To say the first three episodes of season 3 are “shocking” is an understatement.
Things are looking particularly bright for Hughie (Jack Quaid), and boy does he deserve it.
It’s nice to see Hughie happy and… notcovered in blood for once.
Jack Quaid’s Hughie in ‘The Boys’ season 3.Amazon Prime
But in the world ofThe Boys, good things don’t last.
But it’s not just Homelander’s professional life that’s in shambles.
But Butcher’s not just visiting Ryan for some daddy/son time.
Karl Urban and Antony Starr.Amazon Studios
He’s got business to take care of.
How exactly was Soldier Boy killed?
Suspicious, Hughie follows him through the streets as Tony’s confronted by Neumann in a secluded back alley.
MM (Laz Alonso), Hughie (Jack Quaid), and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) assemble in ‘The Boys’ season 3.Amazon Studios
Nadia blows him to smithereens spattering blood all over Hughie’s new suit.
Because what would an episode ofThe Boysbe without Hughie drenched in someone else’s blood?
So… Homelander’s losing his mind.
Jessie T. Usher as A-Train.Amazon Prime
Hughie’s fetching oat lattes for a mass murderer.
Butcher’s trapping evil superheroes in bags of cocaine.
Damn I’ve missed this show.
Chace Crawford as The Deep.Amazon Prime
Well, at least it’s the day the marketing team selected for his birthday.
But this year… things are changing.
The days of Homelander doing whatever the hell he wants seem to be over.
Erin Moriarty as Starlight on ‘The Boys’.Amazon Prime
And, naturally, he’s not too happy about it.
Meanwhile, we find Billy Butcher struggling with a difficult decision.
For now, Butcher can’t bring himself to take the serum.
Not a great omen for his b-day.
Instead, Gunpowder tries to murder Butcher in the parking lot after the convention, and nearly succeeds.
Butcher’s at rock bottom.
He’s tried to do things by the book, to no avail.
Hughie, it seems, has accepted that they’ll never take down Vaught playing by the rules.
It’s there that Soldier Boy was killed, though Gunpowder has no idea how it happened.
But there’s one person who might know: Payback’s CIA handler and Butcher’s mentor Grace Mallory.
Back in the world of Vaught, there’s a bunch of super-powered shenanigans going on.
Homelander’s “birthday save” is interrupted by the news that Stormfront has died by suicide.
Done following the rules.
Hiding who he truly is.
Done pretending he’s anything other than a literal god among men.
Contradicting his signature catchphrase, Homelander tells the audience: “You’re not the real heroes.
I’m the real hero.”
Episode 3: Barbary Coast
Homelander’s polls have skyrocketed!
But Homelander’s got other plans for his squad.
Homelander wants supes he can control, so he’s working to get The Deep back on the team.
But before he extends the invite, he’ll need a show of loyalty.
So Homelander takes The Deep to dinner.
For The Deep’s entree, Homelander brings out Deep’s octopus pet and close friend Timothy.
It’s… quite a scene.
Starlight asserts her newfound authority over Homelander, but he won’t back down.
Historically, this threat has proven effective in controlling Homelander… but no more.
“Release the video,” Homelander insists.
He’ll lose everything, sure, but then… he’ll have nothing to lose.
Supersonic considers her proposition… but ultimately decides to join up.
His choice isn’t driven by ego or ambition.
And so the love triangle between Hughie, Starlight and Supersonic heats up in a big way.
In the ensuing firefight, Mallory’s entire team was killed, along with Soldier Boy.
Naturally, Little Nina wants Cherie dead, and she wants Frenchie’s help to do it.
However, Butcher’s story in this episode is not all butterflies and rainbows.
In the climax of the prior episode, he injected himself with V-24 for take on Gunpowder.
This upsets Ryan, who’s grown attached to Butcher, and doesn’t want him to go.
After a moment of shock, Starlight goes with it, kissing Homelander to maintain her cover.
So… the Boys are going to Russia.
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