Why am I Watching The Boys?

The Boys has been a wildly popular show, and I have been watching it from the beginning. But I have a lot of conflicting opinions about it. Season 4 has been especially problematic for me. After episode 2, and especially after episode 4, I just felt disgusted with myself for watching it. And I know, the simplest answer is “Just stop watching.” And yes, it’s totally my choice and I have no one but myself to hold responsible. But instead of quitting, I’ve chosen to write out my thoughts in the hopes of working through my feelings.

Why Did I Even Start?

Why did I start watching The Boys? First of all, the show had a lot of buzz before it started. It was based on a series of graphic novels. I had watched The Walking Dead for the same reasons. Before The Walking Dead, I read several articles about how excited the fanboys were to have a series based on the graphic novels. I even started reading some of them. I kept up with TWD for several seasons. I haven’t watched TWD in awhile, but my reasons for stopping had more to do with schedule changes and switching from satellite to streaming than it had to do with the show itself. So, my experience with trying out a show based on graphic novels wasn’t a bad one.

Another primary factor that influenced me to start The Boys was that it was coming from Eric Kripke and I loved Supernatural.

Why am I inclined to keep watching The Boys?

I really like stories. I have been an avid reader for as long as I can remember, and I also love films and television. Most of the time, when I start a story, I want to finish it. I have only stopped reading maybe two books that I have started in my life. (And, as a librarian, I have no problem saying if you don’t like a book, don’t force yourself to finish it. Find something that you love to read. It’s just with me, I rarely find myself hating what I’m reading.) Movies and television are slightly different, because they can require a different type of commitment, in terms of time and availability. Yet, still, my habits are mostly similar in regards to films and television. I tend to watch shows through to the end, especially those with overarching stories.

With The Boys, I’ve started the story, so I want to see how it turns out. I’ve also been a fan of Supernatural, so I’d like to support Jensen and Jared projects. Also, The Boys as a story has a complexity that is often thought-provoking. Events build to a climax, small details come back in later episodes, so the viewer is rewarded for paying attention. As a counterpoint, I started watching Fire Country because I wanted to watch Jared’s arc on that show. I find that Fire Country is a show that you could kind of drop in and out of – if you skip a whole season to go back to it later, you really haven’t missed so much that you can’t get it from the “previously on” segment.

What Do I Despise About The Boys, and Why?

First of all, I freely admit, I’m a prude and a bit of a Pollyanna. So, the blood and gore in The Boys (and there is so much blood and gore) is off-putting for me. There have been so many scenes at which I have turned my head and yelled on my couch. And it seems that those scenes just go on and on.

I am offended by the scatological/sexual scenes as well. And Kripke’s attitude, “I can’t believe that I’m getting away with this” is also off-putting to me. His comments in articles and interviews just reminds me of the middle school and high school boys that I see in my library, and I can’t help but think, “Grow up!” “Quit being disgusting!”

Another criticism that I have (and it’s not only of The Boys) is that once these shows (Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad) have massacred a wedding party, or gouged out a man’s eyes with the opponent’s thumbs, or exploded a penis, then the writers feel like they have to do something even more shocking, bloody, or titillating to keep the viewers coming back, or to keep their show in the news. Personally, I think that Kripke was more creative when he had to work within some restraints.

One of the things that sticks with me the most is the darkness and utter meanness of the characters. So often, their diabolical actions are totally devoid of remorse. As I said before, I’m a Pollyanna. I want happy endings and I want to see the villains punished. When you keep seeing your heroes beaten down, it’s discouraging.

One thing that is annoying about streaming shows in general – and I’ve seen this idea expressed more and more often – is that after you watch a season, you may (probably will) have to wait more than a year, maybe even two, to get the next season. By the time the next season of The Boys is finally ready, I will probably have to do a rewatch to remind myself of where the story is and what has happened. And there are some things that I just don’t want to rewatch.

What Do I Like About The Boys?

When I sit down and start to analyze it, I think that I may actually like more characters on The Boys than I dislike.
I like:

Hughie and Starlight
MM
Frenchie and Kimiko
I grew to like Maeve
I even like Stan Edgar and Victoria Neuman, in the sense that they are complex, intriguing characters that I can have sympathy for, or at least appreciate the way that the characters come across. I mean, it is possible to “love” a villain, right? (Crowley)

I like the way the stories are told. There are slow reveals, and clues given along the way, so that the viewer can stay engaged. There are also twists and turns in the story, so there is the possibility of surprise. And I am hanging on because I want to see the bad guys vanquished, even though I’m afraid they won’t be.

I like the social and political commentary. I know that it tends to put some people off, but it’s a plus for me. “Oh, look, V52 Expo, that’s just like Disney Con! (I don’t know what they call it.) Oh, Firecracker = Marjorie Taylor Green, okay. I like drawing parallels with real life or historical situations.

Conclusion ??

One of the conflicts that I have with myself regarding The Boys is that while I want to dismiss the show, I also defend its right to exist. I am a librarian, and the area of the country where I live is experiencing a lot of turmoil with Moms for Liberty and other such groups challenging and banning books and curriculum. In some areas, it’s gotten so bad that school librarians have been harassed and threatened. (Thankfully not where I work.) The Boys is a creative enterprise – a form of art. One purpose of art is to reflect the world around us. (And it doesn’t hurt that The Boys is popular, and worth a lot of money to Amazon.) The Boys is (ostensibly) satire, so while it is bleak and filled with violence, the world can also be bleak and filled with vindictive, mean, and careless people. But the world can also be good. Sometimes, just sometimes, The Boys shows that part as well. Hughie says this to Starlight in episode 4.02 “As cheesy as it sounds, people need a symbol. You know, someone they can rally behind. A little fu%$ing hope.”

And, as an addendum, as bleak as episode 4.04 was, I liked episode 4.05.

Why I’m a Hypocrite

For all of my angst about The Boys, I’ve watched The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. All of them can be bleak, bloody, gory and shocking. I’ve also watched Gen V. Gen V has just about the same amount of gore, and arguably more drugs – but I like it. There was one episode of the first season that, when it ended, I was actually disappointed because I wanted more.

So I’m gonna keep watching The Boys. I may not always be happy about it, but I’ll be there.