After last weeks slightly slower paced episode, fans will be more than pleased that episode 6 is a doozy to say the least. This is very welcome as we quickly approach the highly anticipated conclusion of this years story, and it’s easy to see why some of the best action has clearly been saved for last. In typical Boys fashion however, we’re not just dropped with one narrative bomb, we’re hit with at least three that both pay off the past and set up the future.
The majority of the plot takes place inside a facility run by Stormfront, designed to perfect the human consumption of compound V and essentially create super soldiers. This is an exciting thread that’s been teased throughout the season, but the real treat is undoubtedly the introduction of Lamplighter. This is a character that has been referenced and mentioned since the very first episode of the series, but rarely have the writers shed much light (no pun intended) on his backstory until now. We were already aware that Frenchie had somehow been held responsible for Lamplighter murdering Mallory’s grandchildren, and in turn caused the dismantling of the boys, but now we finally discover the circumstances of that encounter. In a piece of casting that can’t have gone unnoticed to producers, it seems that we have yet another meta superhero joke here, with Shawn Ashmore (the man who started his career as the X-Men’s Iceman) playing the pyromaniac himself. Ashmore gives an excellent gravitas to the character, and adds a beautifully sympathetic edge to a man who sounds like a monster on paper. This is another fantastic example of the show delving deep into the grimy, nitty-gritty grey area of this world, and the very fine line between what we define as good and evil.
This wonderful payoff to such a long running story arc also creates a great opportunity to expand on Frenchie and his backstory. This season has been quietly adding more layers to Tomer Kapon’s charming frenchman, but it’s here that we finally get to see what makes him tick. We recently discovered that Frenchie appears to have quite a serious drug problem that had not previously been explored, and it’s fascinating to watch his mental struggle between his demons and his duty unfold. The rest of the gang meanwhile, spend the episode preoccupied with getting Hughie to some medical assistance. This particular element of the episode isn’t especially gripping, as we’re already well aware that it’s far too early to kill off arguably the central protagonist. Or, at the very least, our viewpoint into this terrifying and bizarre world. But, Hughie’s injury itself is almost inconsequential, as the ‘twist’ was clearly designed to move the plot to a stage where Starlight could save Butcher’s life. It’s effective, and it serves it’s purpose in making Billy reevaluate his trust issues with Hughie’s star-spangled lover. This should open up some interesting possibilities for her to permanently join the team in theory.
We’re treated to quite a few answers here, and none are more fulfilling and horrifying than the history of Stormfront. Her shocking reveal as a homicidal racist clearly had much more to it than met the eye, and unsurprisingly, there were much more horrors to come. The backbone of this years arc has been the relationship between Homelander and Stormfront, with predictions constantly swaying either way on whether the two could genuinely come to an understanding. Now however, her nazi origins give perfect context to both her bigotry and her love of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed Superman. The two of them are a frighteningly delicious sight to behold on screen, and it looks like they have taken their next step towards world domination together. The final piece of this puzzle will be Homelander’s public undoing, and we now have a good idea of how that will take shape. The first season’s plane crash sequence was easily its stand out scene, and it left a lasting impact with its brutal conclusion. It’s fantastic to see that this scene did indeed have deeper implications within the show, and it seems like only a matter of time before that footage is shown to the world. We can’t wait.
It’s a little disappointing that other characters have been pushed to the sidelines in recent episodes, with Mothers Milk in particular lacking any sort of significant development in a while. With any luck, the brilliant Laz Alonso will truly get his moment to shine before the finale. A-Train and The Deep are now on the same path within the scientology-esque ‘religion’ that has them both convinced they will make their return to the Seven. Will these promises ultimately prove to be false? It’s hard to say, but there’s definitely a reason these two have been reunited and it’ll be intriguing to discover what that is. We’re left with quite a few tantalising cliff-hangers, and once again both sides of this battle have gained more firepower (okay, that pun was intentional) with Lamplighter’s potential recruitment, and the escape of a new mind-blowing villainess (literally). The waters have become murkier, the skies a little greyer, and the war of the supes is beginning to unfold.
