Aithne

I think she used to believe that she'd be gentler, less vengeful, get less satisfaction out of violence, without the V. Now, she knows that she can be just as vengeful without it. She didn't have to stab that guy as many times as she did. She did it because she was so angry at what had just been done to her and Frenchie, and she wanted to kill the people responsible with extreme violence. That rage still scares her, as she alluded to when she told Frenchie that she was still a monster. But it's not a V problem, it's a Kimiko problem. So she needs to work on herself, and she understands that now. But if she'd had the V, she could've spared him (and her, and Cherie) everything they went through before she managed to pick the lock on her cuffs, AND she wouldn't have been any more monstrous than she is right now, because the V is a neutral tool rather than a bogeyman that forced her to behave how she did. The collateral damage at Voughtland wasn't due to her powers, but to her position working with the Boys. It still would've happened if MM had been there with Frenchie instead of her. But she still feels the need to fight for what's right, so collateral damage by the supes she's fighting against will always be a risk, whether she has powers herself or not.

I'm embarrassed vicariously for the person who asked that question. Sheer ridiculousness to think that JA doesn't remember like, the bare minimum about the show he was in for 15 years, and only the fans know this extremely central and obvious fact about John.

I don't usually like the straight-up good guys, but Annie's an exception. She's caring, capable, and bold, and it's an impressive combination. And I agree re: Frenchie's dynamic with Kimiko. He seems to have zero hangups about her superior strength - he cares about her emotional well-being, and it doesn't matter whether she's stronger (with V) or weaker (without it) than he is. It doesn't impact his perceptions of himself or of her, either way.

Presumably that what knocked Soldier Boy out need not have been an anesthetic gas, as MM had assumed when he tried to use the halothane, but that it could've been something else (this nerve agent) and the vapor was just a way to make it able to be inhaled. (Remembering S2, when Mallory said he'd weaponized Xanax to use against a supe who was activated by anger - maybe a similar concept.)

I'm sure Kimiko will kill her. But they might go back to that well one more time to get their hands on the nerve agent.

What a good episode! Laughed at the REO Speedwagon in SB's opening scene, remembering the SPN usage. We're a long way from Dean and Jo in that scene. The Butcher/Lenny backstory was as painful as expected, but I didn't realize Lenny killed himself that young. And I certainly didn't expect how Butcher left. But he can't help himself, can he? I hope this is a misdirect with Hughie. My sweet boy Frenchie is back to substance abuse and being the resident chemist? Nice return to our season one roots. Of course Kimiko wants back on the V, and I loved the interplay between her and Annie, and between MM and Frenchie. Thought all the stuff with this little foursome was lovely and sweet. Just really well-meaning people trying to do the best they can. I love it. I hope Butcher's not totally over the edge and we can pull everyone back together. The Noir stuff was weird. Don't know what more to say about that. And Maeve is an absolute badass. Love her so much. Interesting ending, with SB saying he'd have let Homelander have the spotlight. Can't wait for the finale!

I think that's probably the case, to set up for the season finale. My prediction is that he kills Mindscape (or whatever the dude's name is), hunts down Noir, and Noir reveals that Homelander is his son before SB kills him. (Why does Noir know? Well, he's been around for a long time.) SB wanted a son and never got one, so he's certainly not gonna kill Homelander now. With this betrayal, the boys need all hands on deck just to survive, and the fragmentation of the season is resolved when they, along with Annie and Maeve, put aside their differences. Everyone gets on the permanent or temporary V, and they fight. Next ep, Soldier Boy decides HL is a right cunt after all, depowers everyone in one fell swoop, and leaves in disgust. HL, now vulnerable, makes his escape. Vought is in disarray, ready for Edgar to sweep back in next season. The board is reset, with powerless Boys against Vought, with the unknowns of depowered Homelander (who will likely be trying to influence and shape Ryan and trying to get his hands on some permanent V), the responsibility to find and contain a missing SB because it's their fault he's out, and the growing public awareness due to Annie of Vought's corruption.

I'm not underwhelmed by any of the actors. Like, sometimes you see actors in shows struggling to convey some emotion effectively - like, you know what they're trying to do, but it's just not authentic or it doesn't inspire you to feel a certain way or whatever. I don't feel that way about any of the actors on this show. I think they seem to have searched carefully for the right people, and it shows in the abilities and chemistry of the cast. I enjoy watching every one of the Boys, I enjoy watching every one of the major supes, Edgar and Mallory are great... I don't know, man. I'm occasionally picky about this kind of thing, and I haven't yet been disappointed by this show in that regard.

Facts. When they're talking at the end, and they're both so fucked up from what just happened, but all each one cares about is comforting the other? They're just so kind-hearted and gentle toward each other, and it makes for something very healthy and lovely and pure. (Yes, I know they've both been killers for hire. Let's ignore that inconvenient fact for the moment.)

If anyone needs a smile, head over to the Boys sub on Reddit to watch dudes trying to reconcile their heterosexuality with how attracted they are to Jensen Ackles. It's fun to watch a whole new audience discover what the SPN audience already knows. (He is doing great in that show, by the way, even if my focus is more on the two characters who were already my comfort characters before he came on the scene. But he's great fun to watch, nevertheless.)

Ooh, that is an interesting parallel. I think Annie is correct about Hughie. Kimiko's sort of right in that she's no different on or off of it, but I don't think Frenchie would say that she had been a monster on V either (with the exception of her period as a hitman). She seems to be defining that by feeling rage or committing violence, but here, what should a non-monster have done? She was badly injured, kidnapped from her hospital room, had to watch someone she loved be psychologically dismantled in front of her, and then someone literally attempted to kill her. I'd want to kill them all too.

