BabySpinach

Carla's introduction is a pretty thankless one; within 30 seconds of her debut, she's mocking and belittling her ex in front of his co-worker (and sub-ordinate) whom she doesn't know, and Beau acting rather flustered and intimidated doesn't much help her case. Very effective, if instant dislike is what the writers were going for! At least Jenny stuck up for him, but I'm not buying (or just don't want to) that Beau's still in love with Carla like she claims. I like that Tonya and Donno are also being folded into the A-plot alongside their conspiring with Jenny's mom. Seems like all the major players this season, of which there are a fair few, will have some personal involvement in the main story.

They do seem to be treating the main plot with a lighter touch than in the previous seasons, but I don't really mind it. I'm mildly intrigued by what I don't know and am yet to find out, while in the meantime there's always a procedural B-plot that gets resolved within the same ep to hold me over. Still feels like I watched a substantial episode that accomplished something rather than just purely spun its wheels. On a shallower note, they really know how to style Jensen on this show. Last week it was the loose purple shirt, this week it's the Texas getup complete with hat! And seeing Jenny so smiley and cheerful as her undercover character was pretty novel, lol. Emily wanting to get her dad's knife back (which she keeps under her pillow) was also pretty sweet.

https://ew.com/tv/the-boys-season-3-finale-sets-up-season-4-tug-of-war-ryan/ Have people still not learned to not put kids at the center of non-kid stories? Child actors and their characters are almost never as compelling as the adults, especially with this show's cast. Can't say I'm particularly invested in Ryan waffling between psychotic little shit or goody-two-shoes while the actually-interesting characters cater to and revolve around him.

Ryan is not a particularly essential or beloved character (overpowered kids around whom more interesting characters revolve face an uphill battle in terms of likability anyways), yet he was the sole reason that SB was stopped from ending the most despicable and deranged character on the show. He just came off as an annoying plot device who fucked things up at the crucial moment. Most in the audience probably weren't attached to him enough to agree that his life was too high a price to pay for HL's death (that is if he wouldn't have just ended up surviving and getting depowered like Maeve did). The life of every poor bastard who gets liquified or crushed by Homelander and/or Ryan from now on is on the Boys' head. Not sure that'll even be brought up next season, though.

Well, we'll have Butcher to thank for any havoc that Homelander and Ryan inevitably wreak next season. He directly sabotaged his best chance against Homelander on Ryan's behalf, and now the kid is defecting to the dark side anyway. Should've just let them both fry! I don't understand why the Boys put stopping SB at an equal (higher?) priority as stopping Homelander? The guy can't fly or shoot instant eye lasers and he has an established weakness, so he's clearly not as much of a threat. Once they subdued SB, what would've been their plan? Just stand there and let HL smush them for taking down his dad? I liked that SB's allegiances remained vague until the moment of truth, and I was pretty surprised that he didn't side with his son (or grandson) after all. Funny, how he was actually on the right side for the wrong reasons and would've killed HL if not for Butcher. I appreciate that he got to throw some hands and was ultimately impossible to restrain. His open ending hopefully means he has a future in the next seasons; I feel like he's got a lot more story in him. That scene with SB and Butcher was quite poignant, and allowed us to see another side of SB for once. Jensen acted the hell out of it, of course, and I loved the way he delivered that monologue. Overall, I enjoyed this finale, though the return to the status quo feels a bit too neat for me.

Kripke confirmed in an interview that Ryan's lasers were more powerful than his dad's. https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-boys-season-3-ryan-homelander-powers/ Homelander is also stronger than SB, so that's two for two in apparent genetic concentration. No, he was a big deal because he was the first natural-born supe.

Yeah, I do feel like the powers you get (and whether you survive) are based on your genetics. That's why they made Homelander from Soldier Boy even though they still had to treat the resulting zygote/embryo with Compound V. Ryan's lasers were already confirmed to be more powerful than his dad's, so the genetic potential for power seems more potent with each generation. I don't like it when super-powerful kid characters take center stage (trauma flashbacks to SPN *shudders*), but Ryan will likely have a big part to play in the next seasons, if not this coming finale.

The speculation that's been floating around about Soldier Boy and Homelander was right on the money. I'd have preferred that Soldier Boy stayed an asshole anti-hero, but this and the cartoon exposition were the nail in the coffin for any possibility of him not being a full-blown villain. The likelihood of him being in season 4 (ie. surviving the final battle) has drastically diminished, given the side he's now on. Black Noir definitely has unfinished business with him. But holy shit, Butcher, that was a new low even for him. He's not a good guy, but he's one of the main protagonists! And I feel like Hughie may take another Temp V dose even if he knew; he seemed perfectly willing to get disintegrated by SB's chest nuke as acceptable collateral alongside Butcher last episode.

