Tag: The Boys

‘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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Catch Up On ‘The Boys’ Before Tonight’s New Episode!

Catch Up On ‘The Boys’ Before Tonight’s New Episode!

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The fifth episode of The Boys Season 4 that aired last week is one of my favorites. If you look beyond the spectacle, this show can be surprisingly emotional – and this episode is one that will make you feel, juxtaposing heartbreaking, tender and over-the-top violence in scenes that end up being powerful and memorable.

As we get ready for the next episode in the wee hours of Thursday morning, here’s a recap of what happened in the last episode and where we are now. (Oh, and episode 6? Pivotal!)

SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 5 AHEAD…

It’s Hard to Be One of ‘The Boys’

Before we get to the emotional part of the episode, in other news (that often mirrors the actual news in alarming ways), Firecracker is on a roll attacking Annie and pressing assault charges, painting their altercation and rivalry as “a biblical war of good versus evil”.  She’s painting herself as “the Lord’s Savior” for their new division, Vought Faith, all of them trying to manufacture some tears with a playing of “I Will Remember You” for Ezekiel. Annie’s also being blamed for the murder of Ezekiel, which was apparently done by Butcher somehow.

MM is increasingly worried about Janine, who’s been suspended for fighting a kid who called Homelander a hero. It’s hard to know the truth and stay quiet about it, isn’t it? MM tells her fighting isn’t the way to solve problems but she counters with why not, that’s what you do? Point, Janine. I look forward to Janine’s journey as she increasingly has the blinders taken off. I can relate, as I’m sure many of us can.

Billy and Joe meet on a park bench in the cold. Their exchange, as always, is crude and full of back and forth psychological volleys as Butcher struggles with his conscience. (Fandom is doing a lot of speculation right now about who Joe really is, and no spoilers here, but it’s pretty fascinating to watch, isn’t it?)

When Billy complains about the cold, Kessler has a typical answer, steeped in misogyny.

Joe: Well, I was thinking we could meet in your mum’s pussy but I wanted somewhere more private.

He’s also got a lot of criticism for the Boys.

Joe: Your team’s a joke. MM’s on the verge of breakdown, Frenchie’s a druggie, Hughie’s a pussy and the two supes on your side…

He also pushes Butcher to stay the course and be as brutal as it takes to get rid of Homelander.

Joe: Brother, I don’t get you. Half your brain is a fucking tumor, last chance at Homelander and now you decide to go soft? You and me – we don’t belong with decent people.

Ouch. It’s exactly what Butcher has always struggled with, torn apart by guilt over his little brother’s death and still believing so much of the hurtful things his father said to him.

Side note: Butcher’s not the only one struggling to figure out right and wrong. Homelander bonds more with Ryan, letting him make his own decisions and saying he’s proud of him for doing that, that he was manipulated by people his whole life and doesn’t want to do the same thing to Ryan. Ryan tries to do some good in the world by defending a woman that director Bourke is making uncomfortable, but teaching him a lesson about that inequitable power dynamic turns into reiterating one as Ryan enjoys watching Bourke get his ass beat way too much.

This is all pretty bleak, but there is hope – Butcher finally tells them he’s found the virus that kills supes that we saw developed at Godolkin U on the first season of Gen V. Unfortunately, as we know, Neuman has it.

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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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Will Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles Both Be On ‘The Boys’?

Will Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles Both Be On ‘The Boys’?

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Will Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles both end up on the final season of The Boys??

It’s a question that has already set the internet on fire even though Season 4 of The Boys is airing now and Season 5 hasn’t started filming yet. As a huge fan of both Supernatural and The Boys (and anything Eric Kripke does, actually), nothing would make me happier. Over the past year, I’ve talked to all three of them about the possibility – which it looks like might actually happen!

I was hopeful that Jensen Ackles would join ‘The Boys’ long before the news came out that he would indeed play Soldier Boy in Season 3 of the series – I had been watching the show since Season 1 and so had he, and we’d had several conversations about how much we both loved it. So I was thrilled when it happened (and he was too).

