‘The Boys’ Recap: ‘Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 307 of ‘The Boys’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is definitely safe to say, that trauma and the power of the past are elements that are rarely seen within the framework of any superhero story. Simply because these types of stories are designed to be beacons of hope for the audience or the reader, so the good guys are of course of sound mind and past, complete with a moral core that is inspirational in nature. If anything, a dark past and traumatic experiences are reserved for the villain of the story, a move that more or less makes it appear as though pain and trauma and an unresolved yesterday are the true causes to evil. Which is commentary that some merit but isn’t completely accurate in the slightest. For in reality, trauma and the power of the past are part of the human experience, and they forge both good and evil and it is a shame that point isn’t hammered home more often in superhero stories.
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Simply because this format of story could easily dig deep into how the fight to overcome our past and our trauma and the toxic behaviors that such matters can inspire… is what truly makes a hero in this life. Because that is what makes a person invincible and strong and thankfully that is starting to pop up in this type of story. In fact, one particular superhero franchise that is leading the way in this examination is the The Boys on Prime Video. For the fact that humans are born as supes… adds realism to this tale and allows for heroes and people alike to share in similar experiences, and for proof that this is the case, look no further than this week’s episode. For ‘Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed’ is a tale that explored how both humans and supes experience trauma and how they confront it in a realistic light and that made for one powerful tale. 

One that took the time to finally explore what makes Billy Butcher such a coldhearted man at times, and a lot of that… is related to his own past. One where severe abuse from his father helped him to lose faith in a great deal of humanity and the connections we share. To the point where he believed that his agenda and his views were the only way to survive in this life and this was put on display courtesy of the next mark on Soldier Boy’s hit list… Mindstorm. Whom put Butcher in a state where he could relive his worst memories until death because… that’s a thing. But what matters more here is that we now understand Butcher to a tee and know that he is unwilling to confront his past and resolve it because he believes it fuels him and helps him to survive, making him something of a tragic antihero of sorts… one that will no find peace if he gets his ultimate goal of defeating Homelander because of what he won’t face. 

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However, there was mention that this tale used both sides to explore trauma and how they confront it, and the superhero side was explored by Black Noir. Whom we came to learn was horribly bullied by Solider Boy back in the day, to the point where he was one of the orchestrators of the sale of Soldier Boy to the Russians and he paid the price dearly for it. Since it led to his physical disfigurement at the hands of a supposed hero and well… as it turns out, superheroes in this world, the kind that were born into their powers, handle trauma in a manner similar to most. By burying it and using unhealthy means to cope with it when it bubbles to the surface. As evidenced by his desire to use woodland critter buddies to put it on display and help him ‘face’ it, and really… the point of this was to inform us that trauma and the past impact all in this universe in the same manner, and that made for some fascinating commentary on our own world and the stigmas that surround mental health and healing at the moment.
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But all of that aside, there were still some plot points that needed to move forward in this tale, and the story found a way to inject that here, in between those powerful exploration moments. Courtesy of the fact that Homelander revealed to basically everyone, that he was terrified of the fact that someone stood up to him at last. A reality that forged new alliances and revealed twisted plans for the future and what’s scary is that his scramble to keep his image strong, might get worse. Since Annie took the time to expose him to the world via an Instagram story when she swung by the Tower to get more Compound V to give Kimiko back her powers and speaking of that epic visit… she also learned quite the horrifying fact about Compound V-24. In that… it is lethal after multiple doses and despite her best efforts to warn Hughie about this discovery, through Butcher… he still doesn’t know.

Because Butcher kept this a secret, as part of that quest to find peace through killing supes, bringing this story around full circle in a brilliant manner really. Since that was a subtle way to explore the dangers of not resolving our past and our traumas and well… this episode just deserves endless praise when all is said and done. For it really did go places that superhero stories do not normally go and it handled everything here in a beautiful and organic manner, one that engendered sympathy for hero and antihero alike and it just goes to show that this series really is the most cutting-edge hero story out there. Not to mention, going this route now, for the penultimate episode of the season… is equally as bold. Because it really didn’t set the stage for some kind of epic showdown a la the end of season two. If anything, that reveal involving Soldier Boy… took the steam out of any major fight. Leaving all of us to wonder what surprises this story has in store for us, when the season three finale arrives next week.

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