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TV REVIEW
'The Boys' - Season 3' (Ep. 1-3) Are Back And It’s Even More Gory Than Ever
By Dan Dubon | June 8, 2022
The Boys Season 3 picks up a year after last season's finale. The Seven are attending the premiere of their latest movie, The Dawn of the Seven, a satirical nod to the very real movie Justice League (complete with its own hashtag, #ReleaseTheBourkeCut, poking fun at the #ReleaseTheSnyderCut campaign). Vought’s heroes are suited and booted as they walk the red carpet and attempt to rewrite Stormfront and Homelander’s romance as a case of "a man falling in love with the wrong woman".
Amazon's releasing the first three episodes all at once, and they are a great way to be catapulted right back into the world of The Boys, and the show's shock value has not worn thin. Despite a long break, or perhaps because of it, there's a whole lot to gasp at during these episodes.
However, there's still an understanding from Kripke that we're not just here for blood, guts, and gore. There's some nice character work, too, with Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara’s Frenchie and Kimiko being particular highlights and their relationship giving the show some real heart. Urban's Butcher is still bloodthirsty, yet he's still reeling from the death of his wife and has been slightly subdued following the events of season 2. Speaking of continued great performances, Starr is excellent as Homelander, relishing the unhinged direction the show is taking the character. Chace Crawford, who plays The Deep, has some hilarious moments, bringing most of the laughs in this sometimes somber show.
As the series continues, though, not every member of the growing cast is given much to do. Dominique McElligott’s Queen Maeve is one of the casualties, being very little more than a narrative plot device.
The mysterious Black Noir also barely appears, while Giancarlo Esposito could do with being given some more screen time – the same could be said of almost anything the Breaking Bad and Mandalorian actor appears in. And then there's Jensen Ackles’ Soldier Boy, who has been hyped as the new season's big bad. We don't see a lot of him, and you have to wonder why. So far, there's been a lot of setup without any real action – three episodes in, you would hope to really be in the thick of it by now.
With five episodes of gory goodness still on their way, there's every chance the best is yet to come. I get the feeling bringing in Soldier Boy may be a really bad idea for Butcher and the gang. Just call it a hunch...
Grade: B+
What are your thoughts?
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