"the boys" S5 is bad because it offers no real systemic critique
longggg ass post taken way too seriously because my irls on twitter don't want to see 15 tweets about a show they don't watch on the tl LMAO. also my post title is lowkey ragebait because i stay tuned in every week
Main issue 1: Our main group of heroes, "the boys", don’t have a political ideology underscoring their resistance activism
To begin with, this issue I have with S5 extends not just to the cast of heroes but with the takeaway of the show in general.
While the writing has never been flawless imo, it's clear that the writers have been going for obvious satire of the US's rising, but historically always present, right wing ideology and political momentum. I would also argue that it's clear that if you had to scale it, the political vibe you get from the writers is one of a center-left to progressive framework. However, whether it's due to some suits at amazon or an unconscious choice by the showrunners, the so-called "radical leftists" or resistance group is never tied to any actual left wing ideology in the narrative.
A reoccurring issue that is addressed once a season max is that there is no ‘day after’ plan for a post-Homelander world. They have presented the ethical dilemma of killing all supes to save millions multiple times; but, there is no follow-up discussion as to what a g*nocide of supes would actually entail for the cause of the "starlighters", who we can assume to be liberals and/or anti-fascists, or the world broadly after such an event. I'll even say beyond the passing comments from the boys, most of their featured anger towards the system in conversations is specifically focused on homelander and sometimes Vought as a whole. However, an actual serious anti-fascist resistance wouldn't stop the righteous anger just at Vought, or Stan Edgar, or Homelander, it would acknowledge and attempt to dismantle the systems that created Vought in the first place. This element of revolution/resistance is Never addressed by the boys or even the broader narrative.
The show narrative occasionally does focus on a systemic critique outside of just the fictional context of superheroes. One of these moments which shows the glaring blindspots in the ideology of our boys is when Stan Edgar gives (imo the best writing in the show for like 20 seconds) a monologue to MM about how Homelander isn't the final stage of the Vought machine, but rather a singular "bad product" in the grand scheme of what he would describe as the 'elegant flow of capital'. It's clear in his eyes that capitalism is endemic in the US and that even if he, homelander, or even Vought were ended, a newer version of supe supremacy/product would appear to take its place. Capitalism is a malignant infinite growth of capital at the expense of our world’s finite resources. In other words, supes will always exist because supes have been shown to be extremely profitable in this universe and capitalism allows for this infinite retail of product (supes) at the expense of the workers/non-supes/the supes themselves. But the very telling response from MM after this moment was to brush off the greater critique of capitalism’s role in creating vought and to threaten Stan Edgar regardless. Whether that moment was intended to show MM's denial of the larger threat of fascism/capitalism or be a POV into how the writers think fascism should be addressed, it's clear that the show didn't want to linger on that essential analysis for longer than necessary.
Homelander isn't bad product in stan edgar's eyes because he's an evil fascist. Rather, he’s bad product because he can't be easily controlled, is deeply insecure, and is generally unpalatable to the general population without brutal enforcement. ‘Good product’ would advance right wing + capital interests but follow orders and have enough charisma to sell the framing of supes as the good guys with more ease. Stan edgar is first and foremost a billionaire who helped to usher in fascism and openly states he’d do it again. As a winner/exploiter of the capitalist system, he’s a believer in the late stage capitalist project even in the context of his own life (and the lives of millions) being threatened.
Main issue 2: Spectacle over analysis
To anyone in the US who doesn't live under a rock, it is abundantly clear that the show draws parallels with real current events. However, so much of the show is pointing at a similar kind of evil to what we experience irl and saying: isn't this insane/evil?? Well, yes! But what else?
Beyond just the satire, it's clear that the show attempts to say something deeper but fails due to the lack of substantive critique of the institutions shared between the boys universe and real life.