Jensen brings a leading man charisma and screen presence that not all "decent" actors possess. Soldier Boy is meant to be another top dog to rival Butcher and Homelander, and Jensen absolutely embodies that necessary gravitas. Jack Quaid (Hughie), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), and Chace Crawford (the Deep) are all very good in their roles, but could they convincingly pull off that kind of character? In my opinion, no. And I don't get how anyone who saw the motel scene with Hughie could call Jensen one-note as Soldier Boy. He flits from old-man grumbling to fond reminiscence to sputtering anger to hollow bitterness to regret/guilt to seemingly sincere claims of moral fortitude, all within a few minutes. We saw so many facets of this character in such a short amount of time, and it felt completely authentic and well-rounded. There's a good reason that people all over social media are losing their shit over Jensen as Soldier Boy.

While in the same breath blaming DEAN for Kevin's death! *has a stroke*

Wow, what a heart-pumping hour of television! That final fight was amazing; I can't begin to express how utterly satisfying it was to finally see Homelander get his ass kicked. And they could've gotten him for good if Soldier Boy didn't take so long to charge up! I knew it couldn't be that easy, but a part of me was still desperate for them to succeed. Wonder why halothane doesn't work on Soldier Boy anymore. There seems to be nothing else that could contain him long-term, now. Great character development across the board, too. And good on Starlight for not compromising; we always need at least one of those in such a morally-gray show.

In most movies/TV shows, the character who's tortured for three decades and then embarks on a quest of revenge against those who put him there would be the protagonist, and every member of the audience would be cheering for him. I know Soldier Boy's probably going to do some heinous things in the following episodes, but it's not going to hit the same as Homelander's despicable manchild psychopathy ie. the kind where he's long overdue to be knocked down several pegs. I'm still rooting for Soldier Boy to kick the shit out of him, as well as anyone else involved in the former's imprisonment.

Yeah, and literally the whole reason the Boys were after BCL Red was because if it could supposedly take out Soldier Boy, it could take out Homelander, too. If he's only Maeve-level, that kind of defeats the whole purpose. And if Homelander and Soldier Boy can be easily subdued and stuffed in a cryo-pod, that'd also sort of defeat the purpose.

I was talking about the narrative. I never suggested that the Boys themselves should give a shit. Still begs the question as to how they got Soldier Boy in there to begin with.

Moving forward, I really hope we're not supposed to just brush off and dismiss what Soldier Boy went through. He's officially had it the worst out of all the show's characters, and IMO not even Homelander would deserve three straight decades of imprisonment and torturous experiments. I do wonder how Soldier Boy was contained, though. Since he's supposed to be almost as strong as Homelander, it kind of defangs the impossible mission to kill/subdue the latter if it's as easy as drugging them into a docile state. Soldier Boy broke out of his physical restraints easily, so what was it keeping him locked in?

A couple thoughts about Soldier Boy... His retort to Mallory's blunt rejection is petulant and schoolyard-level at best, which suggests a vast well of insecurity underneath. The guy's been on top of the world for four ageless decades, has no reason to think his position will ever change, yet he's still so easily rattled by basic hostility. This already points to a more complex and vulnerable character than the old-timey chauvinistic caricature he could have easily been. He also seems to be the only member of Payback to demonstrate any amount of skill and competence (other than Noir, maybe?). As soon as the camp's attacked, he snaps straight into business mode; while Swatto's getting blown up and the twins are cowering and Gunpowder's wildly shooting at anything that moves, he's taking out the actual enemy quickly and efficiently. And it's an interesting moment when Mallory covers for him and he quickly turns in acknowledgement/thanks, their previous confrontation forgotten. Soldier Boy being one of the few legitimately skilled and competent supes, despite his obvious personality defects, serves as a nice contrast to Homelander's easy-peasy laser eyes while also establishing the former as a serious presence, even when his actual screentime so far is limited. I guess I'm just glad they didn't make him a completely pathetic loser in all aspects; what a waste of Jensen Ackles that would be!

Things are moving at a pretty brisk pace, which is nice to see! The Butcher and Homelander scene was probably the best part of the episode; two people who despise each other yet are in somewhat similar predicaments, conversing as equals who have way too much in common. Glad that Hughie's already discovered "Victoria Neuman's" secret. Season 3 is starting out stronger than season 2, IMO.

I personally think the "gritty ending" ship sailed a long time ago. Just the previous episode, we saw Mayonnaise Sue magically sucking up all of Chuck's God juice and conveniently restoring everyone back to earth, no strings attached. Giving Sam and Dean crappy hollow endings just didn't jive with the show's tone anymore, and it was severely misguided of Dabb to attempt it. I can guarantee that almost no one would have complained if Dean semi-retired and opened up a bar/halfway house and Sam became a lore expert/hunting consultant, then both died of old age and met in heaven. That kind of conventional, somewhat-predictable happy ending would have absolutely fit what the show became, and we would have still gotten weepy over it, but in a good way.