Ackles, of course, had worked with showrunner Eric Kripke before on Supernatural, portraying a character that Kripke created who is one of the most popular fictional characters ever, the beloved Dean Winchester. (Long time Supernatural fans like me will never stop loving the Winchesters). The two had remained close, along with the other Winchester brother, Jared Padalecki. So both were thrilled to work together again.

When I spoke to Jensen for an exclusive interview chapter in the new book on The Boys, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’, he told me there was only one person whose opinion of his portrayal of Soldier Boy he cared about very much, and that was Kripke.

When I spoke to Kripke, he had only glowing reviews, so I’d say mission accomplished – you can also read Eric’s insights in Supes, along with Jensen’s.

Here’s a little tidbit from my chat with Kripke:

Me: I just knew that Jensen would be so damn good at portraying Soldier Boy, in that he can make you understand every emotion his character is feeling, so I think alot of us were just uncomfortably blown away – in a good way – because people loved Soldier Boy and knew they should hate him!

Kripke: What’s funny in regard to Jensen playing Soldier Boy is, you know, he’s fucking fantastic, and he’s just so good at bringing the audience. It’s almost like, what I laugh about is like he was probably like a little too good at his job! I could have gone for the audience being like oh, I hate that guy, but so many people took his side in the finale like, we’re on his side, he’s the guy, fuck everyone! And you’re like, but he’s the bad guy and he’s trying to kill a ten year old…

I love their mutual appreciation that has stayed strong all these years.

As a huge fan (obviously) of both The Boys and Supernatural, I’ve also been thrilled every time an SPN alum makes an appearance. Christian Keyes crossed over to play A Train’s brother. Alex Calvert memorably played a character on Gen V. This season, Jeffrey Dean Morgan joined the fun and Rob Benedict made an appearance that no one will ever forget. Even if they want to.

I spoke to Eric Kripke after Season 3 had aired to ask him about where the series was headed, and I asked about the possibility of Jared Padalecki taking a turn on The Boys. I mean, he’s definitely a fan of the show – and of Soldier Boy! (Who we know is not dead…)

Turns out they had already chatted about it.

Me: Soooooo any possibility that the other Winchester brother might turn up on The Boys? I’d love to see Jared on the show.

Kripke: I told him, I’m like, you have an open door, man, so whenever you’re free from Walker, let’s talk about it. We’d have to pull it off with scheduling but yeah, ideally that would be great.

Me: I’m crossing my fingers. And if whoever Jared is playing ends up on screen with Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy, I don’t know what will happen to the Supernatural fandom. An implosion maybe? An awesome one?

Kripke agreed.

I also, of course, chatted with Jared. He’d been too busy with filming and EPing Walker until recently, but that didn’t stop me from asking him about being on The Boys a few months ago. He most definitely did not say no, and he and Jensen both had some ideas about roles he could play that I won’t spoil, but let’s just say it seemed like a possibility.

So I wasn’t surprised to see Deadline break the story that Kripke and Padalecki have been texting and talking about it, and in fact had spoken about it yesterday – and it looks like a go!

Jared said in the Deadline article: We talked today…I only want to work on projects that I really care about or with people I really care about, and obviously Eric and I are indelibly connected forever… I adore Kripke’s storytelling, I will be ready when he makes the phone call. The answer is yes!

Looks like this might actually be happening – and I am so ready!!

What sort of role do you hope Jared would be playing? An ally of The Boys (and an antagonist to Soldier Boy)? A supe villain? A Vought corporate villain? So many possibilities!

You can read more of my exclusive interview with Jensen Ackles all about Soldier Boy (have I mentioned that we know he’s not dead?), plus insights from many of the other actors and some deep dives into all the characters and what makes the show so intriguing in ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’.  Catch up now and get ready for more of the wild ride that is ‘The Boys’!

Info at:

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Season of ‘The Boys’ Drops Tomorrow – Five Favorite Things about Season 4!

New Season of ‘The Boys’ Drops Tomorrow – Five Favorite Things about Season 4!

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(No spoilers. This review is made possible by advance screeners of The Boys Season 4 for review purposes).

