The Boys Season 2 Episode 4: 20 Things You Might Have Missed - GameSpot
By Michael Rougeau on September 11, 2020 at 1:00AM PDT
The Boys Season 2 is now well underway, and with the release of Episode 4, "Nothing Like It in the World," we're confident that Season 2 is at least as good as Season 1, if not better--at least so far.
As Stormfront tightens her grip around public opinion and continues to manipulate Homelander, The Boys make some shocking discoveries about her. And Butcher reunites with Becca--much earlier in the season than we thought he would, although granted, it doesn't exactly go as planned.
Those are the broad brush strokes, but The Boys is also one of the most detailed productions on TV, and rewards multiple viewings from eagle-eyed fans. Luckily, that describes us pretty well, and we're using our knowledge of the comics and more to spot everything you might miss in each episode. Below, check out every Easter egg, comics reference, and hint of things to come that you might have missed your first time through The Boys Season 2, Episode 4.
You shouldn't be surprised by Frenchie's drug use if you watched Season 1, Episode 2, where Frenchie offered Hughie a combination of MDMA and LSD to calm him down while they figured out what to do with Translucent.
Homelander and Doppelganger-as-Stillwell are watching Martin Scorsese's 1976 classic Taxi Driver. Homelander is identifying with Travis Bickle, who goes on a rampage after becoming disillusioned with society and being rejected by a woman. We're seeing Homelander's slide toward outright villainy (as opposed to just, you know, secretive villainy) in real time.
Don't feel bad if you forgot about this character--Stillwell used him to blackmail a senator back in Season 1, Episode 2.
In Vought Tower, A-Train glimpses his rival Shockwave getting into an elevator. Shockwave appeared in Season 1 when he and A-Train raced. In Season 2, Episode 1, you might have glimpsed a tabloid back cover claiming Shockwave was in talks to join The Seven. Guess they were right.
When Starlight turns on the radio the first song that comes on is the one she sang at Translucent's funeral in the Season 2 premiere, "You'll Never Truly Vanish."
Hughie praises Annie's "that wavering thing they do on American Idol." As Mother's Milk points out, he's talking about vibrato, a well-known but difficult singing technique. As for American Idol, the reality singing competition show premiered in 2002 and, besides a brief hiatus, continues to this day.
Yep, that's right--more Billy Joel. The song "We Didn't Start the Fire" was released in 1989 on the album--wait for it--Storm Front. In the song, Joel uses rapid-fire verses to list historically significant events that occurred between 1949 (the year he was born) and 1989. This sing-a-long is probably the moment Hughie decided he and Starlight are soulmates.
The Lovers of Valdaro referenced during one of The Deep's cult speed-dating scenes are a real thing. They were discovered in a tomb in San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy, in 2007.
So far in Season 2, the Church of the Collective has been painted as a broad parody of Scientology. The Deep's wife auditions, then, may have been inspired by Scientology's alleged wife-auditing process for Tom Cruise, as described in Vanity Fair.
Cherie, played by Jordana Lajoie, has been around in a bunch of scenes since Season 1 but has never been featured this prominently.
Starlight tells MM that her dad used to take her to Dunkin' Donuts secretively to get treats that were forbidden in her house. If you're from the western United States you're probably less familiar with Dunkin', which only recently expanded successfully in places like Los Angeles. But in much of the country--including Iowa, where Starlight's from--Dunkin' is a staple.
For his part, MM mentions Baskin-Robbins, an ice cream joint founded in 1948 that's known for its 31-flavor menu. Interestingly, Baskin-Robbins is owned by Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc., which, predictably, also owns Dunkin' Donuts.
Hughie tells Starlight that the only other person who likes Almond Joy besides her is Jeffrey Dahmer, an infamous serial killer active between 1978 and 1991. He is generally not someone you want to be compared to, even over something as trivial as taste in candy bars. However, there doesn't seem to be any actual connection between Dahmer and Almond Joy--it's just a joke on Hughie's part. Later, he makes a similar joke, but this time involving John Wayne Gacy, another serial killer.
The other candy bars that Annie mentions are Charleston Chew (chocolate-covered nougat, first sold in 1925) and Bit-O-Honey (honey-flavored taffy with almond pieces, invented in 1924).
Another woman pitching herself as The Deep's cult wife reveals her tattoo of Ed Sheeran. Sheeran is an English musician and actor born in 1991.
"In Depth with Maria Menounos" is not a real show, although Menounos is a real reporter, actress, and more, who's hosted Extra and E! News, plus served as a correspondent for Today and Access Hollywood.
There's a throughline in this episode that will likely come up again later: Now that the public knows about Compound V, everyone wants it for themselves. A protestor can be seen during Stormfront's scenes in the park holding a sign that reads "I want my Compound V," while a news ticker noted that protestors want Compound V turned over to the International Health Organization. After all, in addition to granting superpowers, Compound V might have all sorts of applications for curing disease and prolonging life in general.
