The Boys, season 3: Episode 5, The Protector becomes the ultimate villain [REVIEW]

Things are wrong between Butcher and his boys. Meanwhile, The Protector becomes more powerful and Soldier Boy destroys everything in his path. Warning, spoilers…

If you missed the start: Supersonic was killed by The Protector. The latter is now the boss of Vought and becomes drunk with powers. Stelladoesn't know how to stop him from getting his way. Butcher, for her part, clashes with the rest of her team and more particularly La Crème. Kimiko, she is between life and death in the hospital. Nothing is going right, everything can change!

Episode 5. It's a big mess. Heroes and antiheroes are on the edge. There are decisions to be made, you have to turn your back on your ideals, the past comes back in the face. This fifth episode of The Boys is the point of no return for many characters. All of them, by the way. It is also the culmination point where everyone, slowly but surely, advances their pawns on the chessboard. Tension emanates from all sides. No wonder Butcher, locked in his hatred and his quest for revenge, begins to tangle with the rest of his team even if it means breaking ties. And go towards the break-up of the group? Each character increasingly faces their destiny: La Crème is traumatized by her childhood, Kimiko would like more normality in her life, Hughie and Stella< /strong> are on the verge of implosion and Butcher… Butcher sinks further into hatred, self-destruction and his addiction to Compound V. Opposite, The Protector gradually becomes the ultimate villain.

The Protector, great television villain

Within three seasons, The Protector became the main antagonist of The Boys. And perhaps the most ambiguous and interesting character. In this season in particular, the superhero turns into a politician. Or even a dictator in a Spandex suit with an impeccable blow-dry and a dazzling Colgate smile.It is his omnipresent peace and friendliness that scare the hell out of you. The gap between his (false) sympathy and his Machiavellian character makes him a great television villain. His interpreter, Anthony Starr, has understood that it is not necessary to make money to establish himself as a bad guycreepy. There is only to see this short scene when The Protector takes up his duties at the head of Vought. This is an administrative meeting in all its formality. His subordinates (should we say underlings?) try to laugh at his jokes, try to hide their fear, do not contradict him. Except an employee who decides to stand up to him. Keeping his cool and remaining polite, The Protector intimidates him in a casual manner, without even batting an eyelid. The woman is destabilized before being sent back to the fields. It is with this short passage that we understand all the superpower of the character (and the high-flying game of Anthony Starr). We are getting to a point where The Protector is so powerful, so feared, and so sure of himself, that he no longer needs to bring out the heavy artillery. No more need to use your superpowers. A simple smile, half grin, is enough. There is no violence in his words. But the contraction of his jaw betrays a dull anger that is only waiting for one thing… To explode in the face of the world.