Our favourite gang of rogues finds themselves in hiding at the beginning of the season. Their only escape? To hatch a clever plan to expose Vought and the abusive use of Compound V. But before the gang can gain more help from CIA operative Raynor, some unknown being sharply blows her head up in front of The Boys. This is one of the season's biggest mysteries, as we do not know any "supe" that has the ability to kinetically explode people's heads like a big balloon!
This is the time to mention The Boys' brilliantly crafted scenes of exaggerated bloodshed, which other TV shows and movies usually just don't get quite right. Although it is very graphic, it is very realistic too, and I believe that is what aids in the show's success.
Stormfront is introduced to us in episode 1, "The Big Ride", and initially I think we can all say we enjoyed her rebellious nature against Vought. We were captivated by her courageousness to openly criticise a company that had just hired her. Her social media followers certainly thought the same, and not to mention Homelander too!
She was just as deceiving to us viewers, since we were all shocked to learn she was in fact a Nazi. It is a haunting reminder of people in power's ability to brainwash their audience and unfortunately it is not a far-flung idea that a neo-Nazi could control America in the 21st century. Was perhaps her speech about "white genocide" in episode 8 a direct message to all those who do not condemn white supremacists?
It is a haunting reminder of people in power's ability to brainwash their audience
Season 2 not only directly calls out neo-Nazis, but it also deals with the mistreatment of minorities and women. Luckily, Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott) is given much more of a backstory for audiences to feel more connected to her.
The storyline with Elena and Vought's manipulation of Maeve's sexuality for profit strikes up something inside of us that doesn't quite sit right. When Ashley says "Lesbian is an easier sell" than Bisexual, we are instantly angered by this on Queen Maeve's behalf, but unfortunately bi-phobia is very much a real and current issue today.
The Boys is a very modern program, far from the normal superhero comics. Including real-world issues, The Boys is refreshingly diverse but not done in a forced way. At the end of episode 8, Laila Robins' (Homeland) Grace Mallory voices her concerns over whether Homelander's son will turn out like his father. Begging the question, are people really born evil?
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