The Boys - Seasons 1-3

“The Boys attempts to provide positive examples of women, people of color, and queer people, but the nuance just isn’t there.”

Title: The Boys
Episodes Reviewed: Seasons 1-3
Creator: Eric Kripke 👨🏼🇺🇸
Writers: Craig Rosenberg 👨🏼🇦🇺 (5 episodes), Rebecca Sonneshine 👩🏼🇺🇸 (4 episodes), Eric Kripke 👨🏼🇺🇸 (3 episodes), Ellie Monahan 👩🏼🇺🇸 (3 episodes), Anselm Richardson 👨🏾🇺🇸 (2 episodes), David Reed 👨🏼🇺🇸 (2 episodes), and various

Reviewed by Sam 🧑🏻🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈

—SPOILERS AHEAD—

Technical: 4/5

Based on the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys puts a twist on traditional superhero stories. The Prime Video series establishes a world where people with superpowers—known as “Supes,” the most iconic of whom are called “the Seven”—work for a corporation called Vought. But viewers quickly learn that Vought and their Supes are corrupt. Meanwhile, “the Boys,” a vigilante team fueled by the desire for justice and revenge, fight back against the Supes’ abuses of power to expose Vought and the dangers their “heroes” pose to the world.

The Boys doesn’t shy away from heavy themes. It denounces hero worship and corporate exploitation, showing the moral decay that can occur when companies turn a public service into an avenue for profit. This cynical reality fuels the Boys’ fight, particularly for Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid), a man who’s thrust into the superhero world after a member of the Seven kills his girlfriend. The series explores Hughie’s journey as he confronts the darkness in the world and within himself, making him a compelling character who drives the show’s biting social commentary.

On top of great character development and plotting, you can expect exciting world-building. Episodes take place in a funhouse mirror version of our reality, full of Vought publicity campaigns that preserve their clean public image while hiding all the dirty work they do. It’s a thrilling watch that draws viewers into its fleshed out world of Supes and vigilantes.

Gender: 3.5/5
Does it pass the Bechdel Test? YES

Although the title might make you think otherwise, The Boys consistently passes the Bechdel Test. There are several strong female characters, all of whom have their own storylines. The most prominent one is Starlight (Erin Moriarity), a hero with light-based abilities.

While she initially joins the Seven with wide-eyed idealism, her journey turns dark. Disillusioned by the team’s true motives and facing sexual harassment from a member of the Seven who has aquatic abilities, the Deep (Chance Crawford), Starlight grapples with the harsh realities of the superhero world. She tries to fight for her ideals but can’t win against Vought head-on, such as when the company pressures her to wear a revealing uniform meant to “increase her appeal” to the public. Despite these challenges, Starlight emerges as a symbol of resilience when she begins to help the Boys take down Vought from the inside. Her pivotal role showcases a complex female hero who refuses to be silenced.

In addition, The Boys highlights both the commodification and the power of female solidarity. Even as Starlight endures sexism within the Seven, Vought outwardly heralds a “Girls Get It Done” campaign. One of the campaign faces is Stormfront (Aya Cash), a neo-Nazi who tries to spread her bigoted views across social media. Starlight and another member of the Seven, Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), discover Stormfront’s ulterior motives. They unite against Stormfront and defeat her, underscoring that there remains true strength in coming together.

Unfortunately, the show’s focus on feminism in the sole context of white women limits its commentary. (Female characters of color are few and far in between.) And women like Vought employee Becca (Shantel VanSanten) serve only as catalysts for male narratives. Her death is crucial to the motivations of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), the leader of the Boys, and Homelander (Antony Starr), the leader of the Seven. But the show never explores Becca’s story beyond her martyrdom.

Race: 3.5/5

The Boys has a relatively large cast that’s mostly white. The only woman of color is Kimiko Miyashiro (Karen Fukuhara), a nonverbal Japanese girl with super strength. She’s introduced using the “quiet girl” stereotype for Asian women and struggles to communicate with others. Showrunner Eric Kripke later addresses this misstep by incorporating a modified sign language system, which marks a turning point for Kimiko’s character. She begins to express her own desires beyond simply following orders and deepens relationships with others, especially with the Boys’ member Frenchie (Tomer Capone) who learns to sign with her. Still, with such a large cast, Kimiko often fades into the background.

