Tag: Nathan Mitchell

‘The Best of The Boys’ Music Vinyl Collection Releases Today – with Two Jensen Ackles Songs!

‘The Best of The Boys’ Music Vinyl Collection Releases Today – with Two Jensen Ackles Songs!

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A three disc vinyl collection of the music from Prime Video’s series ‘The Boys’ releases today covering the music of all five seasons. Like another Eric Kripke show we know and love (that would be ‘Supernatural’ in case you didn’t know), the music of ‘The Boys’ has always been an integral part of its storytelling, thanks to Emmy Award-winning composer Christopher Lennertz (who was one of two composers on ‘Supernatural’ also). This collection has an original score by Lennertz and Matt Bowen, and some original  and cover songs performed by the cast.

The official release of Jensen Ackles’ cover of Blondie’s “Rapture” is included along with his memorable rendition of ‘From A Logical Point of View’, plus songs from Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Karen Fukuhara, Laurie Holden and of course Daveed Diggs from last week’s musical extravaganza. There are also liner notes from the cast and crew. The collection is pressed on 3x 140gm Color Vinyl.

“We’ve spent five seasons building a musical identity for this show, and the Best of The Boys vinyl is a love letter to that evolution,” say composers Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen in the press release. “Curating the collection was like watching the entire series again through the music alone — you can hear the score grow up, get darker, get weirder, and find its identity over five seasons. But Season 5 is where all of that paid off. Everything we learned over the life of this show — every instinct, every risk — we poured into this final chapter. The score has never been this big, this emotional, or this relentless, and we think the Season 5 soundtrack captures the most ambitious work we’ve done for the series — the tension is sharper, the emotional swings are bigger, and the music goes to places we never would have attempted in earlier seasons. It’s the most complete and fearless work we’ve done on the show, and we think it’s the score this finale deserved.”

Christopher Lennertz (and me) Comic Con 2019

‘The Boys’ is also known for its standout original songs, performed by the cast and woven directly into the fabric of the show’s storytelling to enrich the show’s iconic scenes. Lennertz went on to talk about Season 5’s music, saying: “Over the past four seasons, original songs have played an increasingly important part of The Boys’ storytelling, and this final season’s entry might be the pinnacle of that satirical insanity. After the success of “Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas,” we knew we had to go even bigger and better for the plot twist that would set the entire finale into motion. As soon as Daveed Diggs was cast as “Oh Father,” I texted [Eric] Kripke and said that it would be a crime if he didn’t sing on the show. Once Eric and the writers had the concept, I knew Daveed had to write the song with me to embody the authentic voice of this character he had developed. This season’s big original song release, “Raise Him Up,” became the most soulful and audacious anthem of Vought blasphemy that would exceed all of our expectations and finally ‘rise up’ and be worthy to represent the climax of Homelander’s unhinged hubris.”

If you missed it in last week’s episode, go check it out!

The collection also features artwork by Matt Ryan Tobin, who crafted packaging to make the set a collector’s item. Tobin gets the show’s appeal, saying in the press release that “This show is fucked up. It has me grossed out and recoiling one second, convulsing with laughter the next, before eventually ripping my heart out and bringing me to tears; and repeat. I can’t think of another show that recklessly toys with your emotions so much, yet so well. The music really pilots all of these emotions, and masterfully so.”

The collection is released by Mutant, whose co-founder Mo Shafeek said: “The greatest joy of The Boys comes from its stranger-than-fiction alternate reality where superheroes exist, but just about everything else about our world remains the same. Because of that, the world of music in The Boys universe, both diegetic and non-diegetic, is so compelling. What Christopher Lennertz, Matt Bowen, and their incredible collaborators have done for five seasons is worthy of celebration. We at Mutant are honored to bring the musical world of The Boys into the real world.”

Available for pre-order starting today at MadeByMutant.com.

If you’d like to read more about the music of ‘The Boys’, along with insights from the actors and psychologists into the complicated characters, check out the book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ too, available at https://smartpopbooks.com/book/supes-aint-always-heroes/ with exclusive interviews from Jensen Ackles, Nathan Mitchell, Aya Cash and more (including Christopher Lennertz!)

Vinyl Track List:

Side A

  1. Never Truly Vanish Performed by Erin Moriarty
  2. Faster Performed by Jessie T. Usher, Aimée Proal
  3. Rock My Kiss Performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva
  4. Dream a Little Dream of Me Performed by Karen Fukuhara
  5. You’ve Got a License to Drive (Me Crazy) Performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva
  6. America’s Son Performed by Laurie Holden
  7. From a Logical Point of View Performed by Jensen Ackles

Side B

  1. Rapture Performed by Jensen Ackles
  2. Chimps Don’t Cry Performed by Laurie Holden
  3. Let’s Put the Christ Back in Christmas Performed by Shoshana Bean, Andrew Rannells, James Monroe Iglehart and Christopher Lennertz
  4. See Something Say Something Performed by Christopher Lennertz, Alex Karukas, and Baraka May
  5. Faster (Gospel Version) Performed by Bryson Camper, Baraka May, David Loucks, Cherise Thomas, Brittany Wallace, Princess Jones, Aja Marie Grant, and Christopher Lennertz
  6. Avenue V  Performed by Christopher Lennertz and Alex Karukas
  7. Stay Back! Performed by Antony Starr, Christopher Lennertz, and Alex Karukas
  8. Raise Him Up Performed by Daveed Diggs, Christopher Lennertz, Baraka May, Caleb Curry, Kadeem Nichols, Carmen Carter and Alex Karukas

