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The Boys S3 Ep 3: Barbary Coast
from Collider: https://collider.com/the-boys-season-3-episode-3-recap-barbary-coast/
BYNICHOLAS SISTIPUBLISHED JUN 06, 2022
Season 3, Episode 3 of The Boys, “Barbary Coast,” begins with a 17-year flashback, featuring a glimpse of young Starlight (Maya Misaljevic) on the “Little Miss Hero” pageant circuit as a child. Starlight’s controlling mother (Ann Cusack) counsels her before her performance when she complains of her side hurting: “Pain is just weakness leaving the body.” Starlight performs a choreographed rendition of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” while her mother stands off to the side, at times directing her daughter’s movements. At the end of the performance, Starlight puts her right hand behind her back and makes a fist, her hand shaking with the tension of having to disguise her pain. The narrative cuts to the present day, with Starlight (Erin Moriarty) watching the footage of Homelander (Antony Starr)’s shocking speech at his Annual Birthday Celebration, in which he made the decision to finally offer a sneak peek of his true colors to the world. Homelander’s gamble ultimately pays off, as Ashley (Colby Minifie) bursts into his room to tell him that he’s up by 21 points with his base.
The return of Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) signifies a return to form for the titular Boys. Along with a new HQ in the Flatiron building and a re-unified front to stop Homelander, Hughie (Jack Quaid) has undergone some significant character developments that might one day render him immune to Butcher’s quips. He attained a new level of confidence from his swanky job at the FBSA, yet the revelation of Victoria Neuman (Claudia Domit) being the head-exploding supe nearly washed it all away. In traversing this, a weathered yet more mature Hughie has emerged, one that gleefully accepts Butcher’s “Lifetime Achievement at the Cunt of the Year Awards” distinction.
Butcher announces the next mission: talk to Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) to get the full scoop on the potential Homelander weapon. Further proving that he’s the real deal, Hughie asks without hesitation for Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) to break his arm so that Neuman won’t be suspicious of him leaving work for the day. Kimiko proceeds to snap his arm out of its socket, in what is only one of three surreal gross-out moments in this visually softer installment of The Boys.
The Boys meet up with Mallory and Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) at a safe house. Butcher presses Mallory on her secret dealings in Nicaragua that he mined from Gunpowder (Sean Patrick Flanery). Through a 1984 flashback, Mallory recounts her time stationed in Nicaragua during “Operation Charly,” an off-the-books initiative by President Reagan to drum up cash to support the Contras in their fight against the Sandinistas. Young Mallory (Sarah Swire) oversaw a cocaine trafficking operation which used the profits to buy more weapons for the Contras. She explains another element of the operation: “The unwritten policy was to sell the cocaine strictly to minority neighborhoods. Destabilize, demoralize, while staying out of white ones.”
In '84, the government added supes into the fray in the form of Payback, Vought’s superhero team at the time. Led by Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), the decision to bring them in is explained by a young Stan Edgar (Justin Davis), who carries the same cold tone and grace as his present-day counterpart. He explains that the addition of Payback is a trial run for the return of superheroes in the military. In a first-time reveal, a young Black Noir (Fritzy-Klevans Destine), a member of Payback, is seen without his mask, arguing with Stan Edgar about the prospect of being a maskless hero. When enemy forces attack their camp, the superheroes attempt to aid the fight of the Contra soldiers, yet end up taking down some of their own people. After the battle, Black Noir is revealed to have half of his face ripped off. Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden) comes running up to Mallory, telling her that Soldier Boy has been killed by the Russians with the alleged “supe gun.” Flashing back to the present, Mallory explains that she “lost 116 men and Vought got full immunity. That was the day I decided to make them pay.”
Butcher is livid that Mallory has concealed this information for so long. He believes that if she had told him about it sooner, then Homelander might already be dead, Ryan wouldn’t have to live his life in fear, and Becca might still be alive. At this moment, Butcher reverts to his persona from Season 1: lamenting Becca’s death and focusing on destroying Homelander at all costs. Mallory offers up an indictment of Butcher, claiming that his hellbent endeavor is a selfish one and that he is just like his father. On Butcher’s way out, he tells Ryan “…maybe I don’t want to look at you after what you done to my Becca. Did you ever think about that?” Ryan storms off and tells Butcher that he hates him.
After meeting with Starlight and Homelander to supposedly reaffirm his place in the Seven, The Deep (Chace Crawford) and his wife Cassandra (Katy Breier) return to his room to have sex. In what would otherwise be considered an uncharacteristically normal sex scene in the grander context of The Boys, The Deep starts dirty talking the octopus stuck to the wall of his fish tank rather than Cassandra. However, Homelander later holds a celebratory dinner for The Deep, later revealed to be seafood-based. The Deep reluctantly eats lobster yet is unprepared for the final course: The Deep’s octopus friend Timothy. Homelander eggs on The Deep to “eat fucking Timothy,” while Cassandra texts him from across the table to eat the octopus. The Deep gives in, tragically inhaling his octopus pal who begs for his life as he is consumed by one of his own. The Deep passes his final test to return to the Seven with flying colors.
