01x01 - Inside the Diabolical First Season

[bunniefuu]

- Season One of

"The Boys" opened

like all great love stories do:

a woman gazes into her lover's

eyes, they clasp hands

and boom, an ultrasonic

superhero blows her up.

And that, my friends,

is when sh*t gets real.

This is your VIP ticket

inside all things "The Boys"

starting tonight with a

deep dive into Season One.

I am Aisha Tyler and this is

"Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys".

♪♪

We are diving into Season One's

most shocking moments,

getting inside the

characters with the cast

and highlighting the betrayals

that left us all

deeply, deeply shooketh.

And if you haven't seen it,

make sure to go watch Season One

on Prime Video right now

because we are about

to spoil everything.

So, what were we dying to know

at the end of last season?

Okay, was Becca alive,

like, the entire time?

Is her son destined

to be an as*h*le

just like his dad,

Homelander?

What's Butcher

going to do next,

where the hell is Baby Teddy,

and did A-Train join Translucent

in the Supe afterlife?

Well, with all the answers

joining me now

is the C-word king himself,

Karl Urban A.K.A. Billy Butcher.

- Ha, ha!

- Hi, Karl.

- Hey. Hi, Aisha, how are you?

- Welcome.

And the man who

gave us the best

superhero television series

in the world,

showrunner Erik Kripke.

Hi, Erik

- Hey, Aisha. How are you?

Welcome guys, I'm super

excited to be here.

Now, Erik, this is a show

about superheroes

that's very anti-hero.

It kind of takes all the

paradigmatic stuff that we know

about superhero shows and really

throws that out into the street

and runs it over with

a supersonic speedster.

Um, what did you hope

to accomplish in Season One?

Like, what were you personal

narrative goals for the show?

- I mean, I think

we really set out

originally to say what would

happen if superheroes

existed in the real world.

That was kind of the guiding

light for us.

And how to apply

the most stringent reality

to what that world would

be like, because I mean

look, the idea of superheroes

is inherently f*cking absurd.

And so when you put them

in the real world

and you start gaming out,

you know, how would a

Superman-like character feel?

They'd become sociopathic.

How would a speedster feel?

They'd be a really stressed out

professional athlete.

And once you game it all out,

you really end up with

really a lot of

interesting ideas

and I think the deeper

we delved into the story,

me and my insane and

amazing writing staff,

the more we realized that

superheroes were going to work

as a metaphor for a metric

sh*t-ton of stuff.

So, we were doing our best

to reflect society

as it was changing

under our feet.

- Right, right.

Wise words.

Speaking of wise words,

Karl, Butcher has his own

very muscular way with

the English language.

And, um, how many swear words

do you think that you uttered

in season one?

Ballpark it for me.

Eh, well if you don't have

a count, I'm gonna say

3,456.

It was a lot, and

It was certainly fun to be able

to liberate certain words

in the English language

like "c**t"

which you never see

on television.

And, uh, it's funny

the amount of people

I'm going to bump into, fans,

and they say,

"Oh, hey Karl, love the show.

Can you please

call me a c**t?"

And so, you know, it's like,

it's bizarre.

- That is going to cost you

a lot of money, my friend.

Um, well, in the immortal

words of the late George Carlin:

sh*t, piss, f*ck, c**t,

c*cksucker, m*therf*cker,

and t*ts.

Well, these were just some of

the words we were pelted with

watching Season One

of "The Boys."

But what if we gave "The Boys"

a more PG approach?

Take a look.

- We just dusted a supe.

- Baloney.

- Translucent.

- Well, come on,

you lime-sucking fanboy.

How the heck did you do it?

- Big lump of C4 packed

right up his bum.

Boom.

Claret everywhere.

Flippin' diabolical.

Are you bringing

Frenchie back?

'Cause I can't work with

that fiddlestick.

Oh, fudge.

(chuckles)

Guys, I want to

ask you both:

The Boys, for the most part,

aren't superheroes,

they're just regular dudes.

Um, what do you think their

greatest strength is?

As a team, or as individuals.

And then maybe

their greatest weakness.

Well, for me

I believe that

The Boys greatest strength

is probably their compassion

for each other.

And that is also

potentially a weakness

that would totally work

and would totally be exploited.

But how about you, Erik?

