The Boys

Okay, this is insane.

We need more Compound V!

-Absolutely. -We need more Supes!

CROWD (chanting): More Supes! More Supes!

More Supes! More Supes! More Supes!

More Supes! More Supes!

Come with me.

What are you doing here?

But on the bright side,

I'm sleeping in a basement

beneath a pawnshop in East Flatbush.

We never wanted that for you.

We all just have Ryan's best interests at heart.

I want us to be a family.

They just flew me up and showed me.

This house is fake, the neighbors are fake, you're fake.

No, Ryan!

You have five minutes to make your opening...

There's a supervillain on your school campus.

-(screaming) -You hear the calls of distress.

-You witness a violent display of superpowers. -(electricity buzzing)

What do you do?

I'm Sheriff Ed Flanagan,

and I'm here with Homelander to talk about school safety.

On the first report of an active supervillain,

a hero will immediately rush to your campus.

But to stay alive in the moment, remember,

stay calm and follow the law.

Lock all doors and windows.

Arm yourselves.

Your teacher should have an authorized firearm.

But use whatever you can.

And wait for a hero.

-(screaming in distance) Unfortunately,

the possibility that you will experience

a supervillain attack grows more likely every day.

But by having an action plan, you can dramatically increase

your chances of survival.

And survival is all that matters.

-Jody, where's my flag pin? -How should I know?

Well, I can't go to this thing without a flag pin.

Bob, before he makes any decisions,

-just let me talk to him. -One,

the president doesn't like you.

He used the word "standoffish."

And, two, he's decided.

He's declaring a national emergency,

bypassing the FDA,

and authorizing Compound V for use by law enforcement

-and first responders. Wait, Robert.

-Are you fucking kidding me? -I wish I were.

Doses are going for five million a pop.

Pentagon's got a big order in,

and ICE is next in line.

You can't release V into the mainstream.

We're talking an avalanche of Supes; it's suicide.

In one hour, I will be standing at the memorial service

for the fallen heroes of the House attack,

with my flag pin,

giving my thoughts and prayers, and pledging

to keep America safe.

The best way to do that is with Compound V.

Yeah, we know. We were there. Remember?

Covered in my chief of staff's brains.

Look, there was no terrorist. It was Vought.

It's a fucking coup.

-A bunch of their guys died, too. -To cover their own tracks.

For the record, I agree with you.

And I hate this.

But you've got no proof.

Folks are scared.

If Vought took a shit in the middle of Fifth Avenue,

they'd throw a ticker-tape parade.

-Here's what we do have, Bob. -Oh, let me guess.

A tape of me fucking my kids' nanny

at her daughter's quinceañera?

Release it. Please. I'm begging you.

A plum gig at Fox, and this shithole in my rearview?

-Sounds dreamy. -Okay, what if we got hard proof? A witness.

Anything.

If you could get Jesus Christ himself,

or maybe Homelander in front of a camera, sure.

I really am sorry.

-(dogs barking) -(helicopter blades whirring)

I'm nervous about driving in the city.

You'll be okay.

-The plan again? -Okay,

drive straight to Gen's in Sedona,

cash for gasoline, no hotels.

I don't want to leave you here.

I'll be fine.

The anxious boy? Really? With the moist handshake?

-Mom, come on. -Okay. Okay.

Um...

you need a new one.

I...

I'm not gonna wear it.

I don't care if you wear it. I just want you to have it.

I love you.

I love you, too.

You be safe.

Okay.

-(TV playing indistinctly) -Hey.

-What's going on? -They've lost their minds.

The RPG releases an electromagnetic pulse on impact.

-Should cut through Stormfront's plasma bolts. -How sure are you?

It's a guesstimate.

So that's Stormfront.

And thanks to Starlight, we know that Noir

needs only a fuckin' tree nut.

How about A-Train?

Got enough epinephrine here to blow up

that motherfucker's heart.

Hey, we can't just kill everyone.

That is exactly what we're gonna do.

Listen, you heard Mallory.

She said all we need is another witness.

Wile E. Coyote.

Always chases Roadrunner,

always with an elaborate plan, always fails.

You know, I always say, "Why do this, Coyote?

All you need is an AR-15, and 'meep-meep' no more."

Exactly. See?

We're just gonna shoot Roadrunner in the fucking head.

That won't stop Vought. That-that won't stop Compound V.

If you kill these Supes,

then Vought's just gonna make a thousand more.

-Yeah, and we're gonna top those cunts, too. -Great.

So that's settled. We're just supervillains now, huh?

Vought attacked the country, Hughie.

Fuck 'em all.

What if I testify?

Escaped convicts don't have a ton of credibility.

No, but maybe I know someone who does.

Give us the day.

Hughie?

See you later.

Officials are still trying to determine the perpetrator

of the capital attack, the Department of Homeland Security

has issued a crimson terror alert.

In Washington, all government buildings...

-How's Noir? -Unresponsive.

They don't think there's brain damage,

but apparently it's hard to tell.

So, Noir's a vegetable,

Lamplighter's a charcoal briquette,

Starlight's in the breeze somewhere, and you're,

-what, fine with it? -Yes.

Because none of that matters anymore because of this.

So far, no terrorist group has claimed responsibility.

All right, so,

you didn't do this.

I wish I'd killed Vogelbaum.

-But no, it wasn't me. -Right.

And there's no supervillains on American soil.

-None that we know of. -And that means...

...it's Edgar.

Maybe. I mean, he is pretty smart,

especially for his kind.

...Compound V to members of the military

and law enforcement.

Hey, smile.

This is good news.

Yes, there have been sacrifices, but we are this close

to no more premieres or paparazzi,

or screaming fans, or any of that dancing monkey shit.

We have to make sure that the right people get the doses,

but it is a whole new world.

What about the wrong people?

Couple of billion of them.

They're not just gonna sit there.

Don't worry, silly.

Frederick had a solution for everything.

("Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel playing)

Okay,

there's something really important

that I've been meaning to ask you.

Last I checked, you are not 57 years old,

so, come on, why is it always, always Billy Joel?

I'm 57 on the inside.

No, really. Please.

It was just the music in my house growing up.

You know, I did some somersaults to "You May Be Right"

that were pretty thrilling to watch.

Butcher is right, you know.

We've already tried to take Vought down the right way.

This isn't gonna work; this is not gonna stop Compound V

-from getting out there. -So it's hopeless?

Just kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out?

I mean...

Then why are you even helping me?

Why did you save me at the Tower?

They were-- they were gonna hurt you.

Yeah, but, Hughie, you could have gotten yourself killed.

I mean, after the way that I treated you,

you had every reason to give up on me.

So why didn't you?

I just... would never.

That's why I'm helping.

You were stupid to text.