If you'd like to be totally surprised by the events of Season 3, I don't recommend you to watch the trailer beyond 1:34, as it starts to give away some major spoilers. Otherwise, if you still need some incentive to watch the season, it's a good trailer.
video © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
Watch the trailer for The Boys: Season 1 (2019)
Watch the trailer for The Boys: Season 2 (2020)
Article updated: 2024.06.15
The The Boys: Season 3 (2022) is a contemporary fantasy action / thriller TV series. The TV series was reviewed by Kadmon.
Product: The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Original title: The Boys: Season 3
Series: The Boys - The Boys (TV series)
Other adaptations of the story: The Boys graphic novels
Previous entries in the series: The Boys: Season 1 (2019), The Boys: Season 2 (2020), The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022)
Sequels: Gen V (2023), The Boys: Season 4 (2024)
Other adaptations of the story: The Boys graphic novels
Setting: contemporary fantasy Earth (The Boys universe - TV series)
Product type: Film, Genre: contemporary fantasy action / thriller, Style: science fiction, fantasy - contemporary fantasy, thriller, action, super-human abilities, police action
Release: 2022.06.03-07.08
Reviewer: Kadmon, Type: Male, 40s, Preferences: Immersive, logical story, consistent setting, prefers surprises to spoilers, prefers establishing elements before referencing them
Watched: very recent (2022.06-07), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)
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This is my review of The Boys: Season 3, a contemporary fantasy action / thriller TV series from 2022. It's about a group of regular people trying to limit the collateral damage done by super-powered people. The The Boys: Season 3 series is interesting, I recommend it to fans of the genre. It is based on the The Boys graphic novel series.
The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
image © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
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Overall review (spoiler-free) - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
I've read the original comics, and while I was not excited by them, I've found them interesting. When the TV series came out, I've watched the first two seasons. While I've found them better in several ways than the graphic novels, I consider the story arcs in the comics better. I like it that the TV series has its own take on the story, so it can surprise even the fans of the originals. I have to admit, though, that I thought that overall, the first two seasons were somewhat mediocre, compared to their potential. I didn't watch the entire Diabolical anthology series, but I've seen some bits of it. I didn't watch the trailer for the series.
The The Boys: Season 3 series is about a group of regular people trying to limit the collateral damage done by super-powered people.
Up to the episodes I've seen, the story is good, although I'm not entirely satisfied with the consistency. There are way too many parallel stories crammed into the runtime, and it detracts from the story. Up to this point, there were no character arcs. I also didn't find logical problems. The whole season seems to be one continuous narrative.
Compared to the previous seasons, up to the episodes I've watched, I like this season better. Although I couldn't point it out what's the difference. The episodes are full of content, there are no moments I'd cut out.
The cinematography is good. The story has very nice cinematic scenes. The special effects are seamless. The action scenes are easy to follow, you can see what is happening, or at least they tell you through dialogue if something wouldn't be entirely clear. Due to the many close-up shots, I feel that this film was made to be seen on a small screen.
I like the characters, they are well developed, the super-humans have a lot of established background than their counterparts in the graphic novels. I also really like the work of the actors, they are convincing enough, even in otherwise ridiculous or shocking situations.
The music (by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen) is good. I'm not sure who made the songs that pop up in the show, but even those are catchy.
This series is for adults. There's violence and gore, explicit showing of genitals, and constant swearing.
Up to the episodes I've seen, the The Boys: Season 3 is an interesting contemporary fantasy action / thriller, that I think fans of the genre will enjoy.
My experience
I was mostly satisfied with the individual episodes of The Boys: Season 3 (2022). I happen to like stories with well-thought, logical and interesting plots, and The Boys: Season 3 delivered just that. However, the season as a whole was not as satisfying as it didn't really lead anywhere.
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points). The The Boys season 3 is a well-made series.
Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points). I liked it while I watched it, but overall I felt the season lacking.
Rewatchability: Average. The episodes are good, if you like superhero action, you can find some good scenes.
Chance of watching it again: Unlikely.
Chance of watching a sequel: I know I'll watch The Boys: Season 4 when it comes out.
The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
image © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
Will you enjoy this?
If you like mystery or thriller movies, you might like The Boys: Season 3.
If you like stories about people with super-human powers, you might like this series.
If you prefer stories where the super-humans are super-heroes, The Boys might be a disappointment for you.
If you like supernatural or fantasy movies, you might like The Boys: Season 3.
If you'd like to get comedic moments in your movies, The Boys: Season 3 has some moments of dark comedy.
If you enjoyed the first two seasons of The Boys, you might be interested in this story.
If you prefer visuals over story, even though the action scenes look good, there's a lot of time you'd need to wait between them.
If you hate violence and gore, you should avoid The Boys series.
If you hate nudity and naturalistic sex scenes, The Boys: Season 3 is not for you.
Things you are required to know to enjoy this
The prologue of the first episode of the third season sums up everything you need to know.
Do you need to read the original graphic novel to enjoy this?
I don't think so. Reading The Boys won't help you understand the world of the TV series better, it just shares some names and common concepts. The show is probably closer to the Powers graphic novels than to the The Boys comics.
Do you need to see the previous series of The Boys to enjoy this?
There's probably enough explanation that you'll understand what's going on without seeing the first film.
I don't remember much from the previous series, and I can understand what is happening.
If you've read at least some of the graphic novels, Season 3 might be a good starting point for you. The first two seasons are really just warming up to this storyline, and the protagonist in the series will be a lot closer to their counterparts in the comics by this time.
Do you need to see the next season of the series to enjoy this?
We'll see.
Watching for plot points
If you are interested in super-powered human stories / super-human crime stories, I think it's worth watching the The Boys: Season 3 movie for the plot points.
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The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
image © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
Episode review with no spoilers - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Episode 1: Payback
The episode starts with a short recap of the previous two series - this is good idea, because I didn't really remember some of the details they have shown.
In the episode, there are probably too many plot-lines, with many short scenes, showing all of the characters. Otherwise, I didn't find any logical problems.
The episode ends with a reveal / shocker.
This is an acceptable start for the season. We are introduced to the main characters and the basic plot, I hope they'll be able to maintain this.
Release: 2022.06.03
Watched: very recent (2022.06), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Episode 2: The Only Man In The Sky
The episode continues the story they've started in the first one, and adds a lot of new information for the audience to digest. I have to admit I really liked this episode.
The episode ends with a reveal, that could be considered a shocker, if you think about where could the reveal lead.
Release: 2022.06.03
Watched: very recent (2022.06), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Episode 3: Barbary Coast
The story continues. It looks like this will turn into something more interesting. This episode was not as intense as the previous two, it left some room for storytelling.
The episode ends with a reveal, that's also something of a shocker.
Release: 2022.06.03
Watched: very recent (2022.06), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Episode 4: Glorious Five Year Plan
The storylines continue. The episode was not as strong as the previous three.
The episode ends with a shocker.
Release: 2022.06.10
Watched: very recent (2022.06), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)
Episode 5: The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies
The storylines continue. Although the individual plot-lines are good, there are too many in this episode to make them work perfectly.
The episode ends with multiple open-ended plot-lines.
Release: 2022.06.17
Watched: very recent (2022.06), first time
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)
Episode 6: Herogasm
The storylines continue, focusing on only two of them, making this a more coherent episode than the previous.