DISC TWO

Original Score by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen

Side C

  1. Truck Robbery
  2. Homelander and Stillwell*
  3. Boys Arrive*
  4. Hughie Trashes Room*
  5. Hospital Shootout
  6. Break Every Bone
  7. Meeting Blindspot
  8. Homelander in Hallway
  9. Halloween Store
  10. Fake News
  11. Brother and Sister*
  12. The Vial
  13. Shootout

Side D

  1. Not Ready
  2. Dawn of the Seven
  3. Termite Fight and Rescue*
  4. Soldier Boy
  5. Home for the Super Abled
  6. Butcher Sold Me*
  7. Soldier Boy vs. Homelander*
  8. This Is About Loyalty
  9. Maeve’s Ultimate Sacrifice*
  10. The Only Way I Could Save You*
  11. Homelander’s Dream

DISC THREE 

Original Score by Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen

Side E

  1. I Can Do Anything / Finale
  2. Vought Through the Years
  3. Bat Mitzvah Rock*
  4. Mirror Mirror
  5. Training A-Train
  6. Final Audition
  7. Virus
  8. Ol’ Dealey Plaza
  9. Family Is All You’ve Got
  10. Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite
  11. The Democratic Church of America
  12. Cast Those Demons Out
  13. Soldier Boy Reborn
  14. Meet Quinn
  15. Cowboys and Jesus

Side F

  1. Passing the Crown
  2. Kessler
  3. The Speech*
  4. It Has Always Been You
  5. Blood and Bone
  6. The Wreckage
  7. To the Tower
  8. Canary in the Coal Mine
  9. Goodbye

Mutant is a pop culture art, music, and collectibles shop headed by creative director veterans Spencer Hickman, Eric Garza, Mitch Putnam, and Mo Shafeek and CEO Jenny Jacobi, a division of the genre-bending production company SpectreVision.

Check out the music collection and then get ready for the series finale next week!

–Lynn

You can read the book that takes a deep

dive into The Boys, with insights from its

actors, composer Chris Lennertz, artist

Darick Robertson, and  many more at:

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

‘The Boys’ Episode 6 – On Being Human (With an Ending Twist)

‘The Boys’ Episode 6 – On Being Human (With an Ending Twist)

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There has been a lot of discourse about this season of The Boys not having enough action or “not enough happening” while I’ve been eating up the deep dive into characterization every week. To the extent that showrunner Eric Kripke had to address it in interviews wondering if people are expecting them to just constantly blow things up – and adding if that’s what the expectation is, you’re watching the wrong show.

I wrote a whole book about the complex characters and deep themes in this show, that’s how much I appreciate its depth, so I am not watching the wrong show. And not surprisingly I liked this episode, “Though The Heavens Fall”.

WARNING – SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5.06!

Golden Geisha and Kimiko and Hanging Onto Humanity

The Legend is back, hiding out in a movie theater working the concession stand (I love that they have a The Deep popcorn bucket – wasn’t this written long before all those memes about the Dune popcorn bucket and what teenage boys might actually use it for? Is this Kripke prescience again??  It also made me snort that The Deep has his mouth wide open and just waiting for people to shove their hand in there, which was oddly reminiscent of what he did to Starlight way back in Season 1.  Also the recently deceased Firecracker does a spot on parody of Nicole Kidman’s ultra sincere “the movies will save us” advertisements for it.

The Legend is hiding from Vought due to all the intel he has, fondly reminiscing on who he’s fucked and who he’s been fucked by (Marlon Brando…) but when MM tells him Bombsight has the V1 he’s convinced to help (tho he points out that MM sounds like Butcher now, threatening to cut his balls off).  Homelander’s new church crusade messed up his sweet life too.

Hughie is still arguing that they wait longer to try get V1 before they set off the supe killing virus Frenchie completed to kill Homelander (and the rest of the supes, as in Annie and Kimiko). The Legend suggests they can get Bombsight to bring it to them by going after the love of his life, Golden Geisha, who now lives in Vought Villages supe retirement home (because of course it’s The Villages…). They find her but Kimiko is reluctant to hurt her or the others, saying she doesn’t want to hurt a bunch of old people. Butcher insists they’re not people, and MM agrees. The Legend again questions what’s happened to MM, saying it’s like he’s gone crazy. This is a theme of the episode – what does it mean to be human and how do we hang onto that humanity in the face of unspeakable horrors?

They kidnap Goldie, escaping after a fight with some of the old supes who nevertheless still have powers. One guy has giant balls that he can whip around to fight with because of course he does, we need our nod to twelve year old boys. I felt for the guy. Butcher chokes him out with his own balls, but Kimiko stops him from killing the guy.

Golden Geisha claims she doesn’t know where Bombsight is. Butcher wants to torture her but Kimiko is kind to her, helping put her slipper back on and apologizing for what they’re doing.

Kimiko: I watched every episode of Undercover Geisha even though those were racist stereotypes – it meant so much to see someone like me on TV.

A little nod to the importance of representation in media.

Kimiko realizes that Bombsight stole the V1 for Goldie so they could be together forever, but she didn’t take it. For him, watching her get old would be too painful, but for her? To live forever would be torture. Golden Geisha gets the most memorable line in this episode – Summer is only beautiful when you know winter is coming.

Well written, David Reed. (I enjoyed his work on ‘The Magicians’ too).

Frenchie realizes that Kimiko feels that way too. She tells him that she and Annie don’t want to die but they don’t want to be vampires either – but they’ll do it for him and Hughie anyway.

