Spoilers ahead for the first three episodes of The Boys Season 2.
The Boys Season 2 is finally here! The Amazon series is doing things a bit differently this year, releasing its first three episodes simultaneously before going the weekly route thereafter. The series’ second season picks up where Season 1 left off and is chock-full of wild moments, some great commentary, and I dare say it's even better than Season 1 so far.
Karl Urban's Butcher now knows his wife is alive, but he's framed for Madelyn Stillwell's death and is in hiding alongside the rest of The Boys — Jack Quaid’s Hughie, Frenchie, Kimiko, and Mother's Milk. Meanwhile, Vought's corporate-owned "superheroes," collectively known as The Seven, have gained a new member in Stormfront as Starlight and Hughie attempt to take down Vought by outing their use of Compound V. Whew! With so much that has already happened in The Boys Season 2, here are six questions we have after watching the first three episodes.
6. Why Did Homelander Spare Butcher?
After Homelander killed Madelyn Stillwell, the diabolical Supe took Butcher to see his wife Becca, who was presumed dead after disappearing several years prior. Butcher was shocked to find that she is still alive and has a son. At the time, it seemed like Homelander wanted to rub Becca’s existence in Butcher’s face before killing him off as well.
However, Season 2 revealed that Butcher had been flown to another town and left there by Homelander. At least I presume it was Homelander. Considering that Homelander is Butcher’s sworn enemy, it’s odd that the belligerent Supe didn’t just kill Butcher and get him out of the way. My guess is that he left him alive to take the fall for Madelyn’s murder, but there are probably other reasons.
5. Can Grace Mallory Be Trusted?
The Boys Season 2 saw the return of Grace Mallory. You’ll remember her as the former deputy director of the CIA who founded The Boys with Butcher. Like Butcher, Grace thirsted for vengeance against The Seven until Lamplighter killed her grandchildren and she retired from the job. She never wanted to lay eyes on Butcher again.
In Season 2, however, Butcher goes back to Grace following the murder of the CIA’s Susan Rayner. In exchange for Kimiko’s younger brother, who works with the Shining Light Liberation Army, Grace promised to find Becca. I found it strange that Grace is back in the game and working with Butcher again. I don’t think she should be trusted considering that her Season 2 motives remain unclear. For all we know, she’s working with Vought and played a role in Susan’s death. Until we know more about her comeback, Grace will stay on my list of suspicious people.
4. What Is The Church Of The Collective Really Up To?
The Deep was publicly (and rightfully) shamed last season after Starlight revealed that he’d assaulted her. He was still a part of The Seven, but he was very much paying for what he did. In Season 2, The Deep was working through his issues with the help of the Church of the Collective. They were very enthusiastic to have him and convinced The Deep that he could rejoin The Seven if he simply followed their tenets and let the light in.
Almost everyone on The Boys has sinister motives and I assume the Church of the Collective does too. For one, its members come on way too strong. It's like they want to recruit The Deep for a particular reason. My guess is that the Collective's leader is up to no good and is perhaps in cahoots with Vought or is peddling Compound V. I’d wager that they see The Deep as a potential informant who will glean information for them.
3. Is Vought Trying To Replace Homelander With Stormfront As Leader?
Homelander is still violent and full of rage, but he's quickly learning that he's no longer in control. Rather, he's finding out that he may have never had any control to begin with. Vought, and by extension Giancarlo Esposito's Stan, are pulling the strings. That's where Stormfront comes in. Stormfront's arrival is basically a big fuck you to Homelander. She's brash and just as dangerous as Homelander, if not more so.
In Season 2's third episode, Stormfront reveals what she's capable of. With tensions high between Homelander and Stan, it's not hard to imagine that Vought may have brought in Stormfront to groom as a new leader. She seems perfectly fine with pushing Vought's narrative and she seems inclined to piss off Homelander specifically. It's possible that she's trying to push his buttons on purpose in the hopes that he'll step out of line so that she could replace him.
2. Will Starlight Officially Leave The Seven?
Tension has been building for Starlight and she's truly coming into her own. She has been taking more risks that could potentially upend her entire way of life, as well as put her life in danger. At the start of Season 2, Starlight is working with Hughie to take down Vought. She no longer trusts him to be truthful with her after he lied to her in Season 1. However, she's still willing to do what it takes to stop Vought and the other Supes.
By the end of Episode 3, Starlight was dodging questions from A-Train (who knows that she's betraying The Seven) and was threatened by Homelander into nearly killing Hughie. At this point, the stress is too much and, considering that she has already been working with The Boys, I think it's high time that Starlight leave The Seven behind for good. The Season 2 trailer hints that she might do just that, but it's unclear when it'll happen or if she was simply hiding out in her civilian clothes temporarily.
1. What Happened To Hughie's Dad?
This is truly the biggest mystery of all. At the end of The Boys Season 1, Hughie’s dad, Simon Pegg’s Hugh, was kidnapped by A-Train as revenge against Hughie and The Boys. Hugh was later rescued by his son and Kimiko and taken back to their safe house to hide out. Flash forward to Season 2 and Hugh is nowhere to be found.
Hughie does mention his dad, but it's in passing. We never learn where he went, why he's no longer at the safe house, or even whether Hughie somehow smuggled him out. It's a weird oversight. Even if Simon Pegg wasn't going to return, a sentence to explain what happened would have made a lot of sense. As it stands, Hugh's whereabouts remain a mystery and it's unclear whether he'll ever be brought up again.
The first three episodes of The Boys Season 2 are currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video. For more on what to watch, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide for options.
