The Boys Finale Review: What I Know (Season 2 Episode 8)

The Boys ends its spectacular second season on a triumphant high note, luring its characters into a false sense of security as it looks toward its already green-lit third season. However, our anti-heroes do not come out unscathed, losing Becca and possibly hope for Ryan’s future in the process. 

The Boys continues to do a strikingly good job at making its characters a variety of shades of gray, making each person in this world, protagonist and antagonist alike, multi-faceted.

On The Boys Season 2 Episode 8, “What I Know,” this may be more true than ever — digging deeper into Homelander’s scars by exploring his relationship with Ryan and initially continuing Butcher’s trend of prioritizing Becca above her son, even if it means wounding her emotionally in the process.

Of course, things don’t exactly end that way at the end of the hour, but it’s the thought that counts. 

The Boys isn’t a show for everyone. But, it’s important nevertheless as it never shies away from its political allegories. That’s the point of all of this, after all — deconstructing the dream of superheroes and placing it into a realistic setting.

This is perhaps more evident this season than the one that preceded it. The entire opening sequence of this episode acts as a plain-as-day metaphor to the gun debate in America. Teachers with guns? Informational videos? “Thoughts and prayers?”

Just replace super-villain with terrorist (or ‘mentally-ill loner,’ depending on who you ask) and superhero with ‘good guy with a gun’ and it’s right there. The Boys is timely, perhaps almost too timely, and is bound to offend some people, but perhaps telling stories with simple metaphors is the way to speak to people.

After all, it’s a lot easier to recognize the ideals and intentions of a Nazi than terrorists found today, much in part to the media. 

That’s not to say The Boys only plans to address the issues that lay within one political ideology. With “What I Know’s” biggest plot twist that Senator Neuman is behind the exploding heads, not the previous red herring of Cindy, The Boys ventures into new territory.

This is a risky move, however, as the character seems clearly modeled after Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and they run the risk of villainizing her further than she already has been.

But as this has hardly been delved into, it would be premature to make any harsh judgments, but it still is worth it to point it out. 

It’s easy to celebrate media representation when it obviously aligns with the ideals one cares about, but what happens if and when it begins to venture into territory that begins to make its presumably more liberal viewers more uncomfortable? Or is this not something noticed or important to the average viewer?

The Boys also makes an attempt at superhumanizing Homelander on “What I Know” and succeeds. That doesn’t mean it tries to convince its viewers to root for him, however.

In no way does the audience believe that Homelander can be saved or redeemed, but instead it takes a detailed look into the circumstances of what makes Homelander the monster that he is now. 

Even monsters have feelings. And every person, no matter what acts they commit, begin their lives as an innocent child. Even Vogelbaum reiterated this previously, as he details to Butcher what Homelander is like before he became the strongest man in the world. But, you almost feel bad for him as he attempts to teach his son, and uneasily provides him with affection and encouragement.

Stormfront picks up on this, and almost seems impatient and annoyed with Homelander’s attempted gentleness. This is not surprising. She’s a Nazi. There is no softness from those origins. 

But in the end, Homelander’s advice to find something he hates backfires, as Stormfront’s intended murder of Becca provokes the child, mutilating Stormfront beyond repair. There are two perfect words for this: Poetic Justice.

Stormfront, coming from ableist and racist origins, now is doomed to live the rest of her miserable life in a facility, maybe in pain, but definitely mangled. She is now part of what she hates. 

We don’t see the pain that this causes Stormfront long-term, but this has an obvious effect on Homelander, who has spent the entire season searching for love. He attempts to recreate his affair with Stillwell, he pursues a romance with Stormfront, and he attempts to gain the love of his child.

But in the end, all of it is taken from him, even if by his own doing. Maeve’s blackmail pushes him to his breaking point, as he can’t lose the love of his fans. That is all that remains. 

Though, masturbating hundreds of feet up in the air is a strange way to hold onto the illusion of power. 

Homelander may be at rock bottom, but he’s not done. While the end of the episode including this moment sees The Boys moving on with their lives and The Seven resettling into a new normal, Homelander seems to be underestimated as normal, and the expectation is that he will return with a fury, even if his eyes glaze over as he gives his press conference. Strength breeds resilience. 

And Homelander is the strongest man in the world. 

While Homelander hits rock bottom, Butcher finds a better path, even if it is still soaked with blood and loss. 

Butcher’s main issue when it comes to Becca and Ryan is that he doesn’t see Ryan as Becca’s son, his wife’s son. To Butcher, Ryan is Homelander’s son and more than that, a monster in the making. And while Becca believed that she raised him well and that with the right care that he could become different, Butcher doesn’t believe that.

Why should he? After all, Homelander was a soft boy once. Who’s to say if the future of a person like that is determined by nurture, or if it is actually nature. 

Becca, however, reaches him, and through his experiences with Starlight and Kimiko, he begins to see Ryan not as Homelander’s son, but Becca’s. And while Ryan is sent to the CIA, he does have a moment of bonding with the boy, giving him his mother’s pendant. Becca may be gone, but if there is any chance for him, maybe Becca’s memory will help him and protect him from this fate. 

Butcher also surprisingly takes Becca’s death better than expected, but it’s his pact with his wife that pushes him to inaction, and actually leads him to protect Ryan, even when it would be easy to just let Homelander have him.

Butcher’s entire motivation has been Becca, and he still honors her in this way, but now that she’s gone, and Ryan’s gone for now, where does that leave him?

It’ll be a while until we find out. 

Stray Thoughts

• The Deep spends the majority of the season entrenched in the church that is confirmed to have fascist roots. As he’s denied from rejoining the Seven, will he spend more time away from the major players? The longer he does, the more out of place he seems. Let’s hope more come to his aid in taking down the Church, which should be easier with the Senator’s assassination. 
• “I can’t lash out like some raging, entitled maniac. That’s a white man’s luxury.” This is such a powerful quote. Combined with the comments about her removing A-Train from The Seven, it hits hard and reiterates the ways Black men and women have to handle themselves in a society with veiled racism. It’s heartbreaking that this is in reaction to an actual Nazi and that Black Americans especially have to enact the very same tactics today. And Stormfront says it herself — she says things that people want to hear (and what some people think and believe), but people just don’t like the word Nazi. What does that say about racism today? 
• Kimiko and Frenchie’s ending is endearing, and it’s relieving to be able to enjoy them, considering the toxicity of their relationship before. Many shows skip over working these issues out, which is another way in which The Boys stands out. 
• The Boys knows how to do pay-off. The Girls Get It Done scene is one of the most satisfying fight scenes aired in a long time, only amplified by the catharsis of a bisexual woman, an immigrant, and a non-Christian beating up a Nazi. Girls do get it done. 
• Becca’s death plays a huge role in setting up future conflicts, but it would have been nice to see her stick around for a little bit longer. We only get to know her this season, and she’s a great character, driven not only by motherhood but by an awareness that drives her to protect her son for not only his sake but for the sake of the world. 
• Hughie doesn’t do too much this episode, but the moments he has with Becca and Annie are nice. Especially with Becca’s death, it’s more important than ever that she acknowledges his relationship with Butcher and encourages it. 

What did you think of this episode of The Boys? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

—

The Boys will return for a third season on Amazon Prime Video.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

36 Greatest LGBTQ+ Television Couples from the Past Ten Years