In hindsight, perhaps the anticlimax was an inevitable outcome. Centering an entire season of "The Boys" around a plot to eliminate Homelander was always a precarious proposition, given that the show had no intention of bidding him farewell. And rightly so! Antony Starr's portrayal stands as the most intricately layered and entertaining in the series; more crucially, he embodies the chief antagonist. I hadn't anticipated his demise so prematurely. However, at this juncture in the narrative, the ensemble has ballooned, and the plot has become so convoluted that a significant shift in the status quo seems imperative – yet "The Instant White-Hot Wild" fails to deliver one. The stakes appear curiously muted when compared to season two's cliffhanger, which teemed with uncertainty, culminating in a significant plot victory (defeating Stormfront), a character triumph (Butcher pledging to care for an unwanted child), and a heart-wrenching loss (Becca). This time around, there are explosions, lasers, and lethal nerve agents aplenty, but once the smoke dissipates, it becomes evident that little has truly changed.
Make no mistake; the finale is replete with thrilling moments. The Boys are still grappling with a rift, leading to disparate and conflicting missions. Butcher and Hughie remain committed to transporting Soldier Boy to Vought Tower to hunt down and terminate Homelander and Black Noir. Conversely, Mother's Milk, Frenchie, Kimiko, a newly retired Annie, and a recently liberated Maeve are more preoccupied with Soldier Boy, acknowledging that his signature explosion could decimate thousands this time around. The divide deepens further when Butcher incapacitates Hughie before he can ingest more V24, forcing him to team up with Annie.
In the car, Annie fills Hughie in on the lethal nature of V24, causing him to realize that Butcher had, in fact, saved his life. Upon returning to their base, he advocates for sparing Butcher as well. But when the team arrives at Butcher's hideout, their strategy crumbles. Maeve defects back to Butcher's side and discards Frenchie's sole dose of Novichok, momentarily trapping the group in a secure room.
Naturally, Butcher's plan will fall flat unless Soldier Boy honors his word. This poses another pressing question of the episode: How will Soldier Boy's awareness of his kinship with Homelander influence the mission? Butcher is disquieted as he exchanges tales with Soldier Boy about their cold, abusive fathers. Soldier Boy harbors the belief that he would make a better father than his own had been.
Homelander's yearning for a genuine family is sincere, an aspiration that seemed unattainable until now. Yet, his pursuit also serves as a cunning strategic maneuver to reclaim Ryan, Becca's son, and leverage him to win over Soldier Boy. This is made possible by his acquisition of Ryan's whereabouts from Neuman, a deal sealed with the elimination of Dakota Bob's vice-presidential pick by the Deep, clearing Neuman's path.
It is heart-wrenching to witness Ryan returning to Homelander, the monstrosity who once abused and imprisoned his mother. This reunion stings, for it makes a grim sense, albeit Ryan's scarcity throughout the season renders his transformation somewhat sudden. Compare his final exchange with Butcher—indeed, his last scene altogether—where Butcher repelled him with disdain, explicitly accusing him of murdering his own mother, to his interaction with Homelander. Homelander, conversely, assists Ryan in comprehending that Becca's demise was not his fault, that such accidents can occur with their powers. Here stands Ryan's biological father, professing his unconditional love. Naturally, Ryan is susceptible.
As anticipated, the season's climactic confrontation unfolds at Vought. Soldier Boy adheres to the plan, assaulting Homelander despite his fervent plea for an alliance between the world's two strongest individuals. To Soldier Boy, Homelander is merely a "weak, whining weakling craving attention," a "fucking disappointment." These are the same words Soldier Boy's own father once used, directly contradicting his earlier reflections on breaking the cycle. This echoes Butcher, whose flashbacks in the finale unveiled how violence can become normalized, turning hurting others into an automatic response.
Ryan interrupts Soldier Boy before he can finish Homelander off, prompting Soldier Boy to retaliate against Ryan. This final, personal touch serves as the catalyst for Butcher to realize the compromises he's making by aligning with Soldier Boy. Thus, we witness a brief reprise of the Homelander-Soldier Boy-Butcher brawl from "Herogasm," albeit curiously, this time Butcher and Homelander find themselves on the same side. Maeve joins in, steadfast in her original mission. During a grueling moment late in their scrap, Homelander viciously gouges out her eye.
