S02.E06: The Bloody Doors Off

[paulvdb]

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The Sage Grove Center® is dedicated to caring for those struggling with mental illness. Our compassionate doctors and counselors provide personalized services to help patients live their best lives. If you or a loved one need help, call the Sage Grove Center today at 1-800-122-8585. A proud subsidiary of Global Wellness Services®, which is a proud subsidiary of Vought International®

 

[AnimeMania]

I wonder if Lamplighter's costume was inspired by Watchmen?

Starlight straight up murdered that dude.

[Snapdragon]

That was by far the best episode of the season so far.  I'm guessing that Homelander is setting Stormfront up, right?  Making her think that they're cool just so that he can expose her as a Nazi and take her out, thus re-establishing himself as America's hero.  That's my guess, anyway.  And I know he's a homicidal maniac, but I did feel a little bad for him when he'd gone to the effort to get Stormfront those flowers and she ditched out on him to run off to her "meeting".

And has Starlight killed anyone before?  I can't remember if she did last season or not but my only gripe with this episode was that she seemed way too cool about murdering that guy.  

[AnimeMania]

22 minutes ago, Snapdragon said:

I'm guessing that Homelander is setting Stormfront up, right?

The preview for the next episode seems to imply otherwise.

[rwlevin]

The scene in the psych hospital with all the supes getting out totally reminded me of the movie Cabin in the Woods.

 

Poor Frenchie, he has so much guilt about his friend and Mallory's grandkids. No wonder he's been trying to help Kimiko so much. 

[Racj82]

On 9/25/2020 at 10:46 AM, Snapdragon said:

That was by far the best episode of the season so far.  I'm guessing that Homelander is setting Stormfront up, right?  Making her think that they're cool just so that he can expose her as a Nazi and take her out, thus re-establishing himself as America's hero.  That's my guess, anyway.  And I know he's a homicidal maniac, but I did feel a little bad for him when he'd gone to the effort to get Stormfront those flowers and she ditched out on him to run off to her "meeting".

And has Starlight killed anyone before?  I can't remember if she did last season or not but my only gripe with this episode was that she seemed way too cool about murdering that guy.  

They addressed your gripe. She didn't do a cartwheel and smile when she did it. She was upset but also later still upset that it didn't bother her enough. She wasn't very cool about it.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Racj82

[BabySpinach]

I love that this show is so much more than its initial hook/gimmick of "superheroes are giant assholes instead of good guys." Its first episodes were the closest to what this edgy premise might suggest, but it's clear now that pretty much all the characters, supe or not, are at least somewhat redeemable (excepting Homelander and Stormfront). I definitely got the impression that Lamplighter was a pure asshole considering the kids he killed, but turns out their deaths were unintentional and he deeply regrets them. Butcher's dealt out more than his share of shittiness, but he's also genuinely attached to Hughie and cares when he's hurt. Frenchie and MM are basically human teddy bears.

Instead of (just) a grimdark, juvenile, cynical gore-fest like one might expect, this show really cares about its characters and has built some very sweet and genuine dynamics between them. Butcher and Annie bonding over Hughie was great, and it tickles me that the latter is basically the group's communally-adored kitten now. I was glad to see Frenchie back in the plot with the rest of the guys, as well as the story behind his guilt. Honestly, he carried this episode. Good to see him and Kimiko make up, too.

A lot of messed up and ridiculous shit also happened, as is characteristic for this show, but this ep mostly just left me with warm fuzzies, lol.

Edited September 26, 2020 by BabySpinach

[AimingforYoko]

Kudos for using Andrew Gold's "Thank You (For Being A Friend)" which was the theme song for....Golden Girls.

So, they kept Stormfront being an actual Nazi. I'd love to see what Edgar thinks of the whole "Inferior Races" plot. Who's using whom?

[Cthulhudrew]

Any bets on which member of the Timeless cast will appear on this show next?

[peridot]

I never suspected Stormfront was married to Vaught.  I wonder if she's being honest with Homelander, or is just using him so she'll be safe.  A Supe-powered army led by a white supremacist is terrifying.  Are we supposed to infer that the bald woman is a skinhead?

