wow...I really didn't think there could be one worse than the yogurt one. My bad...
I still like the world building. I like the part where Kovacs take Ortega to the hospital. Patients have to wait in long lines unless you're filthy rich. Doctor keeps talking like a telemarketer while doing surgery, constantly asking you for new products. It's a classic play on neoliberal patients-as-consumers/doctors-as-producers where everything is measured by money. I like the tension between the police officers and the meth; also the meth lawyer and the actual meth elites. Private power vs public power. It's the good cyberpunk classic trope.
The episode spends less time on world building however, and starts to move the plot a bit faster. This can be either good or bad. The good side is a lot of things happen in a couple of minutes. The complex web of interplay of power (Dimitri's, Carnage's, Leung's, Hemingway) is seen. Kovacs and Ortega move fast from hospital to Bancroft estate to arena.
The bad side... the storywriting starts to show its weaker points. This is especially true with the cliffhanger of sister ex machina in the end of the episode. She appears from nowhere - no build-up, no character introduction save for a few flashbacks. Cliffhanger could be interesting and pose a lot of questions, but this one doesn't. Not to mention the cheesy entrance. The ninja swordplay action is a bit off with high tech as its background, and I'd guess this serve not much other than playing the classic cyberpunk ninja trope. Which, since the character hasn't been handled well enough, doesn't look really good. Same thing with Dimitri's entrance in Kovacs' original body which seems to serve the Rule of Cool.
The scenes in hospital is a bit forced. Kovacs pulled a Sherlock to the police sergeant Tanaka. I understand Envoys are meant to be highly perceptive, but the scenes don't show it well. It relies too much on the exposition - of "telling", instead of "showing". They could've handled it better. Vernon Elliot's character is also handled a bit too poorly; only sitting there watching operation and interupting it with no clear reason, waiting for Kovacs to activate his sidekick plotline.
A bit too on the nose in their attempts to poke the issue on darkly designed terms of service and deepfake, especially in light of the Hollywood actor and screenwriter protest (perhaps even inspired by it). The episode leans heavily toward being a meta humor, but it doesn't really work well. Annie Murphy does her best, and I believe Salma Hayek too, but they were given a rather one-dimensional, uninspiring script. As the episode ended I realized Charlie Brooker is the writer. That kinda explains the weak episode.
Just a short comment to make some people aware that "predictability" is not per se a sign for a bad episode. Not all episodes of this series (or any series or any film, for that matter) aim to be unpredicatable and surprising. Not every film tries to be "Christopher Nolan". Some, for instance, aim to be psychologically sound - thereby telling a relatable and intense story. I found this episode to be very good since it creates relatable characters, takes its time to get into some (but not all, I give you that) nuances of the premise, creates a real dilemma that feels realistic for both main characters - and nevertheless takes it to an ending that shook me. Not as "gadgety" and superficial as some of the other episodes. I guess I'm just trying to say: The great thing about BLACK MIRROR is that certain episodes can be more psychological/"naturalistic" and others more "out there". Don't bash one episode for not being like the other.
It's tense and gory in the usual The Boys fashion, although I feel like they just sped up everything in the beginning and previous episode so that they can have this "wreak havoc" all out in this episode.
As a season finale though... it feels like this IP is starting to show a similar symptoms to MCU: each ending has to be a setup for another season/series/film. It's a huge cliffhanger. It doesn't really settle the story with Marie and co, albeit they did close the arc and begin a new one. What happened to the school? What happened after the laser? Why the Guardians of Godolkin twist at the end - and how is it possible, with everyone there clearly witnessing who the villains were? It just raises more questions and feels like not making sense.
Additionally, some of the characters made some really terrible decisions with their hero syndrome, but I guess I can suspend the disbelief because they're still teenagers after all.
Victoria Neumann gives me chills down my spine. She's literally the scariest character in The BOYS universe
Not exactly sure what's wrong with the episode.
But I feel like the dream sequence has become an easy exposition dump for the writers. They did something similar in The Boys Season 3 when they had to explain Black Noir's flashback and everything that happened back then. Mixing up everyone's memory and conveniently have everything panned out like that is not a great storytelling.
