Compete waste of a season. This is some terrible story writing. What the fuck did we spend 8 hours watching. Introduced soldier boy & built him up only to end like this. Just because dialog is full of cursing, blood, gore, and shocking scenes doesn’t make up for terrible writing. This shit is just going in circles.
For a big finale it didnt exactly feel grand.
The pacing, action and vfx in this finale did feel off at times but the excellent writing still managed to tie up all loose ends and introduce new story elements for later seasons.
Highlights were several moments in which I could not tell for sure what the characters were gonna do as they themselves also seemed conflicted. The writers really did an outstanding job at subverting expectations there.
Yeah this finale was amazing. Loved the way they twisted the final fight to go down in a way that I don't think many people were expecting. Great moments for many of the characters and I love how they capped off Maeve's arc this season especially. Homelander has been cemented as one of the absolute best villains ever put on TV, and they set up season 4 in a way that has me really excited. My one complaint was Black Noir's death. I saw it coming but he went out in a bit of a lackluster way and I feel like they had set up his character to be deserving of much more of an epic conclusion than what he ultimately got. But otherwise, one of the best episodes of the whole series and one of the best shows out there right now.
I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY BUILT UP BLACK NOIR'S BACKSTORY THIS SEASON TO MAKE HIM DIE LIKE GARBAGE......... I KNOW THEY KNOW THAT THEY COULD'VE DONE MUCH BETTER.
What a shit ending man
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.
am i the only one who thought the writers fumbled the bag with this season finale ;/
idk it was just kind of anticlimactic/predictable leading up to & after the big fight
i actually thought the character growth for the cast as whole (leading up to this point) was fucking brilliant every step of the way, i guess i was just expecting more pizazz or a real grand finale that would wow me.
is no one going to mention the bottle of Novichok that definitely smashed on the ground and killed a bunch of people or...?
I liked the fight scenes. BUT...
... that was probably the worst series finale this series has ever had. So much set up this season and barely any payoff. I'm absolutely disappointed.
I won't repeat all the flaws of this episode (you can read them somewhere above and/or below my take here).
Pretty sure this is the season finale? Its by far my least favorite episode of the show because of all the inconsistencies it ignores to get to its desired ending. Felt incredibly rushed. Heres a few because I have time:
Those are just the ones that are obvious, there are a ton of more nitpicky ones I chose to ignore. Terrible episode imo.
Ok, love the series but here they felt like trying for a convoluted way not to kill Homelander and get the main villain to still merrily and playfully frolic around.
You just say "welp, let's think about the blondie and then we'll argue about Ryan".
I love that Maeve lived tho I would have liked her to still be around.
And that final scene is a classic El Donaldo "I Could ... Shoot Somebody, And I Wouldn't Lose Any Voters" moment. Ah MAGA people (I wonder if there will be the usual irated people here in the comments that can't stand the slightest political stuff mentioned, and then don't talk about it and go out and vote conservative)
Wait? What? Was this the season finale? They kept padding the runtime for this this piece of garbage? This season was just horrible and boring with stupid side stories to fit a certain number of episode and then it turns out they didn't fucking have a main story line.
This episode was absolutely Terrible.
That was kind of a letdown as a season finale. It only serves to prevent the destruction of Homelander for at least another season and I fear we get a repetition of season three "How to kill Homelander". I get it, he's a show favorite but it's just unimaginative. And what happens if Butcher is in the same situation, facing Ryan and Homelander, at the end of season 4 ? How do we get to a point where he either can accept he has to destroy Ryan to or for the latter to switch sides ?
But we then still have Soldier Boy. And there is the same problem arising. How can he come back with a different outcome then now ? Like I said, we just put in multiple twist to lengthen the story.
And at this very moment I don't like it.
Homelander 2.0? Another season of The Boys chasing Homelander and it not resulting to anything? I fear this may get boring after another season or so...