I can't believe that A-Train is even entertaining joining the creepy scientologist guy, and how is he in seven-figure debt?!

When Elena saw the video, I was afraid that Maeve would murder her for seeing the video.  I'm surprised that normal people would date a Supe, they have crazy powers and all of them seem to be psychopaths.

I have no words about the actual third leg of the inmate.

[AnimeMania]

I am surprised that all Stormfront's test subjects aren't Blond, Blue-eyed hunks and hunkettes. Why would she risk giving superpowers to races that were not worthy of them, inferior races would only result in inferior superpowers.

[Sakura12]

I guess that answers why Stormfront got in the Seven, she's Vaught's wife. I also don't think Starlight has to worry about her telling about the V. She seems to want the company exposed, probably so she and Homelander can take over. 

Butcher is still an ass but I did like him and Anne bonding over their shared puppy, Hugie. I know he didn't like being compared to Homelander but they are similar. Homelander hates anyone who isn't Super and he hates anyone who is. 

It looked they had another supe that Anne's powers at the hospital. 

Also when did Kimko and Anne meet?

 

[AnimeMania]

Just now, peridot said:

I can't believe that A-Train is even entertaining joining the creepy scientologist guy, and how is he in seven-figure debt?!

There was a deleted scene (in the X-Ray section) in the episode where A-Train gets kicked off of The Seven, where A-Train is talking to his accountant about how much debt he is in and where all his money was going. The accountant mentions that A-Train owns an island that he has never been to.

2 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

I guess that answers why Stormfront got in the Seven, she's Vaught's wife. I also don't think Starlight has to worry about her telling about the V. She seems to want the company exposed, probably so she and Homelander can take over. 

[SNIP]

Also when did Kimko and Anne meet?

Since Stormfront is Vought's wife, I was guessing that she owns the company. It just makes you wonder why Stan Edgar is the face of the company.

The X-Rays said that Kimiko and Annie met when she helped Kimiko, Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother's Milk get away from A-Train in Season 1.

[Sakura12]

3 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

The X-Rays said that Kimiko and Annie met when she helped Kimiko, Hughie, Frenchie, and Mother's Milk get away from A-Train in Season 1

Wasn't Kimiko unconscious or at least drugged up? 

The people at the hospital are test subjects, Stromfront won't care if what they look like. Once they get a working version, she'll probably just kill the test subjects and give the V to the white, blond haired, blue eyed people. 

[mac123x]

Quite silly, but my favorite bit was Kimiko polishing her brass knuckles.  She got to show an emotion other than anger and sadness.

I thought Shawn Ashmore did a great job.  It's interesting to show one of the Supes with a conscience.  In the flashback, what did Mallory have on Lamplighter?  It looked like she was blackmailing him but I'm not sure what it was.

Was Maeve being naive?  "I'll use this recording to blackmail Homelander" without realizing that Elena would see her as just as monstrous? 

Don't even know what to think about A-Train drinking the Collectivologist Kool-Aid.  That whole plot looks busy work.  I don't know why they need that.  It's not like Chase Whatshisname is some big famous actor that they have to give more scenes to than the character warrants.  Comic relief I guess.  (Of course, as I write that, next episode the Church will probably become pivotal).

[wingster55]

3 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

Wasn't Kimiko unconscious or at least drugged up? 

I think that’s why everyone was so surprised. They hadn’t officially met but I’m guessing Kimiko was made aware of what happened so she hugged her as a thanks. 

[MrWhyt]

4 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I am surprised that all Stormfront's test subjects aren't Blond, Blue-eyed hunks and hunkettes. Why would she risk giving superpowers to races that were not worthy of them, inferior races would only result in inferior superpowers.

why would she waste members of the "master race" as guinea pigs? The goal was to to perfect an adult dosage of compound V, once that's done you can juice up all the good aryan boys and girls to be your army.

[Hootis]

This episode had a lot of tropes for a show that is anti-trope.

Starlight running out of power to help Hughie because she blew a hole in a fence. Huh?

Frenchie's friend ODing during his mission and the guilt tripping, "go on, you don't care about us," leading to not stopping Lamplighter.

