more development, irreverence, violence, and glorious satire make season two of “the boys” more than worth it

After a long two years of waiting for The Boys to return, Amazon Prime Video has blessed us with a bigger, better season two. This show has come back in top form, giving its beloved, and quite sadistic characters, some much-needed character development, handed us another menacing corporate villain, and delivers just as much violence, comedy and all-out craziness we were expecting.

In the beginning of “The Big Ride”, our heroes are hiding without Butcher (Karl Urban), who’s had some family issues after his encounter with Homelander, Stillwell, and finally his long-lost wife Becca. Hughie (Jack Quaid) is still in contacts with Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty), who are both attempting to steal some Compound V, the drugs that make the Supes so super. She tries to get a sample of it through a kid she once knew growing up, Gecko, who can regrow his arms and limbs, blackmailing him with a video of himself accepting money for a man to chop off his appendages. Yeah, he’s working as an S&M prostitute.

Of course Amazon wants us to actually witness the thing. This is, of course, THE BOYS. It makes for an awfully disturbing, but completely necessary moment. Much like everything this series gives us these days. Before all of this shit happens, we check in with Black Noir, likely the most undeveloped character in the first season. He manages to take out another Supe Terrorist, Vought’s catchy name for rogue villains juiced up with Compound V. This time it’s Naqib, one of the more powerful ones. Then we get the best moment in the premiere.

Stormfront, the newest addition to the seven, finally meets Homelander and Maeve during an advert for the Supes joining the military. Played by Aya Cash aggressively, we get an absolutely hilarious scene with Stormfront on a live stream. She has a steady 86k watchers, but then the rookie encounters Homelander, and her view count jumps to millions…Viewers see reactions from Instagram users, noting how shook Antony Starr’s Superman imposter really is with newfound competition. This is after the guy confronted Vought’s PR lady Ashley Barrett about letting just any person join the group.

Antony Starr is already magnetic in his role, but what happens when we pair him and, say, Giancarlo Esposito in the same scene. Esposito plays Vought’s CEO, Stan, and is later met with a hostile approach from Homelander after Stormfront is announced to join. The tension is rising, and you’re just about to realize that Esposito is completely owning this role, having so much fun portraying this corporate jerk. After all of this in the glorious first episode, we finally get Butcher’s long-awaited return, and everything feels so darn complete.

Episode two is just as much a blast as the pilot. Right from the get-go we’re told what happened to Butcher in his hours missing. After seeing his wife, Becca, and his “son”, Ryan, he mysteriously found himself lying unconscious next to a Tony Cicero’s, learning that he was wanted for Stillwell’s sudden death.

The Seven now have a full girl-power, feministic marketing campaign. Now with a trio of women, Maeve, Starlight and Stormfront, it’s an excellent chance for Vought. Stormfront, however, won’t have it, and Aya Cash is as brilliant as ever. Cash’s character challenges this, and explains that no matter what private part, both genders get it done…Among other things. It’s just more cleverness from this series, completely off the rails and totally irreverent, and I love it. Annie’s little smuggling deal with Gecko actually payed off, and he brings her a sample during the press junket. But A-Train (the powerhouse Jessie T. Usher) get’s quite suspicious.

After, we get to check in with The Deep (Chase Crawford) who’s having the lowest point in his career. He’s out of the seven, spending…And drinking his days down in Sandusky, but then he is met with a deal that could get him famous again. The series goes into satire mode once again to make fun of Scientology. Anyway, the outcast meets Eagle the Archer and his shady church to take shrooms and get in touch with his feelings. Crawford is superb in the role, and you can’t help but fall out of your seat laughing when he talks to his gills (Patton Oswalt). The duo have a poignant, if disturbing conversation about how he truly deserves to be loved, and that he must stop violating girl’s bodies because he’s uncomfortable with his own. My god is this the most bonkers thing I’ve seen on TV.

Butcher and the Boys, now together, go to a Halloween store where a Super Terrorist was. But things get crazy when Komiko finds her long-lost brother, Kenji, the Supe they were looking for. By the way, Karen Fukuhara still hasn’t actually said a word in her role, but that’s her thing, and she nails it. Both as Katana in Suicide Squad and The Female in The Boys, what an actress. This also gives a character mostly overshadowed by her partners in crime some good development.

Episode three, arguably the best one of the series…To come out yet, is just what we wanted from season two of The Boys. Homelander get’s a massive part of this episode, and we begin with him practically invading Butcher’s wife Becca’s home, and interfering with her close relationship with Ryan, his son. We get a tension-filled moment where they’re eating breakfast together, and, well, Homelander being who he is, interrupts their little Spanish-speaking game and takes Ryan out for a “father-son” talk. You could imagine what that’s like with such a psychopath. The thing is, it’s worse than that, the superhuman wants to teach him how to fly, and does it by well…Throwing him off the roof. It not only gives audiences a hilarious, and shocking moment, but we also get a fantastic character moment with Ryan defending his mom, alienating Homelander.

After the news about Compound V broke due to some superb sleuthing by beloved characters Starlight and Hughie, we check back in with The Boys. They’ve tied up Kimiko’s brother Kenji (a Supe) on their yacht, but things go awry when the guy breaks out and destroys a police helicopter with his powers. Soon after, we get possibly the craziest moment yet, which is when the Deep (Crawford) suddenly attacks them with a swarm of sharks, whales and killer fish, and, of course, his attempt completely fails in hilarious fashion. His army first get’s decimated by Butcher’s firearm, but then stuff truly goes terribly wrong. Our sexual predator “superhero” and Aquaman knock-off tries to block off their boat with a massive whale, yet knowing Butcher, he isn’t gonna stop. Yep, the Boys drive right through that thing, and we get the guts, organs galore. Thanks, Amazon.

Our team of anti-heroes narrowly escapes through the sewers, and the Deep is met with the rest of the remaining members of the Seven. But Homelander, A-Train and the rest easily catch up to the struggling Boys. Homelander, needing to know if he can trust Starlight, forces her to kill Hughie, but of course Butcher makes a little diversion, and Kenji completely demolishes the psycho by throwing a ceiling on him. God these performances are so incredible, some of the best work I’ve seen in film and TV. The final minutes of the episode gives Stormfront (Cash) the spotlight, don’t worry.

This is when Kenji tries to escape the Boys, with Komiko running after him. They end up on the top of a building, in which Stormfront completely demolishes everyone in her sight. Just when you thought the newest addition would be a relatable, father-figure of sorts for Starlight, she ends up being a total b**ch. Stormfront finally catches up to Kenji, with Komiko hiding in fear, and kills him in cold blood, breaking his neck. Wow, didn’t expect that, or the fact that she’s a racist, referring to Kenji as a “yellow bastard”. What an ending, and it couldn’t get me any more excited for episode four. Only problem, I can’t binge it all in one sitting! Whatever…

Rated: TV-MA (for language, nudity and extreme violence)

Genre: Action/Comedy

Runtime: Episode 1 (1 hour 2 minutes), Episode 2 (59 minutes)

Directed By: Phillip Sgriccia (Episode 1), Liz Friedlander (Episode 2)