The episode ends with a sort-of conclusion. It felt like the end of a proper episode of a TV series.
Release: 2022.06.24
Watched: very recent (2022.06), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Episode 7: Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed
The storylines continue.
The episode ends with a reveal / mild shocker.
Release: 2022.07.01
Watched: very recent (2022.07), first time
Rating: Good (2+ out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Good (2+ out of 3 points)
Episode 8: The Instant White-Hot Wild
The storylines continue, some of the conclude, some of them don't.
The episode ends with a mild shocker / cliffhanger.
Release: 2022.07.08
Watched: very recent (2022.07), first time
Rating: Average (2 out of 3 points), Enjoyment: Average (2 out of 3 points)
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Review with spoilers - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
I mostly liked the The Boys: Season 3 series. However, in the end, the whole season was just one big loop that lead to nowhere. The story is practically at the same point at the end than it was in the beginning, and the whole plot could have been done in an episode or two. I enjoyed watching the episodes, but it's lacking a proper story. When it looks like there will be some lasting change, they take it back in the next minute, even resurrecting seemingly dead characters.
If you'd skip the 3rd season, and watch the 4th immediately after the 2nd, the only thing that would be noticed is that Black Noir and Maeve is missing, A-Train's heart got better, and Starlight quit the Seven.
Cover
The cover of the series is okay, although it slightly spoils the season if you take a closer look.
The trailer
The trailer has some spoilers in the second half of the video. Otherwise, it's fine as a trailer.
Promise of the first scene
We see a dramatised recreation of the final battle between Homelander and Stormfront, as shown on a movie theatre. Homelander and the Seven defeat the Nazi Stormfront. I have no clue where will they take the story.
Execution: Well, they didn't take this specific storyline anywhere.
Although the visuals are similar - in the movie scene, we see a damaged tower and the statue of Soldier Boy on the ground, and in the final scene, the tower is also damaged, and the angry people are toppling the statue of Soldier Boy.
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The episodes - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Episode 1: Payback
Written by Craig Rosenberg. Directed by Phil Sgriccia.
Promise of the first scene
We see a dramatised recreation of the final battle between Homelander and Stormfront, as shown on a movie theatre. Homelander and the Seven defeat the Nazi Stormfront. I have no clue where will they take the story.
Execution: The end of the episode doesn't conclude this promise, but opens another, parallel plotline. I'm not satisfied with the execution of the promise, but I have to admit that the promise was not a strong one anyway.
Episode 2: The Only Man In The Sky
Written by David Reed. Directed by Phil Sgriccia.
Promise of the first scene
Butcher decides to give the serum to himself. I assume we'll see how the next 24 hours will go, and what will he be able to achieve.
Execution: Although the beginning was revealed to be a dream, he still took the serum, and we've seen what he'll be able to achieve, so I consider this a perfect keeping of the promise.
Episode 3: Barbary Coast
Written by Anslem Richardson & Geoff Aull. Directed by Julian Holmes.
Promise of the first scene
We see young Starlight getting into an uncomfortable situation. I have no clue where would they take this story.
Execution: Although the end was not delivering on the promise, but it gave it a nice framing structure, so I think that's acceptable.
Episode 4: Glorious Five Year Plan
Written by Meredith Glynn. Directed by Julian Holmes.
Promise of the first scene
We see a VHS recording of a music video from the 1980s, featuring Soldier Boy. This could lead to anything, but it's a nice touch.
Execution: By the end of the episode, I totally forgot that it started with the music video. So I can't say it's a really strong promise, but now I think that Soldier Boy's mind might be stuck in the 1980s.
Episode 5: The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies
Written by Ellie Monahan. Directed by Nelson Cragg.
Promise of the first scene
We see experiments done on Soldier Boy. I don't know where will this lead.
Execution: It didn't really leave anywhere. I'm not satisfied with the fulfilment of the promise.
Episode 6: Herogasm
Written by Jessica Chou. Directed by Nelson Cragg.
Promise of the first scene
We see the Deep, the head of criminal investigation, singing for peace. I assume this shows his ineffective methods of finding Soldier Boy.
Execution: While it was not a proper promise, but it gives a framing structure to the story.
Episode 7: Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed
Release: 2022.07.01
Written by Paul Grellong. Directed by Sarah Boyd.
Promise of the first scene
We see that Starlight is being called a traitor by Vought. I assume she'll be kicked out of the Seven, maybe she'll get a visit to silence her.
Execution: We got that resolved by the middle of the episode.
Episode 8: The Instant White-Hot Wild
Written by David Reed. Directed by Sarah Boyd.
Promise of the first scene
Homelander visits his son, and tells him that he'll always love him. I have no clue where will they take this, but I assume this will lead to somewhere.
Execution: Indeed it did. His son was crucial in the defeat of Soldier Boy and the survival of Homelander.
The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
image © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
Plot summary / Synopsis
Episode 1: Payback
There's the premiere of a new movie (Dawn of the Seven), about Homelander (Antony Starr as Homelander) and the Seven defeating the evil Nazi Stormfront (played by Charlize Theron). Starlight (Erin Moriarty as Starlight) is there with Hughie (Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell). Butcher (Karl Urban as Billy Butcher) meets Hughie, and tells him that they are going to hit their target that night. Hughie agrees to this, hoping that they won't hurt anybody.
Frenchie (Tomer Capone as Frenchie) and the Female (Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro) go to the party, with hidden cameras. A shrinking super-human (Brett Geddes as Termite) entertains the guests. After that, he meets a guy, and to have sex, he shrinks and crawls inside his penis, when he accidentally sneezes and grows to his original size, shredding the guy to pieces. When Frenchie opens the door on him, the supe shrinks and tries to crawl into Frenchie's anus to explode him. The Female saves him, but the supe knocks both of them out. Butcher arrives in time to catch him in a bag full of drugs. To the surprise of Frenchie, Butcher lets the guy live, and calls the bureau.
Next day, in the HQ of the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs, Hughie goes to work, and has a breakfast with his boss (Claudia Doumit as Victoria Neuman). They can't arrest the shrinker supe, but they get three other, lesser supes instead to put to trial.
Then a guy (Tony) shows up, and asks Hughie if he can talk to "Nadia", pointing at his boss. He says that they were best friends, before he is taken out.
Butcher visits Homelander's son (Cameron Crovetti as Ryan), who lives in a safe house with the colonel (Laila Robins as Grace Mallory).
Homelander meets with The Deep (Chace Crawford as The Deep). Homelander gets angry that he got an interview slot before his, but The Deep apologizes to get away out of the situation alive.
Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk) is having a birthday party with his daughter (Liyou Abere as Janine).
At the Vought building, there's a meeting. The boss (Giancarlo Esposito as Stan Edgar) shows a new serum (V24) for a politician (Jim Beaver as Senator Robert A. Singer) that gives super-human powers for 24 hours, before the effect fades. He offers to sell if for 2 million dollars per dose. He admits that it was a mistake to treat the super-humans as heroes to be worshipped, and giving them infinite power.
Hughie meets Butcher, who is angry that they let the shrinker supe free.
Vought's boss offers Starlight to be the co-captain of the Seven. Starlight refuses, as she is afraid of Homelander's retaliation. Hughie is also against this promotion. Yet, they finally get her to agree.