Yeah, I agree with that.

I mean,

a lot of the season was

sort of phrased in this way

of humanity and vulnerability

versus vengeance,

and Butcher and Hughie were both

on this quest for vengeance,

and I think one of the

huge themes of the show,

like the multi-season themes

of the show

is that vengeance does

as much damage on the person

seeking it than it does on the

person on the receiving end.

And, ultimately the strength

of The Boys

is their humanity, and

their vulnerability.

Generally, the more vulnerable

you are on this show,

the stronger you are.

And, um, and the stronger

you pretend to be

Trump!

the weaker you really are.

- Right, right.

- Okay, guys, we can't re-cap

Season One without

some members of the Seven.

So, joining us virtually here

now, the leader of the Seven,

Antony Starr, better

known as Homelander.

Hi. Welcome.

- Hey, guys.

- Good to see you,

good to see you.

And reluctant shining star

of the Seven,

Starlight, Erin Moriarty.

- How are you?

- Good. Good.

Happy to have you here.

And the fastest guy alive,

the A-Train, Jessie Usher.

Hello.

- What's up?

Oh, this is great, guys.

What is the fan response

been like for you guys?

Um, Karl, do you want

to start?

- Um, the response has

been phenomenal.

Uh, you know, people

are simultaneously

shocked and entertained.

They, uh, I think

are really reveling

in the debaucherous nature

of the superheroes.

I find that they're really

responding

and rooting for the underdogs,

which are The Boys.

Um, and it's really a pleasure

and a blessing to work

on a show that

is so appreciated, you know?

- That's awesome.

Anthony, what do you think?

- It's actually been wonderful

because as soon as I get

rid of the blonde hair,

I don't get any recognition.

And I'm figuring

I'm playing

such an awful c**t

of a character

that most of the recognition

will be pretty negative.

So I'm good.

- I was going to say, you're

fully Clark Kenting right now.

You got the dark hair and

you got the glasses.

- Glasses, brown hair.

Superman doesn't wear

glasses, right?

- Exactly, how could he?

How about you, Erin?

- Um I think that I'm lucky

because I'm one of the few

people on the show who gets

to play a character

who's not a c**t,

so people have responded

very warmly to me.

Uh, Starlight, Annie, is a

better human being than I am,

and the funny thing

is when you're an actor,

people kind of assume

that you are your character,

so I get the nicest messages

from people.

- Yeah, yay.

How about you, Jessie?

- Oh, wow, well, you know,

luckily for me, unlike Erin,

people don't think that

I'm anything like A-Train, and

that's been working out well.

That's been working out

really well.

But overall, like, the responses

that I've been getting

for this show have been

so spectacular.

It's been mind blowing.

- That's great.

- And the amount of people

that come up to me

and they say, like,

oh man, I'm just so happy

that Homelander is there and

Billie,

I'm just like,

you guys are dark.

But I love you back.

(laughing)

- It kind of breaks

all those old

All the stereotypes

that we've been taught.

I'm sure you've had this

conversation a million times,

Erik, about likability

and we gotta have

somebody to root for,

and like, we're rooting

for these people

probably because

they're human.

Uh, and they have all

these frailties.

Maybe we recognize ourselves

in them a little bit.

I mean, if you recognize

yourself in Homelander,

then you do need to reach out

and ask for professional help.

We all see some

part of ourselves.

- No, it's fine.

- We do.

We do.

Well, I want to talk

about Homelander,

the cracked caped-crusader

who brain lasered

his boss/lover/wetnurse

Madeline Stillwell to death.

So, um, you know

He's I'm sure he's

very clear on the page,

but do you have any

outside influences

that you look to for inspiration

when you're building

this character?

- Um, well there's

a very obvious one

that our comrade

leader just mentioned.

The T-Dog who is playing

president at the moment.

Um

But to be honest, he's really

good for some elements.

But the problem with him

ironically because he is

in some way, shape,

form, flesh and blood,

he so one, maybe

one and a half dimensional

He's usable for certain things.

My take right off the bat was

um he's the strongest

physical guy

on the show, obviously,

and, you know,

thinks he's a god and

he's got lots of issues.

But also, and I always

took it like

his kryptonite is his humanity.