Hughie and Annie and the Rare Good Dads

On the way to the church where they’ll let loose the virus, Annie and Hughie pause to lie on the car hood and cloud watch, like Sam and Dean stargazing on the Impala. Hughie insists she’s not dying, that they’ll have plenty of time to look for filthy things in the clouds, and Annie marvels at his unshakeable hope and asks how he manages it.

Hughie: Whenever I’d get upset as a kid, which was a lot, my dad would say life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. I spent a year in an internment camp and had no control over anything. So fucking angry, hearing my dad’s voice in my head. I finally understood what he meant — the only thing I had left was hope. And it is really fucking hard to hang onto but I, I’m trying.

Annie: I think you might be lowkey the strongest person I know.

I love Hughie so much, I will really miss him when this series ends. Jack Quaid did such a great job showing him as just quintessentially human, flaws and all. What he learned from his dad reminds me of Viktor Frankl, the psychologist who lived through being in an actual concentration camp, discovering while there exactly what Hughie’s dad did – if you can’t control anything else, you can control how you make sense of it and how you react to it.

Hughie’s dad was a good dad.

(I put together a whole book that tackles the theme of fatherhood, toxic and otherwise, in ‘The Boys’ if you’re interested in exploring more. Hughie, Butcher, Soldier Boy, Homelander… almost all of the complicated characters have daddy issues, and it was fascinating to take a look at them with psychologists, media experts and the actors portraying them. Link at end of article for more info).

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‘The Boys’ Delivers a Supernatural Reunion – And So Much More!

‘The Boys’ Delivers a Supernatural Reunion – And So Much More!

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As a long-time fan of both Supernatural and The Boys, my anticipation for this week’s episode has been off the charts for what seems like forever. I’m definitely one of the fans who would love a Season 16 of Supernatural or a feature film or an 8 episode streamer or pretty much whatever, but I’m also happy to see “my boys” onscreen together in anything else in the meantime. Witnessing how they talked about filming together and how much fun they had (and how much chaos inevitably happened) only made me more excited – they filmed a year ago, so it seems like we had to wait an inordinately long time to actually SEE it. But guess what? The episode, and what I’ve been calling the “Supernatural Reunion”, did not disappoint! I found myself either yelling “oh nooooo” or just laughing my head off during the entire sequence, which was full of surprises.

Some fans of The Boys were skeptical about all the fuss being made about the Supernatural reunion, fearing it would take away from the final season of the show (which only has 3 more episodes) but the episode was also the most highly rated by press viewing the early screeners – and I think deservedly so. It definitely moved the plot along in multiple ways, and it lived up to the calendar blood-splatter warning that some main character(s) would die. Spoiler alert, lots of people (and supes) die in this episode!

It’s also a genre departure as a pov episode, in that it devotes a chunk of time to many of the characters, exploring their perspectives on Homelander as God, on where their loyalty lies, and on some of their struggles with what it’s cost them to keep going along with Homelander no matter what.

SPOILER ALERT – MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5 AHEAD

FIRECRACKER

Spoiler alert, the main supe to die is Firecracker. Valorie Curry outdid herself in this episode, making the character nuanced enough so that you feel for her even as you loathe what she’s doing, and what she’s refusing to see. Kripke told TVLine that Firecracker is an allegory for all the loyalists who go along with a dictator demanding allegiance, compromising their values, and then end up “hoisted on their own petard” anyway. There’s really no pleasing someone like Homelander, on the show or in real life, as we’ve seen time and time again.  As Kripke put it, “nothing will ever be enough, it doesn’t matter how much you give up.”  In Firecracker’s case, it’s everything she once sincerely believed in.

At first, things seem to be going well for Firecracker. She makes her case to Homelander and the Seven with an advertisement full of cowboys and horses and guns and the stereotypes of Americana, presenting the “massive growth” in popularity of their new religious movement, led by white men and women of course.

Soldier Boy (looking down at his crotch while giving her a smirk): I’m seeing massive growth myself…

gifs justjensenanddean

He is so massively gross it sometimes circles back to oddly endearing.  And he really likes to talk about his dick. And other people’s dicks, for that matter. Homelander does not miss that interaction though, and he doesn’t like it. He also isn’t happy about being called a prophet when prophets are servants and he is the saviour. His delusion is getting to the point where even his followers keep making missteps, misjudging just how deranged and grandiose he’s become. Most of his accolytes go along with everything he says, each of them trying to out-pander the others. Firecracker wins him over, though, kneeling in front of him worshipfully and handing him something physical that will appeal to his ego – the Homelander Bible, complete with a raised gold figure of himself right on the cover.

Homelander (impressed): It’s heavy…

Soldier Boy (eyeroll)

It is, of course, AI written. Two years ago Kripke and company sure saw that coming!

It seems fitting that this is who has it now…

Homelander agrees to do it her way. Sister Sage reminds them that their plan will generate widespread civil unrest (does this seem familiar??) – no worries, Homelander says, they’ll just recall all the supes stationed overseas. After all, “American heroes should be protecting America, not Whogivesafuckistan!”

Fresh from her victory, Firecracker goes back to her hometown in Florida to meet with the reverend of her childhood church (who happens to be the marijuana growing grampa on Sheriff Country…)  He was a support to her as a child, making sure she got at least one hot square meal a day, but now his church is losing people to the Democratic Church of America and the supe Praying Mantis is intimidating them by spraying acid out of his butt to melt their stained glass windows.

