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Rating: Inspired by the cult comic of the same name by Garth Ennis (which, just to be clear for those arriving: I haven't read it but already know it's more beautiful, more violent, more irreverent, and more everything you want...) and created by Eric Kripke (the genius who also created and followed Supernatural), The Boys is undoubtedly the most popular series among the original Amazon Prime shows, and in the last couple of years, it has become a mass and social phenomenon.
It is not the first series to be irreverent towards the superhero world; I also recall the case of Misfits about a decade ago. But, in that case, the British series featured some misfits and outcasts who gained powers after a storm. In the case of The Boys, the dark side of superheroes is amplified by psychopathic and violent protagonists, manipulated and controlled from above.
But by using the pretext of the superhero world, so central to American pop culture, The Boys is a desecration of the American myth in general, a myth scientifically constructed to be sold to adoring masses through marketing and propaganda.
The Boys is indeed an intelligent and strong critique from within of Americanism, and there are several meta-cinematic or meta-serial references (for example, in the character of Giancarlo Esposito, extremely similar to the legendary Gus Fring from Breaking Bad, who wishes to retire in Belize...).
The true focus of the series, in the end, is undoubtedly the discourse on the media and the propaganda machine. A topic dear also to, for example, Clint Eastwood.
The first season is much more beautiful compared to the second, thanks also to the Oedipal conflict of the main villain/symbol character Homelander with a very tough Elisabeth Shue in top form and super hot.
The second season, although still having several top moments and offering good entertainment, overall gets lost and bogged down in more predictable political discourses tied to current events. It thus becomes less overwhelming compared to the first season, which is a real gem.
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By joe strummer
The Boys strikes deeply and decisively dismantles the superhero imagery of these years, derailing the train and disorienting us.
Homelander’s laser eyes cannot change the growing antipathy towards him: he wants to cut everyone down with a neat slice, he craves it, but he cannot. Because his joy, despite what he says, lies in being adored.