I think you need the light and

the shade with any character,

and I think thankfully

we've got a really cool

Well, we got a cool boss and

we got a great writing team

that aren't interested in just

creating one-dimensional and

two-dimensional characters.

They all feel fleshed out

and they all grow and

they all

believe it or not,

who knows, Season Two.

- Yeah, absolutely.

It's that humanity,

you know, is why people

are connecting with these

characters so much.

I wonder if you've gotten

any negative response

from people to the themes and

social commentary on this show,

if the bigots have come

out of the woodwork

to complain about the way that,

you know, you're treating

I mean, I don't give a sh*t

how they feel,

but I'm just wondering

if you've gotten any feedback,

negative feedback from people.

- Um

You know, during

most of Season One,

I think we have mostly

I actually haven't.

But during, when we announced,

and this is Season Two stuff,

it's all the show.

When we announced that Aya Cash

was playing Stormfront,

they had a huge problem

that we were making

that character female.

Um, and

And

- Hey, fanboys.

Suck a bag of dicks.

Right, exactly.

Like you guys are

just a bunch of SJWs

and you're so f*cking woke,

and f*ck you, I'm out.

And I'm like, "Bye."

I'm like eat a bag of dicks.

and f*ck off to the sun.

It's fine.

- That's so exhausting.

I mean, like, it's an

exhausting conversation to have.

But I guess you have to have it.

- Yeah.

- Erin, what was your reaction

when you found out that

your character Starlight

was going to be having

a metoo moment

her very first day on the job

as a member of the Seven?

- Uh, so I remember when

I was sent the script

for the pilot, and it

didn't contain that scene

but I was aware of the

scene because

as soon as I booked

the role,

Kripke sent me all of the

volumes for the graphic novel.

And that pops up immediately,

and I read it,

and I was like, well, damn,

I'm glad we're not doing that.

And then a few weeks later

I got sent

the second draft of

the pilot script,

but obviously it had been

tweaked majorly.

So initially, kind of

viscerally, I probably

uh, winced and cringed

and I was like

and then when I kept reading it

and I saw where it was going,

and how it was kind of going

to abruptly set Starlight

on an interesting but ultimately

empowering trajectory,

I got really into it.

And I also think, you know,

one of the first things

that Starlight says,

I think literally

the first time you

meet her she says,

"I just want to be the best

superhero in the world."

And ironically, she goes

through this horrible thing

and she makes what would be

deemed the wrong choice,

but then she's able to make the

world

of Vought a better place

because it happens to her

and because of the way

she responds to it publically.

And she makes the Deep respond

to it and apologize publically,

and he's punished.

So she kind of,

ironically, achieves her goal

of making this corrupt world

a better place

by going through

this horrible thing.

So, ultimately

I was really proud to be

the actress they chose to be

involved in this storyline.

I was super into depicting it.

- Yeah, I mean, you talked about

the idea that talking about

this stuff reduces its stigma.

Um, Jessie, why do you think

that A-train agreed

to help Homelander create

the Supe t*rror1st?

I mean, it seems like it

dovetails out of

wanting to stay connected

to the Seven.

But why do you think

he did it?

- I think there's a lot

of layers to that.

Um, one of them being,

you know, his dependency

on the lifestyle that

he has within the Seven.

There's also the matter of the

fear that he has for Homelander.

The fear he has of

losing his position.

You know Aisha, you and

I have spoken about

on other outlets and stuff

just

the position that A-Train is in.

Not really wanting to

to lose that position

is compromising

his moral standards.

It's compromising

his state of mind.

You know, he's willing

to do whatever it takes

to stay where he is,

and if that means

creating, you know,

supervillains, then

he'll just shrug it off

and hope everything

works out well,

but at least he knows that

he'll get a chance

to sleep in the Seven tower,

and that, unfortunately, is the

most important thing to him.

- One of the things that

I've really noticed

is he's the only

superhero of color,

and he seems to have insecurity

about all of it.

You know what I mean, like,

I gained this with my ability

and it can be taken

from me at any moment.

- Yeah, for him, you know,

it's his physical ability,

secures his spot.

His being the only

superhero of color

is something that

absolutely would be

in the back of his mind.

I mean, A-Train's position is

threatened everywhere he turns.

You know, if he's not the

fastest, if he's not polite,

if he's not respectable,

if he's not respected,

then, like, it can just

be taken from him.

