Hi folks! We finally get to the season finale The Boys’s third season. This week’s episode is named “The Instant White-Hot Wild” and it went much better than I expected, at least every member of the Boys is alive! Let’s dive right in…
1. What strength is
When Annie told Butcher that the temporal V was mortal, it seemed that he didn’t care and was about to sacrifice Hughie for the greater good, instead, in this episode he knocked Hughie and left him in a gas station, so, the kid had to ask Annie to be picked up.
There, Hughie started reflecting, he talked about his father’s inaction when his mother left, and how, as a kid, Hughie felt frustrated by that, but now he understands, his father was there for him, he looked after Hughie, he chose to be strong that way for his kid.
And just like that, we have Hughie back with The Boys, and he wants forgiveness, not just for him, but for everyone, even if they don’t deserve it, especially Butcher, still blinded for his obsession with killing Homelander.
2. Goodbye, Noir
Noir came back to Vought tower and informed Homelander that he was ready to fight Soldier Boy, as he puts it, he is bad and must be stopped, sadly, Homelander has new information, he knows SB is his father and this might be the opportunity to have one.
In fact, Homelander is seeing his recently inherited kingdom fall, he has no one, Ashley is a mess, A-Train and Deep are the least effective team members, and he feels that Black Noir betrayed him by never telling him the truth, he had a father and Noir kept quiet.
So, Homelander choose to do maybe the hardest thing he ever did, he killed his only friend Black Noir, even though he (mutely) explained himself, he betrayed someone who trusted him and now he is lying in the ground, gutless and dying after a life of suffering. At least he has his animated friends accompanying during his death.
3. She is a Maniac
In the past seasons, the music of the show was very focused in Billy Joel, he is Hughie’s favorite musician, and his songs worked as a reflection of the main character’s feelings while the narrative moved along, but this time it was different.
The most important use of music in this season was the one involving Kimiko, as she watched musicals from other eras, she embraced the songs from those moments in place, yearning for a better life where she could stop being “a monster,” inside of her imagination not only she could speak, but she was also able to sing, dance and express herself.
Then, after Nina, when she realized that the superpowers weren’t bad or good, and she asked for Compound V, we have a different musical and a different song to represent a changed woman. During the final battle, Kimiko put on her earphones and started listening to ‘She’s a Maniac’, she’s deliberately embracing whatever she needs to be, to protect her loved ones and maybe even save the world.
4. A disappointment
The tensest situation in this episode was the fact that we didn’t know if Soldier Boy was still on Butcher’s side, or if he was going to take his son’s side. He revealed his true past, an entitled rich boy who was despised by his father, and when he attempted to do something different, his father told him how disappointed he was because Soldier Boy took a shortcut.
So, it all boils down to this: Is Homelander worthy of a father? This episode turned into an exploration of paternity and how it affects us, particularly about Toxic Masculinity and the influence of the father in its development.
That was going to define how the fight was going to develop, who vs who; so, when Homelander presents Soldier Boy his grandson, the old hero shows his disappointment, because Homelander took a shortcut: he’s a child desperate for attention, trying to emotionally manipulate his dad with the idea of being a grandfather. Then the fight began, they manage to stop Soldier Boy and Homelander left, to fight another day.
Continued below5. Is this… happiness?
Well, Kimiko and her family are all right, except for a bullet in Frenchie’s leg; he stood up to Monsieur Charcutier and is seemingly sober. Soldier Boy is back on a capsule, Queen Maeve is human and with her girlfriend ready for a normal life; Hughie is back on the team, Starlight is the newest official member of The Boys, ready to take over the villains of the world. And MM explained his past to his daughter, and she is proud of her father. Maybe they will find happiness soon, or maybe…
Victoria Neuman launched her campaign for VP, blessed by Homelander; Butcher was diagnosed with a year of life and might be more desperate and unhinged than ever, and there still is the Homelander problem…
6. Fuck*ng Ryan, f*ck Todd
Not everything can be a happy ending, obviously, and the most problematic thing at the end of the episode was that final scene, where Homelander killed a protester and Todd (Monique Milk’s partner) screamed happily, celebrating an enabling what he just did. A painful reference to real life comments from certain criminal presidential candidate that won.
And Ryan, a child desperate for attention, who choose to side with is biological father after Butcher abandoned him, is learning about a world without consequences, this world where it might just be better to be a bad guy; being good is hard, and painful, and it constantly breaks your heart, why not being celebrated for being a piece of shit. Surely, this will mean problems for our Boys next time.
And that’s it for this episode and this season, each season has been better than the previous one; the streaming format tends to give us 4 seasons tops for a show, so I wonder if we will have the last season or they are going to keep it going for a couple of years more, after all, it’s Prime’s biggest show.
What did you think of this episode? Leave your comments below and join us… eventually! For the fourth season of this marvelous show. In the meantime, be sure to check out our yearly Multiversity Summer TV Binge 2022, where I am writing about Archer’s fourth season.
