‘The Boys’ recap: “Ass Kissing and Ass Kicking” (Season 3 Episode 4)

It’s the midway season mark, and we’re at perhaps the peak of (often literally) shifting power in The Boys. As The Boys become increasingly determined to locate the weapon that killed Soldier Boy (especially Mother’s Milk, whose longtime struggle with OCD and familial trauma seems to be flaring to particularly high levels), they turn to any possible connection they can find. Little Nina (Katia Winter), Frenchie’s previous employer (who seems to have a particularly sadistic, complicated, and abusive relationship with Frenchie), is a high-risk connection, but seems to be the only way to get information and assistance with locating the rumored weapon in Russia.

Starlight, Queen Maeve, and Supersonic are working to keep the status quo at Vought Tower, doing their best to not raise any alarms about their collective plan to take down Homelander. Queen Maeve trains in secret, Starlight white-knuckles it through her skin-crawling faux relationship, all while Homelander’s power continues to grow on all fronts.

A disturbing alliance sparks between Congresswoman Victoria Neuman and Homelander; in exchange for Victoria accusing Stan Edgar of blackmail, perjury, and obstruction of justice, thus forcing him out of power at Vought, Homelander is able to provide Neuman with some Compound V for her own daughter (“It’s gonna make you so strong and safe forever,” Neuman appeases her nervous daughter before the highly painful first injection — seemingly holding tight to the fantasy that many parents of superheroes have, that the pain is worth it to protect and provide a better life for the child).

A-Train is currently at the center of The Boys’ more political and cultural satire. As his heart weakens and his role becomes increasingly symbolic, he tries to coax Vought into helping demand some accountability from lower level supe Black Hawk (Nick Weschler), who tends to target low-level crime in minority areas. As Homelander, Ashley, and The Deep (who is now, more than anything, a kiss ass to the system and a mouthpiece for his more socially savvy wife) agree this is a bad idea, A-Train is instead offered some bleak, meaningless “political activism” in the form of a rip-off of the tone-deaf Kendall Jenner Pepsi ad — only this time A-Train offers his branded energy drink to help appease issues between protestors and police. Otherwise, A-Train is not just being dismissed, but actively belittled, shown most tellingly by Homelander’s decision to not bother helping him up after an altercation in the hallway — not only is A-Train not supported, he’s not welcome.

Once successfully in Russia, Butcher reveals the supe compound to Hughie, who tries it for the first time before their trek to find the rumored superhero weapon on a secret Russian site. Hughie is bestowed with the power of teleportation (though his clothes do not follow him, so he is forced to race around saving lives with his ass out), and in saving Mother’s Milk, outs Butcher’s secret compound weapon to the whole group.

Despite the exciting new super-abilities provided to our civilian heroes, the best kills of the episode are undoubtedly at the hands of one of our originally superables, Kimiko, who brutally takes down a room full of Russian bad guys using some Seven-themed sex toys. There is nothing quite like watching her slam a “Black Noir” dildo directly through a perv’s neck and face.

The much sought-after weapon that is so carefully hidden in Russian headquarters turns out not to be a weapon at all, but Soldier Boy himself, locked in a sealed chamber until The Boys inadvertently release him. Soldier Boy is capable of sending out some sort of radioactive wave; strong enough that he seemingly knocks the powers right out of Kimiko, including her ability to heal, a concern (especially for Frenchie) as she suffers a massive puncture wound when falling back from the shock.

At episode end, The Boys are left with Soldier Boy on the loose, Kimiko inexplicably unhealed, and no secret weapon. At home, Starlight stands in shock and horror before the melted remains of Supersonic on a New York rooftop, as Homelander explains that A-Train outed the mutiny and Starlight and Hughie are in direct and immediate danger if anything else is to happen. The Boys and their co-conspirators seem to be consistently taking two steps forward and one step back, while the secret bad guys continue to stay winning.

Photo courtesy of Prime Video