The Sam x Emma moment was fine, but how everything was resolved quickly when the group came into a conflict is quite too convenient. The ending was quite interesting, but everything feels like a filler only that the writers can get into the point to drop that ending and get the characters to band together and speak against power. It's quite a weak setup - and a too easy one at that, especially given most, if not all, characters there were ambitious students who want to rise to the top, now they were willing to easily abandon all that?
Also, where did Dusty go? The 28 year-old that looks like a boy. They just kinda forget him.
Am I the only one that doesn’t like Marie?
It's amazing how they foreshadowed the episode to be awful. It started well and turned to well.. S--t.
After 2 weeks of world and character building we finally get to the heist and I was maybe just as nervous as those guys. Everything felt natural and logical so the events unfolding seemed very realistic for a bunch of motivated amateurs. We all knew it would be risky and although everything happened like I expected, I was still surprised how it happened. That's as close to a magic trick that a writer can come.
How can they release a crap like Obi Wan and then Andor which is damn amazing. This episode was a masterclass.
The episode is built upon faulty premises.
Lightsaber prowess and force power are two different things. You can be proficient in lightsaber combat without having ANY force-sensitivity (e.g. Grievous) and the other way around, you can be masterful in force but lacking in lightsaber feat (e.g. Jocasta Nu).
Lightsaber crystal also doesn't reflect the wielder's sensitivity to sides of the force. You can be a morally uptight Jedi wielding red lightsaber (e.g. Adi Gallia) and a sith wielding blue (e.g. Exar Kun, or Anakin after he fell to the dark side. Notice when he was knighted as sith by Palpatine his saber's color DID NOT turn red). Red crystal is actually a synthetic color that can't be generated by lightsaber crystal. Sith forged it intentionally to channel their dark side.
HOWEVER the execution of this episode is good especially compared to other episodes so far.
The faulty premises end up being an important plot point, and a good one at that. Characters are quite well-developed given the very brief duration (perhaps except the villains). World-building, although sparse, gives quite a good idea of how lives looked like on that planet. Animation is really well-done especially the lightsaber combat and the chase scene. And the music is reminiscent of Star Wars without having to be exact copies of the films, which I really appreciate.
So if Production IG is given a much better brief to the mechanics of Star Wars universe, I believe they are much better suited to produce more Star Wars films than Disney currently does.
I hope people watch this show and realize how bad Obi-Wan was, this show felt like I was watching the same story of Star Wars I watched so many times, but in a more realistic way, a more calm pace, I never saw myself so much involved with rebels and empire conflict such as in this episode, and also no jokes, amazing
The first half is your usual bonding between the main characters. It's fine but nothing to write home about. Just showing David developing his skills and relating to other characters - which is a very typical "calm before the storm" scene indicating someone will die in an episode or two. There's some sexual tension between David and Lucy. The editing between the scenes is kinda unique but feels like Instagram or MTV reels that don't let us connect to the characters - just like the game's strange V and Jackie bonding scene.
The second half is all over the place. First we have Pilar's demise, as expected given the build up in the first half. Then after all that chaos we get back straight to David and Lucy. Very strange pacing, as if nothing happened in the first second half, especially given the build up in the whole first half. The ending with David and Lucy feels like it just to keep the romance and plot going, which, again, feels like a cliched calm before the storm scene before some terrible things to happen in next episodes.
Good pilot with good world-building. Portrays the oppressiveness of poverty and the ads-drenched life in a cyberpunk city much better than the game. Plot is a bit cliche though but the episode spreads enough clue for build up in future episodes. Really like the visual cues they use to evoke character's emotion, such as the shot on David's shaking legs when he's anxious.
Apart from the mystery behind the elderly man, this story could feasibly fit into the pre-Prequel canon. That is to say, it doesn't require any suspension of disbelief; this feels like regular old Star Wars, through and through.
I especially like the relationship between the master and the padawan. It reminds me of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, but if Qui-Gon were a bit less hardheaded. The dialogue about Jedi wisdom was great, something we see far less frequently in the Disney-era Star Wars, so that was a welcome addition. All in all, it's a solid Star Wars story.
Absolutely amazing episode. The best episode yet. Brought tears to my eyes. It had 2 strong visual moments that I loved.