Homelander has a bad day, so he grabs A-Train (Jessie T. Usher as A-Train) and threatens him. Then he goes to the seriously injured Stormfront (Aya Cash as Stormfront), so she could jerk him off.
It turns out that Maeve (Dominique McElligott as Queen Maeve) is working with Butcher to catch the supes. She finds some lead on a super-weapon. It worked on Soldier Boy in the 1980s, so they assume that might also kill Homelander. She gives Butcher three doses of V24.
Homelander visits Butcher, and talks with him about his disappointments.
Hughie sees the guy (Tony) meeting his boss, who admits that she was Nadia, but now she has a new life. The guy tells her that she should tell everyone about Red River. Then the boss tries to kill him by blowing his brain, but the guy notices that his nose started to bleed, so he starts fighting with her. The boss is able to blow his hand, then his face, then she blows him up completely. She calls for a team, and leaves.
Episode 2: The Only Man In The Sky
We see a commercial about the next movie of The Deep, "Not Without My Dolphins".
Then Butcher decides to give himself the V24 drug, to give himself temporary powers. Before he inject it, he has a conversation with Homelander and his dead brother through the TV. Then he wakes up.
Hughie told Starlight about his boss being a supe, and they find out that Red River was a home for children, owned by Vought.
Butcher goes to Mother's Milk, trying to convince him to help him in the investigation about Soldier Boy. He refuses, but gives butcher a folder about his target, Gunpowder.
Frenchie and the Female goes to the Voughtland theme park. They watch a video about Soldier Boy, then Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden as Crimson Countess), Soldier Boy's girfriend steps on the stage to sing. After the show the two of them try to interrogate her, but she escapes, killing one of the mascots of the theme park.
Homelander visits Stormfront in the hospital, but she is unusually silent.
At Vought, they are preparing a birthday celebration for Homelander, and he wants to force Starlight to sing with a group sexy backup dancers. She refuses, and the boss of the company agrees with her.
A-Train proposes a pitch about wanting to be the hero of black people, and a redesign to his suit to reflect that. They are not very impressed. Later, he talks about his brother about this idea, but he also opposes him. The brother tells him about the local super-hero, Blue Hawk, who doesn't care about black people dying as collateral damage during his crime-fighting.
Hughie decides to investigate Red River. He finds it that it's a group home for super-children. Due to parental fatality, the kids often bounce back. He pretends that they want to adopt a kid with Starlight, so he is able to to copy their database. It turns out that the boss of the company got her out.
The boss of the company meets with Hughie's boss, and he reassures her that if any others will come out who knew her, they will be dealt with, like he dealt with his old friend.
Butcher goes to a weapons expo to meet Gunpowder (Sean Patrick Flanery as Gunpowder). He blackmails him that he'll let people know he was abused by Soldier Boy, unless he tells about Soldier Boy's death. Gunpowder refuses to help, but later, he tries to shoot Butcher.
They are shooting the "birthday save" segment, when a suicide jumper is saved by Homelander, when news break out the Stormfront committed suicide. Homelander forces the girl to jump off the roof, who dies.
Hughie tells Butcher that his boss is a supe, and that he believes they have to do the things the way Butcher did.
Butcher visits Gunpowder again, who shoots him in the chest, but Butcher took the serum, so he survives, and punches Gunpowder around. He confesses that in 1984 they were in Nicaragua, that's where Soldier Boy died, but he didn't see anything. He tells Butcher to ask the CIA, Grace Mallory was their case officer. Then Butcher kills him.
During the birthday celebration that goes live on TV, Homelander has a breakdown, and announces that he's had enough of being controlled.
Episode 3: Barbary Coast
17 years ago: We see Starlight as a contestant to a hero pageant.
Now: Homelander is informed that people liked his speech, and his scores are up by 21 points.
For Butcher, the effects of V24 are wearing off. Mother's Milk joins his team again. Hughie arrives, afraid to go to work and meet his boss, so he asks the Female to break his arm, so he doesn't need to fake. She does.
Frenchie's ex-girlfriend (Jordana Lajoie as Cherie) gets into trouble with the Russian mob. She tells him she has to run, because a shipment was stolen from her.
The team visit the safe house where the colonel keeps Homelander's boy. The colonel is pressed to tell what happened in Nicaragua, when they allied with the Contra rebels against the communist government. She tells them that they were getting drugs from there to fund their operation, and the drugs were sold to black neighbourhoods to destabilise them. She tells about the time when Payback arrived. Their presence alerted the enemy, so they stormed their base, with Russian special forces. Many of the rebels were killed by Payback, who didn't know who to shoot at. The Russians were able to kill Soldier Boy, and they took his body.
Starlight asks Supersonic to not to accept a position at the Seven, because something is wrong with Homelander. Homelander offers her to take The Deep back. She refuses, and reminds him that they have blackmail material about his deeds, but Homelander replies that if they'd do it, he would have nothing to lose any more, so he could destroy whatever he wants, and if people don't love him, he'd be okay if they'd fear him.
Starlight tells Hughie that she wants to leave the Seven, but he tells her they need her in that position until they find the weapon against Homelander.
Frenchie gets captured by the Russian mob. The mob boss (Katia Winter as Little Nina) offers him that if he gets his ex-girlfriend to them, they'll offer her a clean death. When Frenchie mentions this to Butcher, he decides that he wants to meet with the mob boss, as they are going to Russia.
Homelander forces The Deep to eat an octopus he has befriended. Then, Homelander announces on television that he and Starlight are in love.
Episode 4: Glorious Five Year Plan
Butcher confesses to Hughie that he took V24, and killed Gunpowder.
The boss of Vought asks Neuman that she needs to show Homelander, that he can't get away with everything.
Butcher and Frenchie meet the Russian mob boss, and offer her money to erase the debt of Frenchie's ex-girlfriend and to help them get a contact with the Russian government. After privately talking to Butcher, she agrees, and offers them a plane to Russia.
Starlight talks to Maeve, who reveals to her that she helps Butcher find the weapon to kill Homelander, and that she is training to fight alongside them against Homelander, hoping to give them a couple of seconds before Homelander kills her. Starlight approaches Supersonic, and asks him to join her and Maeve when it comes to a confrontation with the Homelander. Supersonic later approaches A-Train.
Butcher's team arrives in Russia. He tells them that the mob boss agreed to help them, if they kill a Russian mob boss. Butcher wants the Female to do it. She gets in, then kills the mob boss and his goons with a variety of dildos she found in the room.
Neuman, instead of reprimanding Homelander, offers evidence about the crimes of the boss of Vought. In exchange for that, Homelander gets her a dose of Compound V, that she injects into her daughter.
Butcher's team gets into the lab. While fighting, the team finds it out that Butcher took V24. Hughie is also revealed to have stolen a dose of it from Butcher, and used it himself. Inside the lab, they open a tank to find Soldier Boy. He shoots a beam of energy at the Female, then leaves. The damage on the Female doesn't heal.
Homelander shows Starlight the corpse of Supersonic. He tells her that A-Train told him about their plans. He threatens her that next time, it will be Hughie.
Episode 5: The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies
They are able to stabilise the Female. After returning to the USA, Mother's Milk and Frenchie leaves Butcher.