She asks why he doesn’t just pay the franchise free and join them; he says they can’t even afford their water bill. The reverend reminds her of what she doesn’t want to recall – Homelander isn’t God and the things he can do aren’t miracles, and she’s still the same Misty Tucker Gray.

Cut to a grunting, naked Soldier Boy on top of Firecracker, and now every Jensen Ackles fan has a gif (or 3) of his “O face”.

Firecracker: We ain’t doin’ that again.

Soldier Boy: That’s what you said the last six times.

He lights a joint which is so very Soldier Boy, and hotter than anyone wants it to be. He senses she’s a little out of it and is worried, though I’m not sure if it’s because he’s a considerate lover or it threatens his ego if she didn’t.

Soldier Boy: Did you nut? Because you usually nut…

The answer appears to be no, since she changes the subject and asks if he was baptized. He says yes, in front of half of Chestnut Hill by Gov. Sproul, and then his family kept up appearances but never set foot in church again.

(I got distracted by the fact that Chestnut Hill is right down the road, having forgotten that Ben grew up nearby. Didn’t they need some on location filming for Vought Rising??)

Anyway, she asks if maybe Homelander might go easy on the reverend who practically raised her.

Soldier Boy: So you didn’t nut.

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Everyone Goes Darkside in ‘The Boys’ Episode 4 ‘The King of Hell’

Everyone Goes Darkside in ‘The Boys’ Episode 4 ‘The King of Hell’

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Not gonna lie, as a Supernatural fan I was waiting for Mark Sheppard to show up as Crowley after the title of this episode appeared – alas, we didn’t get a Crowley cameo. From the reviews, some people were critical of this episode that “nothing happened to move the story forward” but I 100% disagree. This episode gave us the kind of insights I crave the most – the emotional and psychological ones. It didn’t move the story forward a great deal if the ‘story’ is ‘get the V1’ but to me the fascinating story is that of the characters and their relationships, and we got A LOT of insights about that.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BOYS EPISODE 5.04!

How to Sell a Lunatic as the New God

Samaritan’s Embrace is bankrupt and Homelander is convinced he’s a God, and those two things work together to make a dark statement about religion and power as The Boys continues to reflect some of our darkest reality in a truly disturbing way. Homelander continues to fascinate me as he uses his hallucination of Madelyn and the delusions of grandeur that followed to move ahead with his plan to be the savior of the world. He’s still very much obsessed with his own family though, the episode opening with him sadly looking at a phone of him and Ryan and then accusing Firecracker of smelling like Soldier Boy (which he’s absolutely correct about).

He tells Firecracker that he was visited by an angel who foretold his destiny.

Firecracker: Well praise be – what is it?

When he answers ‘God’, she thinks he means serving the lord, but he quickly corrects her. He won’t be serving the lord, he’ll BE the lord. The messiah.

Homelander is making sense of his tragic life and all its hardships as the price he’s had to pay for being special and destined to be god, and he’s convinced Firecracker saw it all along and she’s not about to dissuade him. Therefore, he informs her, he’s chosen her to spread the word – since they control the media.

Homelander: Jesus would kill for our marketing.

Firecracker: WTF face

(This is a theme throughout the episode, which is peppered with small humorous moments like WTF faces to break up the too-close-to-reality darkness).

We get a typical The Boys scene intended to make most people say ‘ewww’ with Ashley and Oh Father, who married for PR but have discovered that she loves punishing him and he loves being punished, so they make enough noise to disgust the guards at the door and send his ball gag flying with enough force that it breaks the wall when he screams in ecstasy, ‘Back Ashley’ enjoying the show as voyeur. She reads his mind when he’s unguarded though, and realizes that the church is bankrupt.

Just then Firecracker shows up and gets to deliver a Soldier Boy-worthy gross line – “Dang, smells like a wet shit in a Waffle House in here”.

I admit that got the “ewww” the show was going for.

Some of the Seven minus Homelander and Soldier Boy meet at Vought Tower to brainstorm how they can make Homelander being God palatable to the masses.

Worm: What we need is a good story, who’s read Joseph Campbell?

I like Worm. Bring him some tasty dirt, someone.

The PR lady, on the other hand, does not like Worm, saying no wonder his last film got a low rating on the AV Club (which is a real thing and a nudge at fandom ala what Supernatural used to do in its meta episodes, so it made me smile).

Worm: I had to service fourteen main characters and cross over a bunch of assholes – you try to make a good finale out of that!

(Writers getting meta and putting a writer character into the canon, it’s the series’ last season after all and Kripke has spoken openly about being worried about fan reception of the series finale – he didn’t write the ending to Supernatural, but that finale certainly came with a range of reactions!)

It’s Firecracker who comes up with the idea that they need a church that preaches America and convinces the masses that the real American hero is Homelander, and he’s their savior. The Democratic Church of America. Voila, kill two birds with one stone, rescue her hubby’s failing church and find a way to get people to accept Homelander as god.

I am sincerely shocked that doesn’t exist with exactly that name already, to be honest.

Fathers and Daughters

A variation on the theme of fathers and sons that has so characterized this season and this show, Annie pays her estranged father a visit. I know some people thought this was a needless detour but I loved exploring her backstory more and finally knowing what the real story was with her dad. Turns out he’s remarried and Annie has a half brother, Mason.

Annie: WTF face.

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The Boys Episode 3 Tackles Intergenerational Trauma – with a Punch!

The Boys Episode 3 Tackles Intergenerational Trauma – with a Punch!

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WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THE BOYS SEASON 3 EPISODE 5!!

