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.
much more downbeat than last ep, but just as captivating . plus that ending. Fuck next week can't come soon enough
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.
Butcher Scenes: Man, I've lived a fucked up life and I regret so much...
Frenchie and Kimiko scenes:UwU I want to be on radioactive drugs again
MM Scenes: DAAAAD FIGGGHT!!!!!!
Homelander Scenes: Mommy Milky I just want boobie juice and a son.... ;_;
Noire scenes: O_O
Hughie scenes: IGNORE MY COCK! Help me and I'll help you.
Soldier Boy scenes: Sex with old ladies, Drugs, and killing people for fun :D
Starlight Scenes: Doing some dumb social media bullshit and walking away unscathed somehow
Fantastic episode.
Great episode for characters storylines and moving along the plot
[8.6/10] The best episode of The Boys in some time. “Here Comes a Candle” is also one of the best explorations of toxic masculinity I’ve seen in some time. The triumvirate of Butcher, Hughie, and Soldier Boy is still a little narratively janky, but in terms of what they mean to one another’s character arcs and the way they bounce off of one another may very well be worth it.
Because Hughie has been idolizing men like Soldier Boy, in a roundabout way. He wanted to take the Temp V because he envied supes like Supersonic who could match up with Annie, or Homelander who could push him around. He wanted to be a man’s man, someone who met that ideal, someone like the show’s ersatz Captain America.
Except, when he actually meets and gets to know Soldier Boy, he finds out that he’s a fraud; he’s traumatized, and he’s a piece of shit. Paul Reiser’s Robert Evans-esque character puts it best -- Soldier Boy, like so many things, is a story we tell ourselves, a comforting myth about being the hero that can be bought and sold. Seeing his cruelty, his lack of empathy, the way he’s messed up and refuses to acknowledge it, is brutal and transactional in his treatment of other human beings, prompts a realization in Hughey. This isn’t a paragon on manliness; it’s the antithesis of everything Hughie wants to be.
So he uses his powers to help his friend, to rescue Butcher, to do, as so many of the more noble characters in this episode aim to do, protect his family. This has been an off-kilter season for Hughie, one that’s taken him in directions that didn't seem organic to his personality to date. But if it’s in service of bringing him back here, recognizing what he wants to be and the false image he was chasing, I can forgive some bumpiness along the way.
But my oh my his bond with Butcher is deadly. As much as I appreciate the narrative benefits of Hughie choosing to save Butcher, I love Butcher’s A Christmas Carol-style run through his own childhood memories even more. The scenes of abuse are hard to watch, but also instructive about who Butcher became and how he emotionally transposed Hughie with his poor dead brother.
The smart match cuts show the same anger in Butcher that rested in his father, a joy in causing pain, a willingness to take out his frustrations in violence and disregard. His words and actions mirror his father, and there too, we can see the brand of toxic masculinity that even Butcher himself recognizes he’s been infected with. The lines about knowing how to dish it out in an ocean of shit is bullshit, the sort of macho nonsense that led to kids being beaten and wives being abused, and other rootless death and destruction that only lead to a cycle of more pain. The way Butcher hates his father, but whether he wants to or not, has internalized some of his lessons and attitudes, guts Butcher, especially in the brutal scene where a vision of his brother blames him for his suicide.
I thought, naively, it would provoke the same sort of epiphany and change in Butcher that it did in Hughie. More smart cuts pair how Butcher saw Lenny with how he sees Hughie. He even apologizes to Hughie when he comes to, wanting to avoid the visio’s prophecy that everyone who loves Butcher, tries to stop him from becoming that monster, ends up dead. And yet, when push comes to shove, he’d still rather dish otu vengeance than protect his family. Even knowing that Temp V can be lethal after enough doses, he doesn’t tell Hughie. They have a job to do. They are soldiers, on the mission, doing whatever it takes. Whatever ails Butcher, eh can’t break free of it, even if it means another younger brother, another member of his family, being in the line of fire rather than protected. He’s not much different than Soldier Boy himself.
What’s amazing about “Here Comes a Candle” is that it features not one but two outstanding sequences to dramatize the idea of that sort of toxicity. Drifting through Butcher's interspersed memories is a trip and emotionally piercing one. But by god, watching Black Noir’s cartoon animal friends rendition of the path that led to Payback taking out their leader is no less poignant.
