The Boys 3 review: Karl Urban, Antony Starr series parodies superhero notion to stirring effect

If like me, you have been suffering from Marvel and Superhero fatigue in general then Amazon Prime’s The Boys has at least for the last few years proved to be the perfect foil. The unfiltered, gory series is an antidote to the superhero world’s niceties and it more often than not says things out loud, unlike the likes of DC or Marvel. Violence and irreverence aren’t the only qualities that make this series a whole lot of miserable fun, but also the fact that it is semi-serious about addressing the prevailing questions of our age. Guns, white supremacists and narcissists abound in The Boys and in this third most violent and exuberant season, parodies the notion of superheroes to stirring effect. An effect that courtesy the weight of historic wrongs, feels even greater in this blissfully noisy third season. The boys, as Butcher ( Karl Urban ) often refers to them in his Aussie accent, are back but on divergent paths. Butcher is still nursing the fallouts from the last season, Hughie has warmed up to the bureaucracy at Vought, whereas Milk and Frenchie are on their own, somewhat withdrawn from the mission to kill all ‘supes’. Homelander, played by the chillingly brilliant Antony Starr is at a bit of crossroads in this season. While he commands godly power, his will is shown as restricted by the brand value his identity commands. While Vought itself is trying to reign the rabid superhero in, Homelander begins to evoke a sense of existential desperation, even the lonesome foreboding that manifests as rage. Is he alone because he is so powerful or does he want to become powerful because he is alone? In one scene, a choreographed charity fundraiser goes off-script as the demonic caped hero/villain has a verbal meltdown. “I’m done”, he says, in what feels like a sincerely cathartic moment. But even if it were, Homelander’s desperation for love and popularity forces him to re-interpret it differently, after a stratospheric rise in ‘likes’ and ‘engagement’ (read popularity).

Hughie, the moral centre of the series surrenders to kicking the bucket as Butcher, finally, and wholesomely takes over the mission. In history and the origins of the first-ever supe – Soldier Boy – the team finds hints of what could possibly kill Homelander, at least as a being. But there is a price for everything in this brutal world and at every step, lives are put on the line, limbs under the knife and eye-balls in front of the needle. Bodies explode with the hurried quality of a Road Runner sequence and it is this irreverence that The Boys has mastered for humorous effect. From attempting audacious fantasies to revealing the absurdities of heroes living with god complexes, the show makes the point that if superheroes actually existed, the idea of normalcy would be a lot more different than it already is. But the main reason that The Boys’ relevance has grown with time is its ability to merge its absurdities with the social media culture of the day. Superheroes, the series says, are no different than the people getting a kick out of likes, shares and public approval. It’s a strange mix of power and insecurity to have that kind of ‘influence’ and be as mortally terrified of its withdrawal. Nothing is enough after you’ve climbed to a point from where descent seems impossible, maybe akin to suicide. It’s the thread best expressed through the side arcs of The Deep and A-Train, two supes who feel suppressed by the very powers they command. While The Deep’s idea of self-worth is consistently battered by his need for affection, the A-Train’s unanchored portrayal of a man of culture, without a culture to hold onto is equally painful and hilarious to watch. In this season, A-Train proposes a campaign around ‘slavery’ in a moment that also elucidates the corniness of culture-building. Everything, even historic disasters can be campaigns. In its third season The Boys inches ever so closer to the gates of Marvel and DC, with a parodied portrayal of a Captain America type. It’s wearing its flags for real now. But the series can also feel too compulsively bitter and emotionless for its own good at times. Butcher’s love for his son is the only genuine thing going for the series and everything else can often feel wry to the point that it simply doesn’t yield to anything beyond awkward chemistry – including Hughie and Starlight. There is no doubt Anthony Starr has become the star of this show in what is surely the most repulsively, bone-chilling character ever written for long-form Tv. In this season, Homelander must also experience pain and through it, bluster his idea of a world where he alone is the centre. The caveat is that the world needs to exist, for it to even have a centre. It’s a moral quandary that possibly plays out in his mind every now and then, and it makes for awkward, edge of the seat viewing, every time he looks like he’ll end the world but doesn’t. Talk about being between rock and a hard place, with all that power! The Boys season 3 is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

Manik Sharma writes on art and culture, cinema, books, and everything in between. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .