A Starlight team up with The Boys, what could go wrong? That was my first thought when Butcher asked Annie to join them. We all know how much he loathes supes. He can’t see past the issues he’s had with them to see there are nice ones too. It’s all about how they use that power. Not all of them are Homelander and Stormfront.
And, in “The Bloody Doors Off,” we see that supes are victims too. Vought is trying to perfect its Compound V formula to inject into adults, but it’s having some serious side effects, not just physically, but mentally too. These poor people are locked up as Vought experiments on them, and Stormfront (Aya Cash) is in on it.
If The Boys and Starlight (Erin Moriarty) didn’t have enough to deal with on this mission (more on that later), Stormfront makes an appearance. Luckily, they get out unscathed from her at least, but it gave them more questions about what the hell is going on at Vought.
We got the answers, though, and it’s scary. There’s been a lot of subtle commentary about society through season two, but this one wasn’t subtle. It was right in your face.
Stormfront says Vought’s true destiny is to fight the culture war with an army of superman, “millions strong.” It’s hard not to cringe when she says, “the other races are grinding us down and taking what is rightfully ours.”
I’m not sure what side of the spectrum The Boys’ fans lean. And if the fandom even wants this commentary on society. I love how intelligently done this show has been with the underlying critique.
Other shows have done similar storylines but with it being from the viewpoint of the people getting attacked. Like in Teen Wolf, people were scared of the supernatural teens and wanted them dead.
Supergirl also did a similar storyline with their aliens. Some fans were not too happy when it got political, though. Sometimes fans want their entertainment to stay fun and a refuge from everyday life. I like both.
This one is a little different as it’s from the suppressor’s point-of-view. And, it has Hitler right in the mix, probably a nod to what Donald Trump is doing. It’s a little too accurate a depiction of the current situation in the US. I don’t think we need a reminder of how scary the world is at the moment. But maybe some viewers need to understand the severity of this election.
Stormfront and Vought’s plan shouldn’t come as too much of a revelation. We got the Vought history that was tied right in with Nazism. And Stormfront’s backstory ties right in also. She was born in 1919 in Berlin, married Frederick Vaught, had the first successful V injection, and hung out with Heinrich Himmler and Goebbels.
It’s like the Nazi regime had Stormfront as a sleeper agent all this time, and now that they found their leader, Homelander (Antony Starr), it’s time to put the plan in motion.
Regardless of if you like the political stance the show is taking, it feels scary as hell to think of an army of a million supes doing whatever they want.
While Vought’s test subjects aren’t perfect, they are scary. There’s one that can blow people up, and that supe is out on the loose.
The political reveal wasn’t the only thing going on in this episode, though it might be one of the things that stay with viewers after. We got the full backstory of Mallory and how her children were killed. It’s a testament to how your loved ones can get caught in the crossfire.
Family and loved ones are not the only ones at risk. Being out there on the battlefield with supes is quite risky. While Frenchie (Tomer Capon), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), and MM (Laz Alonso) were able to scrape by unharmed in the hospital, Hughie on the outside was not.
I was excited to see Butcher (Karl Urban) and Starlight teaming up, but this is not what I had in mind. While they both did everything possible to save Hughie (Jack Quaid), it was nerve-wracking, seeing him hurt so badly. He’s my favorite, so they can’t kill him off. They may have gotten him to the hospital, but he’s a wanted man. How long can he stay there, undetected?
The Boys have certainly upped its fear factor with only two episodes left in the season. We might need to be watching something lighthearted when we finish the final episodes.
What do you think of how political The Boys have gotten in season two? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