Let the excitement begin! The new season of Prime Video’s hit streaming show ‘The Boys’ premieres tomorrow with the first three episodes after an almost two year wait. I’ll be back with episode reviews for this season, but overall I loved the entire season. Without any spoilers – because that would ruin all the fun – here are five reasons why. So you can look forward to the new season and enjoying it just as much as I did!

Number 5: Rob Benedict. I can’t spoil anything, but I just have to say that although his character is only in one scene in one episode, he really made an impression! Full disclosure, I love Rob. I loved his character Chuck aka God on Supernatural – he’s a talented actor and a talented musician and a talented writer too. But perhaps I had never seen the full extent of his talent until this role. So many facets of his character in one scene (it’s actually a fairly complicated series of scenes that all run together). Rob even made me feel a mix of emotions for his character – I laughed, I covered my eyes, I even felt a bit bad for him. I chatted with Rob on the weekend and told him my mixed reactions and he laughed. Let’s just say he can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts on what he brings to this portrayal…

Number 4: Jeffrey Dean Morgan. I can’t spoil anything about his character either, but suffice it to say that JDM and Karl Urban together eat up the screen like a couple of movie stars. They play off each other perfectly – in fact, I would bet money that the two had a blast working together. Butcher is, if anything, an even more fascinating character in Season 4, which is saying a lot because he’s been pretty fascinating all along. Urban and Morgan have the same sort of rough-hewn charm even when their characters are violent, like Butcher or Neegan on The Walking Dead often are, and the two in a scene together are doubly charming (and sometimes doubly disturbing).

Number 3: The continued parallels to real life, brilliantly interwoven into the plot. Sometimes it’s a throwaway line here and there that makes you go OOOF. Sometimes it’s a story arc that has so much to say about something that isn’t just fiction. There’s so much validation to knowing that someone else is seeing the insanity around us too, and then putting it on our screens in a slightly displaced fictionalized form so we can all look at it without cringing too much.

Number 2: The new supes! Sister Sage and Firecracker join the chaos and energize the Seven and the show. They each have parallels to real life that make them extra interesting, but it’s their dynamic with both the existing characters and with each other that really make this season pop. Susan Heyward and Valorie Curry sizzle when they’re onscreen together. Both are unlikely choices for the Seven and both have unexpected twists and turns to their story arcs that took me by surprise – I love when a show can surprise me! Both also have an interesting relationship with “the truth” which offered a lot of real life commentary options.

Number 1: The deep stuff. Not The Deep stuff, though his story arc in this season is part of it. Almost every character has an evolution over the eight episodes, going in vastly different directions. Much of that evolution is driven by something universal and ultimately very human – the need to figure out who we are and define ourselves in some coherent way. To discover our identity. To “go home” and figure out how and what and who shaped us, whether we wanted them to or not. Sometimes that means breaking away from an identity foisted upon us and remaking ourselves the way we want to be. Sometimes that means trying to break away from the constraints and traumas of the past to be free of them, only to be sucked right back into the chains that has left around us, keeping us from being someone different. Sometimes that means not being able to figure out who the real you is at all. You can follow each character’s journey, sometimes cheering for them and sometimes despairing when the journey is downhill not up. It’s quite a feat to afford each character that room to evolve and enough screen time to follow their journey when you have so many characters!

I was also thrilled to see that the show is continuing its exploration of many of the themes that are included in the new book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’. Toxic masculinity, breaking the chains of generational trauma, personality disorders, PTSD, racism, sexism, social media. The book delves into all of those, and takes apart all the complicated characters to see what makes them tick, with exclusive interviews and insights from the actors as well as media experts and psychologists. If you haven’t checked it out yet, catch up on everything about the first three seasons with Supes wherever you buy books, and then get ready to dig into Season 4.

I’ve loved this show since its very first episode, and it hasn’t disappointed me yet. I love that its characters keep slogging it out, every kind of obstacle – physical, psychological, emotional, societal – thrown in their way. Beaten down, halfway to giving up, struggling to hang onto themselves, but they keep fighting. Along the way, there are some unlikely heroes, and some tugs at my heartstrings.  It’s an oddly hopeful commentary on humanity at a time when the struggle is more real than ever.

