The Boys - Season 1

I’m the world’s greatest superhero. I can do whatever the fuck I want. – Homelander

Seven superheroes. Four boys. A lot of dismembered limbs, broken bones, pressed eyeballs and bloody sex. And then I haven't even mentioned the edgy humour, drugs, a Jesuslike appearance and have I already mentioned a lot of dismembered limbs? I may sound like an absolute pervert right now, but all of the aforementioned made me very happy.

Superheroes have become rather common in the world of series, but slowly but steadily we have reached a certain point of saturation. It takes quite some effort to make a lasting impression in the superhero genre. It has to be game-changing. Arrow once did that with its first season, Daredevil added a little extra with its first season and now we have The Boys, which has been made by Amazon. And oh boy, it absolutely smashes our perspective of the superhero genre.

In short, The Boys is about a group of people who have lost something in their lives due to the actions of 'The Seven' and have decided to fight back. The Seven are the seven most famous, worshipped and wealthiest superheroes in the world. Because being a superhero isn't about having powers, it's about the media presence. What is the best pose (when am I the most sexy)? What charity do we support (and also make a profit off)? With which minority should we take pictures of ourselves? In which sections of the population are we the least popular? And I can go on like that. Behind this massive facade is the company Vought, which is led by Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue, CSI).



I can't write about every single actor in this show, but I'll highlight the most important (aka the best) ones. First off, we have Homelander (Antony Starr, Banshee), the Superman of this world. Nobody is stronger than him. There's Starlight (Erin Moriarty, Jessica Jones), the new member of 'The Seven' and one of the few with compassion. Hugh Campbell (Jack Quaid, Vinyl), the innocent boy who finds himself entangled in this story and finally Billy Butcher (Karl Urban, Almost Human), the leader of the group 'The Boys' that fights against the superheroes.

Both Urban and Starr treat us to an amazing performance. Starr manages to portray a chilling and ruthless Homelander, who manages to accurately show us the terrifying reality 'in front of' and 'behind' the camera. In my opinion, this is one of the best superhero portrayals in the history of television. Urban's Butcher is a rough, no-nonsense loner who has just been through so much. There are moments when you hate the man, but in the end you can't help but root for him.

The worst actress, which has everything to do with the way her role is written, is Elisabeth Shue. Her Madelyn Stillwell is at times very intelligent and is able to think five steps ahead, but at other times she isn't even able to make ridiculously simple decisions. I just think that the writers didn't know what to do with her.

If we just look at the cinematography, then this show is amazing as well. The violence and gore isn't avoided, but also the rarely seen superhero powers (because these aren't part of the show as much as you would think) are very convincing. A giant bag of money has been invested in this show and that shows!

We’re on the verge of nailin’ these wankers – Butcher

I think I can write five more paragraphs about all the things I like about this show, but I strongly recommend that you just go and watch it. Even if you dislike superheroes, chances are that you'll love this show. Next to all the action and violence there are serious cultural themes throughout this show, which are presented to the viewer and allow for you to reflect upon yourself and society. And lastly, if someone manages to combine superheroes and credibility into one show, then it is a great success as far as I'm concerned.

A 9.5!