The Boys - S02E08: What I Know
amazonThe Boys wraps up its second season with a bloody bang. Audiences are promised a satisfying conclusion after last episode’s mind-blowing cliffhanger, and it does not disappoint.
After Homelander (Antony Starr) kidnapped their son Ryan, Becca (Shantel VanSanten) seeks help from Billy (Karl Urban) and the Boys to bring him back. Considering that facing off the Leader of the Seven and Stormfront (Aya Cash) can go awry real fast, the Boys require some outside help, even if that help can’t be fully trusted.
The episode starts off by setting up the dominoes in place. The first thirty minutes boast a great sense of urgency the series needs to keep viewers engaged. Despite a few sweet and wholesome moments, the section is not much of a calm before the storm, but a slow-boiling pot with tense confrontations. One of which is the negotiation between Billy and Mr. Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito). Other than moving the story forward, this scene brings light to how giant conglomerates will go as far as to give the literal Nazi Stormfront power and treat it as a business decision. It’s these well-written sequences that show how What I Know blends action, drama and sharp social commentary in equal proportions.
Once everything is good to go, what follows is the series’ most climactic showdown yet, filled with brutal catfights and graphic bloodshed. There’s real stakes here, and no one is safe. The action sequences might seem to serve as fan service as the series is always sporadic in delivering the action. There are also moments that do ignore the dire consequences of superpowers being inflicted onto people in which the series has first established. Only the most attentive and nitpicky viewers will notice these inconsistencies, but people who would shrug them off and overlook these things will be leaning towards the edge of their seat in excitement.
However, this season’s climax isn’t just about the gruesome action. Most of the character depth Eric Kripke and his team have inserted this season help enhance the drama in compelling levels. Whether it’s Billy Butcher overcoming his hate for Supes to save Ryan or Homelander trying to become the good father that he never had, these heartfelt moments drastically humanise these seemingly savage people, and both Starr and Urban give absolutely brilliant performances in the season’s final hour.
The second season’s major downside, though, is still The Deep (Chace Crawford) and his association with The Church of the Collective. It seems interesting that the Church People already know he is the series’ joke character, but with so much screentime spent on him only for the storyline to lead him exactly where he was before, it’s more frustrating than ironically funny. He’s particularly useless throughout the season, and one can hope his character should be better utilised in someplace else if the series continues.
Overall, The Boys’ second season isn’t perfect as a whole, but it’s ultimately worthwhile with its many pay-offs spread out across. It does lose grasp over the politics and the larger fictional world in favor of focusing individual characters, but it remains entertaining and thought provoking. At the end, the finale provides rewarding closures but leaves an intriguing set-up for a timely third season, including a shocking revelation that will leave viewers excited to see more.
