The Boys Season 3 Review – Poke The Bear, Cross the Line

In the superhero-filled world we live in right now, we absolutely need a show like The Boys. Why? Because while it’s grotesque, incredibly violent and provocative and all the other M-rated words you can put into it, it’s still a story about characters. About a world that is dang similar to ours (sans superheroes of course) that it hurts to watch because you can see all the parallels. And yet, we need to see those parallels else we’ll never get better. So as this The Boys Season 3 Review shows you, the show knows how to toe the line, and show the characters crossing them to try and get what they want…with very fair and appropriate mixed results.

A small recap, at the end of Season 2, Ryan (the son of Homelander and Billy Butcher’s wife, Becca) unleashed his powers on everyone and the result nearly killed Stormfront, and did kill Becca. Butcher took Ryan to the protection of the CIA (via Grace Mallory) and vowed to protect him. Homelander was left broken. Hughie decided to work with Victoria Neuman…who we found out to be the “head popper” and all seemed right with the world…yeah, it wouldn’t last.

…though ironically, it almost did. One of the highlights of this season was the one-year time jump where we saw (albeit briefly) that things WERE going the way one would expect in a superhero show. Hughie’s work with Victoria Neuman was going well and as they noted, superhero “incidents” were down 60% thanks to them putting them to task. The Boys were still together, but as more of a regulation force and Billy Butcher himself was doing his best to be a better man both for himself, and for Becca. Homelander was unhinged, but he was being controlled. Starlight was getting the highest approval ratings ever. Mother’s Milk is spending time with his family once again, and life…was good…until the truth started to come out and a series of wobbling dominos fell down to reveal that in the world where Vought still controls most of everything…peace can’t happen for long unless certain measures are taken.

And that was arguably the theme of this season. “How far is far enough to get what you need done?” This wasn’t just a question asked by Homelander, but Hughie too. Because after witnessing Victoria Neuman as the head popper personally, his dreams of doing things “the right way” are gone. Even as Butcher is confessing to him that he wants to do better…Hughie admits that “he was right” and that they need to do things “his way” in order to win, because bad guys don’t play fair…so why should they?

Thus begins a season-long trek for answers, brutality, and a deep insight into what it means to “be a man”.

No, really, this season of the show perfectly dives into the topic of “toxic masculinity” via characters like Hughie, Soldier Boy, and even Butcher and Homelander. Because each of them have a different definition of “strength” and how it is meant to be used and should be used. And it almost kills all of them. For example, Hughie in this season starts out loving how Starlight is the stronger of the two. He has a superhero girlfriend, what more could he ask for?

A lot, apparently. Because as the season goes on, and he starts to see the “walls of evil” close in, he feels he HAS to get stronger via the new compound “Temp V” in order to “save Annie”. He’s almost driven by the stereotype that he HAS to save her because THAT is how it’s supposed to be. HE is the one meant to be protecting HER, not the other way around. Given how Hughie is, at first this seems laughable, but when you see it unfold? It’s tragic, and heartbreaking, and something that definitely has been personified in the internet age by MANY men out there saying that “strong women aren’t beautiful”. Hint: they are, get over yourselves.

How Hughie and Annie deal with this throughout the season is great, and while they do end up back together again at the end, it’s because of very honest conversations and evaluations, including a moment I didn’t see coming where Hughie admits that his dad was “so strong” for the simple reason that he was there when Hughie needed him…even though his dad was “broken” inside because of his wife (Hughie’s mom) leaving them. That is strength, the strength to be there for those who need you…something Billy Butcher still needs to learn.

Make no mistake, if it wasn’t for Anthony Starr, Karl Urban would be the best actor on this show because he’s just SO GOOD at playing the deplorable Billy Butcher. Remember, he made a promise to his…let’s just say “complicated” step-son in Ryan, and yet because of his own views on things, he decides that the best thing for Ryan is to be away from him, and kill Homelander at all costs. Including taking the superpower drug Temp V in order to level the playing field. As he tells Mother’s Milk, he’s not worrying about crossing lines because, “I ain’t drawing no lines…”

His further fall from grace is honestly a wonder to behold, because you truly wonder if he’s going to pull out, or be forced to pull out, and in the end…it was a bit of both. And as is appropriate for a character like Butcher, his actions have cost him even more than ever before. The Boys themselves are done with his “rule” over them, Ryan has chosen Homelander over him, and now…he’s dying. But you can believe that The Butcher ain’t going to die before he kills as many supes as possible…some things never change.

Speak of which, let’s talk about Homelander. Before I binged the season, Kevin Smith made a note that actor Anthony Starr should get an Emmy for his portrayal of Homelander in this season. I totally agree. Because Starr’s performance this year as the “literally unhinged and unchained” Homelander is great. His “You’re not the real heroes, I’m the real hero” speech was chilling, especially since he wasn’t yelling for key parts of it.

