Next in the Queue: The Boys
Who watches The Watchmen? Who F*ing cares because The Boys are here!!!
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| screenrant.com |
Amazon, as a streaming service, is still trying to find its stride having a number of smaller hit series along the lines of Man in the High Castle, Fleabag, Bosch,Transparent, and recently Good Omens. In recent years they've found just a couple larger hit shows in John Krasinki's Jack Ryan, Marvelous Mrs.Maisel (one of the best shows on TV), not to the level of success of Netflix but now they add a big gun to their arsenal with The Boys!! Based off of the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic book series by the same name, comes a property that complete turns the genre on its head. Created for Amazon by Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogan (yea, he's been doing great producing work recently), they accurately bring to life this hard-R tale about a group of outlaws out to take down every superhero they can get their hands on.
I mention the Watchmen in my opening, not because I'm dying to see what HBO does with their sequel series this fall, but because The Boys is this generations watchmen. The superhero genre will not be the same after this show catches fire, and hopefully it catches all the fire because it's so much more than just a superhero show. In fact, I hesitate to even call this a superhero show. To go deeper into what this show is about without spoilers, think "what would happen if the Justice League was run by big corporations?," a fascinating idea that has yet to be explored in the zeitgeist.
We follow our main character Hughie, played by Jack Quaid, as a regular dude who's girlfriend is suddenly killed when a "super" runs straight through her. Looking for revenge, he is recruited by Billy Butcher, played by Karl Urban who is hands down the best aspect of this show and carries it even in its slowest moments. Urban has so much fun playing this character, you can't help but love this huge ass of a man. As their group gathers, they're on a mission to not only kill every superpowered hero they can, but they have their sights set on "The Seven," aka this worlds' Justice League. The Seven are run by Vought Industries and Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) who controls their day-to-day.
The Boys is all about dissecting the genre through ingenious modern day social and political issues - harassment, assault, rape, gender equality and private corporation greed. In this we experience storylines of dealing with workplace assault and how it is swept under the rug. Dealing with the guilt and grief of one's actions carries the dramatic narrative impressively by the cast, especially new hero Starlight, played excellently by Erin Moriarty who is bound to breakout after this.
In addition, the writers find clever ways to use business trends such as mass marketing and data analysis to control the day-to-day workings of their heroes; a story point that this comicbook nerd has never come across. Truly original writing combined with a batshit of a good time.
Although my only negative is there are points where this show slows down hard. But fair warning, it will not be for everyone do to (how do I list these nicely?); hyperviolence, a lot of gore, a ton of sex (not your everyday sex either), and of course graphic language. These factors may keep it from reaching the mass audience it deserves but please give it a try before you judge those factors because there is a ton of heart in these 8 episodes!
2019 will go down as possibly the most game-changing year for the comicbook and superhero genre's from Avengers: Endgame, Doom Patrol, and possibly the additions of Joker and Watchmen, but most certainly The Boys. This first season was truly an 8-hour movie that I wished I could've binged in a single day. It felt like just part one of a story for all the best reasons. I really want season 2 right now! And while I have yet to read the comic, it's at the top of my to-read list.
Put The Boys at the top of your queue right now! And binge it as soon as you can!
- Ryan, TGYK
I mention the Watchmen in my opening, not because I'm dying to see what HBO does with their sequel series this fall, but because The Boys is this generations watchmen. The superhero genre will not be the same after this show catches fire, and hopefully it catches all the fire because it's so much more than just a superhero show. In fact, I hesitate to even call this a superhero show. To go deeper into what this show is about without spoilers, think "what would happen if the Justice League was run by big corporations?," a fascinating idea that has yet to be explored in the zeitgeist.
We follow our main character Hughie, played by Jack Quaid, as a regular dude who's girlfriend is suddenly killed when a "super" runs straight through her. Looking for revenge, he is recruited by Billy Butcher, played by Karl Urban who is hands down the best aspect of this show and carries it even in its slowest moments. Urban has so much fun playing this character, you can't help but love this huge ass of a man. As their group gathers, they're on a mission to not only kill every superpowered hero they can, but they have their sights set on "The Seven," aka this worlds' Justice League. The Seven are run by Vought Industries and Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue) who controls their day-to-day.
The Boys is all about dissecting the genre through ingenious modern day social and political issues - harassment, assault, rape, gender equality and private corporation greed. In this we experience storylines of dealing with workplace assault and how it is swept under the rug. Dealing with the guilt and grief of one's actions carries the dramatic narrative impressively by the cast, especially new hero Starlight, played excellently by Erin Moriarty who is bound to breakout after this.
In addition, the writers find clever ways to use business trends such as mass marketing and data analysis to control the day-to-day workings of their heroes; a story point that this comicbook nerd has never come across. Truly original writing combined with a batshit of a good time.
 |
| giphy.com |
2019 will go down as possibly the most game-changing year for the comicbook and superhero genre's from Avengers: Endgame, Doom Patrol, and possibly the additions of Joker and Watchmen, but most certainly The Boys. This first season was truly an 8-hour movie that I wished I could've binged in a single day. It felt like just part one of a story for all the best reasons. I really want season 2 right now! And while I have yet to read the comic, it's at the top of my to-read list.
Put The Boys at the top of your queue right now! And binge it as soon as you can!
 |
| giphy.com |
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