The Homelander takes over the leadership of the corporation. The Deep becomes the head of crime analytics, and fires most of the analytics team.
Supersonic is said to have died due to drug overdose.
Hughie tells Starlight what happened in Russia.
Meave meets with Butcher, she brings him another couple of doses of V24. They drink, mope, then have sex.
The Russian mob boss is not satisfied with what the Boys did in Russia, so they ask Frenchie to kill a Russian guy and his daughter. The Female wakes up, and finds out that she not only lost her healing powers, but all of her powers, probably due to Soldier Boy's blast. She starts to talk again.
A-Train meets with Blue Hawk (Nick Wechsler as Blue Hawk), who agrees to do an apology for the black people he had killed. They have a meeting in a Black community center, where he looses his temper, and assaults the Black people who criticise his methods. Blue Hawk damages the brother of A-Train that he loses his ability to walk.
Soldier Boy sneaks on a plane and returns to the USA. When he hears Russian music, he has a meltdown, and creates an explosion.
Homelander doesn't want to bother with finding the guy, he is more interested in giving interviews about how safe the people are from this super-villain. Homelander visits Maeve, then she is reported to have gone to a detox centre.
Hughie and Butcher investigates the explosion, when Mother's Milk arrives, and agrees to join them. They go to meet the Legend (Paul Reiser as The Legend), who was working for the PR of the company. The Legend tells them that Soldier Boy asked him the address of Crimson Countess. They go there, and Butcher and Hughie takes a dose of V24.
Crimson Countess is on a camgirl call, when she is interrupted and tied up by Butcher. They tell her that Soldier Boy is back, and she reveals that she knew that he was captured by the Russians. She pleads to be set free, as she is afraid that Soldier Boy will kill her. Starlight arrives, to provide backup. As Mother's Milk didn't take the V24, Butcher poisons his drink to make him sleep.
Soldier Boy arrives, hoping that they might reconnect with Crimson Countess, but she tells him that she always hated him. Soldier Boy creates an explosion, killing Crimson Countess. Butcher offers him a team-up. Starlight asks Hughie not to take part in this, but he still goes with Butcher.
Episode 6: Herogasm
Homelander finds it out that it was Soldier Boy who did the explosions. Afraid that if people find this out that will cost him the company, he decides to find and kill Soldier Boy. After this, Black Noir removes something from his arm (Update: revealed to be his tracker).
Butcher delivers food and drugs to Soldier Boy, who agrees to kill Homelander.
The Female is attacked in the hospital by a Russian mobster.
A-Train wants justice for the debilitating injuries of his brother, but he is reminded that he was straight up murdering people, not caring about others.
The Deep reveals to Homelander that Noir disappeared, and he removed his tracker. The Deep also reveals that he thinks that Soldier Boy is after his old team, and his next target will probably be the TNT Twins. Homelander sends him to there to report to him if he sees Soldier Boy arrive.
Homelander has a conversation with himself, and decides to get rid of his soft human parts, as he doesn't need the love of the people.
Soldier Boy reveals to Hughie that he blacked out before the explosion happened in the city. Butcher arrives and tells them that he got the address of the TNT Twins. They dose up on V24 before leaving.
The Deep arrives at the TNT Twins (Kristin Booth as Tessa & Jack Doolan as Tommy) home. It turns out that they are having a party, called Herogasm.
Neuman reveals to Starlight that she knows that they know about her, but she promises not to hurt them. She offers a truce but Starlight doesn't agree, as she is tired of working with bad people.
The Russian mob boss tells the beaten up Frenchie that he has to choose between her ex-girlfriend and the Female, as one of them will be shot dead. Luckily the Female is able to get out, and the ex-girlfriend breaks her chair, so they end up resisting, killing the guards, while the mob boss escapes.
Hughie teleports in to the TNT Twins home. He finds A-Train, and remembering that he now have super-powers, confronts him about the death of his ex-girlfriend. To his surprise, A-Train says he is sorry. Hughie still punches him, but Starlight arrives and asks him to help to clear the building, as Homelander is coming, and they'll tear the place apart. When Soldier Boy arrives, Hughie teleports Starlight out of the house.
Soldier Boy confronts the TNT Twins, who tell him that it was Noir's idea to give him up to the Russians. Soldier Boy doesn't believe this as Noir wouldn't do anything without the company's orders. Suddenly Russian music starts during the party, leading to an explosion. A lot of people die. A-Train uses the opportunity to kill Blue Hawk with his super-speed, then he has a heart attack and collapses. The Deep escapes. Homelander arrives. He shoots Butcher with his laser blast, then starts fighting Soldier Boy. Mother's Milk wants to try to shoot Soldier Boy, but Starlight arrives, pleading him to help her treat the wounded. Butcher and Hughie also step into the fight. Homelander escapes.
Starlight makes a video that he quits being Starlight, and that the so called heroes don't care about the people, and they won't protect them.
Episode 7: Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed
Starlight is accused of being a traitor on the TV news.
Homelander visits Maeve, and tells her that Soldier Boy killed several supes, and took the power out of the survivors.
Frenchie and the Female arrive at Mother Milk's home. Starlight is also there. As they go through the Russian footage about Soldier Boy, Frenchie realises that it's not halothane they were using for knocking him out, but Novichok, a Russian poison. The Female asks Starlight to get her Compound V so she could get her powers back. Starlight agrees to help.
Black Noir hallucinates about cartoon animals. They explain to him that they got him through the previous traumas, and they'll help him deal with Soldier Boy. They talk with him about traumatic events of his life. It turns out that the boss of Vought let him organise an attack on Soldier Boy. During the fight, Soldier Boy hit Black Noir so hard, part of his brain fell out, but they were still able to knock him out.
Hughie and Butcher try to find where Mindstorm hides. When they do, they use a dose of V24 and join Soldier Boy. They step on a landmine, and during the confusion, Mindstorm gets into Butcher's mind, knocking him out. They leave him there as they try to find Mindstorm. Butcher relives traumatic events of his life.
The Deep tries to get her wife to be in a threesome with an octopus, but she refuses and leaves him.
Hughie and Soldier Boy meets with people, who ask them for help, but it turns out that they attack them because Mindstorm brainwashed them. Soldier Boy kills all of them.
A-Train wakes up, and he is informed that they've implanted Blue Hawk's heart into him, so he got rid of his heart problems.
Starlight sneaks into the Vought lab, and gets some Compound V for the Female.
When Hughie and Soldier Boy finally finds Mindstorm, Hughie teleports him away. He promises him to get him to safety if he wakes Butcher up. He does, but when Butcher wakes up, Soldier Boy ambushes him. Mindstorm tells him that Vought greenlit the operation to take him out. He also tells him something else the Boys don't hear. (Spoiler: He told him that Homelander is the child of Soldier Boy.) Soldier Boy kills Mindstorm.
Starlight calls Butcher, and tells him that according to the V24 research she found, 3 to 5 doses are what's lethal to humans. Butcher doesn't tell this to Hughie. Starlight gives the Compound V to the Female, and she gets back her powers, healing her wounds.
Soldier Boy calls Homelander, and tells him that Homelander is his kid, made during an experiment, and this changes the situation they are in.