Add to that, just about everything he wanted, he got. He wanted to be free of Vought’s chains, he got that. He wanted to rule Vought, he got that. He wanted Ryan, he got him. Even when it seemed like he was about to fail and lose and die…he came out arguably stronger than ever. He’s the most compelling villain in superhero media right now by a large margin, and you’re desperate to know what happens to him in the end. But more than that, there are moments when Starr plays Homelander with such perfection that for those briefest of moments…you felt bad for him…and then he does something to make himself even eviler than before and you’re like, “Yep, I hate him.” That’s what makes him so great. He can’t be redeemed, and to him he’s the hero in his own story, “I’m the real hero.”

But now, let’s talk about the key new addition to the series: Soldier Boy. If you don’t know by now, the TV show has differed HEAVILY from the comics, and Soldier Boy is one of the biggest examples of that. Much of what you see in this season with Soldier Boy isn’t what happens in the comics. But that arguably makes it all the cool. They do a slow burn approach with him. First teasing him, then building him up via flashbacks and newspaper clippings, and so on. So when he does arrive, and his impact is felt, you start to wonder how things will end with him…and it’s compelling to say the least.

Mainly because Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester himself) was the perfect choice for the character. He plays the “man out of time” with the right mix of bravado (as unearned as it is in this characters’ case), intensity, and yet, fragility. A key scene in the final episode about father’s showcased how even at his worst…Soldier Boy can’t fully be blamed for who he is. He’s the product of his father, or lack thereof. Just like Billy. Just like Homelander. These three had their stories interwoven together so beautifully that when they clash at one another (multiple times) it’s a lot of fun. I honestly wish we could’ve gotten more of Ackles’ character because he was just so good.

Not that the other characters weren’t given their due, because they were. Character both good and evil were given time to shine. Frenchie and Kimiko went through multiple ups and downs as their questions about their pasts and their “inner darkness” was wonderfully handled for the most part. We learned that the reason Mother’s Milk is in The Boys in the first place is because of Soldier Boy killing his grandfather (among others). A-Train dealt with the inability to use his speed and the things he SHOULD’VE focused on as a member of The Seven, but now can’t because of his own actions. Starlight and Maeve both struggled with their positions in The Seven and how to get rid of Homelander, and we even learned the true origins of Black Noir! Which was also very different from the comics, including his death.

And of course, we got the very poignant political commentary about what The Boys world is…and how alike it is to our own. There were references to Trump, January 6th, there was an almost shockingly timed reference to the NRA and the events of Uvalde (in terms of gun control and people “needing more guns” and even kids using guns) and so on. Many people will harp on these as bad things, but when it’s a fair depiction of events (for better and for worse), that makes them needed. And we should be grateful that a show like The Boys is willing to do all of this instead of just making “another superhero show”.

So, I’ve spent most of this The Boys Season 3 Review praising the show, and for good reason. But…where’s the bad parts? Well…since this is The Boys…it’d be foolish not to mention just how far they go in earning the R/M-rating. Because it is VERY dark, VERY bloody, very vulgar, and it has things in this season that I refuse to type up because I can’t believe they were willing to do it, and then show it from multiple angles!

The “Herogasm” episode is everything that was promised, and more, and I’m so glad there was a 10-second skip option because I thankfully missed most of the worst elements. Other ones…I wasn’t so lucky. They go REALLY heavy into certain things here and that’s why it’s meant for adults and not for kids or even teens. No, I’m not punishing this show for being willing to do this kind of content. But it was a bit much for meet at times and I need to make that clear.

Another key flaw was pacing. At times, it felt like the show was spinning its wheels, especially in regards to the build-up for Soldier Boy. Because of the trailers and interviews, we all KNEW that Soldier Boy was “the weapon” to take down Homelander, but they took their sweet time getting to it. Yes, it was worth it in the end, but it could’ve been done a little bit better.

Even with its faults though, other elements totally lifted it up. Like the big and small character arcs, and the insane action sequences. The triple threat match in the 6th episode between Butcher, Homelander, Soldier Boy (and even Hughie at the end) was easily a highlight for the series. You saw Homelander get hurt and it was SO SATISFYING!!! And the finale fights (both of them) were incredibly done and had layers of stories going at it all at once (including Hughie being Hughie instead of this “masculine new self”).

The ending with Maeve was something I didn’t see coming, and I was happy to see her get her due and “die a hero” and yet live her life with her love. And the teases of what Season 4 will bring with Butcher, with Ryan, and with future Vice President Victoria Neuman are all enough to make me eager for Season 4.

As I conclude my The Boys Season 3 Review, I want to note a few things. One, this show is beloved for a reason, and Season 3 showcases it in many ways. They go deep with characters, stories, arcs, and the HISTORY of this world (seriously, they put a lot of work into the newspapers and clips and such), and it’s appreciated. They know they’re a superhero show, but they also know that they have the potential to be a GREAT superhero show by being different and honest and blunt and they take that and run with it. This season wasn’t perfect, but it was great, and at times, downright Diabolical.