‘The Boys’: ‘Herogasm’ Will Leave Fans Sweaty & Satisfied (RECAP)
Spoiler Alert
Sometimes Going Rogue Pays Off
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[WARNING: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for The Boys Season 3 Episode 6, “Herogasm.”]
Has there ever been an episode of The Boys as hotly anticipated as “Herogasm?”
In the lead-up to Season 3, headlines swirled regarding the episode’s adult content, the comic’s X-rated storyline, how much would be shown, and more. In the end, “Herogasm” delivers on the promise in its title — there are still plenty of supes and non-supes gettin’ it on. But it also features some poignant character moments, pulse-pounding action, and a jaw-dropper of an ending. All things considered, it should leave fans… plenty satisfied.
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
The gist of the story is that three groups are all going after “the twins” in Payback, who are hosting the “Herogasm” orgy at their home. Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), Butcher (Karl Urban), and Hughie (Jack Quaid) are headed to the party because Soldier Boy wants to wipe out his old team members for abandoning him to be tortured in Russia. That’s okay with Butcher, as long as he gets Homelander in the end. So, to the orgy they go.
The Deep (Chace Crawford) is sent to look for Soldier Boy because Homelander (Antony Starr) now knows Soldier Boy is back and wants to kill him before he can destroy Vought’s public image (and by extension, his own). And lastly, Annie (Erin Moriarty) and MM (Laz Alonso), ever the through-and-through good guys, are there to warn the twins and the innocent Herogasm attendees of the impending bloodbath.
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
A brief aside, first, to address a few character beats that occur before the supe-sex party. Annie has a tense meeting with Neuman (Claudia Doumit), who knows that Hughie knows she’s a supe. Tired of being used and exploited for other people’s gains, Annie refuses her politically motivated offer of support and tells her to leave. “Just between us,” Neuman says as she goes, “it’d be difficult to kill America’s sweetheart, but not impossible.” As she steps out the door, Annie wipes a trickle of blood from her nose.
Homelander is still losing it. After discovering through security camera footage that Soldier Boy’s alive, his psyche has more cracks than are visible at Herogasm. (Sorry.) He winds up talking to himself in the mirror, admitting he still wants people to love him — and telling himself off for having any human emotions.
Amazon Studios
Now, to the main event. Maybe I’ve been watching this show for too long, but I didn’t find Herogasm itself all that… shocking? Yes, there were boobs and butts and that huge-penis guy from Season 2. There’s a dildo made of ice. There’s an unfortunate explosion of fluid that wrecks poor MM’s favorite jacket. But in a TV landscape where Game of Thrones and Westworld exist (remember that Season 1 orgy?), I wouldn’t say nothing like Herogasm has ever aired before. In fact, I found the first 15 minutes of this season more shocking than anything shown here.
Deep arrives first and, in true Deep fashion, he winds up screwing an octopus. (From the moment he was sent to Herogasm, I predicted he’d end up doing something nasty with a fish.) Annie and MM appear next, and she tries to warn Blue Hawk of the incoming danger. Blue Hawk doesn’t listen, having already decided that Homelander was right when he said Soldier Boy wasn’t back and the attack in New York was nothing to worry about. Annie then learns from The Deep that Homelander is coming. This worsens everything by about 100 percent.
Hughie, Butcher, and Soldier Boy are last to arrive, the first two having shot up again with V-24. Soldier Boy keeps his word to Butcher and Hughie and doesn’t attack anyone at random… at least not intentionally. As he walks around the party, Hughie sees Annie and teleports her out of the house. In safety on a forested road, they have a huge argument about Hughie’s reliance on V and whether Annie always needs to be the “strong” one. “On our first date, you said that didn’t bother you!” Annie says, referring to her powers. “I know,” Hughie says, tears in his eyes, “but it does, sometimes.” They part ways on bad terms.
Back inside the house, MM comes face to face with the man who killed his grandfather… and it doesn’t go well. Not only is he unable to kill Soldier Boy on his first try, but Butcher also steps in and prevents him from trying again. While they argue, Soldier Boy finds the twins — who are arguing about a camera in the toilet — and as they swear they didn’t know about him being turned over to Russia, a particular song comes on the party playlist. As happened in New York, Soldier Boy loses control and levels the house, killing the twins instantly.
As everyone’s putting themselves back together, Homelander shows up. He, Soldier Boy, Butcher, and Hughie have a nasty brawl that nearly kills all of them at some point; walls are broken, necks are nearly snapped, and laser eyes burn. In the end, Soldier Boy almost kills Homelander… but the mad supe breaks free at the last second and soars away.
A brief pause to explain what happened with Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Capone). Kimiko’s taken from the hospital into an abandoned warehouse, where Nina (Katia Winter) has her and Cherie (Jordana Lajoie) tied up. She demands a restrained Frenchie choose which woman to save, otherwise her goons will kill them both. Frenchie refuses to pick, but Kimiko breaks free and attacks the baddies. She kills both of the men, but she sustains serious injuries without her powers and Nina gets away. Frenchie realizes that no matter how hard they try, they might not be able to escape their pasts.
Amazon Studios
Also, A-Train (Jessie T. Usher) might’ve died. He showed up at Herogasm to get Blue Hawk. (He gets a decent character moment when he sincerely apologizes to Hughie for killing his girlfriend in Season 1, now knowing how it feels when a supe hurts someone you love.) He grabs Blue Hawk by his leg and runs, dragging the guy on the road. This literally rips Blue Hawk apart, leaving chunks of him splattered across the pavement like roadkill. But given A-Train’s heart condition, it also appears to kill him or at least seriously hurt him. He collapses, ringing in his ears, and stops breathing.
Defeated, Hughie, Butcher, and Soldier Boy depart. As they go, Annie and MM — who survived, thank goodness — decide to help the innocent survivors. Annie goes one step further. With MM holding her phone, she does a livestream and tells her millions of followers exactly what happened; that Soldier Boy is back, that Homelander is lying, that Maeve (Dominique McElligot) is probably dead and that she might be killed for speaking out. She doesn’t care. “I’m not Starlight anymore,” she says. “My name is Annie January, and I quit.”
The Boys Season 3, Fridays, Amazon Prime Video