The episode was excellent up until Frenchie revealed the new plan. It all went downhill from there.
The episode should've been titled "The Great Reset". Frenchie is back on coke, pitching ridiculous plans. Kimiko is back to brutally murdering people. Hughie is back to saving everyone's ass without getting any acknowledgement.
I mean, I get that the show is trying to keep the team as anti-heroes for as long as possible. When M.M. was talking with his daughter about how "superheroes aren't always good", that's a meta-euphemism for how The Boys are never good.
While I liked the episode, it is a little frustrating that it seems like everything that happened in the season was ultimately for nothing.
[7.4/10] I don’t know how I feel about that ending. I like where a lot of the characters end up. I like MM having a chance to get one over on Soldier Boy and, more importantly, coming clean to his daughter about what his damage is but why he’s proud of his father nonetheless, and remaining her hero in the process. I like Frenchie considering himself a mere dog for whoever happens to hold his leash at the moment, a product of his rough upbringing, only to be lifted up by Kimiko who knows better than anyone that you don’t have to be your past, spurring him to self-actualize and take control of his life. And I like him proving his value once again by being able to whip up something to neutralize Solider Boy.
I like Hughie acting to protect the (relatively) innocent rather than just trying to punish the guilty. I like him seeing Annie in danger, and choosing to empower her rather than save her, a sign of acceptance for their dynamic after his apology for how badly he screwed things up. I like Kimiko’s “Maniac” moment of finding a musical way to express herself and protect someone she loves at the same time.
I like Maeve denying that she’s a hero, seemingly thwarting the good guys in a bid to take out Homelander rather than stop Soldier Boy, only to then try to sacrifice herself to save them when killing Homelander isn’t worth the rest of their lives. I like her getting to finally leave this behind, become a normie and get to run off with Elena.
I like Butcher making a similar play, deciding that he’d rather protect Ryan than kill Soldier Boy, and that he’d rather save Hughie and give the kid a chance than involve him in this kamikaze mission that would require taking more Temp V.
To the same point, I hate, but admire where they take Ryan. His bad blood with Butcher came from Butcher blaming him for Becca’s death and leaving the poor kid. Of course, Homelander coming in and saying the exact opposite -- that being strong means there’s going to be some accidents, but it’s not his fault and Homelander will always love him -- is going to endear him to the confused kiddo. Seeing him choose Homelander is gut-wrenching, but plausible under the circumstances, and in an episode and a season about good fathers protecting their families and bad fathers fucking them up, the sense that this cycle of dysfunction and messing up your kid will continue with poor Ryan is devastating.
To the same end, I like what they do with Homelander. The political allegories are even less subtle than they were before, with him wandering into an insurrectionist mob, doing the Supe equivalent of “shooting a man on fifth avenue” and not suffering in the polls. I like that he’s on an endless quest for family and fulfillment through that, finding disappointment yet again with a disapproving Soldier Boy, but in a dark note, regaining it with his son. He’s a complete monster, but a comprehensible one, which speaks to Antony Starr’s outstanding acting talents in the role.
I even like where they take Soldier Boy as a character, revealing that he has his own unresolved daddy issues that affect him despite his stiff upper lip, and nearly self-immolating rather than “going back in that box.” He is a walking deconstruction of not only the Captain America archetype, but also of the 1950s “man’s man” archetype and all the B.S. that comes with it. And while I’ve never watched any of Supernatural, Jensen Ackles nails the role, feeling instantly apart of the show’s milieu despite being a recent addition.
I like the tragic end for Black Noir, someone who faces his demons, comes clean to Homelander about what he knew and didn’t say, and suffers for it. Maybe it’s just his cartoon friends, and the absurdity that comes with them, but seeing someone so pure, who’s at worst a tool of greater forces and more than that seems like victim, suffer such a cruel face is softly heartbreaking as well.