After going full supe with a Temp V injection in the previous episode, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) begins to suffer some deleterious after-effects. He takes regular bathroom pit stops throughout the day, doubling over the sink with residual eye laser activation. The hangover reaches its apex when, in the middle of an honest heart-to-heart with Hughie after Butcher’s comments to Ryan, Butcher barfs up the Temp V all over Hughie’s face.
Before the Boys embark on the first step of their mission to attain the “supe gun,” Frenchie (Tomer Kapon) claims that he cannot go because he has a “matter of great importance.” He meets up with Cherie (Jordana Lajoie) who reveals that she has gone back to work for Little Nina (Katia Winter). She explains that she was moving product for her and had it stolen. Frenchie is then kidnapped by Nina’s henchmen and taken to her. Nina claims that Cherie stole the heroin from her, and unsuccessfully tries to convince Frenchie to kill Cherie. Their sexual history is alluded to, as Frenchie previously worked for Nina.
Before the season finale of American Hero, Starlight pulls aside Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva) and explains to him the truth: that Homelander is a murderous psychopath. She attempts to convince him to let her choose someone else as the winner of the show, but he says that he needs some time to process. Homelander later approaches Starlight with a new angle for the show, touting it as the “the craziest twist”: The Deep’s return to The Seven. The Deep presents a “peace offering” diamond dolphin necklace to Starlight, which she rebukes as she kicks him out. Starlight holds the Flight 37 video over Homelander’s head. In a significant moment, Homelander highlights a stunningly valid paradox: if he loses everything, then he will have nothing to lose. He describes a nightmare scenario of pure destruction, wiping out entire cities and critical infrastructure. He declares that “I am the Homelander. And I really can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Moments before the broadcast of American Hero, Supersonic reveals to Starlight that despite her warning, he’s going through with joining the Seven. He feels a responsibility to be there for her after she refused to bail on him. Later on, at the taping, Starlight announces Supersonic as one of two winners of the series. Homelander announces The Deep as the second winner, as the two remaining contestants look on in disgust. Starlight plays her part, accepting The Deep’s apology. Homelander’s final twist manages to test Starlight’s tragically strong resolve that was established in the opening sequence. Homelander announces that he and Starlight are in love. Starlight endures a stoic state of shock as the producers rave about this plot development. They ask for a reshoot of the scene, with Starlight acting “less shocked.” This time around, Starlight leans into her role, smiling and kissing Homelander. Young Starlight’s rendition of “…Baby One More Time” plays as she reaches her right-hand back, closes her fist, and digs her fingernails into her palm.
Season 3, Episode 3 of The Boys, “Barbary Coast,” begins with a 17-year flashback, featuring a glimpse of young Starlight (Maya Misaljevic) on the “Little Miss Hero” pageant circuit as a child. Starlight’s controlling mother (Ann Cusack) counsels her before her performance when she complains of her side hurting: “Pain is just weakness leaving the body.” Starlight performs a choreographed rendition of Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” while her mother stands off to the side, at times directing her daughter’s movements. At the end of the performance, Starlight puts her right hand behind her back and makes a fist, her hand shaking with the tension of having to disguise her pain. The narrative cuts to the present day, with Starlight (Erin Moriarty) watching the footage of Homelander (Antony Starr)’s shocking speech at his Annual Birthday Celebration, in which he made the decision to finally offer a sneak peek of his true colors to the world. Homelander’s gamble ultimately pays off, as Ashley (Colby Minifie) bursts into his room to tell him that he’s up by 21 points with his base.
The return of Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) signifies a return to form for the titular Boys. Along with a new HQ in the Flatiron building and a re-unified front to stop Homelander, Hughie (Jack Quaid) has undergone some significant character developments that might one day render him immune to Butcher’s quips. He attained a new level of confidence from his swanky job at the FBSA, yet the revelation of Victoria Neuman (Claudia Domit) being the head-exploding supe nearly washed it all away. In traversing this, a weathered yet more mature Hughie has emerged, one that gleefully accepts Butcher’s “Lifetime Achievement at the Cunt of the Year Awards” distinction.
Butcher announces the next mission: talk to Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) to get the full scoop on the potential Homelander weapon. Further proving that he’s the real deal, Hughie asks without hesitation for Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) to break his arm so that Neuman won’t be suspicious of him leaving work for the day. Kimiko proceeds to snap his arm out of its socket, in what is only one of three surreal gross-out moments in this visually softer installment of The Boys.
The Boys meet up with Mallory and Ryan (Cameron Crovetti) at a safe house. Butcher presses Mallory on her secret dealings in Nicaragua that he mined from Gunpowder (Sean Patrick Flanery). Through a 1984 flashback, Mallory recounts her time stationed in Nicaragua during “Operation Charly,” an off-the-books initiative by President Reagan to drum up cash to support the Contras in their fight against the Sandinistas. Young Mallory (Sarah Swire) oversaw a cocaine trafficking operation which used the profits to buy more weapons for the Contras. She explains another element of the operation: “The unwritten policy was to sell the cocaine strictly to minority neighborhoods. Destabilize, demoralize, while staying out of white ones.”