And what you learn more as you

kind of dig deeper into his past

is that, he started from

absolutely nothing

and he just always feels like

he's this close

to being back there.

And it's kind of sad

but at the same time,

you know, there's

you just wish that

he could open his eyes and see

that there's another way.

But you know, the only

way through is through.

- Yeah, he blames other

people for his problems

until the very end.

- Oh, gosh, yeah.

- Until the very, very end.

- Oh, he's famous for that.

He's a finger-pointer.

He is a tattle-tale

fingerpointing--

- You made me m*rder

my girlfriend.

You made me do it.

- Yeah, like, take

responsibility man, come on!

- You didn't do it, do it,

I did it,

but you made me do it,

so it was like you did it.

- I did it but your

forced my arm, like,

if you didn't force my arm,

I wouldn't have had to do it.

That's what I'm trying to say.

- Seriously.

- He sucks.

- Hey, guys, I've got

a scientific question here.

So I just want you guys

to lean in.

Put your hats on.

Do you guys think

the Deep f*ck dolphins?

- 100%.

(laughing)

- Erik is the one

that knows the answer,

and he's nodding yes.

- Like, a thousand percent?

Um

What was the best part of

one of the best parts

of writing Season One

was, um you know,

really shoving hard

that we really needed that

dolphin scene with The Deep.

And, like the thing they

objected to most

was the conversation

where the dolphin was like,

"Hey man, come on,

jerk me off.

Help a brother out."

Just, they could not

get their

They could not get

their heads around like

we're just really uncomfortable

that the dolphin

is asking The Deep for,

like, I guess a hand job?

Like, I don't know, that really

makes us feel uncomfortable.

And so I would send them

'Cause like the truth is

it's just science.

Dolphins are the horniest

m*therf*ckers on the planet.

Like, the minute anyone manages

to teach a dolphin

to communicate with humans,

the first thing it says,

is like, "will you please

jerk me off?

I'm dying to f*cking rub my

sh*t on something."

And I sent them like article

after article after article

of all of this.

I'm like, look, we're just

telling the truth here.

- Here's the fun fact.

And I like that you did

such a deep dive on dolphins.

You know, there is

a community of people

that engage in

human-dolphin sex,

it does exist.

It has been done.

But it typically end with

the human's internal organs

being liquefied by the force

of dolphin ej*cul*te.

So, uh, you know.

The more you know, kids.

The more you know.

Just say no, guys.

- To me, that's just the heart

wants what the heart wants.

(laughing)

- What the f*ck kind of show

is this, man?

- I've got to be somewhere.

I'm out.

- I don't think it would be

possible to have a talk show

that was possibly

even more depraved

than the actual f*cking show.

But I think you actually

did a tremendous job

of getting right up

to the line, if not over it.

- We've clearly made

Karl uncomfortable, so

Okay, arguably the most

iconic scene from "The Boys"

is right at the beginning

of Season One.

It's A-Train sprinting

through poor liquefied Robin.

Let's take a look.

(panting)

- I can't stop. I can't stop.

I can't stop.

I can't stop. I can't stop.

I can't stop.

- Robin?

Robin?

- So uh, you know,

it gets me right here.

Every time I watch

that scene.

What goes in to the visual

effects of a scene like that?

How much of that was

practical,

how much of that did you guys

put in afterwards?

- Um, none of it was

there on the day in that shot.

That was 100% CG.

Um it was certainly

the most complicated shot

in that episode.

Dan Trachtenberg who deserves

huge props, he was the director,

the whole idea of going super

slo-mo for Robin blowing up

was his notion entirely.

To be honest, I fought him

on it a little bit

because it was scripted as

really, really sudden

and he was just really

passionate that he wanted it

to be as poetic,

in a weird way, as possible.

Stephan Fleet, who is our

VFX genius

who was in control of

the whole thing, like,

he had VFX houses exploding

meat in front of green screens

and filming it and dropping

it into the shot

so that we could get just the

we could understand, like,

what the shape of the blood

needs to look like.

And how much how many organs

should be flying around.

And it probably took like six

months from start to finish

to make that shot.

- Wow.

- Well, we only knew sweet,

sweet Robin for a few minutes

and then boom,

she was gone.