The show intentionally shows Vought-owned memorabilia of n*zis and the K*K and therefore draws direct parallels to the US's corporate/scientific ties to n*zism and white supremacy historically. Though, this is basically never addressed by the boys except when they're shown memorabilia or encounter it directly in a scene at vought. In my opinion, interesting political writing would not just point out these ties but go further. The entire invention of supes by Dr. Vought was a white supremacist and ableist scientific progression of a literal n*zi "ubermensch" project. They wanted to create a group of people that were scientifically-made "superior" to have literal and social power over POC and minorities. So then why is the in-narrative rhetoric of this deep-rooted racialized supremacist ideology addressed far more in gen v than in the boys. Which, again, we're supposed to believe that the main cast of "the boys" are true resistance figures/radical political actors... right.
Main issue 3: They can't write women even when those women are essential to the themes of the show
Some of the most important characters in the world building of Vought Industries/the state of Supes in the country are the women in the show. The nuance of these characters, if there ever was any, was nearly completely lost this season.
one exception is with the background they gave firecracker before her demise. even then it was a too brief attempt to make her a more fleshed out character three seconds before they killed her off
Sister Sage. It pmo so bad just thinking about how they nuked her character this episode (6) with no takeaway message other than to reemphasize the theme of reaping what she sewed. I.e., is her tactical failure supposed to represent how supes aren’t omnipotent gods nor infallible? Is it a commentary on how you can’t understand the mindset of people or outsmart them without empathizing with people’s humanity? Like, are they trying to say anything other than working with fascists begets your own eventual downfall? Because they already beat that surface level critique into the ground with the deep and firecracker. My questions here are to point out the nuance to writing a smart nihilistic character that go arguably untouched by the writers. Fascism bad. YES ! But what else can you say with such interesting characters?
They say that the smartest characters are only as smart as their writers. I still cannot fathom how being the smartest person alive wouldn't have allowed her to notice how obvious it was that soldier boy was going to choose homelander over reason/rationality. She was incredibly aware about the depth of admiration/love soldier boy had for stormfront and that he was already harboring sympathetic feelings towards homelander (according to ashley's tumor). There’s no way that a woman with her lived experience and mind wouldn't be able to guess that the bigoted man with a n*zi girlfriend (who was infatuated with what homelander represented aka white physically-strongest supe) would give the V1 to homelander. Like, DUH, that man was in love with a powerful super n*zi, who openly expressed her greater ideological project, and is also a bigot himself who holds those same views. So there's no possible way sage could be that stupid. Not to mention, the disaffected/nihilistic genius trope is contrived atp. This also gets to the issue about there being no great political analysis by the writers: If stopping homelander from taking the V1 truly was part of sage's intention and grand design, you're telling me she doesn't have a great grasp on how white supremacy functions as a black woman in america who is the smartest person on earth? Seriously? The woman whose cancer cure was brushed off for her age and identity couldn’t realize that those men would choose white supremacy over reason?
Another villain that is pretty damn essential to the background lore of the boys/vought but was nuked in her importance to the narrative is stormfront. She is one of the most objectively evil yet ambitious characters written in the boys, and yet in this most recent episode you certainly would have zeroooo clue based on the dialogue from soldier boy and homelander. She is literally the co-creator and ideological torchbearer for supe n*zism and died explicitly with a plan in mind to see that through everyday. So why, in an episode where she is mentioned easily 6+ times by name, is nothing revealed or said about her character. If you somehow forgotten who stormfront was and watched this episode, you would assume that she was a random ingenue gf of solider boy with no greater impact to Vought and the reason why there are homelander detention camps + fascism in the first place. Like she was basically damn near 100% successful in her ideological project but somehow soldier boy just mentions loving her with absolutely zero details about who her character is ? As if her evil ambitions are a footnote in her narrative? huh?
Anyways no one gaf about that new Vought rising show tbh. Looking at how they’re talking about the legacy of the og supes and vought right now, it seems clear that a show with a real leftist critique is not the avenue they want to go down.
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