Episode 8: The Instant White-Hot Wild
Homelander visits his son, and tells him that he'll always love him. He got the address from Neuman.
Because they are afraid that the public will find her, Maeve gets transported to another location, and she uses this opportunity to escape from captivity.
Black Noir returns to the company, and asks Homelander to help him defeat Soldier Boy. Homelander asks him if he knew it that Soldier Boy is his father, and that he was alive the whole time. When Black Noir confirms this, Homelander kills him.
Butcher knocks Hughie out before leaving with Soldier Boy to have a final fight with Black Noir and Homelander. Starlight takes Hughie back when he wakes up. Maeve is alse there. Starlight asks the company to evacuate the Vought Tower before Soldier Boy arrives but they don't listen to her.
The team finds Butcher and Soldier Boy. Maeve joins the two to make sure Homelander dies, and they locks the rest of them in a safe. They break out due to Starlight super-strength. Frenchie comes up with the plan of breaking into a lab to make the Russian poison to stop Soldier Boy. He and the female get to the lab, and he is able to make the poison, but he gets injured by the security guards. The Female takes the poison to the tower.
Homelander commands the Deep to kill a politician, so he kills him in his swimming pool. This makes Neuman the new vice president of the USA.
Butcher, Soldier Boy and Maeve arrives and confront Homelander. He also has his own son with him. Soldier Boy is still determined to detonate the place, but Butcher stops him from hurting Homelander's son. Starlight and Mother's Milk also arrives to intervene, saving Butcher from a killing blow. Soldier Boy still knocks out Butcher. Hughie is able to put every light on max in the room to power up Starlight. When Soldier Boy is about to detonate, Maeve knocks him out of the building, saving the rest of the team. Homelander leaves with his son.
A doctor tells to Butcher that he only got months to live.
Maeve turns out to be alive, but powerless, and she lost one of her eyes. Officially, she is still considered dead by the public, although the company knows she is alive.
Soldier Boy is taken to a government facility, getting sedated in an armoured tank.
Butcher swears to put Neuman down as she is assigned as the new vice president.
Homelander introduces his son to the public at a patriotic rally. Someone throws a beer can at the kid, so Homelander executes him. The public cheers him for this.
The setting
The story is set on a contemporary alternate / fantasy Earth, in 2022.
There are people in this universe with super-human powers. There are homes for children with super-human powers. There are probably also retirement homes for people with super-human powers.
Compound V
Compound V is a substance, created by the Vought corporation that lends people super-human powers.
Recently, they've researched V24, a serum that allows for a temporary - 24 hour - effect. The problem is that 3 to 5 doses are lethal to a regular human.
Plot points of interests
The were a couple of changes to the setting and characters.
Forces
Bureau of Superhuman Affairs: With their help, the super-related collateral damage went down 60% in the past year. It is lead by Victoria Newman.
Payback: A team of supes, created by Vought. Members: Black Noir, Crimson Countess, Gunpowder, Mindstorm, Soldier Boy. Swatto, the TNT Twins. They attacked Soldier Boy, and gave him to the Russians. Most of them were retired by the time Soldier Boy came back to hunt them.
Vought Corporation: After some changes in the corporate structure, Homelander took over the company.
Locations
Red River: A home for abandoned children with super-human powers. The place is run by Vought. They are seldom adopted, because people are afraid of them, and even when they are, they sometimes injure or kill their adoptive parents, so they get back here. Victoria Neuman (as Nadia) and Tony was brought up here. Teddy Stillwell is still here.
New characters - Supes
Blue Hawk: A vigilante fighting crime. He is very strong. He is killed by A-Train. His heart was transplanted into A-Train.
Crimson Countess: She was a member of Payback. She was the girlfriend of Soldier Boy. She can shoot fireballs if her hands touch, that can blow up a man. She works as a camgirl. She was killed by Soldier Boy.
Gunpowder: At 14, he was picked to be Soldier Boy's sidekick. He was a member of Payback. He was abused by Soldier Boy. He is able to predict the flight path of a bullet. A suped up Butcher beats him, than cuts her head with his laser.
Mindstorm: He was a member of Payback. He had mind powers, but didn't seem to possess other abilities. Soldier Boy killed him.
Soldier Boy: He was a member of Payback. He was captured by the Russians. His skin and internal organs are very durable, shooting an automatic rifle into his open mouth doesn't damage him. A flame cutter doesn't burn his skin, although he seems to be in pain. They tried some nuclear device on him that didn't kill him, but he was irradiated for a long time, a radiation meter still alerts for his presence. He is resistant to sulphuric acid. He is able to shoot a beam from his chest, that's probably a new power. He doesn't age. The Boys suspect that Halothene might knock him out, but turns out it doesn't. 70 years ago, in 1952, Soldier Boy organised the first Herogasm. After returning from the Russian capture, he kills Crimson Countess, the TNT Twins, Mindstorm. He is probably the father of Homelander. Soldier Boy's shield is able to withstand the laser blast from Homelander and Butcher for a while. He is able to knock out the suped up Butcher, and he was no real match for him anyway. In the end he is taken to a US facility to get locked up.
Supersonic: Used to be called Drummer Boy. He had a relationship with Starlight. He is killed by Homelander, to threaten Starlight.
Swatto: He was a member of Payback. Has insect wings, that he can use to fly.
Termite: He has shrinking powers. He also seems to be super-strong, at least, when he is small. He accidentally kills his boyfriend while having sex. He gets captured by Butcher, but they have to let him go. Homelander accidentally steps on him, killing him.
Tessa & Tommy / The TNT Twins: They were members of Payback. Together they can detonate things. They were probably killed by Soldier Boy.
Changes to characters - The Boys
Billy Butcher: He didn't murder any supes, and didn't drink alcohol in the past 12 months. He obeys Hughie's orders. When Butcher takes the C24, he gets powers similar to Homelander. He killed Gunpowder. He freed Soldier Boy from Russia. It's really hard to change his mind - Mindstorm confronted him with all of his previous faults, but although he did seem to regret them, he continued to act just the same. He gets serious damage from the use of V24, leaving him only months to live.
Hughie: When Hughie takes the C24, he gets speedster (or teleporting) powers, and his wounds healed. When he teleports himself or others, the clothes are left behind.
Kimiko: She is able to regenerate from a headshot in a few seconds. Soldier Boy's blast removed her powers, but Starlight helped her get another dose of Compound V, so she got her powers back.
Marvin / Mother's Milk: He didn't get involved with supes in the past 12 months. It's revealed that Soldier Boy killed his family.
Changes to characters - Supes
Annie January / Starlight: She lives with Hugie. She got promoted to become the co-captain of the Seven. When she gets enough electric power, she is able to levitate. Her maximal blast is only able to knock back Soldier Boy.
Earving / Black Noir: He hallucinates about cartoon animals to ease his anxiety. He had enough of Soldier Boy because he didn't let him play Axel Foley in Bevery Hills Cop, so with Vought's permission, he organised his capture by the Russians in 1984. Homelander is able to kill him with one punch.
Homelander: He is able to distinguish the smells of humans. He sees through clothing. His laser blast can be blocked by the laser blast of Butcher. He is probably the son of Soldier Boy.
Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep: He got out of the religious cult with his wife, and published a book about his experiences.