Maeve's girlfriend Elena blaming her about the plane. What was Maeve supposed to do about it?

There's more, but it was all very lazy.

Edited September 26, 2020 by Hootis

[CletusMusashi]

Most of the good stuff this season has been Big Shocking Moments. This one, by contrast, was scene after scene of good solid nuanced character-based drama that nonetheless kept me on the edge of my seat. Well, okay... that and killer penises.

[AllyB]

3 hours ago, Hootis said:

Starlight running out of power to help Hughie because she blew a hole in a fence. Huh?

 

Starlight converts electricity to light. If there is no electrical energy near her, her powers don't work. The test subject who blasted them shorted out the electricity in their immediate surrounds (and possibly any she stores internally) so she had no access to electrical energy to convert to light. Once she was in the vicinity of the car she stopped, she could use it's battery to power her up.

I strongly suspect it's a demonstration of how her power works now, so that in one of the latter episodes of the season/big finale battle she will be up against Stormfront. Stormfront has been shown to have a similar power level to Homelander and thinks Starlight's light up power is "cute." But while Starlight on her own isn't a powerhouse like Stormfront, Stormfront's powers are a massive liability against a supe who channels electricity. If Stormfront attacks Starlight, Starlight will channel multiples of that power back at her.

[Sakura12]

I don't know what they are doing with Mauve this season. They also seem to be giving her storyline to Lampligher. She barely seems to matter so killing her off won't mean that much. 

I do wonder if Stormfront's power will supercharge Anne. I think she's underestimating her. The only reason she seems to put with her now is probably because she's blonde and white. 

[Racj82]

4 hours ago, AllyB said:

Starlight converts electricity to light. If there is no electrical energy near her, her powers don't work. The test subject who blasted them shorted out the electricity in their immediate surrounds (and possibly any she stores internally) so she had no access to electrical energy to convert to light. Once she was in the vicinity of the car she stopped, she could use it's battery to power her up.

I strongly suspect it's a demonstration of how her power works now, so that in one of the latter episodes of the season/big finale battle she will be up against Stormfront. Stormfront has been shown to have a similar power level to Homelander and thinks Starlight's light up power is "cute." But while Starlight on her own isn't a powerhouse like Stormfront, Stormfront's powers are a massive liability against a supe who channels electricity. If Stormfront attacks Starlight, Starlight will channel multiples of that power back at her.

I believe you are exactly right about this and I honestly didn't fully realise how her power worked. Like what are the limitations and the inner workings of it. I'm sure others didn't either.

10 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

I don't know what they are doing with Mauve this season. They also seem to be giving her storyline to Lampligher. She barely seems to matter so killing her off won't mean that much. 

I do wonder if Stormfront's power will supercharge Anne. I think she's underestimating her. The only reason she seems to put with her now is probably because she's blonde and white. 

Maeve is constantly the weak link of this show for me. Like as her own character, there is no THERE there. She just exists.

I don't mind the mock scientology stuff.

I absolutely believe part of what scientology does is pray on celebrities that are weak or are in odd places and feel like they need guidance or direction. The seven, in this world, are the biggest stars in the world. Not actual actors based on what we've seen. So, this is who they would gravitate towards. Also, the whole show can't just be about one group vs another. There is more of this world to explore.

[Bruinsfan]

13 hours ago, mac123x said:

I thought Shawn Ashmore did a great job.  It's interesting to show one of the Supes with a conscience.  In the flashback, what did Mallory have on Lamplighter?  It looked like she was blackmailing him but I'm not sure what it was.

Mallory said "you look good" when showing him her phone, so I'm guessing it was nude photos or a sex tape of some sort (five years ago when such things were far less common and more scandalous). Likely of a sort that would be humiliating (bondage? m/m action?) or incriminating (underage?) to him.

Amazing how much more sympathetic they made Lamplighter in this episode than what we'd been led to believe. So what he did wasn't a cld-blooded intimidation attempt by Vought/the Seven, but a cornered guy's desperate attempt to strike back at the woman who was blackmailing him into exceedingly dangerous spying on his psychotic coworkers and secret Nazi bosses. And realizing the result left him a hollowed out shell of a person who was a-ok with being executed for it.