I like Annie being a real hero, marshaling everyone together to do good, not just do good PR, and working hard to save the people who need saving. I like her literally and figuratively learning to fly, and receiving the benediction from Maeve to carry on her legacy.
I like A-Train being rejected by his brother, for not wanting a murderer around his kids and for the Supe not understanding the difference between vengeance and justice. I like Ashley literally and figuratively tearing her hair out over all of this, but showing a wisp of humanity by deleting the Vought footage that reveals Maeve is alive. I like The Deep continuing to be a dope and get rejected as such by Homelander despite doing his dirty work and, like the ersatz Superman himself, realizing for a moment that he’s alone and in over his head.
Nevertheless, despite all that stuff that I liked about the characters -- I ended up strangely unsatisfied by this finale. Narratively the show seems to be spinning its wheels some. Every season we’re trying to kill Homeander and expose Vought, and every season they don’t. I get that the show would probably have to end if that happened, or at least substantially retool. I also get that the show is an outsized reflection of real life, where major problems aren’t solved and major bad guys aren’t taken down so easily.
But the show wants to have it both ways, with dramatic deaths and major reveals to the public that should be game-changers, but get spun out by good PR and don’t really disrupt the status quo. Again, as the last several years have demonstrated, that’s not necessarily out of step with the real life happenings The Boys is holding its slanted mirror up to. At the same time, though, it does give the show a futile quality, like we’re just repeating the same basic beats over and over again without ever truly getting anywhere.
I also don’t know if I needed the season to end with a big superpowered brawl. Maybe that was inevitable. The fans demand fisitciffs and fireworks, after all. And to The Boys’ credit, it gives everyone in the cast something meaningful to do in the scrap. But this crew’s problems are mostly psychological. So they can’t be solved with punching and explosions. There’s a few meaningful choices at play, but again, the nature of the show continuing basically means they can’t succeed, so the entire exercise feels fairly futile.
And The Boys doesn’t even have the guts to follow-through on the consequences of its big calls. Sure, Black Noir dies, but he was barely a character until two episodes ago. Maeve makes the big heroic sacrifice, but lives anyway. Soldier Boy is neutralized, but just ends up in another cryogenic tube, ready to be unfrozen whenever the plot needs him. Sure, we get a tease of Neuman being a Veep candidate and Ryan being indoctrinated by his terrible bio dad. But for the most part, things aren’t drastically different than when we started this season. Whatever its own problems, season 2 at least had a sense of closure and accomplishment at the end. This isn’t quite an Empire Strikes Back downer ending or a triumphant ending or even much of an ending to this volume of the show. It’s just another semicolon on the continuing story.
Despite all those things I liked about this landing point, season 3 is fairly easily my least favorite season of The Boys for that reason. It spun its wheels and took the characters in strange directions that seemed contrary to character much of the time. It stuck the landing in terms of many of the arcs, but doesn’t seem to know where to go with its overarching story. We keep getting more and more outlandish elements and extreme plot turns to try to keep the basic premise going, but the series is starting to run out of juice. I can only hope that, from the comics or independently, the creatives have an ending in mind, and season 4 points us directly toward it. Because otherwise we (or at least I) will be stuck with a show with a lot of elements worth liking, that don’t add up to a greater whole.
What a build up of a season to end in the same place we began pretty much. Underutilised Maeve, had her randomly fuck Butcher? Then ended with her powerless (thankfully not dead though). Built up Solidier boy as our one chance to take down homelander, spend the whole season getting him on path and then took him down themselves and Homelander is still off Scott free and raising a mini bastard too. Just keeps on the same pattern of shows stringing along the plot of the 'villain' characters that people love to hate. Westworld most recently did the same. It gets tired. Buffy knew to nix her villains at the end of each season!