Maeve: She is able to make Homelander bleed. Her punches push back Homelander a few meters. She is able to stick a rod into Homelander's head. She gets depowered by Soldier Boy. Her bracelet is able to withstand the laser blast of Homelander, at least for a while.
Reggie Franklin / A-Train: The doctors say that if he runs at superspeed, there's a chance that his heart will explode. He kills Blue Hawk to avenge his brother. He got Blue Hawk's heart implanted, healing him.
Stormfront: She bites off her own tongue to commit suicide.
Victoria Neuman / Nadia: Her real name was Nadia, and she was brought up at the Red River home. She is able to make body parts of people explode. She knows that the Boys know about her powers.
Characters killed
Black Noir: Homelander kills him with one punch.
Blue Hawk: A-Train uses his superspeed to pull his body on the road until he falls apart.
Crimson Countess: Soldier Boy kills her with an explosion.
Gunpowder: Butcher kills him with his super powers.
Mindstorm: Soldier Boy killed him.
Stormfront: She dies by biting off her own tongue.
Supersonic: Homelander kills him by beating him up.
Termite: Homelander accidentally steps on him.
Tessa & Tommy / The TNT Twins: They were probably killed by Soldier Boy's explosion.
Technology
V24: A variant of the Compound V, that allows the user 24 hours of super-human powers. 3 to 5 doses are lethal to a regular human. For Butcher, it gives some powers similar to Homelander's. For Hughie, it gave teleporting powers.
Powers
Brainwashing: If the user is able to look into the eyes of the victim, they can put a command into their brain that they will follow. The power of Mindstorm.
Called shots: The user is able to predict the flight path of a bullet. It seems that noises can distract the user from using this ability. The power of Gunpowder.
Endless nightmare: If the user is able to look into the eyes of the victim, they can put them into an endless nightmare. The victim can't get out unless the user lets them out. Otherwise, they'll just die of dehydration. The power of Mindstorm.
Explode body parts: The user is able to make human body parts explode if they stare at them. For the head, it takes some time to explode, first, it causes bleeding from the nose. It's unclear if it would work in complete dark, or if it would work on other things than humans. The power of Victoria Neuman.
Fireball: The user needs to touch their hands to project a fireball that could make a human explode. The power of Crimson Countess.
Removing powers: The user is able to remove the powers from super-powered people. The effect is probably permanent. The power of Soldier Boy.
Shrinking: The user is able to shrink from human-size to just a few millimeter height. The power of Termite.
Teleporting: The user is able to disappear from his current position, leaving their clothes, and reappear at the chosen position, without clothes. The temporary power of Hughie.
* * *
The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
image © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
Analysis of the story - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Up to the episodes I've seen, I liked the story, I didn't find problems that would have prevented me from enjoying The Boys: Season 3.
The message of the story
"If you get unlimited powers, you'll get to be corrupted by them."
Also: "Be a better father than the bad / missing father you had"? "Try to avoid killing your best friends"? "The only way to beat a corrupt system is to violently murder everyone involved"?
The structure of the story
IN Ep1-2 & 4-6, the scenes of the The Boys: Season 3 film are played in sequence, following the same storyline. Ep3 starts with a flashback to an event 17 years before the current time, and it also shows events from 1984. Ep7 shows flashbacks from Butcher's life. Ep7 also shows cartoon retellings of past events that occurred to Black Noir.
There's no single viewpoint character.
It has a truncated arc of the dramatic structure - introduction, action, and a kind-of resolution with a cliffhanger. The individual episodes have a similar structure.
Fan-service
Scenes and elements from previous stories:
The Boys, graphic novels
Ep1: Butcher's dog as a pot.
Ep1: Drummer Boy is shown (although he is now called Supersonic).
Ep1: Soldier Boy is mentioned, although we get to learn it's the original from WW2, not the one from the Herogasm mini-series.
Ep1: Red River is mentioned, as a secret Vought project.
Ep3: Little Nina is shown.
Ep4: Hughie, using his super-powers, punching through a man, killing him.
Ep4: Jamie, the hamster. Here, he is super-powered.
Ep5: The Legend is shown.
Ep6: Herogasm is shown.
Ep6: Love Sausage is shown.
Ep7: Shows Butcher's childhood, pretty close to his comics origins.
Ep8: Maeva attacks Homelander, and easily defeated by him.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, movie (2016)
Ep1: The Seven movie where two of its leaders fight, is called Dawn of the Seven.
Justice League - Director's Cut, movie (2021)
Ep1: Dawn of the Seven - the fans asked for the release of the director's cut, like they did for the Justice League movie.
Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Ep7: When Soldier Boy uses his shield to kill a man, it might be a reference to what US Agent does in the series.
Real life events
- Ep3: The Nicaraguan Contras. Here, they even get supe reinforcments.
- Ep4: The advertisement video of A-Train is similar to Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad.
- Ep5: Homelander announcing it's safe to go outside is probably a reference to the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Ep6: The singing video of the Deep is a reference to the Imagine video by Gal Gadot.
- Ep8: As Heavy Spoilers realised, Frenchie puts the Novichok in a perfume bottle, just like the Russian agents did at the 2018 Amesbury poisonings.
- Ep8: At the end, at the patriot rally, there's a guy who looks like the QAnon Shaman.
Things I liked
- I really like the lots and lots of small details - action figures in the background, news reports, posters. It really feels like the world of The Boys is a real one.
- Ep1: Even though they show depraved things in the series, there are still likeable parts of some of the supes, unlike in the graphic novels, where they were all despicable perverts.
- Ep5: The change of pace musical scene was fun.
- Ep7-8: The scenes with the cartoon animals were nicely done and an interesting change.
Problematic elements
Ep5-Ep6
Knowledge about Soldier Boy's power: In Ep5, Butcher seems to know it. In Ep6, Starlight definitely refers to the Female having lost her power. However, we've never seen a scene where the Female or Frenchie would have revealed this to either of them.
Ep7-8
Black Noir: The episodes spend a lot of time on showing Black Noir. Then he gets suddenly killed, making all those scenes meaningless.
Ep8
Knowledge about Soldier Boy being Homelander's father: In Ep7 it looked like Soldier Boy made the call in secret, and neither Butcher nor Hughie heard what Mindstorm told him. And it's unlikely that Soldier Boy would just share this with them.
Saving Ryan: Why didn't somebody just haul Ryan out of the area? It looks very convenient for the plot that nobody thought of that.
Butcher's decision: He seem to be intent on getting the world rid of supes. Why does he attack Soldier Boy, preventing the death of the hated Homelander, just to save another supe, Ryan?
All the Boys getting poisoned: When they try to put the Novichok mask on Soldier Boy, some of it is still leaking away. Even if most of them have super-healing, Hughie and Mother's Milk doesn't, so they'll die horribly. Also, Novichok tends to stick, so unless Butcher takes a quick and thorough shower, then have his lungs washed, he'll be hit with the effects after the V24 runs out.
Maeve's survival: She get her powers removed by Soldier Boy's explosion, then she exploded before she fell to the ground. From what we have seen at Herogasm, it's highly unlikely she would have survived even the explosion, not to mention the fall.
Hughie and Starlight getting back together: This means that their whole arc in this season was pointless. Why would Starlight accept Hughie back? It's clear that they don't belong together after their break-up.
