After MM lividly attacks Butcher for blurring their line of morality, the latter responds by calling MM hypocritical.
The disbandment of the team has left Butcher and Hughie as the only two remaining members to try and stop Homelander. ..
Meanwhile, Homelander holds his first board meeting, with the obedient suits there succumbing to his will. Anyone who so much as tries to question his authority are kicked out. These changes ripple all the way down the chain of command, with The Deep made the Head of Crime Analytics. ..
Annie shows up to see Hughie, blaming herself for the death of Supersonic and the spreading of the news. Hughie also breaks the news that Moscow was a complete dead-end and mentions the “little” details including Soldier Boy and temp Compound V.
Annie is worried and shocked after Hughie’s Compound V gig, telling him that she doesn’t want to lose him. ..
Blue Hawk tells A-train that he is sorry for what he has done, but A-train is not satisfied. Blue Hawk wants A-train to give a public apology, but it’s clear that this whole shtick is not what A-train had in mind.
A-Train eventually brings Blue Hawk in with his cameras but A-Train’s brother is livid. He does agree to give him 5 minutes of air-time but Blue Hawk’s speech is disingenuous. Eventually he shows his true side, as the livid public call him out as a racist. ..
Blue Hawk loses his temper and uses his powers of several people, including Nate who is lying face-down on the floor. When Blue Hawk finally leaves, A-Train is shocked and even more so when he learns his brother will never walk again. ..
Maeve arrives at the compound to see Soldier Boy still alive. She also shows him numerous vials of temp Compound V. Despite both of them being sober, they decide to drink together. In doing so, Soldier Boy admits that he wants every single Super to be killed… and then the pair have sex. ..
Nina shows up at the hospital where Kimiko is still recovering. She confronts Frenchie about the collateral damage they’ve caused and tells him he’s going to have to repay that debt to her.
Nina leaves Kimiko and the other students in the dormitory after discovering that Soldier Boy’s powers have done more than knock them down - they’ve effectively taken away their powers completely. Is this how they’re going to defeat Homelander?
He decides to take action and goes on a rampage, killing everyone he comes across. The city is in chaos and the police are struggling to keep up with the onslaught of Soldier Boy. In the end, MM is successful in stopping him and restores order to New York.
Hughie and Butcher show up at the crime scene. Radiation is off the charts, the devastation is unreal and MM showing up, seeing all of this for himself, sees Butcher set up an uneasy alliance with his old partner to take out Soldier Boy. Once that’s dealt with, they can go their separate ways. For good.
The Legend, a former vice president at Vought, has been in contact with Soldier Boy. He is worried that this contact could have negative consequences for both of them. ..
It turns out that the person who was supposed to be covering up what happened to MM’s family is the guy who also has the Crimson Countess’ address.
Maeve is surprised to hear from Homelander and asks what he’s up to. He tells her that he’s been investigating Butcher and how they’re working together. Maeve is interested in what he has to say and asks him about Soldier Boy. Homelander tells her that Butcher has brought him to New York so that they can use him as a tool.
Maeve and Homelander discuss their past together. Maeve admits that she hated him from the beginning and eventually ended up pitying him too. Aa they talk, it’s not Homelander who strikes – it’s Black Noir. He happens to be behind her and pounces.
Elsewhere, Butcher brings MM to his car, where they once more talk about the morality of using temp Compound V. MM refuses to take it, believing this is a recipe for disaster and that they need to draw the line somewhere. As for Hughie and Butcher, they’re going to take this before heading off to see the Countess. ..
Ashley is at a Global Wellness Cenre in Malibu, but Maeve is actually at a nearby resort. The official story is that Maeve is in the middle of a panic attack, but Ashley wants to know the truth. There’s a moment here where Ashley almost speaks out, but given how terrified she is of Homelander, she eventually succumbs to that and refuses to speak out.
The boys eventually show up at Crimson Countess’ trailer, breaking the news to her that Soldier Boy is still alive. It turns out, she knew about that all this time. She’s worried and pleads with them to help, given Soldier Boy is going to kill everyone. Instead, they keep her as bait, ready for Soldier Boy showing up.
As the sun begins to rise, Starlight is unhappy that she was in the dark about this plan. Hughie is determined to try and do his best and save Annie but she’s heartbroken, pointing out that she actually needed the old him – not this new teleporting version of him.
As Butcher begins to drug MM, he leaves him incapacitated and needing to talk with Soldier Boy personally. He offers up the Crimson Countess as a gesture of good faith in exchange for teaming up and taking out Homelander.
As the two soldiers approach H0melander, they see that he has been holding Annie hostage. They decide to fight him, and as they do so, they notice that Hughie is also with them. They all three head off to save Annie, and as they do so, they come across a group of soldiers who are trying to kill them. They manage to defeat the soldiers and free Annie, but as a result, Hughie is captured.
The Episode Review
This week’s episode of The Boys was another great one. Soldier Boy finally joins the fray and team up with Butcher and Hughie to take out Homelander. There are some interesting parallels between Homelander and Soldier Boy, especially the moments involving their lovers telling the monsters that they hate them. That’s definitely a nice touch. ..
The drama spills over to numerous other characters here too, with Frenchie’s situation involving the gang boss Nina, Kimiko no longer sporting powers and the precarious situation inside Vought helping to give this chapter more depth. ..
Seeing Ashley almost open up to Starlight, only to be blinded by her own shock and horror, is a powerful statement and testament to her acting prowess – and Homelander’s power. ..
This season, Antony Starr is by far the standout performer. He has been good in the past, but playing this unhinged version of Homelander, teetering on the edge of insanity, is absolutely gripping to watch. If he doesn’t get an award for this, I’ll be shocked. ..
As we move into the business end of this season now, quite what will happen next is anyone’s guess.