Spoiler. The Battle Droids dropping down and the look on the warlord combined with the music gave a very sinister feeling. Never thought it's possible to fear the Battle Droids. Later they were back to their comedic routine which was unfortunate.
The Jedi strike was absolutely amazing. You just hear the swoosh of the saber and never see any movements, not even a blurry thing or a ghost movement. Later the warlord realizes what has happened. I want to see that in a movie. The Jedi strike without you seeing anything.
so, they want us to believe that the Japanese soldiers run to the bullets like children to candy? these us people are amazing, they do think of themselves as a superior race. who said Hitler's vision is dead?
Great second episode that showed a version of what could have happened to Wernher von Braun if the US would have lost the space race. Very interesting theory and also very likely. The twist at the end will sure bring some interesting storylines for the show.
The butthurt comments here are hilarious; it's an alternate history show, and if they're crying SJW here I'm surprised they weren't sobbing Commie Propaganda in the first episodes if one is that sensitive and fragile to any societal difference. If anything, it feels realistic that in the show people have to be shamed and embarrassed into this decision back then from not being a first historical milestone. Anyway, the first two episodes can feel too scattershot for setting up an alternate history scenario while also establishing the show's own characters and storylines, but the 3rd and 4th being so focused gives it some real momentum and drive that make the show so involving now.
Great episode! Made even better by the salty baby d*cks in the comments because there were some women on the screen!
Having lived through the era really helps to appreciate this show. I am particularly impressed by the authentic props, down to the ubiquitous four differently colored ringed glasses that we all drank iced tea from in the 60/70s. I also worked at MSFC in Huntsville for a short while in the 90s and even then, some twenty something years later, NASA was still very political.
Another good episode, but I must admit that I was kinda disappointed by it as a season finale. It ended well, but the episode felt a bit off. It felt as though every single character just had a sudden change of heart, as though we had missed an entire episode of development. Obviously we knew certain characters were headed a certain way, but they just seemed to suddenly jump from say 60% of the way that they progressed through the last 7 episodes, to 100% just in this one. It felt kinda weird how Homelander just suddenly showed up and got Ryan too - it came out of nowhere. It was still a good episode, but I thought it felt a bit rushed.
Also kinda disappointed that we're kinda just back where we started at the beginning of the season, with no real way to take down Homelander. I was expecting Soldier Boy to take Homelander's powers and then we'd get to see a new side to Homelander next season since he'd be weak and dealing with having no powers. Instead, it seems we're going to get a lot of focus on Ryan and Homelander together - which I do like. I had also thought that maybe all of The Boys would end up with powers by the end of the season, but that didn't happen either (not that that's a bad thing).
Anyway, I thought this was a good episode, but an ever so slightly disappointing end to a fantastic season of TV. Can't wait for season 4.
This is certainly not The Boys' strongest season finale. The plots feel awkwardly resolved and the key plot points they've been developing just ended up as nothing. It feels really underwhelming. Of course there are some positive notes about this finale as well but bear with me, let's go through three most crucial problems for me.
First, Black Noir. What a disappointment. They've been building up Black Noir for at least four out of eight episodes in this season. They even showed him as a person, a real individual with emotion and vivid imagination this season after the previous two he had only been a mute killing machine. And he went down just like that. Sure the conversation between him and Homelander was tense - but that was it. Unfortunately, Black Noir's imaginative flashback, as I've suspected in the previous episodes, serve as nothing more than plot device to move the story forward.
Second, Soldier Boy. The hunt for the ultimate weapon to destroy Homelander ultimately just ended up in vain. Where did it go, the riled up spirit of The Boys in bringing Homelander down? They have the weakest excuses to portray this change of heart. With M.M.'s plot, well, I guess, okay, as he has his own personal vendetta against Soldier Boy, it's still understandable. This is to put aside that they went with the "Soldier Boy kills my family" plot too easily (we didn't get to ever see what actually happened and it's brushed off as nothing more than "racism", which is quite disappointing since there were plenty of rooms for flashback this season).
