Diksha Sundriyal
If you thought the first season of ‘The Boys’ was explosive, you are in for a treat with the second season. The show takes its action and gore to new heights with its second run, which pushes the boundaries of its storytelling and keeps us invested in its ever-complicated world. The first episode updates us with the status of all the characters that we had last seen in the Season 1 finale, and it turns out that there are a lot more twists and turns in store this time around. SPOILERS AHEAD
The Boys Season 2 Episode 1 Recap
After the events of Season 1 finale, we find Hugh, MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko hiding in the basement of a store that sells superhero merchandise. They are sheltered by Frenchie’s friends and are waiting to make enough money through smuggling to get passports and leave the country. Hugh, however, does not plan to run. He wants to finish what he started, and for that, he uses the help of Starlight, who is still a part of The Seven. A-Train still hasn’t woken up and has not blown her cover. But it’s just a matter of time, which is why they have to hurry and get a sample of Compound V, which they can use to expose Vought and The Seven to the world.
With no sign of Butcher, who is being blamed for the murder of Madelyn Stillwell, Hugh tries to convince MM to stay in the fight. The others don’t know that he has been in contact with Starlight, and MM doesn’t want to get any deeper into the mess than they already are. They are acknowledged as the accomplices of Butcher and are currently number one on the Most Wanted List. MM just wants to go back to his family, but he is forced to reconsider his choice when a new threat shows up. It turns out that Frenchie’s friends are not only smuggling weapons and drugs, they are also smuggling people. This time, however, they are paid more to do it because within their shipment is a Super Villain.
Back at Vought, Homelander pushes for The Seven’s entry into the defense. He replaces Stillwell with Ashley, who had previously worked as Starlight’s manager. When she tries to hire a replacement for Translucent, whose death becomes another tool for publicity, Homelander lets her know that he is in charge. He will be the one who chooses the new members of The Seven. Speaking of which, The Deep falls deeper into his rock bottom in Ohio where he remains neglected and sidelined by Vought and The Seven. His alcoholism gets him in trouble and after creating a ruckus at children’s parties and amusement parks, he lands himself in jail. He is bailed out by Eagle the Archer, who opens him up to a new possibility.
The Ending
Eagle introduces The Deep to Carol, who offers to be her teacher (because therapy can be destructive), promising to get him back into The Seven. Meanwhile, fed with the intel by Hugh, Annie tracks down Gecko, a Supe that has the power to regenerate cut-off limbs. He uses this power to make money on the side by giving people a chance to satisfy their sadistic needs by cutting off his limbs. She records one such meeting and then blackmails him into stealing Compound V from the lab at Vought.
While the episode doesn’t touch upon the events that took place after Homelander revealed to Butcher that Becca and her child are still alive, it does tell us that Homelander still wants to be in contact with his son. He visits Becca after a heated conversation with Mr. Edgar. Homelander believes that since he is the most valuable asset of Vought, he should be the one who gets to make important decisions about the company. For instance, he wants to be the one to pick the next member of The Seven. But his supposed authority is undermined when Mr. Edgar brings in Stormfront without consulting him.
He visits his employer and tries to intimidate him, but it turns out that Mr. Edgar is no Madelyn Stillwell. He puts Homelander in his place by letting him know that he is not as powerful as he thinks he is. He also points towards the fact that Homelander was the one who supplied Compound V to terrorists to make super villains, and now Vought is under the threat of having its most valuable secret disclosed. He is the one to blame for the mess that Vought is trying to clear up and he doesn’t have any authority over who gets to be a part of The Seven.
With the discovery of a Super-Villain entering America, MM finally agrees to Hugh’s plan of seeking help from the CIA. They contact Deputy Director Rayner, who tells them that there is a bigger conspiracy behind this and that Vought is the one to blame. Before she can tell them more, her head explodes, and the Boys are forced to run away. MM deduces that Vought must have been keeping an eye on Rayner, and when she started talking about something that she shouldn’t have, she was killed. He also admits that this incident has only pulled them further into the mess that he so desperately wanted to get out of, and that they need some serious help on this one, which is where Butcher comes in.
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