[Morrigan2575]

Wow, this was a great episode. I don't havich to say that hasn't already been said. I love the parallels they're drawing between Supes and Norms, Butcher/Homelander, French is/Lamplighter are just two sides of the same coin.

I find their powers interesting, Starlight and, Lamplighter had to draw power from another source, they can't create, while Stormfront and Homelander seem to be able to created their own power.

ETA: Forgot to mention, Annie killed Randy from Monk 😔

Edited September 26, 2020 by Morrigan2575

[FishyJoe]

All I could think was... OMG Starlight just blew away Randy Disher! If Monk exists in this universe, then he would know who did it. 

And Love Sausage ewwwww!

[supposebly]

This episode was outstanding. A perfect mix of interesting and complex character moments, development of the plot, and a killer penis. Ending with the Golden Girls theme song. I laughed out loud when that came on.

Homelander is mentally about 5, which became very clear when he was waiting around with the flowers, so I don't think he has a master plan to expose Stormfront. He's always having a hard time to reign in his impulses, so that would require a degree of control of his emotions that he is just not capable of. On the other hand, I heard echoes of Madelyn telling him she will never lie to him again, so that might help him. If he really cares enough to expose her. She gives him what he thinks he's owed, the top of the world.

Lamplighter was a lot more interesting than I thought he would be. 

[DeeDee79]

1 hour ago, Morrigan2575 said:

ETA: Forgot to mention, Annie killed Randy from Monk

 

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OMG Starlight just blew away Randy Disher! If Monk exists in this universe, then he would know who did it. 

Yay Monk fans! He doesn't look too much different even though that show ended in 2009.

Edited September 27, 2020 by DeeDee79

[arachne]

I hope the show will explain why some supes (like Homelander) have super kids,  and others (like Stormfront} don't.

Edited September 27, 2020 by arachne

[iMonrey]

Quote

I hope the show will explain why some supes (like Homelander) have super kids,  and others (like Stormfront} don't.

I'm not sure if they established whether Stormfront had her daughter before or after her husband dosed her with V.

[Morrigan2575]

1 hour ago, arachne said:

I hope the show will explain why some supes (like Homelander) have super kids,  and others (like Stormfront} don't.

It's a good question. So far Homelander is the only one to have a super kid (I think). I wonder if this is why Stormfront is so high on Homelander, that he's the only one to reproduce a super?

[arachne]

5 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I'm not sure if they established whether Stormfront had her daughter before or after her husband dosed her with V.

Eric Kripke says here they have a back-story where Stormfront was a teenager when Vought gave her the V. I'm guessing that they didn't hook up until later. 

[Richness]

I love the casting of Shawn Ashmore as Lamplighter. The meta idea of him playing a fire manipulator on this show while playing a ice creator/manipulator in the X-Men movies is amusing. It's also sort of interesting that he fought against Pyro, who has the exact same powers as Lamplighter. I wonder if they specifically cast him because of that connection?

 

And if I didn't think episode 3's whale ramming was entertainingly absurd, the tentacle "sausage" of death may just outdo it.

[DeeDee79]

35 minutes ago, Richness said:

I love the casting of Shawn Ashmore as Lamplighter. The meta idea of him playing a fire manipulator on this show while playing a ice creator/manipulator in the X-Men movies is amusing. It's also sort of interesting that he fought against Pyro, who has the exact same powers as Lamplighter. I wonder if they specifically cast him because of that connection?

 

And if I didn't think episode 3's whale ramming was entertainingly absurd, the tentacle "sausage" of death may just outdo it.

I agree and it was especially amusing to me to see that he had the same habit as Pyro with the flicking of the lighter.

[festivus]

Finally, an A+ episode, I was not really into this season so far. I liked the focus on Frenchie, very compelling. I know Aya Cash is playing a horrible character but I think she's a great actress so that last scene was very good. MM getting choked out by a dick, the GG's, and Hugie's baby shampoo were the lol's.

 Kimiko. ❤️ She's my fave. 