The remainder of the Boys arrive at the nick of time to rescue Butcher, wasting no moments in diving headfirst into action. Frenchie hastily concocts a Russian nerve agent at the eleventh hour, while Kimiko gleefully resumes her grim task of brutally dispatching anyone daring to venture near them. Hughie swiftly evacuates the premises, yet his crowning achievement lies in disintegrating the studio lights, a maneuver that amplifies Annie’s might to the extent of neutralizing Soldier Boy. Hughie's inflated sense of self has lingered far too prolonged this season, and his realization in this chapter, albeit predictable—that heroism isn't solely born of superpowers, but often resides in mere presence and unwavering support for loved ones—nevertheless marks a triumphant moment.
Ultimately, MM administers Novichok to Soldier Boy, while Maeve makes the ultimate sacrifice, soaring him out the window amidst his final, blinding explosion. Of course, Maeve doesn't perish; much like Kimiko, the detonation spares her life but strips her of her abilities. This Liberation paves the way for her to embark on a new journey with Elena, a happy ending they both richly deserve after years of emotional turmoil. Should this mark Dominique McElligott's curtain call on the series, it would be a poignant loss, as she has portrayed one of the ensemble's most intricate, morally ambiguous characters, particularly considering her limited screen presence in recent installments. Nonetheless, she exits with a semblance of grace following a season shrouded in darkness.
Black Noir emerges as the sole casualty of "The Instant White-Hot Wild." His genuine quest to confront his inner demons concludes in a gruesome spectacle, his intestines sprawled across the Vought floor after Homelander discovers Noir's knowledge of his true parentage. RIP, indeed.
The final moments of the finale are consumed by other epilogue developments. Soldier Boy, unconscious yet still breathing, is relinquished back into the CIA's custody, placed in suspended animation akin to a toy that the writers can revive at their leisure. MM shares a poignant encounter with his daughter Janine, ultimately deciding to cease concealing the truth about supes. Cassandra betrays her husband and pawn, the Deep, to advance her own salacious autobiography. Annie is officially welcomed into the ranks of the Boys. Dakota Bob announces Neuman as his vice presidential pick.
Most will recall the haunting vision of Ryan's face contorted into a chilling smile as he witnesses his father being hailed for slaying a protester in broad daylight. Yet, the most compelling revelation unfolds as promised: V24 is set to terminate Butcher. Indeed, his days are numbered—perhaps a year, at most eighteen months. This places Butcher in an intriguing predicament at the season's close: conscious of his impending doom, yet unwavering in his vow to combat Vought. The ambiguity lies in whether Butcher intends to pursue his mission by any means conceivable, or if his recent loss has prompted a reconsideration of his tactics.
For indeed, it constitutes a loss, despite the collective effort to restrain Soldier Boy before he could claim thousands of lives. The reverberations of his prior explosive actions linger—deaths that would have remained mere possibilities had Butcher never resurrected Soldier Boy. The Boys may have reunited, but their situation has deteriorated since the season's onset, with dwindling allies and adversaries growing ever more formidable.
Most poignantly, Butcher's bond with the boy he had come to embrace as his son may forever bear the scars of betrayal. He lost the child to Homelander—a fate darker and more perilous than Ryan's actual demise—owing to Butcher's own actions that pushed Ryan into the clutches of the monster. Here lies the cruelest irony: in sacrificing all his relationships for a 'scorched-earth' strategy, Butcher ensured the loss of everything dear to him. And now, death beckons.
These are the thoughts that I wish this episode—and indeed, this entire season—had delved into with greater depth. Season three excelled on a structural plane, with intricately interlocking elements forming a rapid-paced, exhilarating array of episodes. I will remember it as a commendable season, at times breathtaking. However, as a tapestry of narratives, it felt rushed, seldom pausing to dwell in the depths of emotion.
There were, indeed, moments of exquisite beauty and heart-wrenching emotion scattered throughout this season. Yet, all too frequently, its focus wandered aimlessly, causing captivating narratives to be sidelined and overlooked. Hughie’s confrontation with his dear friend Neuman, regarding the betrayal he felt upon discovering her true colors, remained conspicuously absent. (Curiously enough, we did witness Annie broaching the subject with her.) Little Nina vanished without a trace, Maeve was all too often reduced to a mere plot conduit, and the Deep’s storyline devolved into a succession of comic relief sketches. Despite the extensive discourse on the high death toll, only one named character met his demise in the finale, and even then, he had been in a vegetative state since the previous season’s equivalent timeframe.
"The Boys" is an ambitious show, boasting a vast ensemble cast and groundbreaking concepts. Much like the entirety of season three, the episode titled “The Instant White-Hot Wild” is enjoyable, grisly, and masterfully crafted. It skillfully sets the stage for an array of storylines in season four. However, as the series progresses, it becomes increasingly challenging to hit the brakes — yet, my desire for it to do just that only intensifies.
