'The Boys' Season 2 review: A better and bolder continuation

Showrunner: Eric Kripke

Cast: Karl Urban, Anthony Starr, Jack Quaid, Karen Fukuhara

Score: 4

Note: This show contains graphic scenes of violence among other things. Please be advised that it is rated for viewers above the age of 18.

Someone once said "a good sequel takes on the best elements of its predecessor and builds upon it". Though the exact person/s who said it remains unknown, the saying was clearly taken seriously by Amazon Studios, who have gone guns blazing with the second season of The Boys, raising the ante and the gore to new heights.

After the closure of the first season, which closed with Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) realising his wife was still alive and had a son with the sociopathic, narcissistic, mass-murdering Supe Homelander (Anthony Starr), the second season picks off with Butcher missing and The Boys listed as wanted fugitives. Meanwhile, the Supe team "The Seven" continue to dig their heels deeper into everything and get more brazen about sending bodies flying everywhere, fuelled by a massive outpour of public support, and marketing from Vought.

In many ways, The Boys S2 continues its satirical approach to superheroes, with its Supes being a horrifying blend of Marvel and DC characters with the moral buttons turned off in most of them. Meanwhile, the boys are fragmented in how to approach the situation after Butcher's disappearance and the existence of Compound V, which gave the Supes their powers.

Just like the last season, both sides of the coins are presented as morally ambiguous as everyone is ready to do literally anything to get what they want (though the Supes are evidently more vile and villainous in their ways).

The show shines brightest in the freedom it gets to explore its characters. The first season was heavily focused on introducing this strange world where the Supes cause more damage than they prevent, and the boys try their best to fight them and their sponsor, Vought; the second season digs into the mentalities of everyone on both sides. The direct effect of this is that the key characters like Hughie (Jack Quaid), Starlight (Erin Moriarty), Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), Butcher and Homelander all get to really grow into the best (or worst) versions of themselves, as the two teams inch closer to a vicious conflict with each passing day.

But it's not smooth sailing for anyone, as both teams face internal conflicts as their leaders attempt to take control of the situation. Here is where Butcher and Homelander really come close to being a mirror of each other, the difference being that Homelander fantasises about and actually commits mass murder for his own gratification, while Butcher focuses his rage on trying to get his wife out of her prison.

One would think Antony Starr's Homelander could not get creepier after season 1, and he does not disappoint. This season's homelander is creepier, angrier and even more sociopathic for he shows little more than whimsical concern for his own son. Helping him on his quest for new depths of depravity is the new addition to the team, Stormfront (Aya Cash), who is not quite what she appears to be from the get-go, and is even more image-obsessed than the rest of the seven, going so far as to create a virtual army to fight meme wars for her.

A lot can be said for some of the other members of The Seven, especially Starlight, who has to deal with more than the stress of being a superhero, and Queen Maeve (Dominique McElligott), who finally does get some time to shine, reflect and act upon her deeds in the last season. Arguably, however, the one who takes the cake here is A-Train (Jessie T Usher), who really comes around after several encounters with Stormfront (though keeps his arrogance intact). Unfortunately, Giancarlo Esposito, who plays Vought CEO Stan Edgar, feels rather underused even though every one of his appearances oozes as much screen presence and power as any of the other characters.

Gore is one of the key elements of the show, and it does not disappoint. Apart from the usual fare of heads being chopped off, this season really gets its faces and limbs off, plants viscera all over the walls, and uses blood as liberally as a painter would use to paint an art piece. Thankfully, however, the gore is used very carefully and generally tends to have something or the other to do with the nonsense being pulled off by either team, and is not used for the sake of it.

To close, The Boys Season 2 is a significant improvement over Season 1 in nearly every way. It tackles a number of plot threads without tangling them, and raises its characters to new heights. In short, it is a worthy sequel.