But then there's Butcher. He ended up beating down Soldier Boy because Soldier Boy hit his kid? I mean, sure it's his kid, but where's the man-with-a-mission-to-kill-Homelander-no-matter-what-it-takes that we've seen for all these three seasons? If Butcher was a little smarter - and he actually is with his cunning tactics and all! - he could've stopped Soldier Boy for a while, let Homelander pats Ryan's back, then when Ryan is out of sight just finish off Homelander by then. Soldier Boy doesn't even seem to hold anything against Ryan (especially after he knows Ryan is Butcher's son). The whole charade about beating up Soldier Boy is a really weak plot point just to let Homelander alive to be the ultimate big bad in next seasons.
Still here? We'll get to Homelander but let's talk about Maeve briefly. What's her end goal? At first she seems to be an ally ready to take down Homelander, but when it comes to actually facing Homelander she can't see the forest for the trees. Rather than staying true to her goal to kill Homelander, she was just absorbed with herself, punching Homelander around only to get herself beaten. Sure, Maeve isn't the most tactical ones, but she's been supplying Butcher with everything so far.
Last, Homelander. As soon as the fight ends, my biggest question is: what would be Homelander's yet another reason to NOT kill Butcher, Hughie, and co? Our Boys have been picking a fight with him since Season 1. It's clear our protagonists are pests to him, but he keeps giving them leeway. At this point isn't it easier to just get rid of them all when Ryan's not looking to prevent our Boys messing up with him again? There's a fan speculation that predicted Homelander is going to be depowered, then he's going to live the whole Season 4 under Vought's protection while our Boys track down the biggest big bad: Compound V. I think I like that better since it's going to show how Homelander will struggle with his weakness and humanity. But I guess the showrunners wanted to keep on getting Homelander more unhinged and even more unhinged and violent, as shown when he lasered a guy in a parade. With this direction, I'm expecting the show to end in a high note with chaos everywhere like perhaps in the comics. I just hope they don't prolong this much further - maybe Season 5 at most.
Then there's some plot devices like Tempo V, powering the army with V, etc that are left unexplored, which feels a bit like nothing more than filler to get the plot moves forward. And the fact that they kind of go with cliffhanger in this finale reminds me of Season 1's rather weak, cliffhanger-ish finale as well (perhaps that's their pattern: the real season finale is in the even-numbered seasons).
That said, this episode is still quite entertaining as it kept me guessing where the plot would go. It's not as frantic and riled up as Herogasm (Eps 6) and the direction is not quite satisfying, but it's fine. The theme of this season is "family", they stay true to that up to the finale. Soldier Boy's dialogue with Homelander is good. Talk about how toxic upbringing would make you become toxic as well, while thinking you can do better than your parents.
I like that they are planning to use the political plot with Neuman in Season 4 (I thought it was going to be wasted after the nice development in Season 2) as The Boys' forte is taking a jab at politics and corporatism. I do hope we will see what Stan Edgar envisioned as Vought "getting out of the supe business in the next five years."
I also like what they did with Ryan, coming together with Homelander, and the way Homelander is normalizing Ryan to violence. This is the consequence of Butcher's acting asshole-ish to everyone and sure hope our Boys will see the consequences of his action, especially with the sweet reunion with everyone at the table in the end (feels like the calm before the storm).
All in all, not a bad finale, but a bit too disappointing in the way they resolve the plots that have been built up all this season.
Superb episode, with only a couple of small stupid points:
- Kimiko shouldn't have been drinking with her abdomen stitched up. Alcohol inhibits clotting and encourages bleeding. She could've died of internal bleeding long before taking the Compound V. (Plus, I feared the alcohol would interact adversely with V, causing her to die or "hulk-out")
- I didn't like how they presented Annie's and Kimiko's decision of "I'll save you, even if you don't want me to" as triumphant, when it's no different from the toxic macho "damsel in distress" crap. Frenchie and M.M. should've objected and easily win that argument, considering their past experiences and discussions.
"V isn't good or bad" yes, but no person is all good or all bad either, nor do they stay good or bad forever no matter what. Of course, there are certain patterns of reinforcing behaviors, but everyone is constantly shaped and ever-changing by their life experiences and decisions. I think this is the most important takeaway from the show.
Despite all the gore and splatter, this episode shows this is still about the characters. And that's why this show keeps being amazing.
I hope A-Train doesn't revert to being a Vaught pawn. It would destroy his developement. Loved the parts with Black Noir. Butcher's really a major prick but why didn't Annie just send Hughie a message instead of trying to call him again and again ?
