Just when you think the show is going to take a second and breath, it just keeps going hard. As all of the gang sat on that couch waiting for that hearing to start, did they not at least think just a little that something terrible would happen? Even just a bit? Because it certainly did, and needless to say, the brains hit the fan. What an epicly grotesque, disturbing, terrifying, and just enthralling experience to watch unfold. Even better was watching Homelander just kind of glance around, casually wondering what was happening. Not sure how his PR will recover from this one.
The poor people in that courtroom weren’t the only ones to have their lives cut short. There was also Lamplighter, who decided it was the right time to end his own existence to make his father proud. As he went up in flames, so did all of my hopes that Lamplighter was gonna be on the show for a good chunk of time. At the very least, what we got of him was pretty solid and substantial stuff. It’s funny (in the classic The Boys fashion) that Lamplighter led Hughie into the center of enemy territory only to torch himself and leave Hughie to fend for himself.
To be fair though, Hughie wouldn’t have even been there if it weren’t for Starlight getting caught by Vought. After last week’s adventure, it really wasn’t made clear if Starlight was planning on returning to Vought unnoticed–despite her taking out her tracking chip. Thanks to her mom blowing her cover and getting them both locked away in the Vought dungeons, we learned that Starlight very clearly had no intention of going back. While she was sidelined for most of the episode after that, we did finally get an awesome sequence with Starlight when it came to her rematch with Black Noir. Their fight was great, and as destructive as ever–destroying the Seven’s headquarters no less. It would seem that not even Starlight is capable of matching the formidable Noir.
It’s a good thing then, that Queen Maeve surprised us by being the one to save Starlight’s life with an Almond Joy (which was a nice call touch). I don’t really think that the two of them have really shared any moments of camaraderie throughout the show, so this was an interesting thing to witness. I’ve really enjoyed seeing Queen Maeve’s human side and the focus it has received this season. It really helps her stand out from all of the other evil characters, making it clear to us that she may in fact end up being one of the good ones. It’s sad that she’s now lost Elena, though one can’t really blame her for reacting that way. However, I don’t understand how she thinks that’s the safe thing to do–given Homelander’s (and Vought’s) endless reach. As I mentioned last week, there is no happy ending that I can see for the two of them.
Speaking of that endless reach, this episode reminded me that it has been a while since we’ve checked in on Becca and her son. What better way to get that reminder than to have the horrible realization that Homelander was bringing Stormfront with him to show off. I feel bad for Becca (obviously), but I don’t know what she expected to happen in the end. She had her out, but she threw it away. Now Ryan has two Super pseudo- parents, and Becca’s predicament has fallen into unknown territory. Is she no longer safe? At this point she doesn’t really have any choice but to go back to Butcher and get his help.
Needlessness to say, this episode blew people’s minds. While it didn’t quite contain the same emotional strengths as last week’s installment, it carried through with continuing the show’s streak of insanity. Even though things went horribly wrong in the court house, at the very least everyone’s back together, including Annie (and her mom?)–who is clearly rethinking her previous decision to end things with Hughie. With only one episode left this season, the gang has their hands full with potentially life-ending problems. As for the mysterious head exploding assassin, part of me thinks that there is more to that than meets the eye. I mean the mysterious patient we met last episode certainly didn’t seem the type to be controlled into making precise and specific assassinations–not to mention that Stormfront would have likely been her first target.
Bonus Notes:
- So this whole Fresca thing is getting really weird. Not that it wasn’t weird before. I mean, really everything about The Church is strange, but I wonder what the Fresca gag in particular has to do with anything–or if it’s simply a recurring joke.
- Hughie’s “Fuck you man” was golden.
- If I’m not mistaken, this is the first we have seen that scarred face underneath Black Noir’s mask.