Did anybody call you out

online for fridging?

I mean, she obviously becomes

the throughline of the season,

but did anyone give you

a hard time about that?

- One, that's an

awesome question,

and, uh, two, yeah, we did catch

a little sh*t about it,

and I think,

by the way, rightfully so.

Like, I'm aware of it.

Fridging is

the concept of, uh,

women being violently k*lled

in stories, film and television

for no other reason

than to motivate the strong,

resolute male character.

- Right.

- To me what that says isn't

why are you k*lling the loved

one of that main character,

it's there's not enough female

protagonists in storytelling.

That's what it's about.

But, there's not enough female,

like, action stars

at the center of stories.

Um, because you look at the

times that they do have them.

You know, Jen Garner in Alias,

her fiancé got fridged.

You know, like, men

get fridged too

when there's

a strong female lead.

So, to me it's not about

why are you always

k*lling the loved one.

It's there needs to be

more equity

in male action stars

and female action stars.

Not that Jack is an action star,

by the way.

I want to be really

clear about that.

- The Boys fandom

is super active online.

It's a smart show and the fans

have smart things

to say about it.

So @nightshade says

So, Erik what are you thoughts

on that very heady tweet?

- I really appreciate it.

Um, yeah, that is

something we really

consciously set out to do.

Like, um, the original material

is pretty f*cking gnarly

in terms of being sexually

you know, I think Garth was

going for something shocking

and but it is

a little gratuitous,

I think intentionally so.

And we wanted a show that,

you know, men and women

could all watch,

and so it was important

to us to make sure

that if there was going to be

something sexually graphic,

it was there to move

the story forward.

It wasn't there for

its own sake.

Because if you're just being

shocking to be shocking,

then its lacking the layers

of a complicated story.

Um so, no we really set out,

we intentionally set out

to do that in the beginning,

so I'm thankful

that they noticed.

- Yeah. What do you think

about that, Erin?

- I agree with it.

I'm so glad that we're finally

kind of, um

you know, serving women in

the world of graphic novels

in a way that depicts them in

a strong light

and a nuanced light.

- Yeah. For me, I've always been

a comic person

and I've always loved them,

and it's exciting to be

living in a world that

is poking in the spaces

of the graphic novel world

that have traditionally

been very weak.

There's been a lot of weakness

in this area

for a long time.

And, you know, as a little girl

loving those books,

there were no women in there,

you know what I mean?

Or if they were,

they were accessories,

or it was Wonder Woman who was

running around

in her underpants.

So it's nice that we're

talking about the idea

that the guys can have

on a full suit

with a cape that they can

wrap around their bottom

so no one looks at the fact

that they haven't been

doing squats lately

but the girl's in

her underwear.

You're actually pulling

that issue apart.

Okay, we're going to learn

about you guys

in a little frothy conversation.

Would you rather die

by lasers to the eye

from your deranged lover or

This is a classic.

- a*s-phyxiation.

- a*s-phyxiation.

Classic would you rather.

We'll start with Jessie

and go this way.

Jessie, which one would

you prefer to meet your end?

- I'd prefer laser to the eyes.

Like, a window to the soul.

At least we get to connect

before it happens, you know?

- That's nice.

I like how you made that

really beautiful right there.

- Yeah, it's romantic.

- You turned that sweet.

That was really sweet.

How about you, Erin?

- Um, I already jumped

the g*n.

I feel like I gave my

answer up, but a*s-phyxiation.

- Mm-hmm.

- I just feel like the

implication is, like,

you're going to, until

it gets real bad,

you're going to be in the

throes of something fun,

and then it turns,

but at least, like,

the lead-up was maybe

some fun?

(laughs)

- I am definitely going to go

for lasers in the f*cking eyes.

(laughing)

- How about you, Erik?

- Uh, I'm gonna go

a*s-phyxiation.

Because it's how my

great grandfather died,

and you write what you know.

He didn't really.

He didn't really.

But it feels like

- He's still alive,

he's watching this,

and he's enraged with you.

- I'm with Erin.

If you're going to go out,

go out having fun.

- Yeah, right?

- That's all I'm saying.

- Yeah, how about you, Karl?

- I'll go with laser to the eyes

just because that's how

my grandfather went out.

Um, no.

