The second season of Amazon's The Boys is done and dusted, and the finale wrapped most of the plot threads up in a surprisingly neat (well, probably not the best way to describe the carnage that ensued) way while laying the groundwork for the show's return with a shocking twist.
After the explosive events of the last episode, Butcher decides to go at Vought and The Seven head on and "kill everyone," but Becca's arrival forces him to rethink his plan, and he ends up cutting a deal with Edgar to get her son away from Homelander and back under Vought's control. Most of the team are ready to rumble, but Hughie and Starlight ask for some time to find a less violent solution, and end up being handed all of the files on Stormfront's past by, of all people, A-Train, who knows he needs the "Nazi bitch" out of the way if he hopes to rejoin The Seven.
They also ask Maeve to testify against Vought, but she refuses and not-so politely asks them to leave.
The Boys figure out where Homelander and Stormfront are keeping Ryan and put their plan in motion. Leaking the details of Stormy's past to the press takes her off the board (momentarily), while Butcher and Becca are able to distract Homelander long enough to rescue her son. Billy then has a change of heart, breaking his deal with Edgar and telling his wife to take Ryan and leave with MM, but Stormfront returns before they can escape and blasts their car with lightning.
The mega-powerful supe seems unstoppable, but just as she's about to fry the lot of them, Maeve arrives on the scene and we're treated to a real feel good moment as she, Starlight and Kimiko stomp the living shit out of Miss White Power 2020. Girls get it done, indeed.
Stormfront manages to escape, however, and jubilation is followed by tragedy as she corners Butcher, Becca and Ryan in the forest. As she's choking the life out of Becca, the boy unleashes the full power of his heat vision, frying the villain while inadvertently slicing through his mother's neck. Becca dies in a devastated Billy's arms, making him promise not to blame her son and ensure that he doesn't grow up like his father.
Butcher looks like his rage is about to get the better of him when Homelander arrives, but Ryan decides to trust the man his mother introduced as her husband, and Billy honors his promise. Before the psychotic supe can tear Butcher apart, Maeve show's her fearless leader the video The Deep recovered from the plane he allowed to crash, blackmailing him to let Butcher and Ryan go and allow her and Elena to live their lives.
We then see Butcher leaving Ryan with Mallory's people, imparting the best advice the lad is ever likely to hear: "Don't be a c*nt."
Things look pretty good for the rest of our heroes, with Starlight (very cautiously) moving back into the tower, MM returning to his family, Frenchie and Kimiko going out dancing, and Hughie starting a new job as part of Congresswoman Neuman's campaign team.
Oh, there is one small problem: Neuman is the supe that's been making everyone's [frick]ing head explode.
It's certainly a ballsy twist, but does it hold up? Are we supposed to buy that Neuman has been working with Vought all along, or does she have her own agenda? We're going to have to wait until Season 3 to find out.
What do you guys think of the Season 2 finale of The Boys? Be sure to share your thoughts in the usual place.