[Bruinsfan]

I love that they're giving such layers to a silent character that Ennis didn't even bother giving a name to.

[Cthulhudrew]

Was I the only one flashing back to Aaron Stanford's Pyro from the X-Men movies when watching Ashmore's play with the lighter? 

[DeeDee79]

2 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

Was I the only one flashing back to Aaron Stanford's Pyro from the X-Men movies when watching Ashmore's play with the lighter? 

Nope!

[Morrigan2575]

4 hours ago, Cthulhudrew said:

Was I the only one flashing back to Aaron Stanford's Pyro from the X-Men movies when watching Ashmore's play with the lighter? 

No and, I wonder if that was the actor or director/Producers making the call?

Ashmore is really good but, I do wonder if his casting was an easter egg of sorts. Hahaha, let's cast Iceman to play our Pyro? 

 

[Chicago Redshirt]

On 9/25/2020 at 8:38 PM, peridot said:

I can't believe that A-Train is even entertaining joining the creepy scientologist guy, and how is he in seven-figure debt?!

When Elena saw the video, I was afraid that Maeve would murder her for seeing the video.  I'm surprised that normal people would date a Supe, they have crazy powers and all of them seem to be psychopaths.

In real life, lots of celebs manage to piss away their money.  A-Train has been shown to be a junkie with poor impulse control, so it doesn't surprise me that he would fall into that category.

It's not apparent until you get to know them that the supes are psychopaths, and some are less psycho than others. I'm trying to remember if we have seen Maeve do anything that is outright and unquestionably evil. I can't think of anything off the top. Even leaaving the planeload of people to die can be rationalized as being under duress from Homelander. 

I'm sure that the wealth, fame and power might cause some to look the other way to some low-grade crazy. The main classic-comics trope has the main downside of dating a supe being the possibility of villains coming after you, and in the Boysverse, there haven't really been villains till now.

On 9/25/2020 at 8:39 PM, AnimeMania said:

I am surprised that all Stormfront's test subjects aren't Blond, Blue-eyed hunks and hunkettes. Why would she risk giving superpowers to races that were not worthy of them, inferior races would only result in inferior superpowers.

Like others have said, there's no reason to not test non-Aryans since they are going to just get rid of them afterwards.

But what doesn't make much sense to me is, assuming Stormfront has been telling the truth about being Vought's wife why Vought would have given the working version of Compound V to minority kids like A-Train.

On 9/26/2020 at 2:12 AM, Hootis said:

Maeve's girlfriend Elena blaming her about the plane. What was Maeve supposed to do about it?

There's a reasonable argument that she should have stood up to Homelander, no matter the costs. If Wonder Woman somehow found herself in the same sort of situation with a suddenly-evil-and-cowardly Superman, that's probably what she would have done, even if it meant that Superman killed her. It is probably easier to have that thought if, like Elena, one doesn't realize how much of an actual psychopath Homelander is. Yes, Maeve has said he's a psycho, but tons of Vought conditioning could lead her to think that was an exaggeration. It also probably had Elena was "Brave Maeve" rather than the exact opposite in real-life.

On 9/26/2020 at 10:41 AM, Racj82 said:

I absolutely believe part of what scientology does is pray on celebrities that are weak or are in odd places and feel like they need guidance or direction. The seven, in this world, are the biggest stars in the world. Not actual actors based on what we've seen. So, this is who they would gravitate towards. Also, the whole show can't just be about one group vs another. There is more of this world to explore.

They are both heroes and actors. They are literally filming a movie now, and I believe have done individual movies before.

20 hours ago, arachne said:

I hope the show will explain why some supes (like Homelander) have super kids,  and others (like Stormfront} don't.

Classic comics/superhero movies and shows have been all over the map as to whether powers can be inherited and how much. Various takes on Superman's offspring have had his kids having twists on his powers (Superman Returns), his normal powers (Jonathan Kent) or I believe watered down versions of his powers. Black Lightning has a kid whose powers have nothing to do with electricity and another whose electricity powers work a different way than his do. Magneto's kids Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch didn't get magnetic powers but developed their own powers. Franklin Richards doesn't have stretchy or invisible powers as such, but has, well, all the other powers. I'd bet that there have been examples of powered heroes having kids with absolutely no powers, but I'm blanking on them.