What an episode, damn. Firing on all cylinders now. Was glad to see A Train develop empathy after his brother's injuries and go out doing something that mattered. Was highly amused by Love Sausage. Felt so fucking bad for MM, Frenchie and Kimiko, all of whom have been through way too much. Can see how they're getting the latter two back in the fold now - revisit their trauma to crush their optimism about a different future ("no one can run that fast"). Proud of Annie for finally quitting. The fight scenes were top notch. Homelander's conversation with the mirror was maybe a bit cliche, but well done. Soldier Boy continues to be interesting - not the monster I expected, but not really a hero either. The revelation that he doesn't remember the destruction he causes is really interesting - would be have let the twins go? These last two eps are gonna be insane, I can tell. I'm bummed about the fractures in the team - you can tell Butcher still cares about all of them to some extent ("Can't let you do it, M, it'd be suicide", "Hughie, get out of here!", "Frenchie's always wanted to see this. He'll be heartbroken."), but I don't know if they can all be together again. Looks like the factions are probably gonna last through the end of the season, but maybe the team will re-form in S4?

Ahhh, I could see that! That would be an interesting twist - seeing Homelander depowered and at the mercy of Vought to be their moneymaker. And it would bring into relief that the face might be Homelander, but the real villain is Vought's greed. And yes, omg, Nina is pure evil. I actually thought Frenchie was being a little whiny and sanctimonious earlier about Butcher cutting a deal with her, but nope. He just knew how fucking dangerous it was. And now he's the one who's gonna suffer for it. Goddammit.

Maybe he means we will be heartbroken over Maeve. Which I will be. But if it's her, I'll also be slightly relieved. (Sorry Maeve!) But yeah, I'm totally excited to see what JA is bringing to the table in these last 3 eps too! I've been looking forward to seeing him all season. But because it's Kripke, of course it has to coincide with inducing major anxiety over the fate of one of my faves.

I was saying the same thing last night. AS is phenomenal, and Homelander has me on edge constantly, so he's a great villain. But like... where does this go? Are we gonna have a fourth season of HL getting ~even crazier~? At some point you gotta pull the trigger, and I just feel like we are coming to a point where it's gonna get old if something doesn't change.

Didn't Kripke say Herogasm was gonna break our hearts? Ugh, I am not ready for this.

Intense episode. So much to talk about. And yet all I can do is try to breathe, knowing I have to make it to at least next episode to know if they're gonna off that sweet boy who never did anything wrong in his life (aside from bank robbing, contract killing, minor things...) Seriously though, this was an amazing episode for a lot of reasons, but all I'll be thinking about this week is Kimiko singing about her man and that kiss and him quietly leaving so she wouldn't be around when Nina came for him, and Kimiko hugging her knees as the minutes ticked by and he never came back. Kripke, you asshole. I don't trust you one bit.

I don't see much reason to doubt that Kimiko genuinely is moving into a place where she doesn't want to be a hired gun anymore. A lot of her violence came because of trauma that she's now really starting to work through and move past. That doesn't make Butcher wrong for offering her services - as far as he knows, she's part of the team, and the team is working on this together. But since she's not a true believer in Butcher or in their mission, it's natural for her to chafe at the casual way he assumes authority over her.

I like your logic and am choosing to believe it. The show is great all-around, so I'm not just watching it for the two of them, but they're definitely my favorites and I'd hate to see them come to a bad end (this early).

Between the Marseilles-conversations-of-foreshadowing-doom and Kimiko getting blasted with SB's depowering beam but seemingly surviving, I get the sinking feeling these motherfuckers are setting up a reversal of expectations where she survives, we think everything is fine and she's gonna have a happy normal life, and then they off Frenchie in a way that her powers could've prevented. It's just the kind of sick twist that I think Kripke and company would find amusing.

RPS was almost as big as Wincest before the guys got married and had kids, and a whole lot of the fodder for those folks was coming from cons. I thought it was natural to infer that many of the early con-goers were likely RPSers, but I'm sorry that I accidentally condescended to you in the doing. That certainly was never even part of my thought process in making that observation.

I do want to say, I've been watching this show since it first aired, and I've spent countless hours online debating and speculating and analyzing it, and never once have I been tempted to go to a con. The idea of meeting these folks doesn't interest me, I don't care much about their personal anecdotes, etc. So... yeah. Cons are a little bit of a different animal, to my mind. Some of the people who attend may want more of a personal link to the performers, or to meet others who share their interest, and that has nothing to do with their level of interest in the show vis a vis those of us who aren't into cons. They engage with it in a different way involving money and physical presence, but I don't think that implies that they as a blanket group are the most engaged in future projects or even the show itself. (E.g., back in the day, I imagine some of them may have been folks who leaned toward RPS.)

Haha, I'll always wonder what the nature of that convo with Kripke was, when he was trying to come to terms with the finale. I'm starting to get the impression he came to terms with the ending by Kripke essentially telling him it didn't have to be the ending.

Damn. Good on Jensen.

Yeah, this was clear evidence to me that Alistair was fucking with Dean. He needed to bring out the big guns, and if you're someone who knows Dean inside and out, you know there's no weaker spot than the idea that he might've let John down. But given what we saw at the end of S2, it was certainly a fabrication.