Ok so The Boys Season 3 is packed with major twists, mind blowing moments and gut wrenching
deaths that will tear your insides apart like Termite sneezed when he was inside your....
It's one of my favourite seasons of all time and when going back through
it there's a major scene that really stands out. This is the moment in which Homelander
fights Soldier Boy, Hughie and Billy Butcher after the events of Herogasm.
Throughout this video we're gonna be breaking down why it works so well, all the elements
in it that build up to it and the aftermath that it leaves for the rest of the series.
Before that though I hope you can give me just 90s of your time to talk about our sponsors Displate.
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Ok so Episode 6 was billed as being the big moment in The Boys Season 3 where we'd finally
see big things go down. If you've read the comics you'll know it's a major arc in that which shows
all the sadistic stuff that the supes get up to when they're not posing for the cameras.
Even people who hadn't read the comics I think will likely have had it hyped up for them
beforehand due to the word having Orgasm in it and the buzz on social media being centred around it.
Eric Kripke had done several interviews about it in the build up to the event and
though it was a big part of the episode, I think that the fight scene being the
thing that people talk about shows how much it overshadowed everything else.
The three Seasons had built up to the battle between Butcher
and Homelander and throughout this entry
we watched as he tracked down the quote unquote secret weapon that was capable of killing him.
This was revealed to be Soldier Boy, a captain America parody who himself had
been suped up wth BCL Red. This was capable of killing the supes and it
finally seemed like Hughie and Butcher had a chance of taking down the worst of them.
Now add to this the idea of Compound V24,
a drug that had the capabilities of giving someone superpowers for a short time.
With this lethal cocktail of the two elements it really felt like the playing field was finally
leveled and that Homelander would have a chance of being beaten once and for all.
Now this is given greater depth by the way that the scene itself is set up.
The entire event climaxes...ey
with Soldier Boy unleashing his chest laser which kills countless Supes
and that ones that survive are left badly burnt down to the balls. Looking at you Love Sausage.
We then follow this up with the moment in which A-train drags Blue Hawk worse than I drag Ryan
Arey and it leaves the idea implanted in your mind that there's actually a way to defeat the
Supes. Never before have we seen so many of them taken out and it subconsciously givs the idea that
Homelander has met his match. I listen to a lot of podcasts when I'm not at work and when the team
at Kinda Funny were reviewing this episode they said that it very much felt like a season finale.
I completely agree and this feels like it could end off the entry with a big final
battle between the two sides. The battle itself takes place amongst the ruins of the
party which makes it appear as a battleground which we already know many Supes have died at.
Now in order for the stakes to be high
we also need to see the enemy as as much of a threat as the rest of the characters do.
This is cemented by Homelanders entrance.
We open this moment with Termite on the
floor screaming for help and his boot comes down and crushes him,
planting the idea in our heads that this is what Homelander is gonna do to Billy and co.
Termite also subtly hints to us that the rest of the supes are
like insects to Homelander and that he has no trouble taking them out.
What really elevates this moment is that Termite is actually a character that we recognise
and though he's not exactly one of the main characters, I think he's certainly
one of the most memorable. When we look back on The Boys in many years to come and discuss the big
moments in it I think the Termite scene early on in the series will be one of those that pops up.
It's nice that they actually set him up early on in the series with such
a big scene so that when he's squashed by Homelander it's even more impactful.
Now I'm gonna be honest yeah, Homelander is a villain that I love.
#HeavySpoilers is over Party begins but search your feelings, you know you love him too.
To me he's the reason that people come back to the show every week and I think that what
this scene does really well is that it also makes him seem like he's gonna die
so deep down you're like 'nooooooooo' get out of it.
Often in shows and movies before there's a big defeat you want the
audience to have it in their head that the tides are turning and it's possible
for the heroes to take out the villain. For example, the end of return of the Jedi you
have the Rebls really put on the backfoot across all the battles that are happening.
The battle of Endor looks like it's going the Empires favour,
out in the space fight we see that the Death Star is fully operational and Luke is back
into a corner before he's electrified by the Emporer. These are all insormountable odds and
thus when the heroes overcome and win in every circumstance it feels even more exhilirating.
It's a technique used in storytelling to make the battles feel more enthralling and though it
doesn't happen perse in The Boys, they actually flip the script when it comes to Homelander.
Because a lot of us deep down wanna see how far that Homelander can go,
we want to see him survive this.
Therefore when he's almost beaten in the fight it feels even more impactful
because he's just managed to escape what would've been certain death for him.
It's very Games Of Thronian and though that show had a big fall off come the final season
I do still think that on the whole it was a masterclass in character development. What they'd
do brilliantly in that series is that they'd make you just as attached to the villains as you are to
the heroes so that when they squared off you genuinely didn't know who you wanted to win.
The scene to me also feels very similar to when Thanos is being held back during Infinity War.
It's taking all the might of the heroes just to hold him down in place
showcasing how powerful he is. They almost have him and for a couple of seconds
you genunely feel like he's out the game before he manages to escape.
Now on the other side of this you also feel like Butcher and co have just missed
their one big opportunity to take him down. This was very much an ambush in which Billy
and Hughie revealed that they had powers that completely blindsided the villain.
They'll never get a chance like this again where they catch him off guard like this
and for him to escape feels all the more impactful because
now Homelander knows they're coming for him and what they can do.
As the old saying goes, you throw Rocks at the King you better not miss.
This is why the end of the figtht feels so impactful because the three look around like
they've just messed up massively. Even the framing of the shot with them being shown
inside the glass Homelander's just going out of cements that he managed to escape
and leave them and their ambitions behind.
It's masterful and just the fight itself is what really takes this to the next level.
Homelander saying he used to admire Soldier Boy,
him having him against the ropes until he's saved by Butcher.
oi
And just Hughie running around it naked like a headless chicken all add to the frantic feeling,
comedy and chaotic nature of the battle.
There's also what this scene means on a symbolic level. You very much have archetypes here fighting
it out for their own ideals and beliefs. Soldier Boy very much represents the old face of America
that is battling for relevancy and power in a world that's changed idealistically.
Homelander is the new school, inspired by the old but taking things in a different direction.
Then we have Butcher who is the person that just wants to burn it all down and get rid of both.
They all have their own standings and stand for much more than just three people.
That's what makes this fight so endearing, we really have these symbols all coming together
for a good old fashioned showdown to see who can come out on top.
All this adds to the fight being something special
and it very much sets up whats to come in the remaining two episodes.
That's what a series should do, have you coming back for more every week
because you're desperate to see how things turn out.
I feel like this fight scene definitely accomplishes that
and it stands for much more beyond just a battle.
It's another reason why I absolutely love The Boys and I haven't talked about this in a video yet
but the twitter account for the show even put out the other day that they enjoy
a good Theory Time, theory time, theory time.
Really meant the world to me and I couldn't have done it without
you guys checking out the breakdowns every week.
I still wanna do a couple more boys videos, the next one probably being bout whether Black Noir
can come back so make sure you stick around at the channel if youre interested in that.
I'd of course also love to hear your thoughts
on the scene so make sure you comment below and let me know.
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If you want something else to watch then make sure you check out our breakdown of perfect scene in
Spider-Man Homecoming. We break down the entire thing so it’s definitely worth checking out if
you wanna know more. Also huge shoutouts to our sponsors at Displate again for the amazing metal
posters. Definitely go check out their link in the description and with that out the way
thank you for sitting through the video, I’ve been Paul and I’ll see you next time. Take care, Peace