It could be that Stormfront's daughter did have some powers but not the slow aging one. Or it could be that the earlier form of Compound V didn't produce results that could be transmitted to offspring, but the current one does. Or it could be that Vought meddled with Stormfront's kid and Comppound V'ed him and he doesn't have the powers as a simple matter of what he inherited from Homelander.

At the end of the day, the writers can make up whatever rules they want on this and the answer will probably be, "some just do, and some just don't." 

[tessathereaper]

30 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

In real life, lots of celebs manage to piss away their money.  A-Train has been shown to be a junkie with poor impulse control, so it doesn't surprise me that he would fall into that category.

It's not apparent until you get to know them that the supes are psychopaths, and some are less psycho than others. I'm trying to remember if we have seen Maeve do anything that is outright and unquestionably evil. I can't think of anything off the top. Even leaaving the planeload of people to die can be rationalized as being under duress from Homelander. 

I'm sure that the wealth, fame and power might cause some to look the other way to some low-grade crazy. The main classic-comics trope has the main downside of dating a supe being the possibility of villains coming after you, and in the Boysverse, there haven't really been villains till now.

Like others have said, there's no reason to not test non-Aryans since they are going to just get rid of them afterwards.

But what doesn't make much sense to me is, assuming Stormfront has been telling the truth about being Vought's wife why Vought would have given the working version of Compound V to minority kids like A-Train.

There's a reasonable argument that she should have stood up to Homelander, no matter the costs. If Wonder Woman somehow found herself in the same sort of situation with a suddenly-evil-and-cowardly Superman, that's probably what she would have done, even if it meant that Superman killed her. It is probably easier to have that thought if, like Elena, one doesn't realize how much of an actual psychopath Homelander is. Yes, Maeve has said he's a psycho, but tons of Vought conditioning could lead her to think that was an exaggeration. It also probably had Elena was "Brave Maeve" rather than the exact opposite in real-life.

They are both heroes and actors. They are literally filming a movie now, and I believe have done individual movies before.

Classic comics/superhero movies and shows have been all over the map as to whether powers can be inherited and how much. Various takes on Superman's offspring have had his kids having twists on his powers (Superman Returns), his normal powers (Jonathan Kent) or I believe watered down versions of his powers. Black Lightning has a kid whose powers have nothing to do with electricity and another whose electricity powers work a different way than his do. Magneto's kids Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch didn't get magnetic powers but developed their own powers. Franklin Richards doesn't have stretchy or invisible powers as such, but has, well, all the other powers. I'd bet that there have been examples of powered heroes having kids with absolutely no powers, but I'm blanking on them.

It could be that Stormfront's daughter did have some powers but not the slow aging one. Or it could be that the earlier form of Compound V didn't produce results that could be transmitted to offspring, but the current one does. Or it could be that Vought meddled with Stormfront's kid and Comppound V'ed him and he doesn't have the powers as a simple matter of what he inherited from Homelander.

At the end of the day, the writers can make up whatever rules they want on this and the answer will probably be, "some just do, and some just don't." 

Yeah being inherited is always iffy anyway. I would imagine it's like with most other traits, you never know if a child is going to inherit it or not.

[Sakura12]

Mystique from X-Men had one powered kid and one non-powered one. As others said not every kid inherits everything from their parents. Even Homelander's kid could've been normal since Becca is. 

We don't know if Stormfront's kid had powers or not. So far the only non-aging one we met is Stormfront. We don't know if that's something they all have. 

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

 

They are both heroes and actors. They are literally filming a movie now, and I believe have done individual movies before.

My point was that they, in general, are the biggest stars out there. Not actors. Them playing themselves in movies and what normal movie stars are who jump from project to project are two different things. They get all the attention and accolades that actors usually get in our world. So, they are a great target for a group like this.

[Bruinsfan]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

It's not apparent until you get to know them that the supes are psychopaths, and some are less psycho than others. I'm trying to remember if we have seen Maeve do anything that is outright and unquestionably evil. I can't think of anything off the top. Even leaaving the planeload of people to die can be rationalized as being under duress from Homelander.

