The Boys Declassified – Episode 2
The Boys Declassified will take each episode of the Amazon Prime Series (watch it by clicking here) and put it under a microscope, dissecting it in detail, annotating the changes made from the original comics and pointing out any worthwhile trivia or Easter eggs we might find! Read about it all below!
For parlance, any reference to “The series” means the television series, instances referencing the comic book series will note as such.
Come back and read after you’ve watched the episode because we’re talking full spoilers for the TV series; spoilers for the comic books will be noted and must be highlighted to be read. Like this, HIGHLIGHT SPOILERS: Just an example! Keep reading!
“Cherry”
The title for the episode once again comes from the comics, the story line in issues #3 – #6 shares the title.
“Independent Contractor”
Billy says he works for loads of people in the series, a departure from the books where he does in fact work for the CIA. I would call this change in keeping with the character of Butcher however.
“Frenchie”
The Frenchman, or Frenchie, is one of the most deadly members of The Boys. The version in the series is pretty spot on, maintaining the accent and even calling Billy “M’sieu Charcuter” (the French word for Butcher) which he addresses him as with frequency in the comics, he even sometimes calls Hughie “Petit Hughie” (which doesn’t QUITE make sense in the context of the series, since Hughie’s comic book nickname of “Wee Hughie” is not used, but it makes for a funny joke from Jack Quaid). The Frenchie in the series, played by Tomer Caponm has a handful of differences though including his background as a gun runner and chemist, these are all new for the series. Frenchie having a love interest is a slight alteration, as he claims to have had a lost love in the comics but given his general insanity in the source material it’s unclear how truthful he was being in that instance.
Brooklyn Bridge
Worth noting that a brief shot in this episode shows the Brooklyn Bridge still standing, a major change from the comic books.
Highlight for comic spoilers: In the comics, the events of 9/11 play out quite differently, with NORAD successfully taking out three of the four hijacked jets, resulting in the Twin Towers and Pentagon never being hit. The Seven are dispatched to handle the fourth jet and things go poorly, resulting in the plane crashing into the Brooklyn Bridge and putting the “superheroes in the military” project on ice for a while.
The Hospital Scene
The hilarious and grim hospital scene with A-Train isn’t from the comics but is 100% in the tone of the books. Love it.
Stillwell and Homelander
The chummy relationship between Stillwell and Homelander is pretty different from their interactions in the comics, where it’s a little more antagonistic at times. There’s also a twisted mommy-son relationship clearly at play which is a deviation not only for their relationship but for Homelander as a whole who never appears sentimental in the comics.
Annie and The Deep
Annie confronting The Deep and threatening him is pretty similar to a moment from the comics, though it’s A-Train in the books. The scene prior where Homelander confronts The Deep about his behavior is also close to one that happens in the comics, again with A-Train instead.
Deputy Director Raynor
A pivotal character in the comics, Susan Rayner is Billy’s contact in the CIA in the series and (on paper) his boss in the comics. The pair have an active sexual relationship throughout the comics, which is implied to be over and done with in the series.
“Mallory’s Files”
In Butcher and Raynor’s discussion he asks about Mallory’s Files, implied to be about the various superheroes.
Highlight for spoiler: A reference to his former coworker and the creator of “The Boys” who will appear in a later episode.
These files are a play on how The Boys get their information in the comics, which come to them from a Stan Lee like character named “The Legend” who is absent from the series.
Easter egg alert: While talking about Mallory’s files, Butcher name drops Translucent and two other names: Big Game and Shout Out. These two heroes are from the comics, but never seen in the series. They’re part of the superhero team Teenage Kix in the source material, who will get name dropped later in the series.
Translucent’s monologue
When Translucent breaks it down to Hughie about what will be done to him by the Homelander, how he doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, and how it will all be normal for The Seven once he gets out….that’s the series in a nutshell. Translucent just spelled out the entire reason that The Boys need to exist. Not really a reference or an Easter Egg but it’s the entire thesis of the series in a nutshell.
Senators Robertson and McCrea
At the mixer between Vought’s people and the government employees, Senator Calhoun points out to other Senators named “Robertson” and “McCrea,” a reference to artists Darick Robertson and John McCrea who worked on the series.
Doppleganger
The superhero that tricks Calhoun into having sex and creating the blackmail material against him is a new character not from the comics.
PopClaw
Translucent reveals that A-Train’s girlfriend is named PopClaw, a character straight from the comics and a riff on the X-23 character from Marvel comics.
Gunpowder
Interviewed on the TV is a hero named Gunpowder, a gun-toting hero lifted directly from the books though without a visor over his eyes in the series.
Translucent’s death
Translucent not being in the books makes his death new for the series, but Hughie taking his life is twist on something that happens in the comics. In the source material, Hughie accidentally kills the superhero “Blarney C*ck,” whose death haunts him throughout in a similar way to Translucent’s in the series.
Pick up The Boys Omnibus Volume 1 by clicking here!
Click here to read The Boys Declassified episode 3!
