> "I just feel like I'm not getting a clear direction for this role." Two episodes in, and I still feel like this season is too busy juggling multiple subplots. [Spoiler]Black Noir's[/spoiler] line I quoted above seems apt to describe these first two episodes. The few arcs they're developing do seem promising. We get a glimpse of A-Train wrestling with his conscience, Ryan struggling with his humanity amidst the narcissistic supe circles led by his dad, and The Deep trying to exert some power over his Vought overlords. The Frenchie romance drama is also heading somewhere, although it often feels like any storyline involving Frenchie veers off on its own tangent with no direct link to the main plot. Pacing, however, is the more glaring issue. With so many subplots they're knitting there's no clear "hook" to indicate what's going to drive this season. It lacks both the intensity and mystery they had in Season 2 (exploding head menace and court drama against Vought) and Season 3 (Soldier Boy and the quest for ultimate weapon against Homelander). It feels like sequences happen just to justify character development—for instance, the scene with Splinter (the body multiplier guy) feels forced, given that The Boys are held back by such a mid-level supe when they've taken down Translucent before. The whole Sister Sage escapade, attempting to portray her as the smarter character, relies on dumbing down the heroes. As Sage said, do The Boys really think she wouldn't figure out they're tapping their phone? So much for infiltration, MM. It also feels like the last two episodes have been quite tacky. It's as if the show is self-aware that its audience unironically mirrors the people the show is mocking, so now they have to spend two episodes explicitly highlighting how ridiculous those people are—e.g., the lines between Frenchie and Kimiko mocking the Truthcon participants. It just feels very on the nose and lacks the cleverness that they had before. Even the whole theatrics on "rescuing people from the badguys" (saves) no longer has its cynical wittiness, despite the scene being one important plot point to drive Ryan's character forward. Oh well. At least [spoiler]Black Noir[/spoiler] is funny. And I share his sentiment. Let's hope we're getting some direction in Episode 3.

There's a different feel to this season, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. It feels much more aimless. Two episodes in, and the show just seems to be lesser than everything that came before. Hoping it picks up, but Gen V was definitely better than this season has been so far.

I just saw a [spoiler] fucking human sex centipede [/spoiler] Why am I still getting surprised with something The Boys does?

7 is generous to be honest. Not really feeling this season. The Frenchie storyline sucks, like usual, this more than any other season.

Ya know, I'd like to think the TruthCon conversation between Sage and Firecracker was pretty poignant. I also know it's probably lost on those that need to hear it most. Pretty lackluster episode though.