We've seen Maeve be pretty blasé about deaths of gun-wielding terrorists and potentially those of bank robbers. Not that I think killing the former was evil, but a regular person would be at least a bit bothered by it even if it were necessary, and with her and Homelander's powers they could have disarmed and captured them alive pretty easily. She was clearly torn up by Homelander's decision to abandon that plane full of civilians though, so it's not as if she's a psychopath—maybe she's just seen enough action to compartmentalize and feel no guilt once someone has placed themselves in the "dangerous criminal" box.

[iMonrey]

I can't imagine in what universe having a retractable tentacle as a penis would be a useful superpower. I realize it was nothing more than a visual gag, but I wouldn't expect this particular show to do silly just for the sake of silly.

[tessathereaper]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I can't imagine in what universe having a retractable tentacle as a penis would be a useful superpower. I realize it was nothing more than a visual gag, but I wouldn't expect this particular show to do silly just for the sake of silly.

Wasn't the point that they never know what Compound V will affect?  They can't choose the super power Compound V creates, that's part of the reason for the experiments, to try and learn how to stabilize it's effects.  So it's not about being useful, in fact the point is sometimes it's not useful, sometimes it's just freakish.  Yes it was "silly" but in some ways it's also horrible to be turned into a "freak".  I think they were going for, and at least I felt I got from it, both those points.  Something can be used in a funny scene, but you can also still think about in a more serious sense as well. 

[Morrigan2575]

35 minutes ago, tessathereaper said:

Wasn't the point that they never know what Compound V will affect?  They can't choose the super power Compound V creates, that's part of the reason for the experiments, to try and learn how to stabilize it's effects.  So it's not about being useful, in fact the point is sometimes it's not useful, sometimes it's just freakish.  Yes it was "silly" but in some ways it's also horrible to be turned into a "freak".  I think they were going for, and at least I felt I got from it, both those points.  Something can be used in a funny scene, but you can also still think about in a more serious sense as well. 

I think they were looking to stabilize it to inject in adults. Apparently it's more unstable and, creates some messed up supers.

[mac123x]

7 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

There's a reasonable argument that she should have stood up to Homelander, no matter the costs. If Wonder Woman somehow found herself in the same sort of situation with a suddenly-evil-and-cowardly Superman, that's probably what she would have done, even if it meant that Superman killed her. It is probably easier to have that thought if, like Elena, one doesn't realize how much of an actual psychopath Homelander is. Yes, Maeve has said he's a psycho, but tons of Vought conditioning could lead her to think that was an exaggeration. It also probably had Elena was "Brave Maeve" rather than the exact opposite in real-life.

Agreed.  Plus Elena hasn't been a part of Maeve's life for several years, so doesn't actually know just how much Homlander has abused and terrorized her.  The writers have given Maeve a lot of characteristics of a domestic abuse victim.  

7 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

It could be that Stormfront's daughter did have some powers but not the slow aging one. Or it could be that the earlier form of Compound V didn't produce results that could be transmitted to offspring, but the current one does.

I know I shouldn't bring science into this, but none of their offspring should inherit unless this universe operates by inheritance of acquired characteristics.  I think Ryan having abilities is unique (or very rare), which is why Vought built that Truman Show compound for him.

[Chicago Redshirt]

3 minutes ago, mac123x said:

I know I shouldn't bring science into this, but none of their offspring should inherit unless this universe operates by inheritance of acquired characteristics.  I think Ryan having abilities is unique (or very rare), which is why Vought built that Truman Show compound for him.

I think that is different from this. Inheritance of acquired characteristics is (as I understand it) the notion that a giraffe who stretches his neck and develops a longer one will pass along a stretchier, longer neck to offspring.

Compound V presumably changes someone's genetic makeup and traits from it could get inherited like any other.

[CletusMusashi]

Perhaps Homelander is a rare case because his embryonic DNA was manipulated very early.

[TV Anonymous]

Super Penis! Even though that scene was only 15 seconds long, it was the highlight of the episode for me. Only this show dares to go there, exploiting sex organ with super power.