P.S. I did appreciate the speed at which Ashley deleted that video of Maeve. No hesitation :hearts:
What a flat, lacklustre ending to a show that's been treading water all season. I really do love the parody of modern politics and social commentary that The Boys bring to the table, but it's completely sidelining the progression of it's main stars and it seems too gun-shy to kill any of them off. I really wanted to like this season but I can't help but feel it was all for nothing. The characters have not moved on, developed or changed over the course of this season. Outside of Butcher and Hughie using temp V, nothing drastically happened to alter their stance or move anything forward. It's time to call Season 4 the final season and wrap this up. You're overstaying your welcome now Boys, and I say that as someone who loves the show.
I just started watching this series a few weeks ago, have since pretty much binged it, even consumed the cross-medial fillers and looked up several analyses. That being said, I thought this was pretty much the weakest episode of the whole show so far.
At the end, it feels just like a huge cliffhanger and setback with barely any distinct story advancement since the discovery of Soldier Boy earlier this season. I'd even say we are in the same situation as at the end of season 2, with the only major differences being introduction of temporary superpowers for Boys and the removal of Noir and Maeve.
Pretty disappointing, as I was hoping for either permanent powers for Butcher and/or the death of Homelander this season finale. :confused:
That simile at end was the most horrifying thing ever in The Boys
It is gonna be a blood bath from here
For now just this: Incorporating Temp V was a stupid decision. I am glad that it might at least be out of the picture for the next season. But they can just as easily have Vought have a breakthrough and get rid of the sideeffects. Which would not even be necessary since for some reason despite the need to pump newborns full of IVs with Compound V for a Teen or adult only a single syringe is necessary to turn or turn back into a superhero. Meaning if the temporary version is killing you, you can just become invincible with the blue stuff ...
Which is actually what I thought Annie would do to save Hugh.
That in mind even the overhanging doom that Soldier Boy takes Homelanders powers away - which was not even delivered on - is nothing for Homelander to be afraid of, since he fucking owns the company which produces the drug to immediately give him his powers back.
So yeah everything about compound V takes away most of the suspense.
"It's like you wear a neon sign that says, 'Raw dog me, I'm a bottom.'"
What the hell was this? It sure wasn't a season finale, and even as an episode, it was weird and underwhelming. The thing is, I'm not sure if I know why. All I know is that, while watching it, I was practically at a loss with what was happening. There was no impact. I felt like something was "wrong," but I can't explain it. My interest in this season had dwindled, thanks to the previous episode. And pretty much with every passing one, little by little, tbh. But this one was on a mission to go further.
This season/show is an illusion of progression and getting somewhere because the show exists; there are seasons and episodes, runtime, with stuff seemingly happening, except that's an illusion; consistent moving around of the chess pieces, but no progression of the game. It relies on social commentary, shock value, and character moments, while there's no meat. To make things worse, the writers keep circling back to the beginning and stretching this show out, "doing their own thing." An underwhelming job at it. But most people don't care; they love jerking this show off.
I feel like the worst part was the showdown.
Butcher gets cold feet because of Ryan's involvement due to the promise he made to Becca, but in reality, that was the writers dragging this 'Let's take down Homelander' crap out. This entire season for nothing. All because of plot convenience. Let's see how they do it again in the fourth season.
Starlight gets a power-up, thanks to Hughie, who is trying to cry because he's proud or whatever: but his body's like, "Nah, mate. You can't even cry. You're trash", and her attack on Soldier Boy did nothing. I mean, of course. Her powers are terrible, and he's one of the strongest Supes. But don't do all that spectacle crap and have no pay-off. That was pathetic and embarrassing writing; I feel sorry for whoever wrote that, as they probably think highly of themselves for it.
M.M. gets the last word in on Soldier Boy because that's the only way the writers could resolve that; he stood no chance to beat him. Wow, how powerful of you, M.M., especially considering you had the help of Starlight and Kimiko to hold him. That brought tears to my eyes. Yeah!!! You tell him!!!
Maeve gets hit by Soldier Boy's blast, then falls to the ground from the height of a skyscraper (after having her eye gouged out and bleeding), which means bye-bye superpowers, yet she's, more or less, okay.