I've always been so impressed with how they integrated the True Vessel mythology into an existing story that was originally intended to be very different. Dean's journey mirroring Michael's and Sam's mirroring Lucifer's just fit so well. And the concept of special vessels who enhance the power of their possessors is a concept I've never encountered elsewhere, before or since. I'll never get over how neatly Dean's dehumanizing treatment as a blunt weapon/provider, starting in season 1, carried over into an unplanned arc about him being a literal weapon. Not to mention Alistair "carving" Dean into a new animal, yet again reducing him to a tool for this twisted father figure's own purposes. It's kind of weird, though, that angels were never planned to be introduced. There's Hell and demons and Lucifer, yet the upstairs portion of that mythos just wouldn't exist? Where were we supposed to assume non-hellbound souls went?

HOLY MOLY!! It's a key role, too! ETA: From the man himself...

It's the good ol' Show vs. Tell. Tell us that the sun shines out of Sam's ass but fail to actually show it, and Show us how competent and natural Dean is yet never once acknowledge it in text. It's a frustrating disservice to both characters, but in different ways. At least Dean doesn't unintentionally come off as phony or incompetent, I suppose.

I also found it really cheap that Rory's situation with Lucifer was implied to be equivalent to Lucifer's situation with God. Last time I checked, Lucifer didn't cast her from home and force her to oversee the worst of humanity for millennia while also being vilified as the personification of evil and believing that she was utterly unworthy of love. Unless Chloe totally bungled her parenting, Rory was raised in a happy home with a big sister and loads of doting aunts and uncles, so I'm not quite seeing the parallels here. Just seems weirdly traditionalist to imply that no matter how many nurturing figures raise you, your biological parents are the only truly important figures in your development and their absence will still deeply traumatize you.

At least Lucifer was introduced as a charming and fun character, with his darker aspects and flaws slowly shown to us over time and consistently balanced out by his other traits. Rory just popped in wings blazing as this stroppy goth with baggage that hadn't even happened yet, acting and looking like a bad fanfic self-insert OC. It was a hard sell for me to particularly sympathize or care about her when that was pretty much all her personality.

Rory is supposed to be 30-40 years old (older than she looks) but she still isn't mature enough to give Lucifer the benefit of the doubt that he leaves for some important celestial reason rather than out of selfishness, or to stop punishing him for something he hasn't even done yet. And did she really think so low of Chloe to believe that she would've deeply loved a neglectful deadbeat? With her whole angsty-teen-goth schtick, Rory's the Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way of this show, complete with edgy knife wings. She was also raised and surrounded by loving family and friends her whole life. I don't buy that Lucifer's absence "ruined" it or traumatized her to such a degree that she time-traveled out of anger. And I'm sure plenty of people find it entertaining to watch Lucifer grovel for this brand-new character's forgiveness/approval, but I'm certainly not one of them. They could have easily chilled out Rory's character a bit. Have her recognize that the Lucifer she meets is innocent of the "crimes" she's angry about. Have her reveal in some sudden outburst later on that he left her and Chloe, but that she knows it's not fair to dump that on him at this point in time despite her still being hurt and lashing out. Some extra maturity and self-awareness would have gone a long way, but as is the "wah wah my daddy left me" is about all there is to her character. And it's hard to sympathize with an adult whose defining trait so far is self-centered angst and pissiness.

I can't say I was a fan of seemingly all the plot development in 5B being walked-back on and losing a bunch of narrative weight in retrospect. Lucifer doesn't become God after all, Amenadiel becomes God after already having refused the position, and Chloe goes back to the LAPD. I've always admired this show for repeatedly shaking up the status quo and addressing the consequences, but I feel season 6 truly went backwards for the first time. I was so excited for what Lucifer being God would look like, all the ridiculous scenarios and shenanigans that could happen and the epiphanies reached, but I guess it was not meant to be. That scene of all the angels and demons bowing to Lucifer at the end of 5B just ended up meaning nothing, I guess? Given that season 6 is an extended version of a former 15-minute epilogue, I find it weird that Lucifer would've just dumped his recently-acquired position right after fighting for it. Maybe the show's ultimate ending was changed after all, but I just wish that it would've followed through on Lucifer becoming God. It was a character arc that made great sense and was built up well, and it really didn't need yet another swerve tacked on. And lord, Rory. This show has already gotten away with an evil twin plot played straight, so adult kid from the future wasn't that inconceivable, but I did not want Chloe and Lucifer to have a kid. Just seemed too conventional and predictable, especially given the latter's distaste for children and his complete lack of interest in progeny before this. I had no interest in seeing Lucifer as a dad, either; I liked him just as he was, and fatherhood was not an aspect of his character I ever envisioned or hoped to see. And the fact that Rory had this massive chip on her shoulder over something that Lucifer hadn't even done yet did not help me root for or sympathize with her. In these kinds of kid-from-the-future stories, the family dynamic is, by nature, inorganic, and that plus the time travel just completely changed the tone and feel of the show for me. Not the worst ending of a genre show I've seen (*cough*SPN). I just didn't like the Rory storyline and would've preferred an entirely different major arc for the final season. Something just involving Lucifer, Chloe, and friends, no angsty little Tumblr girl with an attitude instantly becoming the focus of the main characters' attention and affections. But otherwise, I suppose I'm mostly okay with where everyone ended up.