(laughing)

I just want it over quickly.

- That was sick.

- Lasers to the eyes.

- Yeah, just instantaneously.

I really enjoyed that.

I'm actually just going to

echo the a*s-phyxiation moment,

because I just feel like,

you know,

who doesn't want to go

tossing a nice healthy salad?

Do you know what I'm saying?

- Um, no, I mean, I agree.

- I never liked lettuce.

- Right?

- I never did.

- There's always time to

acquire that taste, Jessie.

- Um, guys, this has

been so fun.

Before we go, I'd like

each of you to

take a moment to give

your character's most sincere

thoughts and prayers

to any other character

on the show.

A character of your choosing,

and, um, Karl,

we're going to start with you.

- I think Butcher's thoughts and

prayers go out to Homelander.

He hopes that

- Oh.

- That chafing sorts itself out.

That the medication works.

(laughing)

- Um, and that

it's not contagious.

(laughing)

- That's very sweet, Karl.

That's very sweet.

- Karl, Karl, are you talking

about Homelander,

or are you talking

about Antony?

'Cause off-camera,

that was Antony's thing.

- Shh!

- Oh, was that

Well, I was confused.

- Shut up!

- No, no, we're rolling.

We're rolling.

You shouldn't talk about

Antony like that, no.

- Antony, would you--

- But it is clearing up,

isn't it?

- Okay, I'd like to offer some

sincere thoughts and prayers

to my buddy, Billy Butcher

who will be happy to know

that seeing as

I've been spending more

time with his wife,

um, I haven't been

wearing my clothes much

so there's no chafing.

(laughing)

- Ooh, zing.

- Zinger!

- Pretty good.

- I love that, I love it.

Erin, would you like to offer

your thoughts and

prayers to anyone?

- Yes, I would like to offer my

thoughts and prayers to A-Train,

and to just say that,

you know, I know that

you ran through Hughie's last

girlfriend Robin.

I get it.

I just want to clarify that

Hughie and I are not dating.

- Okay.

- Jessie, would you like to

offer your thoughts and prayers?

- You know, as A-Train, I'd like

to offer my thoughts and prayers

to Starlight.

Because if I'm dead,

just know that I'm

going to haunt you,

so I hope you're ready

for another bedtime buddy.

- Oof!

- Oh, hello.

- Damn.

- It actually sounds enticing.

Let's just be clear, though,

he does not like to toss salad.

So, you know, if it's gonna be--

- So it won't be fun.

- It won't be fun bedtimes.

- Out.

- No deal, buddy.

- Won't be snuggly and warm,

that's for sure.

- Erik, who do you think is

going to need

the most thoughts and prayers

in Season Two?

- Oh, sh*t.

Jeez, I have to say

my man Billy Butcher

is gonna need

a lot of thoughts and prayers.

I mean, his whole world

turns upside down

at the end of Season One.

And his wife is alive

and she has a kid

that's Homelander's kid,

and the situation

he finds himself

is just so f*cking intense.

Uh, I would not give him

thoughts and prayers

because that's

a bullshit platitude

that generally assholes say,

but, uh,

I would wish him

I wish him courage and luck

dealing with that situation.

- Oh, that was heartfelt

and lovely.

You didn't understand

the game at all.

(laughing)

That was very nice.

That was very sweet.

And earnest and genuine.

Thank you so much for

being here with me.

Karl, Erik, Antony,

Erin and Jessie

for joining us on

"Prime Rewind: Inside The Boys".

We've got a k*ller season

ahead of us,

and after each episode

I'm going to be here

to break down the

wild storylines,

the incisive themes and

the mesmerizing characters

alongside members of

The Boys and the Seven.

Now, I know you guys

have thoughts out there,

all right, so tweet us with all

of your Season Two predictions

using the hashtag

#insidetheboys.

Tell us what you think

is going to happen

during the season.

And don't be afraid

to get weird,

get wild and loose.

We're going to pick our

favorites,

and then we'll have

Translucent tweet you back.

They're going to be

invisible tweets,

but they're

going to be super dope.

All right, thank you guys

for being here.

This has been so, so,

so much fun.

Thanks for watching, everybody.

I will see you in Season Two.

- Great. Great job.

Thank you so much.

- I thank you sir.

I will not be outdone.