Soldier Boy's captured again, which I think is ridiculous. Yet another way to drag out taking down Homelander: release Soldier Boy for some reason, probably to try and use him (or he escapes somehow), and focus the season on taking him down instead, or something like that. Maybe only focus the season on him/use him as an excuse to disregard Homelander.
But beyond that, there were other things. Maeve tossed the Novichok out the window, which, realistically, would've killed people, but the writers didn't consider that, or it wouldn't have happened: "Well, if we don't bring it up/make it a thing, it didn't happen." And, for some reason, only Butcher's having dire consequences from the V24; Hughie's got that Main Character Plot Armor. Unless the writers remember that: and he's at death's door alongside Butcher in the fourth season.
Another thing to mention is Noir. I couldn't care less about what happened to him. It's weird how so many people were/are up in arms about it and how so many people liked him. Sure, his backstory is tragic, and its presentation with the cartoons is more tragic. He was still a blank slate; that should've been his name: Blank Slate, not Black Noir. His departure will have no impact on the show.
And, yeah. This episode was the worst one of a season that contained an element of underwhelmingness from the beginning. It was a worse season finale. But now, the start of the season shines brighter because of it. I know most people probably think this season's the best one yet, every episode better than the last, every little thing in every episode being the pinnacle of television and worthy of all the awards. And I'll be watching the fourth season, although this show seems to remain serviceable instead of advancing to something more. That's my perspective, so everyone else can continue salivating at everything this show (and each season) churns out.
Trash ending to a season that was kept afloat by only a few good episodes. Finale certainly ruined my enjoyment of the show, and will remove it from my watchlist. Not worth my time, especially after that ending. Let's not forget the ultimate Butcher cuck moment: "It's my wife's son!"
So bellow the expectations... Really trash episode....
wow, what a fucking ride
I admire this show's love for spoofing real live politics in minor details. From Trump "Fifth Avenue" quote to using cheap bottles of perfume*.
She was a hero after all! Toxicity (Butcher) and blind revenge (Maeve) backfired big time. Well, this show never was subtle and expecting a different outcome was naive on my part. There is only one root of evil - the Corporation. Everything else is just a byproduct of it. The Vought should have been a real goal from the start. Now they accidentally created an even darker path, to dictatorship... for Homelander. Whatever Neuman is planning would be less destructible than the pure chaos that he is after.
The only thing that was missing from the final was the death of someone important to the plot. Lack of it did lower the stakes significantly from the previous episode. I'm happy it wasn't Maeve cause that was done to death from any perspective you wanna look at it. But Hughie, Annie, MM, Frenchie, hell maybe Ryan would have improved it. If the show wasn't ready to kill off bad guys for plot-related reasons (Homelander, Butcher, Soldier Boy), that's it.
Although, inadvertently, that created a paradox where the Russian government told the truth this time, had nothing to do with "terrorist attack" and was used as a cover-up by US corporation... Well, shit.
Im happy Maeve got a happy ending and Starlight had her moment, but Black Noir plot led to nothing. And now Ryan will grow psycho too. I know they have to push Homelander til the end of the show bc he is the show, but damn, they were so close this time.
A-Train's glance to Noir's helmet after Homelander asks him how he could kill one of his own in cold blood is honestly top 10 funniest moments of the show
omggggg, wtf just happened, this was really good ending for this season and just telling there is more to telll, really omggg liked it.
they are creative about the storyline totally
A very disappointing finale to an otherwise great season. All of the characters arcs were wrapped up poorly, not only did they feel untrue to the characters they felt generic and basic as hell. This episode goes the safest route it could possibly go, which is pretty damning when it feels like the whole point of this series is to do the opposite. Don't get me started on the Marvel-esque fighting and power scaling either.