Also warning for lots of Soldier Boy, since this is originally a Supernatural website and we might enjoy lots and lots of Jensen Ackles characters. You’ve been warned!

“Every One of You Sons of Bitches” was a tough episode to watch. The theme of fathers and sons and how that can go wrong, and the repeated depiction of intergenerational trauma, plays out in vicious fashion. Literally hard to watch at times, but the episode left an impact (yes, figuratively too).

And we got a lot more Soldier Boy, which is always a win in my book.

Soldier Boy Joins the Seven

Soldier Boy officially joins the Seven, going along with Homelander’s plan at least for now, with the propaganda machine working smoothly to get the public to revise their negative view of him. “America’s first hero, defender of liberty, branded a traitor by legacy media, scapegoated by Starlight, Soldier Boy has been reborn.”  Apparently he was working with “our friends in Russia” to rout out traitors in Ukraine, as evidenced by a photo op of him shaking hands with Putin.

The Deep notes that Russia was the first nation to not put up with trans bathrooms, which sounds like it should be a ridiculous thing to say except over the several years since this season was written, it’s unfortunately gotten even more believable as something we might hear on TV.

Ashley presents Soldier Boy with the “democratic medal of patriotic freedom” and he beams, his narcissism well fed. Seriously, how many times am I going to watch a scene in this show and be able to call to mind another REAL one that looked exactly the same??  Some silly made up honor and a big gaudy gold medal placed around some narcissistic leader’s neck while he grins like an idiot.

 

Sorry, Soldier Boy, but oof.

Both Antony Starr and Jensen Ackles say so much with their facial expressions and posture in this scene. Soldier Boy accepts the honor, which Homelander probably played a part in setting up, but as he watches his father soak up all the glory, you can see that it pains him. He can never allow anyone else the limelight without feeling like it should be him (Soldier Boy is the same way, as Black Noir found out the hard way).

Homelander expresses everyone’s gratitude to Soldier Boy and says they hope “he can forgive us as he takes his rightful place in the Seven.”  That’s a bit of a Freudian slip, as Homelander is at the moment worried about Soldier Boy’s more personal forgiveness – he’s afraid that his father has not forgiven him for sending him after Butcher clueless about the supe-killing virus that almost took him out.

Homelander also can’t resist sharing that he’s also very proud to say that “this great hero is my father” – Soldier Boy looks ambivalent about making this public, to say the least.

When they’re out of the public eye, Homelander tries to butter his father up, saying he’s still got it, that social media is blowing up, calling them “America’s sexiest dynasty.”

This show’s intersection with reality is so ridiculous, this could be an actual People cover or a fan-made creation and I would believe either explanation!

Soldier Boy is not amused.

He has been silent this whole time, but the look on his face is chilling. (The chapter I wrote about Soldier Boy in the book on ‘The Boys’,  ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes,’ dives into Ackles’ extraordinary ability to convey more information with his face than most people can with a page of dialogue, and he shows that here.)  Homelander insists he would have never sent Soldier Boy in if he knew Butcher had the virus – and reminds him that he said not to engage, so it’s not really his fault anyway – but you can clearly see that none of this is convincing to Soldier Boy.

Homelander is lying about not knowing, but he did apparently tell his father not to engage – the farthest someone like him can go to protect someone he cares about (even if that caring is mostly just selfish).

Soldier Boy never says a word, but looks scary as hell – and pissed. Narcissists do not do well with betrayal and it’s clear he feels like Homelander betrayed him. It’s an Achilles heel for him, people he trusts betraying him, and something that keeps happening – as Soldier Boy doesn’t exactly inspire loyalty. That’s the Catch 22 of being a narcissist, desperate for people’s love and approval but constantly holding them to standards that they’re bound to fall short of and being such a dick that they inevitably betray him. (It’s a pitfall that both father and son are falling into, with Homelander taking it up to a whole other level).

Setting Up Vought Rising: V1

‘The boys’ figure out that Soldier Boy wasn’t killed by the virus because he has V1 in his bloodstream as Frederick Vought’s first iteration of Compound V. Which means, as MM puts it, “this motherfucker is unkillable.”

Sage explains the same to Soldier Boy. It only worked on a handful of supes – Bombsight, Torpedo, Private Angel, him and Stormfront. To Soldier Boy’s questioning look, she explains that’s Dr. Vought’s wife Clara.

Sage: I think you know her as Liberty.

The look that passes over Soldier Boy’s face at learning that speaks volumes, setting up some of the plot for Vought Rising starring Soldier Boy and Stormfront/Liberty. They clearly have a history and I cannot wait to find out what it is!

V1 is why Soldier Boy doesn’t age. Homelander asks hopefully if he too is immune to the virus, but the answer is no. (Back at the boys HQ, Samir clarifies the same thing – and that if Homelander gets his hands on some V1, he’d be immortal too. The boys vow to find some V1 before Homelander can).

Homelander to Sage: Bring me some.

I liked the way these parallel scenes were shot, with both the boys and the supes figuring it out at the same time, and both determined to get some V1 for their own uses.

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The Boys Season 4’s Penultimate Episode ‘The Insider’

The Boys Season 4’s Penultimate Episode ‘The Insider’

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Suddenly we’re almost at the end of The Boys season 4 – it seemed to go by very quickly, didn’t it? This season’s reception has been a bit more uneven than the nearly universal kudos for the previous season, especially for the last episode and the treatment of Hughie’s assault. It’s undoubtedly challenging to keep upping the game with a show that started out with such high levels of shock, sex and especially violence right from the jump. That may be the source of some struggle this season, but I’m still thoroughly enjoying what this show does best – hold up a mirror to some of the worst parts of our real life and poke at them. There’s so much that’s over the top in reality right now, sometimes The Boys feels a little too real – but mostly for me it’s validating to see the reflection and be assured that yes, someone else sees the insanity too!

