Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara as the relationship between Frenchie and Kimiko continues to evolve. We get a fun scene in episode two in which Kimiko asks Frenchie if they can go on a rollercoaster while they are researching Soldier Boy in a theme park. Unfortunately, they get hit with a different kind of rollercoaster when they have a bit of a tussle with one of the supes they are trying to pump for information. 

Overall

These opening three episodes continue the madness and mayhem that we have all come to know and love from this series. Homelander is as selfish and nuts as ever and the only two characters that are even close to sane Hughie and Starlight continue to figuratively tap dance across landmines in order to stay alive.

The mystery surrounding Soldier Boy and his potential connection to a weapon that can kill supes is a fun one. As are the flashback sequences we see in episode three in which we learn that Billy Butcher’s handler is not as by the book as she has been made out to be.

Overall. Its going to be interesting seeing where the story goes from here.