Ep1-8
Mother's Milk: The presence of this character is not necessary for the story. He doesn't do anything related to the plot. He could have stayed out of the whole story, and nothing would have changed.
Ashley: While writing the plot summary I've noticed that I never had to mention Ashley, because she doesn't do anything, even though she is part of every episode.
Preserving the status quo: When it finally looks like that some change will happen, they quickly take it back.
- A-Train seems to be unable to use his powers or it kills him in the previous season. He seems to do something good with his powers, leading to his heart attack in the middle of nowhere - but he gets rescued in time, and gets a heart implant, making him just get better.
- The Boys find out that Neuman is the head-popper, and try to keep it a secret that they know about it, fearing for their lives - but it's okay, Neuman knows that they know about it, and she's okay with that for some reason.
- The Female gets her powers removed - but she gets another dose of Compound V, giving her the powers back.
- Maeve disappeared making her seem being killed - but it turns out she's okay, just imprisoned. Then we see her get gassed to get rid of her - but it turns out that she was just sedated so she could break out of captivity. Then she seems to sacrifice herself for the greater good - but it turns out that she just miraculously survives.
- It turns out that Stormfront survived from the damage she got in the last episode of the previous season - but she just commits suicide.
- Butcher has a chance to kill Homelander - but he decides not to do it.
- The Boys are finally employed by the government to do something against the supes - but it turns out that their boss is a supe, and they have to go renegade again.
- Mother's Milk left the Boys in the previous season - but he just joins them for "one last mission", that seems to last even after that mission ends.
- Frenchie and the Female decide to go on their separate ways from the Boys - but they just decide to stay with them, even though nothing changed.
Unanswered questions
- What happened to the TNT Twins?
- What happened to Neuman's daughter? [Update: Answered in Ep1 of The Boys: Season 4.]
- How much damage did the V24 did to Hughie? We know that Butcher still gets a couple of months, but there's no mention of Hughie's condition.
- Why does Neuman let the Boys live? They have no leverage against her, and she would be better off without them.
- Why does Ryan smile at the end? Isn't he horrified of what he has seen?
* * *
Possibilities of improvement
Ep1: Adding longer scenes, creating less plot-lines in one episode. The Mother's Milk scenes might have been left for the next episode.
Ep5: Add some dialogue, referring to Frenchie calling Butcher and the team, telling them that the Female lost her powers, probably due to Soldier Boy's power.
Ep7-8: Cut the Black Noir scenes, they won't leave anywhere anyway.
Ep8: Add dialogue that Butcher bugged Soldier Boy's phone, that's how he got to know that Homelander is his son.
How it could have been better?
* * *
How does it compare to the other works of the creators?
Ep1: From the writer (Craig Rosenberg), I haven't seen any stories beyond the ones he had made for The Boys.
Ep2, Ep8: From the writer (David Reed), I haven't seen anything else, but now I'm interested, because this episode, "The Only Man in the Sky" was great. However, Episode 8 had some weak points.
Ep3: From the writer (Anslem Richardson), I've seen some Timeless episodes, and the "The Bloody Doors Off" episode of The Boys, that was pretty good. This was also good.
Ep3: From the writer (Geoff Aull), I haven't seen anything else, but this episode was very good.
Ep4: From the writer (Meredith Glynn), I haven't seen anything else, and this episode was not as strong as the previous ones.
Ep5: From the writer (Ellie Monahan), I have seen her previous episodes from The Boys TV series. The "We Gotta Go Now" was good, while I've found the "The Self-Preservation Society" average.
Ep6: From the writer (Jessica Chou), I haven't seen anything else. The episode, however, was great, so I'd really like to see her further works.
Ep7: From the writer (Paul Grellong), I haven't seen anything else, but this episode was just great.
Ep1-2: I don't think I've seen anything else from the director (Philip Sgriccia), although I might have run into some of the episodes he had done for TV series.
Ep3-4: I haven't seen anything else from the director (Julian Holmes), but this work was efficient.
Ep5-6: I haven't seen anything else from the director (Nelson Cragg). His work was acceptable.
Ep7-8: I haven't seen anything else from the director (Sarah Boyd), except another episode of The Boys (The Bloody Doors Off), but in Ep7, everything was spot on. I'd like to see more of her works. Even though I didn't like Ep8 as much, that was more of a writing issue.
How does it compare to the original source?
The graphic novels begin with a similar premise as this season - there's an organised bureau against super-human crimes, and Butcher is part of it. The end of the season is also similar to the graphic novels, setting up Neuman as the vice president, and Homelander on a road to take the world by force.
Just like in the previous two seasons, the supes have some personality, compared to the comics - there, all of them were just perverted sadists. Here, some of them even want to do something good, they are just limited by their stupidity and lack of experience. In the comics, I've felt that the writer just hated every super-human, so he dehumanised them. In the series, they feel more like real people, who happen to get super-human powers.
In the comics, the supes seemed to get everything they wanted. In the TV series, we see that they are desperate to stay on top, to get good ratings, to get into the popular groups. Those who fall out of favour, resort to work in theme parks or offer sexual services.
Just like in the previous two seasons, the leaders of Vought and the politicians seem to be more competent than in the graphic novels, where they were just ridiculously short sighted, and often, perverts like the supes. In the series, they are power hungry for sure, but they are far from being stupid.
How does it compare to the other seasons in the series?
I prefer Season 3 to Season 1 and Season 2.
* * *
Behind the scenes
Thoughts about the reviews of others
* * *
The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
image © Sony Pictures Television & Amazon Content Services
Uses for the film - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Plot
- Set in a contemporary fantasy setting.
- A company managed to come up with a serum that will give temporary super-human powers to the users.
- Enemy forces have captured a man with super-human powers to experiment on him.
- A man with super-human powers slowly goes mad.
Scenes
- Ep1: The scene when the shrinking guy entertains the guests, and then he accidentally kills his friend is a great scene to show the use of shrinking powers.
- Ep1: When Homelander confronts Deep, and then A-Train, it's a great scene to use in a role-playing game, with a murderous guy at the top.
- Ep2: When A-Train proposes his ideas about a change, it's a good scene to show such a thing happening in a super-hero universe.
- Ep3: When The Deep eats the octopus, that's a good way to show psychological torture.
- Ep6: When Frenchie has to choose, it's a good scene to show psychological torture.
- Ep6: The shots of Herogasm are a good way to show a super-powered sex party.
Designs
Scenario ideas - Role-playing game scenario ideas
Scenario ideas - Wargame scenario ideas
Ep1
Blow up the giant: On one side, there are giants (or the other side consists of tiny people). The smaller side is able to use a bomb to blow up the leader of the giants, but they have to climb onto the giant, and put it into one of the orifices for that to work. The smaller side is equipped with climbing equipment, or they have special abilities to stick to the giants. If the giant is unaware or unable to move, than getting into the orifice it automatic. Otherwise, the attacker needs to roll a skill check, or 1-3 on a d6 to get inside. Unless it's a suicide run, the attacker also needs a test to get out of the giant. The small side can target specific body parts - shattering ankles, knees and hands -, and if they can achieve enough damage, that body part will be unusable. If a giant gets a damaged leg, it can only move for half speed. If both legs get damaged, the giant can't move. The giant can use its hands to wipe down the attacker, they need to make an attack or skill check. If one hand is damaged, roll two tests, and the worse of them will be the result. If both hands are damaged, then the giant can't defend himself with his hands. The small side wins a major victory if they blow up the leader. The small side wins a minor victory, if they blow up one of the lesser giants, but more than half of the units of the small side survive. The giant side wins if they wipe out the models of the small side.