Eric Kripke confirmed this week that Season 5 will be the final season for The Boys, so my expectations for next season are even higher than they were before. He’s also talked about how much he’d love to have his good friend (and part of his Supernatural family) Jared Padalecki join in the fun. I spoke to Padalecki about how much I personally would love that a few weeks ago, so let’s hope he takes Kripke up on his invitation!

Fingers crossed!

Do yourself a favor and be sure to watch the first three episodes of Season 4 of The Boys on Prime Video tomorrow!!!!

Photos courtesy of Prime Video

–Lynn

You can read more about Supes Ain’t

Always Heroes, with insights from the

actors including an exclusive interview

with Jensen Ackles, and lots more at:

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

 

 

 

Are You Ready for ‘The Boys’ Season 4? Catch Up Now!

Are You Ready for ‘The Boys’ Season 4? Catch Up Now!

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The new season of Prime Video’s Emmy winning series ‘The Boys’ drops THIS WEEK – are you ready?

There’s SO much to look forward to.

There will be new Supes…

Oedipal struggles…

Toxic masculinity exploration… (that is just so nice to look at…)

There will be so much more that I can’t talk about at all yet, but suffice it to say that this season will be one you can’t look away from! (Okay maybe I covered my eyes once or twice, but I also could not stop watching or exclaiming about just how fucking awesome the show is.) My standards were high after Season 3, but Kripke and company didn’t let me down.

You can catch up on all things The Boys and know just where we left off with all your favorite characters (whether they’re your favorites to love or hate or a little of both) with the book that takes a deep dive into the show and the characters and the talented actors who bring them to life – Supes Ain’t Always Heroes.

Just like the show, the book is also a wild ride. There are chapters dissecting the characters, from Homelander to Butcher, Starlight to Stormfront, Hughie to A Train and many more.

There are exclusive interviews with the actors who have so much insight into what makes their characters tick. (I love what Jensen Ackles has to say about Soldier Boy and why the role was so compelling. He knows it was…look at that expression).

There are deep dives into the themes the show tackles and how it reflects some things about real life even as there are also exploding penises and superhero orgies and flying hamsters.

Pick up your copy today and be ready for next week – it happens to be on sale on Amazon right now.

Amazon and bookstore links and info at: Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

Then hang on for another wild ride! Who knows what Season 5 will bring…

–Lynn

Happy Birthday Jensen Ackles! Here’s to 46!

Happy Birthday Jensen Ackles! Here’s to 46!

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Every year when March 1st rolls around and it’s Jensen Ackles’ birthday once again, I find myself feeling grateful that the man who brought to life two of my favorite fictional characters ever (aka Dean Winchester and Soldier Boy) is happy and healthy and enriching our lives with his creative presence. This year is no exception – whether it was playing a part as a talented actor, entertaining us at a convention, showing off his great form at the golf course, hyping some Supe Juice at the brewery or just selfies with family, friends and fans, I’m grateful for everything he shared with us this past year.

So let’s celebrate Jensen Ackles heading into his 46th year with a little look back at some of the highlights of his 45th!

March was the finale of The Winchesters, which saw the return of Dean Winchester, defying the laws of God (Chuck) and time to defeat an enemy threatening an alternate universe John and Mary – and ultimately Dean’s little brother, still alive in the universe of Supernatural we know and love. We all know Dean will do whatever it takes to save Sam, and he proved it once again – even after he was already settled into Heaven!

The spring saw Jensen roadtripping across the country with Clif to join his family in a new house in Connecticut, which gave us some travel glimpses along the way. Hopefully they’re having a blast renovating the house and enjoying the East coast weather for a change of pace.

In the spring, I was lucky enough to go to some conventions in the US, including the one in New Orleans in May. One of my favorite cities in the world.

Jensen showed off his “model poses” much to everyone’s amusement.

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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

 

 

 

Catch up on Gen V – Here’s What Happened in Episode 5!

Catch up on Gen V – Here’s What Happened in Episode 5!

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A new episode of ‘The Boys’ spinoff ‘Gen V’ streams Friday – well, usually Thursday at midnight. If you’re like me, you can’t wait to find out what happens next!