Not for nothing, the designs and animation is fantastic here. There’s something jarring about seeing these Saturday morning-style characters immersed in such grim shit, but that’s a feature, not a bug, and it comes from how smartly and brilliantly the show uses this live action/animated hybrid to tell its story.
The story is an incredibly sad one. We get to see Noir as a person for the first time in ages, if not ever. We see how he has been reduced to a child, emotionally stunted to some degree. We see how he, like so many members of the team, were abused by Soldier Boy. We see Soldier Boy (in cartoon eagle form) viciously attacking Black Noir for daring to try to be a movie star, to get remotely on his leve, in a way that made him feel threatened. We see the cycle repeating itself, as Soldier Boy alienates everyone on his own team, to where they’re willing to turn him over to the Russians just to get rid of them.
Something about the animal friends presentation both distances us from the cruelty involved, and yet makes it seem that much more horrifying from seeing it played out through this childlike lens, representing Noir’s own innocent view of the situation. Trying to cast off this toxic bully isn’t just a hidden shame of Vought; it’s what made Noir into this, as Soldier Boy burned his face and damaged his brain. These are the consequences that assholes like Soldier Boy wreak upon those unfortunate enough to be in their orbit, and in one superlative subplot, makes him one of the most sympathetic characters in the series despite the harm he’s caused to date.
Then, of course, there’s the big reveal. “Homelander, I am your father.” I still feel as though so much of the Soldier Boy material has just been appended to the universe we knew to this point, but I actually like this a lot. Logistically, it makes sense that Vogelbaum would attempt to use Soldier Boy’s DNA to make a replacement. Narratively, turning this into a struggle amongst fathers and sons plays with themes that have been with the show from the beginning. And it provides both Soldier Boy and Homelander the thing that each has seemed to want for a long time -- a real family.
My god, Homelander finding a real dad, someone he can look up to, think of as strong, represent those masculine ideals he’s internalized as much, if not more, than Hughie and Butcher have. We see him unravel in this episode, going on deranged conspiracy theory-ridden rants, turning on Neuman when she rightly tells him to button his shit up, threatening to harvest Maeve’s eggs, and as she notes in the process, seemingly genuinely scared and uncertain for the first time in a long time. He’s spinning out, having killed or dismissed his various parental figures, and has no one to turn to, no one to look up to, after trying to elevate himself to such heights. Soldier Boy fills that role, and for someone whose misaimed attempts to rebuild a family structure have caused so much pain, and given the horrible things that Soldier Boy is and represents, that is both interesting and terrifying.
But hey, want a non-toxic version of masculinity? Look at Frenchie. Sure, maybe him getting high in response to his problems isn’t what we would call the best coping mechanism. But he is caring, considerate, protective of those around him, especially Kimiko.
I don’t know how I feel about where the show’s gone with Kimiko this season. I don’t like superpowers being something that can just be turned on and off with one radiation blast or new dose of Compound V. And it seems like she made the transition from “these powers are a curse” to “It’s okay because now I’m choosing this” very quickly. But I like where they land with her here. She wants the V, with the help of someone she loves, because she wants to use those powers for good, and more importantly, to protect her family, Frenchie very much included.
There’s a great comic essay out there about how superhero stories are certainly a power fantasy, but they’re also a fantasy about people having power and giving it away. Superman, Captain America, and the other square-jawed heroes that The Boys deconstructs aren’t the fascist, abusive assholes that Homelander and Captain America are. They are people like Kimiko, who want and use their powers as a tool to protect others, especially those close to them. The dance and conversations about arms like bendy straws and affirmation that the kiss was odd because they’re more than what it represents are all lovely. Just as lovely is that vindication of the good side of the cape stories this show makes such hay out of critiquing; that there’s merit in noble heroes who choose to do this because they love people, even in an unjust world, and those people need protecting.
That includes Annie. I continue to appreciate her using herbuly puppet to criticize Homeladner and Vought and spread the truth. Granted, her being able to sneak into the Vought labs and extract Compound V without being totally destroyed by Homeladner still strains credulity a bit. (Though they put a fig leaf on that via her popularity.) But I appreciate the way she uses her cleverness to get Homelander on camera admitting to some of his crap, and I appreciate even more that she internalizes the same realization Kimiko did -- she wants to save Hughie because she loves him, and that’s what good Supes do.