So, Homelander is Soldier Boy's son, eh ? So, will that mean they team up ? Since there is a forth season coming they need an angle for that. I wouldn't like another season of "how do we get rid of Homalander". On the other hand if they would team up they would be basically unstoppable so that should actually be avoided.
Should be a very interesting finale.
Others might say that this is not as intense as previous episode, which might be true in terms of action and moving the plot forward. But I find this episode is still intense in a different way: more emotional investment.
"Family" and its unfortunately related cousin "abuse" seem to be the the theme that knits together different story arcs of the episode: the obvious Butcher flashback, Kimiko and Frenchie, MM with his family, Soldier Boy, and Homelander.
The episode kind of speeds up the pace in showing Soldier Boy's villainy through a recreation/imagination of Black Noir's flashback; although I'm not too comfortable that they present Noir's flashback at face value (instead of being an unreliable narrator), I think it still kinda works.
It is shown that Soldier Boy is an abusive, selfish bully with anger issues you would typically see among band leads or celebrity groups. While some have defended Soldier Boy's action by comparing him to Homelander ("at least Soldier Boy is not psychotic, emotionally unstable narcissist! He is a normal person not grown in lab!"), I think they missed the point of the show: the biggest issue here is exactly what would happen if people with power (influence) have additional power (literal superpower) while being protected by multi-billion dollar company. They possess all the impunity to wreak havoc. Like MM said, "no one should have the right to wield such power."
This theme of abuse is explicated with Butcher's flashback. No one is inherently "good" or "evil" - you are shaped by your upbringing. As the scenes between his memories, his reflection, and his projection in current time are cut seamlessly back and forth, Butcher slowly realizes that he mirrors the man he hated the most. Yet he fully accepts his succumbing to that darkness while bringing Hughie with him through his personal vendetta against the supes - not caring about the risk towards others who he claimed he loved. Even with parents, one may grow to be a contemptuous person if they live in an abusive family, and it's a cycle that is very difficult to break. Butcher's flashback is certainly the spotlight of the episode for me.
Even with Kimiko's story in the background (her saying that V only explicates what kind of person you are), considering that we've been shown how the character's social lives shaped them into what they are now - Kimiko with her abducted kid background, Hughie's insecurity with his zero to hero job, etc - the message stays strong, countering the superhero cliche of inherently morally good and evil person.
I'm hoping this dynamic could be further explored in the next episode (or season) with the Soldier Boy and Homelander encounter when it's revealed that Soldier Boy is Homelander's father, at least he feels so. An abusive father meets a narcissist kid-who'd-wanna-be-a-father. The ending of this episode becomes revealing when tied up to the earlier convesation between Homelander and Maeve: with Homelander echoing Soldier Boy's words that he "used to dream of having kids" with Maeve, it becomes apparent in this episode that the relationship between Homelander and Maeve (and Soldier Boy and Crimson Countess) it is not something exactly out of pure love.
"Having kids" is not a romantic statement: it's a purely masculine, self-centered ego of having someone of your blood - of your similarity - that you can be proud of. Who the partner is doesn't matter; they are only means to that end. And in that Soldier Boy shares something in common with Homelander as shown through his delight of accepting Homelander readily as his son, albeit lab-grown. He only wants to see a better version of him.
Last but not least, I love the jab at corporate this episode still throws. Ashley spinning breaking news about Starlight in a similar way Disney would spin stories about their abuse and mismanagement; and that A-Train being zombified, again, with the heart of Blue Hawk embedded in his body, serving only as Vought's puppet. I'm not sure if that's the most satisfying end to A-Train's arc, but seeing his disappointed, grim look, his lack of agency, I guess the character suffers a lot. I just hope this will be the last of his arc and the show doesn't squeeze him further.
That said, with the reveal at the ending, I am not sure I am 100% satisfied as I was expecting Soldier Boy bringing down Homelander, or rendering him powerless by the end of the season. Looks like Homelander will continue to be the main villain. I just hope they don't prolong the "mentally unstable" trope too much and find ways to keep the show interesting. Looking forward to the finale.
Most solid episode of the season so far. Nothing extraordinarily amazing, but it's just The Boys at its best like in the first half of Season 1.