I also enjoy watching the show through the lens of what it’s trying to say, which is slightly different each season. It’s why my colleague Matt and I edited a book on The Boys, examining those themes with input from actors, psychologists and media experts. I was fascinated then, in Season 3, and I’m still fascinated now. (You can find Supes Ain’t Always Heroes at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon)

We have one more episode that will air in the wee hours of Thursday morning this week – and believe me, you do NOT want to miss it!

So, what happened last week in Episode 4.07? A lot!

The Life of Ryan

The theme of this episode – attempting to be your own person and who you really are — is expressed in a biting parody of one of my favorite shows of all time, Avenue Q, which I saw on Broadway with my kids a long time ago – and adored.  Vought Studios presents, of course, Avenue V, complete with puppets of all the supes and poor Ryan looking uncomfortable with every single thing they sing about.  Most of that is encouraging kids to rat out their parents and teachers and neighbors for anything that might be ANTIFA or Christmas hate.  Ryan keeps calling ‘cut’, though the director insists his dad approved the lyrics. Homelander, overwhelmed with issues of his own, leaves Ryan a snippy message to just suck it up and do it, but that doesn’t go over too well.

Ryan eventually stops the filming and addresses the camera, much to Homelander’s anger and disappointment (though he’s taking his father’s previous advice not to let anyone else prevent you from speaking your mind…Be careful what you wish for, Homelander)

(I feel like Cameron Crovetti had a blast filming this…)

Ryan: That song isn’t cool, none of this is cool. Your family isn’t your enemy, your family is all you’ve got. I’ve been thinking about my mom a lot. She died but she loved Christmas…and Terms of Endearment…and her husband Billy. But she wouldn’t love this and she wouldn’t want me doing it. My mom always told me to tell the truth.

Ryan is as torn as everyone else this season – in his case, between two dads.  At Homelander’s place, Ryan sees a package under the Christmas tree and recognizes the return address as “dontbeacunt”. It’s a photo of his mom and Butcher and their dog.

Butcher, watching Ryan’s speech on a TV in a bar, tells Kessler aka himself that’s why he’s got faith in the kid.

And then he collapses on the floor of the bar.

Butcher also reunites with the Boys in this episode, telling them about the virus Sameer is working on and that it would cause global pandemic and a supe genocide. They all notice for the first time that Butcher is sometimes talking to no one (as Kessler calls him an asshole and warns him that he’s pissing away their best shot).  Butcher agrees that they’ll only use the virus on Homelander and Neuman, much to his alter ego’s disgust.

Kessler confronts Butcher, aka Butcher confronts himself. Why does he have such a soft spot for supes? Is it because he fucked Maeve? Cares about Ryan, who’s not even his? Butcher says he gave Becca his word, but Kessler scoffs that if their love was so perfect and pure why did he go around fucking waitresses?

Nobody is better at convincing Butcher that he’s a fuck-up than Butcher himself.

The Boys are starting to pull together again, though. Butcher also got Mallory to pull some strings and free a reluctant and still guilt-stricken Frenchie. MM asks Butcher to be back in charge, saying he’s better off doing research instead of being the skipper – and trying to follow doctor’s orders. Hughie, Butcher and Annie start to figure out the assassination plot for January 6 (of course) and also find a supe shapeshifter that Sister Sage put on the job. Uh oh.

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‘The Boys’ Episode 6 Really is Some Dirty Business

‘The Boys’ Episode 6 Really is Some Dirty Business

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This is a pivotal episode, but we don’t know it until the very end. I love a good twist – hey, I’m good friends with M. Night Shyamalan – and this was a good twist. Maybe one we all started to suspect along the way, but that’s part of the fun of it.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 6 AHEAD

Butcher: Crisis of Conscience

Butcher ain’t doing well. He coughs more and more as time goes on and he wrestles with his conscience (in the form of Becca) and his opposing desire to just do whatever the fuck it takes to get the job done no matter the collateral damage (as Kessler keeps urging him).  He’s sliding closer and closer to Soldier Boy levels of the-end-justifies-the-means and ignore-the-collateral-damage every day.

Honestly I had a hard time watching what happens with Sameer. Just looking at his hastily and brutally amputated leg makes me queasy, more so every time Butcher tries to convince Sameer to make more virus. Every time Butcher might soften just a tiny bit, Joe is there to push him onward.

Joe: Or we could just send you back in a fucking bucket if you don’t do what we say.

Becca appears and questions what he’s doing, but Joe keeps overruling her.

Becca: Are you even trying to get Ryan out anymore, or is it the same old bloodlust all over again? You’re gonna kill one Homelander and just end up with another.

Butcher claims he’s trying to save the world, and can’t do what needs to be done and “keep you happy,” dismissing Becca’s concerns in an awful parallel to how people really do push the nagging sense of guilt from their conscience aside to allow them to do truly horrific things in the real world.

The next time they meet up, Joe comments that Billy looks like shit. Billy tells him to go fuck himself (which he says he already did today – twice).

Kessler allows that he too has struggled with a dual identity, with opposing parts of ourselves – the theme of this season. How after his last tour, Joe came home and tried to be a family man, help his son, go fucking towel shopping. Be normal.

