‘The Boys’ continues its gory streak in season two

The+Boys+continues+its+brutality+of+action+and+entertainment+in+its+second+season.

“The Boys” continues its brutality of action and entertainment in its second season.

Jeshua Glover

Imagine a world where superheroes not only exist, but they behave somewhat like commercialized politicians. Imagine if the Flash was addicted to steroids that make him faster or if Aquaman was even more useless than he already is. More or less, this is the premise of Amazon Prime’s original show “The Boys,” superheroes who aren’t exactly super — physically, yes — but mentally and morally, they’re even more evil than any of us. 

The only people who can seek revenge on these super-powered sociopaths are “The Boys,” a rag-tag group of individuals who have all been wronged in some way by the superheroes and vow to take them down. One of Amazon Prime’s best shows, “The Boys” has cultivated a very powerful following with its first season accumulating over 4.1 million consistent viewers, and season 2 is currently looking to shatter that record.

The show is based on a discontinued comic of the same name and premise. While it does loosely follow the comic, the show doesn’t depict it panel-for-panel.

Eric Kripke, one of the writers, directors and producers of “The Boys,” does some of his best writing on this show while also staying close to the source material. None of his narrative changes seem awkward or out of place within the story. 

Another great aspect of this show is the direction by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The show is always beautifully directed with a specific level of dark edge to it — not quite Christopher Nolan-levels of darkness but somewhere in the ballpark. All of this great production is only further improved by the stellar acting from its cast, notably including Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Jessie Usher and Laz Alonso. 

One possible downside to “The Boys” is its tendency to be violent and gory. For fans that have a weak stomach or just detest brutality in general, “The Boys” may not be for them. But for those who like violent carnage, give “The Boys” a chance. 

With an interesting premise and top-notch writing, acting, directing and cinematography, “The Boys” has made a name for itself among the best streamable shows available. A cult following and a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating warrants at least one watch. In short, “The Boys” is a great show that does some excellent story-telling and really makes one ponder the age-old adage: Can power be innocent? Or does absolute power corrupt?