What I like the most is that everything that happens leading to the climax in the Herogasm is just frantic, chaotic, a lot of stuff happening at once, unplanned, unpredictable, and consequently, tragic. Just a lot of things coming out together at the same time, including the tying up of loose ends of plot points (e.g. with A-Train's demise and his conflict with Hughie).
The episode keeps the comedy and jab at corporate speak intact, but does not overdo it so we get straight to the crux of the matter. From Homelander, Starlight, Kimiko/Frenchie, Hughie, A-Train, even Ashley - the plot revolving around those characters are about what makes them really them. They all have struggled with the question whether power (be it through V or executive position) made them into a terrible person they do not like, but it is all actually on them. Power only explicate their attitude. Like Butcher in the previous episode said, "With great power comes the absolute certainty, that you will turn into a right cunt."
It was interesting to see how each characters react: Hughie portrayed as an insecure man, A-Train tasting his own bitter medicine, Starlight getting tired of the play-pretend and politicking she has played all over the years, and of course, Homelander being Homelander. I find it especially best with Hughie and A-Train. Hughie, when in S1 he acted as our moral compass, here we see him as someone fragile, a man unable to keep up with the pace of the world he's living in and feeling defeated by his girlfriend for not being a breadwinner. A-Train, a great end to his arc, as he realizes that he has caused so many harms to others due to his toxicity, he realizes that he can only bring a little bit of justice for his own brother. He can't run away from his past like Frenchie said, I think it's very poetic.
Also it's refreshing to get a brief character development with Soldier Boy. Hoping that there is more to this character in the next seasons to come.
Last but not least, the fight with Homelander was intense. The unexpected Butcher x Hughie x Soldier Boy tag-team is great, especially with the confused, defeated look Homelander gave to them. I'm expecting this will drive Homelander even uncontrollable, especially now with his inner monologue and everyone either against him (Starlight, Maeve, if she is still there) or leaving him (Noir and possibly A-Train). The show seems to be planting the seed of conflict between our Boys in the future to come. Hopefully this will pay off.
Up until this episode The Boys Season 3 has been solid with only a few dents, but this episode the dents are getting bigger and they're kinda showing.
First of all, everything doesn't seem to be too well-paced here.
Butcher and Hughie just had a convo in previous episode about not showing him taking Tempo V, but then in the lab he just outright stormed the bullets and showing off to the others about his newfound power. And same with Hughie, who somehow got a dose too. Worse thing the lab situation doesn't seem to be even that bad. They don't seem to be outnumbered nor outgunned, and they've seen worse before. Facing Gunpowder, it's understandable why they'd need a V; but this? Seems kinda forced to me as if the writers need to just waste those Vs already.
Still on the lab: The Soldier Boy reveal seems to be a bit hurried. Butcher suddenly randomly opening up stuff while in fact they realize they're onto something dangerous which may or may not have Soldier Boy in the lab is not just reckless (we know Butcher is) but dumb. Aren't they there to find a superweapon? When Soldier Boy escaped, they just ended up stopping the search and went back home. Granted there's the situation with the team, but the whole thing about this supposedly mysterious Soldier Boy and the search for superweapon just feels really anticlimactic.
Then, the thing with Vicky and Stan Edgar. The way she outted Edgar is a surprising twist, and I kinda like that Homelander Magneto-esque speech about choosing their own kind. But it seemed to be paced oddly interspersed between fillers and actions going on with The Boys.
There are a few death flags as well (though hopefully it's just false ones): either KImiko or Frenchie or both with their "one last run" convo; MM with the "you're natural-born leader" convo; and of course Alex/Supersonic with the "I'm gonna help you cause it's the right thing to do." That's just a straight death flag and it's proven true by the end of the episode - which again, is kinda odd paced, seemingly coming out of nowhere.
To note that this isn't a bad episode at all, but it feels like things are kinda jumbled here and there, making watching especially the second half a bit tedious. Not to mention that the first half isn't as packed and well-structured as prev episodes (it's the moment they started playing the "3 seconds still shot" too much that I felt that it's a bit too filler-y). The A-Train Pepsi parody is well done though - The Boys is always the best at parody but I hope they can do more than that.
Hopefully it will get better.
I appreciated the dig at Pepsi here
