It’s been more than a year and a half since The Boys’ season 2 conclusion, and they haven’t lost a beat, launching season 3 with a startling premiere… It’s rather shocking, to be honest. The Boys Season 3 Episode 1 features everything that the series is known for among fans. It’s more brutal and bloody, with a lot of superhero geopolitics that should result in a lot of adrenaline-pumping action in future episodes. The first episode establishes the premise and main conflict of Season 3, and that is to take down Homelander, who is losing not just his sanity but also his control over his cherished superhero team, “The Seven.”
The Boys Season 3 Episode 1 brings a new short-term compound V, also known as V24, that will give Billy some momentary “superpowers” which will empower him to search for the greatest weapon to blow Homelander’s head off. So, without further ado, let’s recap the major events of Episode 1 and ponder on their meaning.
The Boys Season 3 Episode 1 Recap
We begin with a final scene from Dawn of the Seven, the long-awaited superhero movie. The plot of the film has been changed to include a modified version of what happened with Stormfront, though a new actress has been hired to play Nazi Supe. The film is torn between its Justice League similarities (#ReleaseTheBourkeCut) and a clever reference to Avengers: Infinity War with the line “He’s not alone.”
While seeing the film with his team at the global premiere, Homelander’s expression is dead and lifeless, but he puts on his award-winning face for the red carpet. When Hughie & Annie arrive, A-Train takes questions from the press, who wonder if he’ll ever race again. A-Train wraps an arm around Hughie for photo shoots, much to Hughie’s annoyance.
Meanwhile, Homelander is swamped with Stormfront-related questions, while Ashley Barrett is arguing with the director in a restroom stall. In the restroom, Hughie runs into Butcher. The Boys have been collaborating with the FBSA, and they need permission to carry out another assignment.
Catching Termite
Termite is the Boys’ next objective. Frenchie & Kimiko enter a party in pursuit of the Supe, equipped with a body camera that Butcher is monitoring from the outside. When Kimiko discovers a girl alone in a corner playing the piano, she is briefly sidetracked and fantasizes about humming along to the music.
After staging on a pint-sized porno with a doll for the visitors, Termite shrinks back to human size and enters a private room with a guy. Things between the two start to get heated, and what happens next will forever impact the definition of the phrase “I want you inside me” for everyone. Termite, little once more, takes the other man’s demand very seriously. Unfortunately, their amusement is short-lived, as the Supe sneezes, resuming his full form and triggering his partner to burst.
When Frenchie enters the bloodbath, a brawl begins as he desperately attempts not to become Termite’s next victim. Butcher saves the day by barging in and shoving the small Supe into a bag of cocaine (despite the fact that it clearly bothers him not to take care of business because he now has to abide by the Bureau’s rules).
Butcher Doing It For Ryan
Victoria Neuman informs Hughie that Termite is no longer an option after Butcher’s act with the bag of coke. Instead, the Fbi is getting a few B-list Supes after Vought closed a new sponsorship with him and is shipping him to a wellness retreat. On the positive side, their efforts are still paying off, as Supe collateral is dropped 60% for the year! When Hughie arrives at the Boys’ current hideout to deliver the bad news, Butcher is enraged.
Grace Mallory, who has been caring for Ryan, receives a visit from Butcher. The kid is overjoyed to see Butcher and rushes outside to hug him. They go inside to play Connect Four. They talk about Ryan’s dreams about Homelander, as well as his schoolwork and his mother. Grace reminds Butcher that M.M. walked out and points out how well he’s been behaving for Ryan’s sake alone the past year, giving him another chance to be free from the endless war with the Supes & Vought.
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Homelander Is Losing It
Homelander shows up for an interview on Cameron Coleman’s program but has an unsettling backstage encounter with The Deep. Deep is still hoping to reclaim his status among The Seven, but Homelander is only interested in learning how he managed to book the talk show slot before him. When the show starts, Cameron and Homelander discuss Stormfront, and Homelander faithfully recites his prepared line about being a man who simply fell in love with the wrong girl.
Homelander is puzzled when he arrives for a meeting with Stan and discovers that Starlight is also present. Stan then effectively destroys his day by dropping a shocker on them: he asks Starlight to be The Seven’s co-captain. The committee has already decided; all she has to do now is accept the offer. They’re both taken aback. Stan firmly orders Homelander to go, assuring Starlight that everything will be OK. Homelander is under his authority as long as he is the CEO of Vought. Starlight comes to grasp the positive impact she may have as co-captain as she considers her options.
Stormfront is still alive and ok in a hospital room inside Vought Tower, despite the fact that she was basically fried to a crisp. While she’s trying to watch a news broadcast about her obsessed followers, the Stormchasers, Homelander pays her a visit. He is adamant that being with her was not wrong, and he is irritated by Starlight’s advancement. Homelander continues to grumble as he walks up to Stormfront’s bed and unzips his trousers for some extracurricular activities, but as she starts ranting about her Nazi beliefs, he pulls away in disgust.
V-24 & New Member Of The Seven
Stan Edgar sits down with Robert Singer for a meeting and presents him to V-24, a drug that temporarily grants a soldier Supe powers for 24 hours. Robert isn’t keen on the idea of Supes joining the military. Stan confronts him, confessing the Supes have devolved into a mess. He confesses he wants Vought to focus completely on drugs and defense and get out of the superhero industry.
Who would be The Seven’s next new recruit? A participant on Starlight’s new tv show, American Hero, will be chosen to fill the seat. Starlight’s ex-boyfriend Supersonic is one of the participants, much to her angst. Annie informs Hughie about the co-captain opportunity as the couple returns to Annie’s trailer. Hughie isn’t excited, but she appears to be more interested in the idea and what it could mean for women now. He lets his envy get the best of him and makes a sarcastic remark about Supersonic, ruining the mood between them.
Butcher Gets Some V-24
Maeve messages Butcher and tells him they need to talk after seeing Homelander bulling A-Train. When she arrives at the hideout, she hands Butcher a file on a Supe known as Soldier Boy. She believes that the device that killed him could be the key to finally bringing Homelander down. When he stumbles upon a photo of the Supe team Payback, Maeve says that they were displeased when The Seven overtook them. She proposes that he contact Crimson Countess or Gunpowder, two of Soldier Boys’ former teammates, for more information. She gives him a few vials of V-24 as a farewell gift. If Butcher is going up against Payback, he’ll need it.
Butcher was about to pour the capsules down the sink when he gets home, but a sound distracts him. Homelander is waiting outside his balcony when he hides them in a cookie jar. He welcomes him in, and they sit down to talk. Homelander inquires about Ryan before moving on to the main reason for his visit: Vought, the Bureau, and how they’ve been managing things recently.
Hughie Sees Everything
Hughie departs the Bureau for the day just after Victoria leaves and encounters Tony, the man who has been trailing her around and calling her Nadia. He follows them, crouching behind trash to listen in as they pull off into an alley to discuss. Tony argues, reminding Victoria that they used to be great friends, but Victoria simply assures him that she is no longer Nadia.
He tells her that now that she has a stage, they now have to tell everybody about “Red River” because he wants people to know whatever happened to him. When Tony’s nose starts to bleed, Victoria embraces him, and he panics. When the two begin to fight, Victoria uses her abilities to kill him. Hughie stands frozen in place just meters away from the gruesome sight while she summons a crew to clean up the mess. This is how The Boys Season 3 Episode 1 concludes.
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