Darkly humorous, bloody and gratuitously violent superheroes. The opening few seconds will have you laughing one minute to suddenly reaching for the sick bucket the next, and if not, a later ‘private show and don’t tell’, certainly will. The Boys, based on the comic creation of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, provides a viewpoint of what if super-abled people actually existed – but weren’t led by the highly moral compass of traditional heroes? From this premise comes The Seven, and just like DC’s Justice League or Marvel’s Avengers they each have their own skill set, spandex, capes etc, but when the cameras aren’t rolling, they’re anything but the heroes they portray.
The series has several main characters, but primarily focuses on two of them; Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Annie aka Starlight (Erin Moriarty). Both are idealistic, kind, and want the world to be a better place, and are/were huge fans of The Seven, and this is where they come to exist at polar ends. For Annie aka Starlight has just become one of The Seven, and is therefore super-abled, while Hughie is a quiet hardworking-citizen who suddenly gets pulled into wanting to destroy them.
How does this all begin? Not as you’d expect, in fact throw any expectations you have right now out of the window. For a start, Hughie is beyond timid for this harsh world and as his dad later says; “you don’t have the fight, you never have.” But he’ll soon have a crash-course on this thanks to the insane tutorings of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) – a top-of-the-line revenge-seeker (and ex-CIA agent) who’s riddled with hate for The Seven, and who along with his team of ‘The Boys’ – recruited arms-dealers, muscle-bound agents, one scary girl, and a secret “boss” of sorts – are set on taking them down. But it’s not just The Seven they want, they’re also after the company behind them – Vought, who may just pose a bigger threat than the “Superheroes” they employ. Infused with personal grudges (that may just set them back) ‘The Boys’ are determined to bring down Vought and their regime of superheroes, despite the fact they’re outnumbered and outpowered – meaning it’s not really a fair fight – but it’s one they’re determined to have.
So, a little about The Seven – first the worst of them (and Billy’s arch-nemesis) is their leader; Homelander (Antony Starr) whose powers are like Superman’s, while to all outward appearances he presents the morals of Captain America – but behind his mask of pure smiles, dimples, blonde hair and blue eyes he’s a psycho with powers – having no issue in killing hundreds. The other Seven in comparison are just narcistic, self-interested, drug-addicted, sex-offenders and again have no issue squashing anyone who stops them from getting what they want. Those that try to make a difference in The Seven – of which there are two, Starlight and Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) – are put down, threatened and told to just simply stand and look pretty, for it’s a boy’s club after all.
The Seven however aren’t the only super-abled people (although they’re treated like Gods in comparison to the rest) who abuse their powers whether for greed, survival or to seek better endorsements. The only traditional comic book superherois Starlight who’s dreamed of being in The Seven since attending her first “super-pageant”. But when she has her big audition for a place in The Seven, she’s made to twirl around, give her weight, and only right at the end display her powers. Because for this company of superheroes, image is everything, and they’ll do anything to protect their products. It’s a money-making world after all, and so ironically they make Starlight act out the hero she wants to be, while increasingly putting her into tinier outfits with more sex appeal – a comment maybe to Hollywood? In addition, they turn a blind-eye to blatant issues of sexual harassment until forced to deal with it – again another hint? Eventually Starlight becomes disillusioned with The Seven (it takes longer than you’d think) and at her lowest point who should she meet but Hughie. Although they’re set on slightly different paths; to take down all superheroes/to wanting to become one, and as such they’re set to either bump heads or join forces. What’s most interesting however is that Hughie and Starlight provide the perspective of two good people going down different routes and seeing how this dark, dirty world will stain them.
The sub-context and themes in The Boys are highly relevant in today’s setting; not just with the overtly forced sex-appeal and abuse, but also the lure and addiction of drugs (though these drugs are not like anything else), the social-commentary on diversity and racism, the pressure of expectations, advantageous-seeking religious icons and finally commercial capitalism – in this case what’s to be gained in selling Superheroes, especially in merchandising. In essence everything is false, leaving an all too bitter taste from its sugar-covered-media.
The show also highlights first-world profitability, in this case America has something the rest of the world doesn’t – all the supers! Yep they’re all American (kind-of). The reason for this is made clear, as is the viewpoint of us and them – the them being anyone who stands against America, or more accurately against Vought and their Seven. Definitely some socio-political commentary here.
The Boys is filled with a cast too perfect to be true, I mean it even has Simon Pegg! The characters are real; the supers having never felt so grounded – people aren’t perfect, so why would they be? Granted these supers are closer to the criminals they put away, but it’s nice to see a change on the idolised hero. In fact, in this show everyone is selfish, and self-preservation is key to their survival, imperfection a way of life, and there’s no clean-cut heroes. So what makes the good stand apart from the really bad? It’s that they recognise their errors (some albeit reluctantly) and are trying to do the right thing, even if they’re not sure what it is.
In regards to seasons, the first sets a tone that’s disturbing, full of possibilities, whilst being laced with a healthy dose of terror at the capability of those with power. The second season is just as binge-watchable, but the first few episodes feel grotesque and extreme, just for the sake of it. More is less in this case. However, it still keeps its unpredictable nature and delves a bit more into the character’s personas, with a new edition raising the show’s tension and introducing a sense of danger that could be directed at anyone. It’s dark humour from the first season returning at a later stage in the second, as seen in its comments on false representation – especially in creating the perfect image of diversity “…research shows that two feminine women in a relationship sends a problematic message…Americans are more accepting of gays when they’re in a clear-cut gender role relationship” aka one of the women has to dress as ‘a lesbian Ken doll’. A not too subtle metaphor to today’s “polishing” media. The show’s well-scripted lines creating a chance for you to relook at the entertainment industry and question whether this newfound diversity is as real and true as they state.
Meanwhile for season three, The Boys employ an ingenious marketing strategy by extending its world of commercialism, social media culture and fake news, by creating and releasing Vought’s own YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/voughtintl/featured – it even does a spin doctor take on what’s gone before in the series, adding to its satirical nature. If you have the time these are well worth checking out. The season itself jumps straight in with the can’t look at the screen, but can’t look away nature it creates, you’ll either love it or hate it. The characters meanwhile explore the limits they’ll go to, making the line between good versus evil a bit more blurred, for is it justified to do bad acts if it stops bad people? Threats are raised, new characters are introduced – some lasting longer than others – while Kimiko (one of the boys) provides a beautiful side avenue of music, action, hope and sadness. Played by the talented Karen Fukuhara, Kimiko is really given a chance to show her different dimensions this season and it’s captivating.
The Boys is a series of supervillains portrayed as the good guys, and the good guys are a dysfunctional team that you expect to die at any time. But it will be one hell of a riotous party of doom and destruction until then.
Creator: Eric Kripke
Other notable works:
- Timeless 2016-2018
- Supernatural 2005-2020
Based on comic series The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