MM's t-shirt was inspired by this 1972 photograph by Steven Shames, which depicts two women with bags featuring the same logo. Between 1969 and the early '70s, the Black Panthers civil rights group provided free breakfast for tens of thousands of schoolchildren, according to this History.com article.
Meanwhile, the backstory that MM describes is taken largely from the comics.
The Raleigh Tribune is not a real paper, although there was a Raleigh Daily Tribune in the 1800s. Most of the headlines are typical real-world news about things like a convenience store robbery and the opioid pandemic, although there's one about Kimiko's brother Kenji out of focus in the upper left corner.
As far as Stormfront, so far her backstory is sounding like it's going to be similar to the comics version's, although in the present day story she's very different.
The Homelander/Stormfront memes are a treat--someone who works on this show probably had a really fun time making these. They follow several popular image macro meme formats recognizable to anyone who spends time browsing Reddit.
Disclosure: ViacomCBS is GameSpot's parent company
Go here to read the rest:
The Boys Season 2 Episode 4: 20 Things You Might Have Missed - GameSpot
- Jaden Hill is LSU's ace pitcher who has a bigger calling in life: 'I'm chosen to help people' - The Advocate - February 19th, 2021
- Gangland: a book about meth and the people whose lives it touches - The Spinoff - February 17th, 2021
- SA tattoo artist to the stars on taking his skill abroad - News24 - February 14th, 2021
- Memories of dad help make University of Houston's Justin Gorham a rebounding machine - Houston Chronicle - February 11th, 2021
- Tauranga's strongest head to the Highlands - The Bay's News First - SunLive - February 6th, 2021
- Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys Got His Paris Hilton Tattoo Just 3 Week Before They Broke up - Showbiz Cheat Sheet - January 30th, 2021
- 2 Green Country Women Share Stories Through Tattoo Ink; Competing In National Contest - News On 6 - January 30th, 2021
- Gangs? Cliques? Subgroups? Call Them What You Will There've Been 18 (Yes, 18) In The LA Sheriff's Department - LAist - January 22nd, 2021
- Trump's useful thugs: how the Republican party offered a home to the Proud Boys - The Guardian - January 22nd, 2021
- Proud Boys among groups being watched as inauguration approaches. Do they have Northeast Ohio ties? - Akron Beacon Journal - January 20th, 2021
- Who are Proud Boys? The Western chauvinist far-right group explained and what Donald Trump has previously said about them - The Scotsman - January 15th, 2021
- Theyve been hidden too long: Report details Los Angeles Sheriffs deputy gangs and violence toward communities of color - East Bay Times - January 15th, 2021
- Hawaii Proud Boy Charged By DOJ After Raiding US Capitol - Honolulu Civil Beat - January 9th, 2021
- Swimming With My Shirt Off - The New York Times - January 9th, 2021
- How the Internet Reflected on and Coped With the Capitol Attack - Hyperallergic - January 9th, 2021
- The Weekly-ish Mailbag is mailing it in this week. - Off Tackle Empire - December 31st, 2020
- Four months before her wedding, Mary knew it was over - Sydney Morning Herald - December 19th, 2020
- Family, determination and a dream: The Real Woods story - The Stanford Daily - December 16th, 2020
- Skating solo gives me time to study everyone else on the rink - The Globe and Mail - December 16th, 2020
- LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS: Price is Right Live show rescheduled - Goshen News - December 16th, 2020
- Controversial Mom Made One Of Her Twin Toddlers Get A Tattoo For Very Important Reason - BabyGaga - December 11th, 2020
- Mum of twins tattoos one so she can tell them apart leaving mother-in-law fuming - Daily Star - December 11th, 2020
- Farmingtons mayor of 12 years memorializes his experience in tattoo - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press - December 8th, 2020
- Im A Celebrity superfan gets tattoo of Ant and Dec at Gwrych Castle inked onto his thigh - The Sun - December 1st, 2020
- MacAdam: Fascination with Mike Tyson began in Albany - The Daily Gazette - November 27th, 2020
- 'Home town boys' return to Philippi Main Street - The Inter-Mountain - November 20th, 2020
- The Post-Election Proud Boys Meltdown Is Here, and It's Ugly - The Daily Beast - November 12th, 2020
- I just want to be with my friends: how will children cope with being cooped up again in second lockdown? - The Guardian - November 9th, 2020
- 240+ Inspirational & Meaningful One Word Tattoos (2020 ... - November 6th, 2020
- 75+ Best Small Tattoos For Men (2020) - Simple Cool ... - November 6th, 2020
- Tickets for sale in Snohomish County and around the region - The Daily Herald - November 5th, 2020