Here’s our recap of last week’s Episode 5 to get everyone ready for this week’s Episode 6…

SPOILERS FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH FIVE OF ‘GEN V’ AHEAD!

Everyone ended the fourth episode of Gen V wondering if their streaming service had glitched, so it’s merciful that in Episode 5 the show doesn’t make us wait to find out that no, that’s not what happened. Instead it’s Andre, Cate, Emma, Jordan and Marie whose memories glitched, as in none of them can remember the past few days. They wake up at a Supe named Dusty’s house (clearly his house because his pet llama is wandering around the premises), Andre and Cate in bed and Jordan and Marie in bed – and Emma (still gigantic) naked and floating in the swimming pool. Luckily it had a tarp on it which is covering her.

As a result of her saving the day, Emma finally starts trending on social media, and realizes that her mother’s stern warning about not “getting big” was bullshit – more of her evolution into finding her voice and being willing to take up space. Lots of it.

Know who realizes that? Sam. He shows up concerned about Emma, who doesn’t remember him at all.

Sam promises he’ll fix it, make her remember.

Emma: Remember what?

Sam: That you’re a hero. A real one.

Me, a passionate Emma fan: Damn right!

Vought is still after Sam, sending a whole team of armed operatives to capture him. In a truly disturbing sequence, Sam’s psychosis manifests so that he sees them all as puppets – and proceeds to rip them apart, puppet entrails flying everywhere and heads rolling, rock music playing to make the whole scene surreal.

Sam comes back to reality standing in a sea of bloody body parts.

Dr. Cardoza is freaked out after Sam’s little visit, but the Dean reminds him he can’t really walk out as he doesn’t have anywhere else to go, putting it in her own special way.

Dean Shetty: Cutting up Supes and seeing how they tick is a skill that won’t quite shine on your LinkedIn profile…

Back to trying to perfect a virus to control the “psychopaths” then, Dr. Cardoza.

Marie finds a tracker implanted in her chest and realizes the Dean is probably part of that. She manages to pull it out of herself (ewww). This episode begins to paint a chilling portrait of just how sinister the people running God U actually are – and sets us up for some big reveals about who they’ve drawn into their web of manipulation.

Marie runs to Cate to tell her about the trackers and…that was a mistake.  The episode veers back and forth with Marie and company discovering some of what’s going on and then being made to forget, which is depicted in a way that makes the viewer feel almost as unsettled and ‘off’ as Marie and friends.

For a while they’re sure it’s Rufus who’s messing with their heads, and poor Alexander Calvert almost gets taken out for good because of it, even as he protests his innocence.

But Sam knows the truth – and by the end of the episode, they all know who is really responsible for repeatedly wiping their memories. It’s Cate. Surprisingly empathic, relatable Cate. (Of course, that’s never the answer of who the real villain is in this universe…)

Cate says she’s sorry, that she only ever wanted to help and make things better. Do we believe her??

In other news, Jordan and Marie spend much of the episode dancing around each other and trying not to admit to the other that being together maybe wasn’t a mistake after all.  Jordan’s invisible Supe friend reminds them that maybe Marie is “cool with hiding the sausage and bumping donuts” and so maybe they can be either in female or male form and still be with her. I’m rooting for them!

I’m rooting for Sam and Emma too. She doesn’t remember who he is, but she goes to him anyway.

But how long can he keep hiding from Vought??

A new episode streams this Friday (Thursday at midnight) on Prime Video and let’s just say the level of excitement around Soldier Boy perhaps making an appearance is off the charts. I won’t say for sure that it’s in this week’s episode, but let me tell you, when you do see him again, the entire scene is PRICELESS! The gifs that fandom will make alone…. OMG.

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Catch up on Gen V now so you’re ready for all the chaos. And to catch up on the whole fascinating world of The Boys, you can preorder the new book ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’ NOW at https://smartpopbooks.com/theboys/

There is, of course, a chapter all about Soldier Boy and what makes him tick, and an exclusive interview with Jensen Ackles too – plus a lot more about all your favorite characters.

Don’t miss this week’s episode of Gen V!!

And don’t miss the chance to preorder ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ – you get free original art of Soldier Boy and Kimiko with preorders!

Lynn

 

 

Are You Ready for More Gen V? Here’s My Recap of Episodes 1 to 3 – Episode 4 Review Up Soon!

Are You Ready for More Gen V? Here’s My Recap of Episodes 1 to 3 – Episode 4 Review Up Soon!

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A new episode of Gen V drops this Friday (or, as Kripke admitted, let’s be real, probably late Thursday night) and I can’t wait!  If you haven’t been able to watch the first three episodes which were released last week, here’s a little recap of what happened in those episodes – and why I’m so excited about the next ones! (My review of Episode 4 will be up later this week before Episode 5 drops on Friday)

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH THREE AHEAD

The show takes place at Godolkin University (God U, get it?), where the first generation of superheroes who actually know how they got that way (ie, their parents shot them up with Compound V) is arriving for the start of classes. We’re introduced to the main characters, including Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), whose perspective largely frames these episodes. There’s also Luke, aka Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), top ranked and stereotypically attractive, and his girlfriend Cate (Maddie Phillips), who has to wear gloves most of the time because if she touches you she can mind control you.

Andre (Chance Perdomo) is the son of a Supe and in line to be one of the Seven himself if his dad has anything to say about it, Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh) is the bi-gender child of two highly driven parents, and Emma (Lizze Broadway) is Marie’s roommate, whose superpower is that she can make herself tiny.

Gen V takes the same cynical look at where we are as a society in terms of what we value and how we relate to each other. Social media, crafting an image, and cultivating followers and popularity is a legitimate major at God U, and the vast majority of students are all in. As soon as one of them gains some recognition, they can’t walk across campus without repeated requests for selfies, and most fellow students can’t be trusted with any personal information. Emma learns this the hard way when she’s manipulated by a classmate into talking candidly about herself, only to have that used as fodder for the girl’s viral TikTok.

The adults are corporate power-hungry manipulators too, as we’ve come to expect from Vought. The first episode introduces us to the aptly named Professor Brink Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown), who’s about as much of a stereotype of a narcissistic full professor as you can get – I admit, as a professor myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the caricature. He’s got the power to decide who gets to be part of the Crimefighting School – similar to the coveted admission to the Business School in a few real life universities – and he’s got his favorites. He summarily rejects Marie before Golden Boy turns on his mentor and takes him out of the picture, opening up an opportunity for her to get in.  Dean Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) is an enigmatic woman who can seem incredibly warm and nurturing, and then you get a glimpse of her face when the target of her warmth can’t see it and realize she’s as cold as ice.  Andre’s dad, who was the Supe Polaris, is just as icy in his determination to see his son become number one – and maybe one of the Seven.

One of the narratives that The Boys universe has explored in all its versions is parenting, for better or worse (usually for worse…). In the original show we eventually learned what Annie’s mother and other parents had done to their children with Compound V for mostly selfish reasons, and in the animated Diabolical, we saw the costs of that selfishness in brutal detail for the kids. Gen V continues that exploration, and not just with Andre’s father. Emma’s mom is similarly invested in her child’s “success”, essentially telling her to suck it up and do whatever it takes to find some popularity no matter what the personal cost. Jordan’s mom and dad are the “driven Asian parents” who refuse to see their child for who they are and instead want to have a successful son – whether or not they identify as a son or not.

True to every Eric Kripke show ever, that’s not all the show has to say about family though. Like Supernatural and The Boys and every other show he’s put his creative touch on, Gen V is also about the importance of family bonds – especially sibling bonds – and what that inspires. Of course, the sibling bonds on this show are fraught and sculpted by trauma, because this is the universe of The Boys after all. Marie is desperate to find her little sister, who was separated from her after she got her first period and her powers manifested as the ability to control blood – which she hadn’t harnessed at all and thus it became a weapon that accidentally killed both her parents and traumatized her younger sister. Luke is desperate to find his little brother (who’s named Sam and has floppy hair so that every Supernatural fan was instantly a million percent invested in that relationship).

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