Episode 1: A decent opening to the series. Classic animation, with zero dialogue heavily relying on physical humor and cartoon logic. Decently humorous and dark, with a sweet relationship between the scientist and the baby at the center. Seems to rely a bit too heavily on the shock value of extreme gore juxtaposed against the Looney Toons-esque animation, but overall a solid beginning. 7/10.
Episode 2: Second worst in the anthology. It starts with an interesting idea, "what happens to the supes who develop useless powers?" but does little with that concept. It more acts as a vehicle so they can show a guy with giant breasts instead of a face graphically murdering his parents. Rarely funny and relies way too heavily on trying to be edgy over being good. 4/10.
Episode 3: Personal favorite episode. Shows a much more comic-accurate depiction of the world, with Hughie voiced by Simon Pegg, and an appearance by Jack from Jupiter, a member of the Seven who was replaced by Translucent for the show. Expertly shows both how intelligent and sadistic Butcher can be when taking out Supes, as well as the classic Boys theme of the Supes being awful people lying to the public for attention. Great writing, great voice work, excellent episode all around. 10/10, I'd love an entire show made like this episode.
Episode 4: An interesting change of pace, exploring the age of social media stars using the Boys universe as a background, instead of directly exploring the ramifications of that world. It's pretty predictable and not at all subtle in its messaging, but it still manages to be interesting and engaging. And the ending twist is an excellent combination of both brutal and funny in an extremely dark way. 8/10.
Episode 5: Genuinely awful. A disgusting concept (and not in a fun way) that the creators seemed to think was way funnier than it was. It's like they took a character too stupid to make it into Episode 2 (which is saying a lot) and decided to dedicate an entire episode to it. Awful dialogue as well, and probably the worst voice acting in the series. Only slight positive is a decent adaptation of the show version of the Deep. 2/10.
Episode 6: Probably the most average episode, though most seemed to like this episode more than me. Don Cheadle is amazing as Nubian Prince, and it's a nice look at how rough domestic life as a Vought super hero can be, especially with the pressure to stick to the script taking precedence over personal relationships. The examination of a child trying to prevent her parents from divorcing is an excellent example of real-world problems with a superhero twist that is a main draw of the Boys. Main issue is the prominently featured Groundhawk. Although he's not a terrible character, his voice acting was a bit grating and a lot of the humor stemming from him felt very forced. Excellent concepts and acceptable execution, but doesn't reach the heights of some other episodes. 6/10.
Episode 7: Probably the most tryhard episode. Depressing look at an old man desperate to cure his wife of her cancer, and the lengths and risks he goes to in pursuit of this goal, his elation when he thinks he's saved her, and the acceptance when he loses her again. By far the most serious episode, with essentially zero lighthearted moments. The episode description perfectly sums this one up, directly telling the audience to "Put on you crying face." An emotional episode where the creators tried to force the empathy a bit too hard, but not enough to heavily detract from the experience. 7/10.
Episode 8: Another very comic-accurate episode, and the second darkest behind 7. Explore's Homelanders childhood and his debut as a superhero, using a plot point heavily featured in the comics. He began genuinely wanting and trying to be a good hero, protecting life and preventing violence. However, his complete lack of training and knowledge combined with the trauma of his upbringing causes more and more mistakes that push his mind closer to the breaking point, and causing yet more violence as he tries to hide his failings. Antony Starr shines here bringing out the conflict in the character. Although it doesn't have the highest body count, the use of gore is perhaps at its best here, showing what Homelander can do to a human body when he isn't careful enough in all its graphic detail. A bit too serious for the Boys universe with not enough dark humor, but that's entirely a personal preference and not the fault of the episode at all. 9/10.
Episode 2: Second worst in the anthology. It starts with an interesting idea, "what happens to the supes who develop useless powers?" but does little with that concept. It more acts as a vehicle so they can show a guy with giant breasts instead of a face graphically murdering his parents. Rarely funny and relies way too heavily on trying to be edgy over being good. 4/10.
Episode 3: Personal favorite episode. Shows a much more comic-accurate depiction of the world, with Hughie voiced by Simon Pegg, and an appearance by Jack from Jupiter, a member of the Seven who was replaced by Translucent for the show. Expertly shows both how intelligent and sadistic Butcher can be when taking out Supes, as well as the classic Boys theme of the Supes being awful people lying to the public for attention. Great writing, great voice work, excellent episode all around. 10/10, I'd love an entire show made like this episode.
Episode 4: An interesting change of pace, exploring the age of social media stars using the Boys universe as a background, instead of directly exploring the ramifications of that world. It's pretty predictable and not at all subtle in its messaging, but it still manages to be interesting and engaging. And the ending twist is an excellent combination of both brutal and funny in an extremely dark way. 8/10.
Episode 5: Genuinely awful. A disgusting concept (and not in a fun way) that the creators seemed to think was way funnier than it was. It's like they took a character too stupid to make it into Episode 2 (which is saying a lot) and decided to dedicate an entire episode to it. Awful dialogue as well, and probably the worst voice acting in the series. Only slight positive is a decent adaptation of the show version of the Deep. 2/10.
Episode 6: Probably the most average episode, though most seemed to like this episode more than me. Don Cheadle is amazing as Nubian Prince, and it's a nice look at how rough domestic life as a Vought super hero can be, especially with the pressure to stick to the script taking precedence over personal relationships. The examination of a child trying to prevent her parents from divorcing is an excellent example of real-world problems with a superhero twist that is a main draw of the Boys. Main issue is the prominently featured Groundhawk. Although he's not a terrible character, his voice acting was a bit grating and a lot of the humor stemming from him felt very forced. Excellent concepts and acceptable execution, but doesn't reach the heights of some other episodes. 6/10.
Episode 7: Probably the most tryhard episode. Depressing look at an old man desperate to cure his wife of her cancer, and the lengths and risks he goes to in pursuit of this goal, his elation when he thinks he's saved her, and the acceptance when he loses her again. By far the most serious episode, with essentially zero lighthearted moments. The episode description perfectly sums this one up, directly telling the audience to "Put on you crying face." An emotional episode where the creators tried to force the empathy a bit too hard, but not enough to heavily detract from the experience. 7/10.
Episode 8: Another very comic-accurate episode, and the second darkest behind 7. Explore's Homelanders childhood and his debut as a superhero, using a plot point heavily featured in the comics. He began genuinely wanting and trying to be a good hero, protecting life and preventing violence. However, his complete lack of training and knowledge combined with the trauma of his upbringing causes more and more mistakes that push his mind closer to the breaking point, and causing yet more violence as he tries to hide his failings. Antony Starr shines here bringing out the conflict in the character. Although it doesn't have the highest body count, the use of gore is perhaps at its best here, showing what Homelander can do to a human body when he isn't careful enough in all its graphic detail. A bit too serious for the Boys universe with not enough dark humor, but that's entirely a personal preference and not the fault of the episode at all. 9/10.