MM’s subplot (man, there’s a lot of subplots in this one) is comprehensible but heartbreaking. The political allegories aren’t subtle, and it would angry up my blood to see someone taking a child I loved to such a poisonous and dangerous environment. And yet, MM’s inability to control that justified but dangerous anger lead him to punch out his wife’s new boyfriend in front of his daughter, further scaring and potentially estranging her from him. Laz Alonso does great acting to sell both the fury and the instant regret, and despite some bad choices, my heart breaks for MM.
Otherwise, The Deep trying to have an open relationship between his wife and...an octopus is the kind of absurd, Troy McClure-esque humor that I can’t help but chortle at. Maeve staying strong despite her captivity is heartening, even if the circumstances are dispiriting. And I’m sure there’s other important details I’m forgetting in such a packed episode.
But overall, this is easily my favorite of the season, an outing with something on its mind that uses all the struggles and B.S. the main players have been indulging in this year, and knits them together into a broader points, about the values and idols and myths that need to be discarded in the dustbin of history, and the broader ideals of protecting those you love, and the people who live by them, that deserve to be championed all the more.
Black Noir scenes had the best info dump sequence in any tv show ever
always gonna appreciate Amazon releasing their originals stupid early (8pm!) when every other app makes you stay up to 2am
A Joint
A threesome involving a mollusk
A priest
A very anxious cow
With a twist like that I can understand why they avoided depiction of sex between Homelander and Soldier Boy...
Butcher is finally gone to the no return zone. If MM survives this season he would have to become new captain of that sinking ship.
But goddamn, writers choose putin's favorite choice of murder weapons as a way to contain Soldier Boy... bloody brilliant and fitting tbh.
Damn it that plot twist
More of a tame episode but I still loved it. Lots of great character moments and emotion this episode for pretty much everyone but the standouts being Butcher and Black Noir. The way they told Noir's backstory was creative and it oddly perfect. Really loving Soldier Boy. Crazy twist at the end.
[points at soldier boy] so you're behind awl of this
wtf!!!!!!!!! LOL THE ENDING IS THIS TRUE
Damn these are some horrific British accents :sweat_smile:
Good bit of character building, and a solid hook of an ending.
Glad this season found its footing and managed to turn it around after the somewhat aimless opening few eps.
Homelander is soldier boy's fucking son! Damn
Bit on the fence about this episode. There were moments that bored me to high heaven, but the sum is greater than it's parts. I'm really enjoying the Jensen Ackles moments and it's great to see more into Butcher, even though the device isn't anything new. The reveal at the end is very intriguing - with 1 episode to go, with that reveal, I just don't know where this season is heading towards as a climax. And that's more than okay, because it's been an enjoyable ride.
Not as crazy as the last episode but a pretty great twist at the end
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.
They probably blew all the budget on the previous episode as this was pretty much a filler full of expo with not much going on.
It's nice to see Homelander being exposed. The Soldier Boy conflict continues. Butcher's inwardness seemed a bit oddly timed. Did we really need to see his backstory right now? I don't know what's going to happen with the temp V or what Butcher's plan is. Right now it seems like all the characters are now following their own individual character journeys and I'm not sure if there's really going to be any satisfying conclusion.
Annie ,Annie Annie ... you went to lag to steal 1 dose, a fucking 1 dose ..what wrong with your brain .
i hate when good series get ruined with some bad writing for some characters.
other stuff are good everything cool , and now they have problem 2 powerful bullies going to be together .
Oh man, Hughie and Butcher almost made good decisions but those two addicts simply cannot quit... :o
Some nice revelations/twists :)
Well not bad bit why tf this cartoons omg....xD
Black Noir becomes the most interesting character this episode. Great work with the animated and live/animated mixed segments, again. It's a beautiful mix with the deep shadows and moody highlights. I'm gonna be pissed if they do this only to just kill him off in the finale.
MM's family conflict is just so fucking difficult. It's so real that it really knots you up inside to watch it, because there's just no good way to resolve it.
A-Train's strange karma. That's a flavor of writing that I appreciate...
Irony, like blood.
"If you're gonna act hysterical, I'm gonna slap you like I'm Connery."
Most people probably jerked this episode off the most out of every episode, talking about how it's the best one yet because of character moments, etc.; that's great and all, but that doesn't magically make an episode fantastic. For me, anyway. Dare I say: it's "boring" most of the time. This episode was no exception, although most people will say it is, or rather there doesn't have to be an exception in the first place because this show can do no wrong.