Isn't it the whole point that no supe could possibly stand a chance against Homelander? In an earlier season Maeve implies she would be lucky to survive seconds against Homelander, now she's strong enough to make him bleed and potentially kill him? Also, what an awful decision to have Noir killed off in such an obvious way, especially after finally giving him some interesting backstory and a good set up to be a part of the final confrontation. Having Maeve survive in the end as well was very unsatisfying and makes this shows plot armor issues so much worse.
Writing aside however, this is still a well made episode with some entertaining moments and good performances. Overall it's a poor wrap up to the overaching season and a disappointing direction for the series as a whole, hopefully they come back from this next season.
Enjoyed this. I'm curious as to how
[spoiler]
a) Maeve survived. She would have lost her powers in midair and hit the ground without powers. So she should definitely be pavement pizza.
b) any of the Boys left that building alive given the move HL was in and they'd just killed his father.
[\spoiler]
All the comments saying the plot hasn't moved on, but Trump is now rising to power without Vought. He now knows he is more powerful without them, and can wipe out every single other supe when it suits him. Fascism, dictatorship - it's getting closer and closer to American reality.
Great fun, and Anthony Starr deserves a lot of awards for his performances as the Donald this season.
Could have really used more diabolicalness but i guess they are trying to stretch this show out to 7-8 seasons ergo getting tamer in the process. still its entertaining. i will see you next year fascists.
I wanted this episode to be the greatest climax any season has ever had. The previous episode gave it a great setting to do a lot of amazing things in the season finale.
The finale was slow paced it was well put together and expertly delivered. Each and every scene purposely moved the story along. The people who lost value in the greater narrative were trimmed off. Nobody died that was truly important. And nobody moving forward in the story has an absolute certainty about their future.
What I love the most about this episode was that the producers realized that the greatest attraction to the series itself is homelander. They gave us a season finale that did not take away from the character of homelander but it's still held him back is a character with a greater story yet untold. There is so much uncertainty around homelander and what is next for him and his son.
I'm curious how the producers are going to save butcher's life in the next season good stuff so far. Overall season finale was well done
I always appreciate a show more when they use Elton John
Curiously, I was really affected by Homelander seeing his son at the beginning. It made me think, that’s how God loves me. I wasn’t expecting that.
Just a steel town girl on a Saturday night
Lookin' for the fight of her life
In the real-time world no one sees her at all
They all say she's crazy
Locking rhythms to the beat of her heart
Changing movement into light
She has danced into the danger zone
When the dancer becomes the dance
It can cut you like a knife, if the gift becomes the fire
On a wire between will and what will be
She's a maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
She's a maniac, maniac on the floor
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
On the ice-blue line of insanity is a place most never see
It's a hard-won place of mystery touch it, but can't hold it
You work all your life for that
Moment in time, it could come or pass you by
It's a push-shove world, but there's always a chance
If the hunger stays the night
There's a cold kinetic heat, struggling, stretching for the beat
Never stopping with her head against the wind
She's a maniac, maniac, I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
She's a maniac, maniac, I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
It can cut you like a knife, if the gift becomes the fire
On a wire between will and what will be
She's a maniac, maniac, I sure know (I sure know)
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
She's a maniac, maniac, I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
Maniac, maniac, I sure know
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
She's a maniac, maniac, I sure know (I sure know)
And she's dancing like she's never danced before
Maeve a true queen FR
A solid season finale with plenty of twists and unexpected moments, few of which honestly didn't land quite well. Also the story overall doesn't seem to have progressed much from the beginning of the season. The whole plot with Homelander being a ticking bomb is starting to meander and I hope they resolve in the next season.
This was brutal, just like the whole season. And there's more to come... Oh, yeah.
Calm down, we all know things will take crazier.
Great conclusion to a great season!
Amazing season finale. I have no idea how they will top this with a series finale.
My god this episode of The Boys was amazing. I seriously can't wait for season 4 where this episode leaves off. My god!