- Seances, tattoos and the unbreakable bond between Mikaela Mayer and Al Mitchell - ESPN - October 30th, 2020
- Students rediscover their childhood fandoms on TikTok - Daily Northwestern - October 29th, 2020
- Chase Winovich talks playing time, conspiracy theories with Zolak & Bertrand - 98.5 The Sports Hub - October 22nd, 2020
- The Cycle of Punitive Justice Starts in Schools. Eric Butler Is Showing Kids and Teachers How to Break It. - Mother Jones - October 21st, 2020
- The Proud Boys? - SOFREP - October 16th, 2020
- Theatre Alliance to perform outdoor production of Devil Boys from Beyond - Yes! Weekly - October 16th, 2020
- Freshers' Flu - Why My Mum Invented COVID - Cherwell Online - October 10th, 2020
- Who Are the Proud Boys Trump Told To 'Stand Back and Stand By'? - Snopes.com - October 8th, 2020
- Dan Osbornes tattoo shows hes protective of Jacqueline Jossa & the meaning behind Brooklyn Beckhams spoo - The Sun - October 7th, 2020
- When the Proud Boys came to town - The Economist - October 7th, 2020
- The ten essential facts you need to know about BTS's Suga - Film Daily - October 6th, 2020
- 30 Best Neck Tattoos for Boys and Girls - The Best Tattoo ... - September 30th, 2020
- Best 100+ Tattoo Designs For Men and Boys - Youme And Trends - September 30th, 2020
- Who are the Proud Boys, the extremist group Trump named in the debate - Insider - INSIDER - September 30th, 2020
- Fred Perry Will Denounce Proud Boys, But The President Won't - Highsnobiety - September 30th, 2020
- Hooligans With Heart: Phoenix Risings Red Fury fan club reaches out to refugees - Cronkite News - September 30th, 2020
- Whats New on Netflix UK & Top 10s: September 30th, 2020 - What's on Netflix - September 30th, 2020
- From the Fields: Soaking it up now | agrinews-pubs.com - Agri News - September 30th, 2020
- Who are the Proud Boys and why did Trump tell them to stand by? - The Irish Sun - September 30th, 2020
- The Giant Proud Boy Rally That Wasn't - VICE - September 28th, 2020
- Dallas Cowboys news: Defense is looking for improvements - Blogging The Boys - September 26th, 2020
- For Australia's military veterans, tattoos are an important reminder of the things they've seen - The Canberra Times - September 26th, 2020
- What is the alt-right group the Proud Boys? - The Sun - September 21st, 2020
- Police investigating after man tried to grab young boy from street - The Northern Echo - September 18th, 2020
- Cowboys news: Reviewing the rookies after the Cowboys season-opener - Blogging The Boys - September 18th, 2020
- Nas makes his latest claim to the throne with King's Disease - NYSMusic - September 18th, 2020
- The Boys Season 2 Episode 4: 20 Easter Eggs And Things You Might Have Missed - GameSpot - September 15th, 2020
- Remembrance of Things Past: A favorite series features a book with a local tie - theday.com - September 11th, 2020
- RCB spinner Adam Zampa speaks of his love for whisky, need to carry microwave on tours - Times Now - September 8th, 2020
- Youth of color disproportionately represented in the justice system - Prescott eNews - September 7th, 2020
- Two "Boogaloo Boys" Allegedly Tried To Supply Weapons To Hamas And Join As Mercenaries - BuzzFeed News - September 6th, 2020
- Sophie Kasaei shows off full sleeve and chest piece in 'tattoo' snap - Heat - September 3rd, 2020
- Failed by the System - Eugene Weekly - September 3rd, 2020
- 'They're going to have to shoot me': A cop's son meets a tragic fate in Morris Township - Morristown Green - September 3rd, 2020
- Youth of color disproportionately represented in the justice system - Cronkite News - September 3rd, 2020
- 2 Boys Arrested In Suspected Attempted Carjacking, Armed Robbery - Patch.com - September 2nd, 2020
- Ask Billboard: Katy Perry's Career Bests, From 'One of the Boys' to 'Smile,' & Every Hot 100 'Idol' Top 10 - Billboard - August 29th, 2020
- This says Jimin's tattoo, it has a very deep meaning - Somag News - August 27th, 2020
- 10 Katy Perry Tattoos and the Meaning of Each - Music Times - August 27th, 2020
- Home and Away Review: Annabelle Stephens joins the cast as Angelos wife - The West Australian - August 26th, 2020
- Listen to this! New releases and livestreams from The Boy Band Project, Broadway Buskers, and Playbill - DC Metro Theater Arts - August 25th, 2020
- LASD gangs: Who are the Compton Executioners? - Los Angeles Times - August 20th, 2020
- Disney adults are the most terrifying people on the planet and they need to be stopped - The Tab - July 15th, 2020
- Blake Shelton Said He Has the 'Crappiest Tattoo' and Fans Get It Wrong - Showbiz Cheat Sheet - July 15th, 2020
- 30 Hand Tattoo Designs for Boys and Girls - thisistattoo.com - September 13th, 2019
- Proud Boys - Wikipedia - September 13th, 2019