As I'm writing this (after my first watch), I can't even remember all that happened. The structure/pacing felt off. But more importantly, this episode felt/came across as an intermission. That run-of-the-mill feeling that this show loves embracing so much, at least when it's not doing this consistent cat-and-mouse game that always makes its way back to the beginning. I don't care enough about these characters to get swayed by these character moments and character development at every turn and down to a T, which has people down on their knees, worshiping the writers.
We learned that Soldier Boy was abusive towards Payback. Toward Noir, for the most part. That added clarification to why they betrayed him. But that's "it." I wouldn't say that elevated the episode.
We learned that A-Train didn't die and that he even has Blue Hawk's heart. That last part was surprising, but I don't care.
And Deep completed his quota of one cameo appearance per episode since when you have characters, you need to do something with them.
We "learned" that V24 has dire side effects, which was quite a shocker (and Hughie will probably be like, "Well, yeah. I expected that." to Starlight when she comes huffing and puffing to him about it). I mean, who would've predicted that? Splendid writing; I'm hard just thinking about it. And, of course, despite making it seem like a big deal, nothing will come of it; nothing too horrible. Yawn.
We got to see more of Butcher's past. His psyche, more so. All I have to say about that is this: Karl Urban's acting (making up for when everything else is lacking) was good.
Oh, and then there was the ending. It made this episode the best episode of television I'll ever see in my life. It was THAT good; I mean, wow. What else is there to say?
I also liked how the actors playing Younger Butcher/Teen Butcher, Younger Butcher's dad, and Teen Lenny were British. It's a small detail: but this show and the people involved (specifically the talent agent(s) in this instance) are so good at what they do, and they understood the assignment. Hollywood has a tradition of casting British and Australian actors quite often for American roles, so it's fantastic and refreshing to see them not casting American or Canadian actors for British roles.
Overall, this episode was outstanding. Hell, beyond that. It was the best of anything I've ever watched: and it probably will be for the rest of my life. It deserves all of the Emmys, all of the awards. You might as well slip some Oscars in there, even though that's for films; that's how good this episode was. Talk about putting everything else in existence to shame. I'll forever remain hard, thanks to this unequaled piece of television.
That ending though. Its gotta be them fucking with Homelander's head. Surely.
Also I'm very attracted to Soldier Boy. But that tracks coz he's pretty much hitting all the tropes that makes a man attractive to me.
The v is not good or bad, it depends on the person who takes it." That Clash of the Titans moment
FFS can Hollywood employ some British actors instead of forcing godawful American versions of 'briddish acksentz' - Karl Urban I can stomach. Those bloody kids sounded like mangled Irish.
AYOOOOOOOOOO WTF SOLDIER BOY IS HOMELANDERS DAD ???? NAH THATS THE CRAZIEST TWIST
After listening to that last-minute phone call...
Frenchie, we may need even more of that Novichok nerve agent...
Called the "twist" a few episodes back (well almost - the version they went with is narratively less interesting, but thematically more fitting).
The cartoon scenes were beautifully done, and a great framing device for an exposition dump while maintaining subjectivity and unreliability.
A shame they went with one of the worst plot devices in storytelling to get Starlight out of a potentially tricky situation, but at least it was one of the better uses in context.
Also delighted that young Butcher and Lenny shared the adult Butcher's geographically ambiguous (i.e. awful) accent. Cor, blimey, luv a duck. Chimchimeney chimchimeney chimchim cheroo etc.
Predictable ! Solider Boy is homelander's father !
Great episode - skipping Butcher's parts.
Anyone else Notice that when V healed Kimiko, it also removed her stitches? Powerful stuff that V!
Another Great Episode,
Loved the Ending, Nice little Twist
love seeing Dean & Bobby Back on the screen
RIP SUPERNATURAL.....Epic from start to end
"Don't you Cry No More" :wink:
holy fuck*ng sh*t. didnt see that one coming.
Hughie:
What are we watching?
The Legend:
Old mistakes.
I actually produced this piece of shit.
Between you and me, Soldier Boy did to singing what pantyhose did to finger-fucking.
Shout by aharris158BlockedParentSpoilers2022-07-01T09:40:45Z
Damnit Butcher, did you learn NOTHING?!