I loved this episode except for noir's untimely death. I wanted to explore more of this nuanced character. Everything else was excellent, especially the last cheering that spell trouble for the world. I expected ryan to turn to homelander.
Even my cat can write a better finale
I didn't really like the way this episode, and the season, ended. They had been hyping up Homelander's death in some epic conflict. But then when it happens they decide to turn on Soldier Boy. The inclusion of the child felt forced, I guess to set up the next season, but it felt out of place.
The storylines converged a little but still felt very divergent. Maeve's retreat seemed mainly as a way to keep her character busy because they didn't have a way to write her in. Then she gets a small part and then retires.
Soldier Boy and Homelander are basically alive and in fine condition so the episode didn't have real consequences. Butcher might die but the prognosis is actually not short.
Black Noir dies for no good reason. It felt like a abnormally dumb decision.
So overall it felt disappointing.
7.5/10
A lethal deo, cartoon characters, and some other WTFs.
Annie: "Told you so!"
Kimiko slapping Frenchie.
Maeve is finally free!!! :)
She lost her eye though and who knows if Homelander will find her.
Mother's Milk: "Fuck your shield, bitch!"
I'm proud of Hughie for not taking the temporary V.
Ryan siding with Homelander is kinda on Billy for leaving. But I don't care about Ryan anymore since he was smiling at the end after Homeland lasered that guy to death. He might be young and "dumb" but not that dumb. At least Mother's Milk should have a good chance now to eventually get his wife back (the guy who cheered was Janine's other dad, right?!?).
So Homelander ist still loose (at least the truth is out now), Soldierboy is still alive(?), and Victoria Neuman is vice president? Great... :o
PS: I like Annie's cool car.
PPS: I'm glad that Mother's Milk talked to Janine. He shouldn't try to protect her from the truth.
The ending was cool though in rl stupid people would also react like that... sad
The whole season felt rushed
Not so good and wtf are this normal guards and no sups xDDDD
I just realized who Ryan looks like. This show's veneer of satire is very thin indeed.
Holy shit that was awful.
season finale. Those fights, that light, those bloody deaths. It has been well
I have a few mixed feelings about the finale but overall I still very much enjoyed it. Wasn't expecting this episode to feel this intense at the end, felt like every single one of them could die. I was rooting for no-one so hard, that I rooted for everyone.
I love MMs Shirt’s, hes a legend for that alone
I hate fckin Ryan.
Fck him, seriously
After seeing the reviews on here I decided to put off watching this for a couple of days. Never doing that again, this was really good. Lots of great character development from most of the characters. A pretty great scene in vaught tower. A pretty great ending to the season I think.
So they going to forgive Homelander and Head Popper will be next??
The deadliest flashdance ever. (Daayam.)
And that hint of it's-going-to-be-okay smile emerging at the very end, as he finds the sorely missed taste of supportive family among the power of the dark side...
"Now, matters are worse." —Yoda
By far the best episode in a series which by and large didn't really hit the spot for what makes The Boys such a good show. This was the only episode that really felt like what was basically every episode of season 1 and 2
"Goodbye yellow brick road" was a good callback to S1. I liked almost everything that happened (mostly I thought Noir could have been developed a little more, maybe even his connection to Stan), but the final half seemed kinda like GoT, trying to wrap a lot of things together at the same time so stuff like Kimiko and Frenchie's mission were pushed to the wayside while the main event was drawing all of the attention. Nevertheless, it was another good season.
I thought it was a great finale, but black noir “dying” like that was pretty weird… buttt what kind of powers does he have? Where’s his body after he dies??? Yeah he went back and took the helmet off but we don’t see where he ends up:sob: :asterisk_symbol:copium:asterisk_symbol:
Felt like a decent midway point for a season. I enjoyed the ride but just wanted a bit more. Sometimes the genuine chemistry between the cast is enough to prop up an other times bland experience
Review by Pradipa PRBlockedParent2022-07-08T13:47:35Z
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.