‘The Boys’ Recap: ‘Payback’, ‘The Only Man in the Sky’, & ‘Barbary Coast’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season three premiere of ‘The Boys’.
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Truly one of the biggest signs that the world is slowly inching back toward normal, is that our favorite shows are starting to return to the airwaves. For the new protocols on sets and the arrival of tools to combat what was a longstanding nightmare, is allowing for everyone to get back to work in Hollywood and do their thing and bring joy to the fans again. But what’s incredible… is that not only are we getting to enjoy the stories we love once more, but the time away from set that everyone had to endure, allowed for the creative teams behind these shows to really dig deep and work to create the best stories possible. 

Because we are seeing shows return to their regular schedule and blow us away in the process and one particular show that fits that mold is The Boys on Prime Video… which is quite the amazing feat when you think about it. For this series was already top-notch to begin with, courtesy of its bold storytelling decisions and biting satire, and epic storylines. But believe it or not season three actually manages to improve upon what was already perfect and ‘Payback’, ‘The Only Man in the Sky’, and ‘Barbary Coast’ accomplish this stunning feat by offering up some incredible storytelling. The kind that of course… still finds new ways to shock us, thanks to that wild and uncomfortable ‘love scene’ in the premiere, but it really is the bold storytelling decisions that make the most impact here.

Since this is a season that immediately takes The Boys and their mission in a bold new direction. But it sure didn’t seem as though that was going to be the case early on. For when we catch up with everyone here… life has seemingly returned to normal. After all Hughie is settling into his new job and loving every second of it… and being Butcher’s boss… let’s be honest. Plus, Vought International has seemingly worked to remove themselves from the debacle that Stormfront sent their way, by making Starlight a co-captain of the Seven, giving her power and influence over what comes next for this somewhat derided group of supes. But a chance encounter between Butcher and Homelander, the arrival of a drug that can turn a person into a supe for twenty-four hours and a shocking revelation for Hughie… immediately plunges this story into fascinating new territory.

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Wherein Hughie returns to The Boys because of what he’s learned and where Butcher indulges into an all-out mission into bringing down Homelander. One that quite frankly, puts Butcher in quite the dark place. Since he does indulge in that drug and goes to ugly places to get information on a potential weapon that might have been the reason that Soldier Boy is no longer apart of this world. One that he could use… to bring down his nemesis. A move that doesn’t quite produce what he wants, and it honestly damages one of the most important relationships that Butcher has in his life. But he truly wants to put an end to an old foe and will stop at nothing to make that happen and well, this time around… Butcher is completely and utterly correct in wanting to remove Homelander from the world because… he too takes quite the turn in this super-sized season premiere.
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For an incredible change in his life, one involving Stormfront… basically breaks him. To the point where he comes to realize that he really doesn’t have to answer to anyone since his powers give him everything he could ever want and more and well, that pushes him to really test his boundaries and see what he can get away with. Which is… a lot sadly. For his power is indeed feared and well, it becomes apparent by the third episode, that a monster has been unleashed upon the world and it is only a matter of time before decorum and norms are shattered to serve his ego and psychotic tendencies. Which means it will likely be up to The Boys to stop him and that truly sets the stage for what should be an epic season. One filled with incredible confrontation and incredible moments, like the kind we were witness to in this three-episode premiere. For this too was epic and raised the stakes like never before.

Not to mention, it went hard when it comes to the show’s biting satire and commentary on Modern America, since Soldier Boy is clearly a bit of a twisted version of Captain America, one designed to express the bluster and bravado present in the country and Homelander… well he’s gone full MAGA, courtesy of his expression of his twisted views and the response to them. Since so many seem to love the idea of a superhero (or former President) that reflects their own ugly views of the world. But all commentary aside, make no mistake about it… it is just great to have this show back on the air and to enjoy new episodes that take this series to a whole new level, and it is definitely safe to say that we will all be counting down the minutes until next Friday’s new episode, so we can see what other incredible moments await us. Until next time.

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