In contrast, the show does an excellent job of portraying Black men. Marvin Milk (Laz Alonso), referred to as M.M., is a main character who organizes the Boys’ operations. He counters stereotypes of deadbeat dads, instead wholly driven by protecting his daughter and ex-wife. M.M. also demonstrates modern masculinity. He’s emotionally vulnerable and easily expresses his care for others. In Season 3, M.M. learns that Soldier Boy (Jenson Ackles), an old, powerful Supe, was responsible for his family’s murder decades ago. M.M.’s pursuit of justice fuels his character throughout the season, culminating in a satisfying moment of revenge as he and his teammates take down Soldier Boy. While this offers a powerful catharsis for M.M., it’s worth noting that Soldier Boy’s portrayal as a clear-cut, overtly racist villain is a bit simplistic. By labeling individuals as bad apples, the writing avoids tackling the much more sinister and complicated effects of systemic racism.

Similarly, Stormfront’s bigotry is dismissed as being part of her right-wing beliefs. She calls Kimiko’s brother Kenji (Do-hoon Kim) a “yellow bastard” before brutally killing him. But the impact of that hate-filled language on Kimiko, who witnesses the murder, is never explored. Yes, Kimiko eventually gets her revenge on Stormfront, but viewers never learn more about how Kimiko feels or contends with such targeted hatred. The Boys tries to start conversations about race, but in each case, it lacks the depth or sensitivity required to sustain them in meaningful ways.

LGBTQ: 3/5

The show's main LGBTQ representation is Queen Maeve, a bisexual member of the Seven with superhuman strength. She secretly carries on a tumultuous romance with Elena (Nicola Correia-Damude), a non-powered woman, and their relationship highlights the complexities of love that transcend superpowers.

Initially, the show uses outing as a cliched trope for Maeve's storyline. But by the end of her story arc, writers neatly avoid the original comics' unfortunate decision to kill her off. Maeve reunites with Elena and they decide to live together away from the public eye. The creative license taken to avoid the “Bury Your Gays” trope is much appreciated, especially considering that not too many characters in the show get a happy ending.

That said, The Boys falters in how it depicts male homosexuality. We see this with Ezekiel (Shaun Benson), a Christian Supe, who frequents an underground Supe nightclub for same-sex encounters. While this scene could be interpreted as commentary on the lack of LGBTQ acceptance within religious communities, the execution falls short. Limiting Ezekiel’s sexuality to a hidden space reinforces stereotypes about gay men seeking out secretive or illicit activities. This approach ultimately relies on negative depictions rather than a more empathetic portrayal.

Deduction for Disability: -0.25

Kimiko, who is nonverbal and uses sign language to communicate, is played by nondisabled actor Fukuhara. Ideally, Kimiko would have been cast with someone Deaf or Hard of Hearing. But at the very least, the series worked closely with ASL experts to develop Kimiko’s sign language, and her character becomes well-rounded with a backstory beyond her disability. Neither does Kimiko fall into the trope of being a disabled person who’s “fixed” by her superpower; her super strength doesn’t magically give her the ability to converse with people who don’t know sign language.

But as great as Kimiko’s portrayal is, the show makes some ableist narrative decisions. When Blindspot (Chris Mark), a blind hero, auditions to join the Seven, Homelander kills him because he doesn’t believe a “cripple” should join the team of superheroes. It demeans the lives of visually impaired people when a blind character gets violently murdered just to prove the point that Homelander is a bigot.

Mediaversity Grade: C+ 3.44/5

For a show that critiques capitalism with ease and confidence, The Boys falters on other social commentary. It attempts to provide positive examples of women, people of color, and queer people, but the nuance just isn’t there.

Season 4, which starts next month, presents an opportunity to improve. By introducing more characters of color in key roles, and delving deeper into systemic injustices rather than relying on overtly villainous individuals, The Boys can deliver stronger commentary on real-world issues.

Like The Boys? Try these other titles that critique capitalism.

Grade: CLiMay 27, 2024