The Boys Season 3 is taking it up a notch in a way that feels almost too much at times and not nearly enough at others. In other words, The Boys Season 3 is very much The Boys and the show isn’t making any apologies for it, not that it has before. Now, whether you consider this a good thing or a bad thing might depend on your general feelings about the show, but as storytelling device, it’s as effective as it’s ever been.
Season 3 had to feel both like an escalation, and an inflection point for these characters. Things have changed, and in the face of that, characters have to adapt. But both of those things had to feel natural to who these characters are. Butcher just turning over a new leaf with a smile wouldn’t have made much sense, just as Hughie turning into the new Butcher would have been a step too far. And yet, even as characters look to make their best out of new circumstances, some things never change.
The first, and perhaps more important of them, is how good Antony Starr is as Homelander. That The Boys works is a combination of many things — good writing, a great cast, an interesting premise. However, there are times when Homelander is on our screens, the full weight of his depravity in full display, and it feels like too much. The social commentary is still on point, but the delivery feels heavy handed. Before you can even sit with that idea, though, Starr takes the character and allows a moment of vulnerability to peak through the façade. Then it all clicks. Then, the show absolutely works.
He’s not the only one that works, of course, but in Season 3 in particular, it feels like where Starr goes, the show follows. This is particularly true of Erin Moriarty’s Starlight, a character that has never been as one-dimensional as her costume makes her look, but that gets to shine not just playing off of Hughie or Butcher, but Homelander himself.
Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher is another standout of a Season 3 that isn’t light on interesting plot points or shrewd social commentary, but that shines because it allows the actors who have embodied these characters for two seasons to really sit with who these people are — and who they can be. Growth isn’t linear in real life, and it especially isn’t on TV, and that makes for a very interesting story. Only, of course, when you feel like the characters are going somewhere, but that’s never been an issue with this show.
It isn’t only the characters that get to shine, it’s some relationships. Hughie and Annie have gotten a lot of screen time together, and the show continues to give them the spotlight, but it never forgets about Kimiko and Frenchie, or even Butcher and Hughie. This is an ensemble show, it just so happens that some of the people in the ensemble are horrible people. Which doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting. That’s the dichotomy other shows would struggle with and The Boys always seems to nail.
But The Boys Season 3 is about the larger story, as much as it is about the individual pieces. The balance is hard and, at times, it feels like the show doesn’t quite know how to make it all work together. Much like Homelander himself, though, that’s only a misdirect. Every time you think the show has made a mistake and that’s why you’re looking right, it turns out the show actually wants you to look right.
That’s both refreshing and exhilarating, particular as it comes with a few surprises. But The Boys doesn’t really need twists to work, it never has. It soars on the back of outstanding performances, a tone that at times feels like a parody and others feels like watching the news and pointed, relevant storytelling. Season 3 is just more of the same, and we mean that in the best way possible.
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The first three episodes of The Boys Season 3 will be available to stream tomorrow on Prime Video, with new episodes coming every Friday.