Super-pixie: There's only one tiny model against the giants, but it has super-strength, and it can punch at least as hard than the giants can. It can also attack specific body parts, making them unusable with a single successful attack.
Ep4
Storm the base: The attacker wants to find some treasure inside the base. The defenders don't know what's in the hold, but they know that they can't let anyone take it. The defender sets up the playing area with a base in the middle, that has a closed room (safe, treasure vault, magic chamber) inside. When the closed room is opened, something happens (see below). The attacker wins if they open the room, and retrieve the contents. The defender wins a major victory if they prevent the opening of the room. They win a minor victory if the attackers open the room, but all of the attackers are killed. It's a draw if the defenders destroy the contents of the room.
When the room is opened (d6):
1-3: Treasure: There is a big and heavy treasure chest inside. If 2 humans haul it, they can move with half speed. If 4 humans haul it, they can move with regular speed. The attackers need to leave the playing area the treasure chest.
4-5: Creature: There's a creature inside that attacks everyone. The attacker has to capture the creature, and haul it out the creature to win.
6: Trap: There's a self-destruction mechanism inside, and roll another d6 for the actual contents. On 1-3, it's the treasure chest, on 4-5, it's the creature. On another 6, the room explodes, and everyone in the nearby locations receives explosion damage. Otherwise, there's a timer (for example, 10 turns), and if the defenders can bring back the contents in its place, the timer will stop. If they can't bring back the contents, the whole base will explode.
Multiple rooms (harder for the attacker): There are more than one closed room inside the base. The defender puts a token randomly in each of them, with one of them a marker on the bottom. When the attacker opens a closed room, the token is revealed, and if it has the mark on the bottom, than resolve what is inside.
Ep6
Rescue mission (solo play): Super-powered people are going to fight in an area, causing massive collateral damage. The player's team are on a rescue mission, trying to get as many people out as possible. The player sets up the playing area randomly, and put civilian models in it randomly. The player deploys the rescue team in the middle of the area. Then, put one fighting team on one edge of the playing area, and the other team on the opposing edge. Use forces that can create area effect damage, or ray damage - anything that could cause bystander casualties. The rescue team acts first, then the opposed forces, who use Random aggressive movement, then the civilians, who use Random civilian movement. The rescue team wins if they are able to herd out at least half of the civilians alive.
Three player version (longer for the players): Both opposed forces are played by separate players. The winning side is the one that defeats the other force. If the rescue team also achieved victory, come, you can either decide that both of them won their own game, or come up with some point achievement system for defeated enemies and rescued civilians to decide.
Ep8
Get in the laboratory: The attackers have to create something with a device that's in the laboratory. The defender sets up the playing area, including a closed base in the middle, with at least one entrance. Mark every location. The defender set up their models on a separate area, indicating which location they are in. If the defenders want to attack the attackers, they are revealed. When an attacker model enters their location, they are also revealed. The attackers set up on any of the edges of the playing area. When an attacker enters a location, remove the marker, deploy the defender models, then roll a d6. On a 1, the required device is there. An attacker model has to spend an action to create the thing they wanted. After this, they can escape from the base. The attacker wins if they leave the playing area with their creation. The defender wins if they prevent the attackers from leaving the playing area with their creation.
Specialist character (harder for the attacker): Just one (or one type of) model can use the device.
Creation time (harder for the attacker): When the model spends an action, roll a d6. On a 1, the creation is complete. Otherwise, you have to continue the work.
Components (harder for the attacker): The attackers have to gather N components to be used with the device. Every time they roll a d6 when entering the location, on a 6, they have found a component. If enough component is found, they have to gather these together at the device. Another use of this could be that the attacker has to assault separate bases to get the components, before they enter this scenario.
Time is running out (harder for the attacker): There's another combat going on, where their allies need this creation to change the turn of events in their favour. The longer it takes for the attackers to create what they came for, the less chance it has to affect that battle. This parallel combat could be run on a separate playing area, and the creation than enter their scenario once it's complete.
Miniatures - 1/50-1/60 (28-32mm scale)
Civilians: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) human female / male civilian. Find a model!
Super-heroes: Human-sized (S3) modern (advanced) looking super-heroes. Find a model!
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Similar stories - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Novels
Gérald Bronner: How I Became a Superhero (2007): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
Graphic novels
Powers (2000-): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
The Boys (2006-2012, 2020): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
Movies
Comment je suis devenu super-héros / How I Became a Superhero (2020): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
Project Power (2020): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals. Super-powers can be given by a drug.
TV series & episodes
Powers (2015-2016): In a similar contemporary setting, the protagonists are police officers, who work against super-powered criminals.
The Boys: Season 1 (2019): The first season of the The Boys series.
The Boys: Season 2 (2020): The second season of the The Boys series.
The Boys Presents: Diabolical (2022): Animated series based on the The Boys TV series.
Computer games
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Frequently asked questions - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Is the The Boys: Season 3 film based on a book or comics?
Yes, The Boys TV series is based on the The Boys graphic novel series. As far as I've seen the season, it's not based on any existing storyline from the graphic novels.
Is the The Boys: Season 3 a remake or reboot?
No, the The Boys: Season 3 is neither a remake nor a reboot.
Is there a post credit scene in The Boys: Season 3? Does The Boys: Season 3 have end credit scenes? Does The Boys: Season 3 have a post credit scene?
There's one. Although there's no post credit scene in The Boys: Season 3 Ep1-6, in Ep7, there's a small scene with the cartoon animals.
Where can I see The Boys: Season 3? What is The Boys: Season 3 playing on? What streaming service is The Boys: Season 3 on? Where can I watch The Boys: Season 3 online? Is The Boys: Season 3 available on Netflix? Is The Boys: Season 3 on Amazon?
As of 2022.06.07, The Boys: Season 3 is only available on Amazon Prime Video.
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Resources - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
Official
Amazon Prime Video: The Boys: Season 3: Official article.
Information
IMDB: The Boys: Season 3 (2022): Database article.
WikiPedia: The Boys season 3: Database article.
Rotten Tomatoes: Season 3 – The Boys 2022: Database article.
TVTropes: Series / The Boys (2019): Database article.
The Boys Wiki: Season Three: Database article.
Creation
: Concept art article.¤
Reviews with no spoilers - The Boys: Season 3 TV series (2022)
: Review video about the The Boys: Season 3 film with no spoilers.¤
Reviews with spoilers - The Boys: Season 3 TV series (2022)
: Review article of the The Boys: Season 3 movie, with spoilers. Includes a very detailed plot summary.¤
Analysis - The Boys: Season 3 TV series (2022)
: Analysis video, explaining the finale of The Boys: Season 3.¤
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Buying the product - The Boys: Season 3, TV series (2022)
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Have you seen the The Boys: Season 3 for The Boys series? How do you like the episodes? Would you recommend it to others? Do you know reviews or resources you'd like to add? What further thoughts do you have about it? Tell your opinion in the comments!
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