Kessler: But everywhere I looked I saw the ruined faces of those men that you and me tortured and killed. I couldn’t square up who I was at home with the shit I’ve done. That guy taking out the trash and watching Sports Center, that wasn’t me. The real me likes to hear ‘em scream.  So tell me, Billy, who’s the real you?

It’s the theme of this season. Who, indeed, is the real you? The real any of us?

When Billy tried to be “normal” with Becca, did it all just feel like an act? Like the darkest case of imposter syndrome?

Too Close to Reality Once Again

Another hard-to-watch story line in this episode belongs to Hughie. Fresh from sprinkling his dad’s ashes around the city he loved, Hughie infiltrates Tek Knight’s Federalist Society big money party to get some intel. This is accomplished by MM incapacitating a minor supe named Web Weaver (by shooting something up his butt because this show is fascinated with butt stuff, seriously – and with MM getting squirted in the face with substances, this time some web when he “puts it in the wrong hole”.) You can’t make this stuff up.

MM: There ain’t enough Purell in the fucking world.

(Nor enough mindfulness apps, which MM keeps desperately using).

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‘The Boys’ Delivers a Gut Punch Episode with ‘Wisdom of the Ages’

‘The Boys’ Delivers a Gut Punch Episode with ‘Wisdom of the Ages’

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Before we get into the fourth episode of Season 4 of The Boys, arguably one of the best episodes of the series, there’s other exciting news for the show – Jared Padalecki, who Eric Kripke cast as Sam in Supernatural, has finally said yes to hopefully joining The Boys in Season 5. If, as we suspect, Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy will also be back in Season 5, the entire Supernatural fandom will be sat and waiting impatiently (not that many of us aren’t already doing that this season, thoroughly enjoying SPN alums Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Rob Benedict (RIP Splinter) along with the entire stellar cast of The Boys).

I’ve been hoping Jared joined The Boys when his schedule allowed for a long time, so I’m thrilled to hear that might well be happening soon!

(You can catch up on all things ‘The Boys’, including deep dives into the characters and everything that makes the show special – plus exclusive interviews with Jensen Ackles on Soldier Boy and other cast – with that book Jensen’s holding, Supes Ain’t Always Heroes. Links at the end of the article fyi).

So, where are we now in Season 4?  The fourth episode of Season 4 of The Boys takes a dark dark turn – as in, things go very wrong for a lot of people.

It’s been more than a week, so I’m assuming you’ve caught up with all the insanity of the first three episodes (Spoilers for those episodes ahead). To recap:

The Insanity so Far: 4.01 to 4.03 Recap

Homelander and company have a plan for taking out poor Robert Singer and putting in fellow supe Victoria Neuman. On a personal note, Homelander is so obsessed with aging that he’s collecting gray hairs in a jar – gray hairs from anywhere he finds ‘em. He’s also sick of being surrounded by sycophants and imbeciles, proving it by demanding that The Deep give A Train a blow job and having them stand up and start getting to it (much to Ashley’s obvious excitement which was a touch I loved!).

That was a weirdly fitting counterpoint to Season 1 when The Deep forces Starlight to give him a blow job – and actually does go through with it. I love that the show remembers its own history.

Butcher’s having a crisis of conscience as he contemplates how much he’s willing to do to Ryan to “get him on our side”, personified in visions of Becca. Butcher’s new buddy Joe Kessler is not only played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan but has also traumatized the Supernatural fandom by channeling John Winchester (the character he played on that show) by insisting to Butcher that yes, he’d train his son up to be a killer. (Which is just what John Winchester did to both his sons).

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The Wild Ride Continues: Season 4 of ‘The Boys’ Kicks Off and I’m Here For It!

The Wild Ride Continues: Season 4 of ‘The Boys’ Kicks Off and I’m Here For It!

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(Includes events in the first three episodes of The Boys Season 4 but we’ve left some of the biggest spoilers for you to experience yourself…)

The first three episodes of The Boys dropped in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, much to the delight of fans who’ve been waiting for almost two years for more of their favorite show. While we were waiting, Dr. Matt Snyder and I put together a book of essays and interviews from the cast of the show and psychologists and media experts who love it, dissecting the complicated characters and what makes them tick – Supes Ain’t Always Heroes. I was hoping to see some of the themes in the book picked up in the new season – which they were. So let’s dig in! What’s happening with all our favorites?

Neuman & Singer: Winning Ticket

I can’t help but like Victoria Neuman. I know, I know, she’s exploded lots of people’s heads, but she’s been used her whole life and is more focused on protecting her own daughter than anything, which is one of those universally relatable motivations. (Okay, okay, so Zoe is now a tentacle-spewing supe herself, but still).  In the first three episodes of Season 4, we see that while once she was, I think, genuinely friends with Hughie, now they’re at odds. Actually that’s an understatement, but Neuman takes it in stride.

Neuman: You guys are actually getting worse at your jobs!

I love her running mate too, Presidential candidate Robert Singer. He’s a bit less enthusiastic about her, with good reason.

Singer: Everyone told me to pick Buttigieg instead…

(I happen to know how much Beaver relishes this show and that kind of dialogue. You can read all his thoughts on The Boys and his character in his exclusive interview in  Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside The Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys)

Homelander: Daddy Issues

I’ve read some reviews that question whether focusing on the same big bad for four seasons will have to get old, but honestly? This season brings a whole new batch of neuroses and Oedipal struggles for Homie to deal with, and I’m here for that. So much of Homelander’s life has been anything but ordinary, but one of the things he confronts in this season is something that’s as universal as breathing – aging. How do you think he’s going to handle that? Yep, you probably guessed right.