In '84, the government added supes into the fray in the form of Payback, Vought’s superhero team at the time. Led by Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), the decision to bring them in is explained by a young Stan Edgar (Justin Davis), who carries the same cold tone and grace as his present-day counterpart. He explains that the addition of Payback is a trial run for the return of superheroes in the military. In a first-time reveal, a young Black Noir (Fritzy-Klevans Destine), a member of Payback, is seen without his mask, arguing with Stan Edgar about the prospect of being a maskless hero. When enemy forces attack their camp, the superheroes attempt to aid the fight of the Contra soldiers, yet end up taking down some of their own people. After the battle, Black Noir is revealed to have half of his face ripped off. Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden) comes running up to Mallory, telling her that Soldier Boy has been killed by the Russians with the alleged “supe gun.” Flashing back to the present, Mallory explains that she “lost 116 men and Vought got full immunity. That was the day I decided to make them pay.”
Butcher is livid that Mallory has concealed this information for so long. He believes that if she had told him about it sooner, then Homelander might already be dead, Ryan wouldn’t have to live his life in fear, and Becca might still be alive. At this moment, Butcher reverts to his persona from Season 1: lamenting Becca’s death and focusing on destroying Homelander at all costs. Mallory offers up an indictment of Butcher, claiming that his hellbent endeavor is a selfish one and that he is just like his father. On Butcher’s way out, he tells Ryan “…maybe I don’t want to look at you after what you done to my Becca. Did you ever think about that?” Ryan storms off and tells Butcher that he hates him.
After meeting with Starlight and Homelander to supposedly reaffirm his place in the Seven, The Deep (Chace Crawford) and his wife Cassandra (Katy Breier) return to his room to have sex. In what would otherwise be considered an uncharacteristically normal sex scene in the grander context of The Boys, The Deep starts dirty talking the octopus stuck to the wall of his fish tank rather than Cassandra. However, Homelander later holds a celebratory dinner for The Deep, later revealed to be seafood-based. The Deep reluctantly eats lobster yet is unprepared for the final course: The Deep’s octopus friend Timothy. Homelander eggs on The Deep to “eat fucking Timothy,” while Cassandra texts him from across the table to eat the octopus. The Deep gives in, tragically inhaling his octopus pal who begs for his life as he is consumed by one of his own. The Deep passes his final test to return to the Seven with flying colors.
After going full supe with a Temp V injection in the previous episode, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) begins to suffer some deleterious after-effects. He takes regular bathroom pit stops throughout the day, doubling over the sink with residual eye laser activation. The hangover reaches its apex when, in the middle of an honest heart-to-heart with Hughie after Butcher’s comments to Ryan, Butcher barfs up the Temp V all over Hughie’s face.
Before the Boys embark on the first step of their mission to attain the “supe gun,” Frenchie (Tomer Kapon) claims that he cannot go because he has a “matter of great importance.” He meets up with Cherie (Jordana Lajoie) who reveals that she has gone back to work for Little Nina (Katia Winter). She explains that she was moving product for her and had it stolen. Frenchie is then kidnapped by Nina’s henchmen and taken to her. Nina claims that Cherie stole the heroin from her, and unsuccessfully tries to convince Frenchie to kill Cherie. Their sexual history is alluded to, as Frenchie previously worked for Nina.
Before the season finale of American Hero, Starlight pulls aside Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva) and explains to him the truth: that Homelander is a murderous psychopath. She attempts to convince him to let her choose someone else as the winner of the show, but he says that he needs some time to process. Homelander later approaches Starlight with a new angle for the show, touting it as the “the craziest twist”: The Deep’s return to The Seven. The Deep presents a “peace offering” diamond dolphin necklace to Starlight, which she rebukes as she kicks him out. Starlight holds the Flight 37 video over Homelander’s head. In a significant moment, Homelander highlights a stunningly valid paradox: if he loses everything, then he will have nothing to lose. He describes a nightmare scenario of pure destruction, wiping out entire cities and critical infrastructure. He declares that “I am the Homelander. And I really can do whatever the fuck I want.”
Moments before the broadcast of American Hero, Supersonic reveals to Starlight that despite her warning, he’s going through with joining the Seven. He feels a responsibility to be there for her after she refused to bail on him. Later on, at the taping, Starlight announces Supersonic as one of two winners of the series. Homelander announces The Deep as the second winner, as the two remaining contestants look on in disgust. Starlight plays her part, accepting The Deep’s apology. Homelander’s final twist manages to test Starlight’s tragically strong resolve that was established in the opening sequence. Homelander announces that he and Starlight are in love. Starlight endures a stoic state of shock as the producers rave about this plot development. They ask for a reshoot of the scene, with Starlight acting “less shocked.” This time around, Starlight leans into her role, smiling and kissing Homelander. Young Starlight’s rendition of “…Baby One More Time” plays as she reaches her right-hand back, closes her fist, and digs her fingernails into her palm.
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