The Boys recap: "Let's get this train back on track"

We have to start with Will Ferrell, right? Or do we immediately unpack the jaw-dropping sight Frenchie (Tomer Capone) and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) stumble onto? No, let that simmer for a bit while we circle back to episode two’s major cameo. It turns out A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) is getting a biopic starring…A-Train! It’s a rugged, overdramatic take on his life. He doesn’t love his brother’s portrayal in it, but who cares? Certainly not the director (played by P.J. Byrne), who assures him the sensitivity readers approve the changes. And anyway, his concern isn’t the movie’s lead. It’s co-star Ferrell, who cameos as A-Train’s sympathetic coach. He’s the sweet white man striving to get a Black hero’s life back on track. In the world of The Boys, this (I assume Vought-sponsored movie) is Ferrell’s Oscar-bait role. You simply have to laugh.

This little stunt also explains why Black Noir (Nathan Mitchell) is still around and talking. It’s not the real Noir because Homelander (Anthony Starr) gutted him for not revealing the truth about his parentage. Instead, this is an actor Vought hired to play him, presumably so no one finds out their problematic fave killed a colleague. The fake Noir is also in A-Train’s film, struggling to get into character because absolutely no one is being helpful. The advice he gets is to literally shut up. But how has he quickly come to terms with the fact that he killed someone in episode one? I hope we see the person behind Noir’s mask after he works so closely with the members of The Seven. Should be a fun POV.

Anyway, the treatment A-Train is getting from those around him puts his mood in the pits. His brother doesn’t even allow him to bond with his nephews without revealing his “saves” are phony. He’s lonely to such an extent that he thinks its a kindness when Annie (Erin Moriarty) and Hughie (Jack Quaid) don’t disrupt his family time to question him about setting her up as the killer of Homelander’s followers. So as a favor, he slips them footage that proves her two supporters in prison couldn’t have done it. Is this the start of his journey away from Vought and to The Boys? Can him and Hughie work together after how the pilot began? Either way, A-Train’s internal dilemma is fascinating, especially because it looks like “identity” crisis is the theme of the season for him, Homelander, and Kimiko.

Overall, “Life Among The Septics” is a definitely a step up after a relatively fine season-four premiere. Instead of spending the hour rushing through the plot, it slows down for necessary character moments with A-Train, Butcher (Karl Urban), and Mother’s Milk’s (Laz Alonso) heart-to-heart; Sister Sage (Susan Hayward) making her mark on The Seven; Kimiko’s flashbacks; and that depressing dog-and-pony show of introducing Ryan (Cameron Corvetti) as the next big supe. The Boys packs a lot into episode two. It’s overstuffed but at least it threads different storylines well. And the setting for most of them is a ridiculous right-winger event called Truth Con.

Truth Con is exactly the type of satirical observation this show revels in. A whole lot of idiots gather around for viral supe Firecracker (Valorie Curry) to go on and on about how Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey are psyops. She tells a room full of an enthralled crowd that Starlight works with the two Hollywood stars for a satanic delivery service, among other bullshit, and they eat it up. It’s a Comic Con for those with vacant minds. It’s also a scary portrait of the dangers of believing loudmouths and propaganda without asking any questions. The Boys paints the picture in its trademark humor to make it digestible. (Perhaps that’s why there’s a The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel-themed party at Truth Con, one that’s wrecked to bits when a major fight occurs.)

And then there’s the sauna-spa room (is that what it was? Correct me in the comments if I’m wrong, not that it needs to be said) that Frenchie and a drunk Kimiko land up in while following Firecracker’s lackey. And what they see they soon shan’t forget. The man, whose power is to duplicate himself, has six versions of him anally pleasuring each other while their Prime gazes on a photo of Firecracker. It’s not even the close to the most shocking thing The Boys has done, but it made me do a double take alright. I think it’s because this has the wacky energy episode one was lacking.

Meanwhile, Homelander is up to his usual nonsense. If you thought he had genuine affection for Ryan, think again. At first, he’s excited to launch his son as a supe, actively participating in the filming of his first save, a.k.a. a manufactured scenario of a man hurting a girl when Ryan steps in to help her. But that plan goes awry because Homelander is jealous of his son’s youth when he’s aging. (He’s got strands of white hair and everything.) So instead of helping him out, Homelander distracts him and Ryan accidentally kills the man. The shot of him landing on a building and slowly, bloodily dripping down like a smashed bug…yeah, again, trademark The Boys.

A big reason Homelander is on edge is because Sister Sage, who is officially in Vought’s The Avengers Seven, is slowly and expertly gaining momentum. She stands up to Homelander and also forces Deep to stand up for himself. Sage witnesses Ashley (Colby Minifie) bully the octopus-fucker—no wonder he’s on PETA’s bestiality list—and manipulates him into thinking he’s better than her. “You’re a genetically superior being,” Sage tells Deep while comparing Ashley to a capybara. Does she really believe that? Again, this is the smartest Earthling so I’m inclined to say no. I said in my episode one recap that I hope she has an agenda, so maybe she’s infiltrating Vought to bring them down? Perhaps she can come up with a plan to kill Homelander? Anything would be better than making us buy into her actually thinking Deep is superior. It must be said, though, that Hayward is excellent at keeping us guessing her character’s intentions.

As “Life Among The Septics” comes to a close, I must ask: Hughie’s mother is involved with Vought big time, right? There’s something suspicious going on there beyond her work with “Vought-ality” and her affinity for essential oils. You don’t cast Rosemarie DeWitt only to have her sit around in a hospital room and look remorseful, right? Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Stray observations

• Death by drowning in a chocolate fountain and then yelling “We loved you from your first holocaust hoax video” is really inventive even for this show.
• It’s Kimiko time. I’m glad the show is delving into her past more. Our girl is in speech therapy for psychological mutism and she keeps flashing back to a time she was tortured, forced to fight, and do other horrible things. To numb herself, she gulps eight beers at Truth Con and has a generally good time for a change. Much like with A-Train, I’m thrilled the show is unraveling her psyche. Fukuhara and Usher deserve these grounded arcs.
• We get insight into Frenchie’s past, too. It seems he murdered the family of the man he’s now getting romantically entangled with. Good luck, buddy.
• Before anyone gets mad at me for barely mentioning Hughie in my recap, I’ll remind you that he spends the whole hour coming up with retorts for his mother, who’s just reappeared after decades. And all he comes up with is “Your promise isn’t worth the piece of paper it’s printed on.” Sorry to Jack Quaid but so far, The Boys is failing him this season.
• Reminder: Episode three’s recap goes up on Monday, June 17.