And then there’s parenting. It’s tough to put your progeny in the spotlight when your own narcissism is insisting it should be YOU there, even if you really do care (as much as you’re able). Soldier Boy was proof of just how hard it is to break the horrors of intergenerational trauma, and hoo boy, did Homelander ever have a lot of that. Trauma with a capital T. We learn more about John’s early upbringing in the first episodes of this season, as he goes back to visit his first “home”. With a Fudgie the Whale cake.

That’s a real Time Magazine cover, btw, as showrunner Eric Kripke tweeted. He’s right, this show’s marketing team is beyond amazing!

I will forever relish the character of Homelander for a) Antony Starr’s brilliance and b) the opportunities it offers for real life parallels that are so on the nose they’re almost painful. He emerges from his trial calmly telling everyone to “remain calm, you’re all very special people” and I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The New Supes Drop Some Truth Bombs

New supe Sister Sage energizes Homelander – and the show itself. As Homelander’s supporters square off in a shouting match with Starlight supporters, she comes up with the plan to manipulate public opinion against the Starlighters. And she knows the value of a martyr. Much like Stormfront, Sage is introduced in a way that makes us think we’re going to like her. Her apartment is literally floor to ceiling books and not much else, befitting for the smartest person in the world.

Sage: That person is too smart to give a fuck about Pottery Barn.

She’s also refreshingly and brutally honest with Homelander, commenting on his enlarged prostate and his gray hairs and that he’s “going through some existential midlife stuff.”

Sage also easily manipulates The Deep (and hooks up with him over their mutual love of Outback’s bloomin’ onion, which, valid) and knows how they could pitch Ryan as the newest chosen-by-God hero.

Sage: The chosen one narrative only works if he stands alone. Hollywood trains people to fall in love with the white boy saviors.

Oof, she’s not wrong.

Firecracker, on the other hand, is sort of a mini Stormfront, in that she’s every offensive thing we hear proclaimed on the ‘news’ and in the media every single day. She’s transphobic, anti-vax, you name the thing and she’s saying it – on her “Truth Bomb” youtube channel usually.  Occasionally she says something that really is a truth bomb. “What are you selling?” Sage asks her at the TruthCon convention.

Firecracker: Purpose. These people have nothing, maybe just lost a job or a house. I tell them a story, give them a purpose.

This show hits you in the stomach just when you least expect it.

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New Book on ‘The Boys’!  ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ Now Available!

New Book on ‘The Boys’!  ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ Now Available!

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The long wait is finally over – the new book, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’ released on December 5! We delayed the release in solidarity with the writers’ and actors’ strikes, but now the book is ready for reading just in time for us to all lose our collective you know what over the teaser trailer for The Boys Season 4, coming in 2024. And tease us it did…

Showdown between Annie and Homelander?

Robert Singer and Victoria Neuman leading in the polls?

Rob Benedict joining the fun – and feeling really “torn” about it?

Karl Urban and Jeffrey Dean Morgan the duo we never knew we absolutely needed onscreen?

Also, I have missed you JDM!

Oh, and was that Black Noir???

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, what are you waiting for?

The Boys S4 Teaser Trailer

And now there’s a book that delves deep into all the amazing characters and provocative story lines that make The Boys universe so incredible – just in time for more! (And for holidays, birthdays, etc. if you or someone you love is a fan of The Boys)

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes is the perfect way to catch up on everything that’s happened so far and gain a deeper understanding of all the complicated characters. There are chapters that take deep dives into all your favorites, from Homelander to Soldier Boy, Butcher to Black Noir, Starlight to Stormfront, Hughie to A Train and many more. What makes your favorite character tick? Let psychologists and sociologists help you explore everything you love about them – or everything you love to hate. If you love the show’s biting social commentary, media experts and journalists take an insightful look at the issues the show tackles – from racism to sexism, toxic masculinity to social media, and how it all fits into Hollywood and corporate America.

The book doesn’t forget the brilliance of the show’s actors or the comics creators. Sometimes it’s the cast who bring these complex characters to life that have some of the most fascinating insights into who they are. There are exclusive in-depth interviews with Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy), Aya Cash (Stormfront),  Nate Mitchell (Black Noir), Jim Beaver (Robert Singer) as well as co-creator Darick Robertson, and additional comments from many of the other cast on this show we’ve all come to love.

I love what Jensen Ackles has to say about Soldier Boy and the decisions he made in portraying him. That’s a Soldier Boy smirk if I ever saw one! And we’re all counting on him being back, right???

Eric Kripke has said that ultimately he sees ‘The Boys’ as hopeful – and we do too. We put this book together because the show sparked so much thought and discussion with the way it reflects things we might wish we didn’t see in the real world around us. We believe in changing the world just like ‘The Boys’ ultimately does, so every copy of Supes Ain’t Always Heroes purchased benefits the Venice Family Clinic and their life saving work in this real world.

We hope you love Supes as much as we all do – Here are some of our awesome contributors celebrating the book’s release!

courtesy Tina Charles
courtesy Kaela Joseph
courtesy Hansi Oppenheimer
courtesy Tanya Cook

If you love ‘The Boys’, don’t be afraid to go deeper (Deeper?). Just be careful not to sneeze!

All the info and links to order here:

https://smartpopbooks.com/book/supes-aint-always-heroes/

(Special appearance by Soldier Boy supporter Mr. Jared Padalecki, who I think was impressed by that impressive bicep…)

Here’s the link for info and to buy, wherever you prefer to get your books – Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

Happy reading!

– Lynn and Matt