A ragtag gang of vigilantes takes on a powerful group of corrupt and venal superheroes in The Boys, Amazon's adaptation of the comic books series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

Ennis is also the creative mind behind Preacher, and he once said he intended The Boys to "out-Preacher, Preacher" in terms of the extreme violence and sexual content. It just so happens that the TV adaptation of Preacher started airing its fourth and final season on AMC. The two definitely share the Ennis sensibility, but much as I love Preacher, this adaptation of The Boys is even better. It's ideal late-summer therapy for anyone who has grown a bit weary of the constant onslaught of superhero movies.

(Mild spoilers below.)

The Boys is set in a fictional version of 2006-2008, where superheroes are real but corrupted by corporate interests and a toxic celebrity-obsessed culture. Billy Butcher (played by Karl Urban) heads up a secret CIA unit assigned with monitoring (and checking) the bad behavior of the "supes"—especially The Seven, the most elite superhero squad, and hence the most corrupt. Butcher hates The Seven, especially its leader, Homelander, who raped his wife, and he recruits an equally traumatized young man named Hugh "Hughie" Campbell to help in his revenge. At the same time, an idealistic young woman with powers, Starlight (real name: Annie January), has just joined the ranks of The Seven, but the harsh reality of her coveted position doesn't quite match up to her dreams.

The TV adaptation preserves much of that premise with a few tweaks, like making The Boys outright vigilantes and gender-swapping Vought International VP James Stillwell (in the comics) to Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue in the series). The show also dials back the over-the-top comic book violence a bit—a smart move, I think, since often what works on the page proves far too graphic fully realized on the screen. But that's not the same thing as watering down the original vision. The Boys TV series is every bit as wickedly funny, darkly irreverent, and unflinching in its depiction of just how violent and depraved The Seven are prepared to be.

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime



YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

YouTube/Amazon Prime

It's a complicated plot, with lots of moving parts and twists, but it mostly makes sense. The writers also nailed the pacing, weaving together all those disparate narrative threads into a seamless action-packed whole that never lags, yet never seems rushed. But much of the success of this series is due to the careful development of its central characters—no easy feat, given the sheer size of this ensemble cast—and powerfully nuanced performances across the board. Each character has a fascinating backstory, with secret vulnerabilities and believable motivations. Nobody is entirely good or evil—with the possible exception of Starlight (Erin Moriarty), the closest thing to a genuine superhero in the series, and Homelander (Antony Starr), a genuine psychopath.

Starr is positively chilling in this role, switching between his charming public persona and his violent private one with ease, but his camera-ready smile never reaches his cold, hard eyes. Karl Urban brings just the right mix of menacing violence and cheeky charm to his portrayal of Butcher. It's a joy watching him debate a flustered born-again Christian at Believe Expo or whooping with delight when a baby supe gets The Boys out of tight spot by zapping their attackers with its laser eyes. But he's also so obsessively focused on taking his revenge against Homelander that he lets his anger and violent nature run amok and put his own team in needless danger. In that respect, the two are more alike than Butcher might care to admit.

If Butcher is the mirror image of Homelander, then Hughie (Jack Quaid) mirrors Starlight (Erin Moriarty) as the two naively innocent newcomers. He is driven by the desire for vengeance on A-Train (Jessie T. Usher), a member of The Seven. A-Train used his super-speed to literally run through Hughie's girlfriend, Robin, one fateful day, killing her instantly. Starlight earnestly wants to save the world and use her powers for good; it's a brutal shock when her first encounter with The Deep (Chace Crawford) involves him forcing her to perform a sexual act.

As for The Deep, he's pretty much the comic relief of The Seven, mostly relegated to the sidelines unless water is involved. Sure, he can talk to fish and breathe underwater. All that gets him is propositioned by a horny dolphin he rescues from an aquarium—with typically disastrous results—and a kinky sexual encounter with a woman obsessed with his gills. One might call it karmic payback.

Amazon has already given the green light for a second season of The Boys, which is very good news, considering season one ends on a major cliffhanger. If these first eight episodes are any indication, season two should be bloody, brilliant, and downright bonkers.

The Boys is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

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