The Boys Season 1, Episode 1 recap: An introduction to The Seven

The Boys promised us a completely different take on superheroes and that’s exactly what we got. Here’s all that went down in The Boys series premiere.

If you were expecting a superhero show where the ones with powers are the do-gooders, think again. The Boys always promised us something different and that’s exactly what we got. It’s time to delve into the very first episode.

As you would expect, there are spoilers in this post for The Boys Season 1, Episode 1. I won’t include anything from other episodes, so don’t worry if you haven’t binge-watched the whole series yet.

For fans of the source material by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, there is some good news. The origins of The Seven and The Boys is pretty much the same. However, don’t expect the whole series to follow the source material entirely. Eric Kripke certainly puts his own spin on things.

The dark side of superheroes

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We start with an introduction to Hughie, who is finishing up his workday at the local A/V store and leaving with his girlfriend. As they talk about moving in with each other, Robin takes just half a step off the curb when she’s literally run right through by A-Train, one of The Seven. He can’t stop, despite the incident he’s caused, and you know that there’s a bigger story to this.

Hughie is understandably distraught at the loss of his girlfriend, with just the hands he was holding left of her. However, he’s more angry than upset. He wants A-Train to be held responsible. You see, A-Train would be exempt from the law if he was on an actual mission, but he wasn’t. Of course, Vought, the company that has set up The Seven and employs other superheroes, makes up some mission that A-Train was on.

It’s not surprising that Billy Butcher turns up looking to offer Hughie the chance for revenge. He has his own need for revenge, but he brings up some sort of story that all superheroes believe they’re above the law and far too egotistical and they need taking down a peg. This is a chance for Hughie to learn that A-Train is laughing about running through Robin. He just doesn’t care.

Starlight joins The Seven

Hughie isn’t the only person being introduced to the dark side of the superheroes. Annie, aka Starlight, goes for an interview to get a place in The Seven. One has opened up because one of the team has retired.

She gets the job and is very quickly forced into a sexist, sexually harassing situation. The Deep wants a blowjob from her, threatening her with being kicked out of The Seven. For all those women who have found themselves in this situation, The Boys has your back. It may not seem it at first, but do keep watching!

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Annie is throwing up and crying afterward, where she meets Queen Maeve (the only female on the team up to this point). Maeve has the advice of not letting the men see her crying. It’s a weakness, and it again connects directly to the real world. What female hasn’t been told not to show any weakness in front of their male counterparts?

As Annie wonders whether she’s going to remain with The Seven, she meets Hughie on a park bench. He’s wondering whether to join Butcher. The two connected over their shared experiences without giving up any identifying information, and it’s a beautiful moment that The Boys series premiere needed for character development for both.

An attempt to infiltrate

Butcher has a mission for Hughie. Accept the $45k settlement that Vought is offering. Hughie doesn’t want to accept this, but he agrees to go through with it to meet A-Train, get an apology, and plant a bug in The Seven’s headquarters.

All sounds simple, right? Well, Translucent (who spends a lot of time invisible in bathrooms because you know that’s exactly what any invisible superhero would do!) sees that something is fishy and follows Hughie. He finds the bug and pays Hughie a visit at work.

Fortunately, Butcher drives his beat-up muscle car into the A/V store to save Hughie. Our two anti-heroes takedown Translucent and (maybe?) kill him.

The real Homelander

Throughout The Boys series premiere, we’re told that Homelander is the squeaky clean hero of the lot. He actually seems like a good guy.

That is until the end of the episode.

At one point, Madelyn Stillwell, VP of Vought, is threatened with the exposure of “Compound-V” by the Baltimore mayor. You see, he doesn’t want to pay the $300 million a year for exclusive access to Nubian Prince to protect his city. Stillwell agrees to a lower amount, but Homelander decides to take it upon himself to kill the Baltimore mayor, the mayor’s son, and everyone on their private jet.

Yes, Homelander is the darkest of all. And he’s certainly the most dangerous.

What did you think of The Boys Season 1, Episode 1? What would you like to see in the rest of the series? Which is your favorite character so far? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Boys is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.