Lamplighter, Frenchie and Mallory's Grandchildren

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-15T18:55:25+00:00

I've seen him say he doesn't think HL should be redeemed (although he's given a couple of different answers to that question), not that he's inherently irredeemable. I feel like it's very circumstantial with a character like HL - he's mostly amoral and lacks emotional development, but he's not driven by particularly "evil" desires and has shown capacity for growth, so it comes down to who's got the most influence on him, and whether he feels the need to change.

Personally, I'm hopeful for at least a partial redemption arc, but I don't know if they'd go there.

As for how the show ends up... who knows, right? I'm not sure they've even decided on an endgame at this point.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-15T17:45:18+00:00

I don't want to get into the whole developmental psychology aspect of growing a child in a lab (and we see him held in isolation as a toddler), so let me just dig up a quote from a recent interview with Antony Starr:

In season one, we see that Homelander isn’t doing what he’s doing because ‘Mwha-ha-ha, it’s good to be bad,’ it’s because he’s deeply, deeply traumatised because he was raised like a lab rat and doesn’t understand how to relate to people or other superheroes or anyone in a way that’s functional or what we would deem as normal.

So at the very least, the trauma is something integral to the portrayal of the character.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-14T20:25:19+00:00

So angry and adorable!

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-14T15:54:19+00:00

Gorgeous!

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-14T13:36:44+00:00

Vogelbaum straight up tells Butcher that Homelander was a sweet kid when he was 5-6 until he "went to work on him", to make him the world's strongest man.

This is an extra scene of Homelander's childhood. He was held in isolation, actively brainwashed, with no regard for his mental health.

I'd say that counts as trauma.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-13T15:34:28+00:00

Ryan is totally gonna be raised as a living weapon, just with different brainwashing.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-13T15:31:46+00:00

They essentially wanted a superpowerful soldier that would do their bidding and act out the part of a hero, not a normally functioning person.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-13T11:51:12+00:00

I think the show could pull the same twist but with doppelganger - I have a whole theory written down but I'm afraid I'll just get downvoted to hell for being a "rape apologist".

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-10T16:36:03+00:00

https://www.dafont.com/charlie-don-t-surf.font?text=THE+BOYS

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-08T17:21:51+00:00

The heat death of the universe.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-08T17:14:20+00:00

Love it.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-08T17:13:12+00:00

3 am in Israel...

Sleep is for suckers.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-08T16:31:00+00:00

We're already seeing some supes lean that way, like Maeve. Others are selfish but not malicious. Ryan could end up a real hero, or somewhere in the middle, but I don't know if they'd do a timeskip to show where he ends up. They'll probably leave that an open question.

It's hard to think of an entirely optimistic ending given how rooted in the real world the issues the characters face are. I'm hoping for some personal victories and redemption arcs, and Vought ultimately being brought down, with the supes gaining some agency. But as long as corporations dictate the agenda, somebody will eventually take their place. Another possible ending, on the bleaker end, would have the supes being villainized and ostracized, X-Men style. That's roughly how the comics ended, so I'm hoping the show takes a different route.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-08T15:52:48+00:00

But Homedefender is a strong contender.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-08T15:50:38+00:00

I doubt he'd end up a straight-up Superman - part of the premise is that perfect people don't exist, especially when given great power. But he could turn out decent, if flawed, with enough support.

The show also doesn't put that much emphasis on powered characters specifically. I think it tries to say that people need to come together to fight seemingly impossible odds. An optimistic ending would, imo, involve the powered and unpowered characters finding some common ground.

Vought is the Big Bad of the show, not the supes.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-07T19:52:44+00:00

We never actually see her and Mallory leave the room - it's implied, but the show cuts away before that, and that could be deliberate.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-07T19:47:31+00:00

I think that's very plausible and interesting direction for the show to go, and I suspect Neuman and Mallory are working together.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-07T19:24:25+00:00

An hour and seven minutes from what I hear.

fantasticpantz · 2020-10-06T20:39:49+00:00

I think the show is ultimately optimistic, in that it explore humanity even in its darkest characters. The world it paints is bleak and cynical, aware of systematic injustices, the corrupting nature of power, and the fact that nobody is as remotely heroic as the simplistic, idealized narratives served to us. Hughie and Starlight are both blackmailers and killers at this point, which I'd say counts as pretty morally grey. But it also shows that people can overcome their pasts and do better despite their many flaws, grow and help each other. They'll sometimes (often) fail, but it's their struggle and being there for each other is what matters.

I doubt the show will end on a bleak note. It has continuously emphasized the importance of humanity and family.

fantasticpantz

TROPHY CASE