The Boys has become one of the most celebrated series of this century. Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robinson's comic book series of the same name, The Boys is a satirical spin on the genre.
While the show has deviated from the comics, it is still regarded as one of the best superhero shows.
With Season 4 just around the corner, we decided to settle the debate on the best episodes of The Boys (so far).
While such debate is subjective, some factors certainly make up a great episode—excellent writing, cinematics, and, in the case of The Boys, a ton of gore.
So, in this article, we list the episodes of The Boys that check all the boxes required for greatness.
The Female of the Species (8.7 IMDb)
Written by Craig Rosberg and directed by Fred Toye, "The Female Of The Species" is one of the show’s pivotal episodes. This episode introduces Kimiko, referred to as “The Female”. While the episode begins on a lighter note with Butcher having a passionate morning with his wife, Becca, it gets ugly quickly.
Kimiko’s introduction involves a lot of gore. If that wasn’t enough, this episode gives us the iconic moment of the crash of Flight 37. Homelander and Maeve are ordered to save civilians from a hijacked plan. But, when the mission goes south, both the supes abandon the civilians, leaving them to their fate of crashing into the ocean.
This episode was pivotal for setting the tone of the show, from Homelander’s botched mission to revelations about Butcher’s private life.
Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men (9.0 IMDb)
“Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men” had a huge plot twist. Written by Craig Rosenberg and directed by Steve Boyum, this episode revealed Stormfront’s dark side and true character.
Whilst before Stormfront could be seen as a liberal feminist idol, here we get to see that she’s a trigger-happy killing machine. In the hunt for Kimiko’s brother Kenji, she kills nearly every civilian in the way, with Kenji seeing the same fate in the end.
On the other hand, Starlight leaks the existence of Compound-V. Homelander creates tension within The Seven, and Butcher seeks answers for his wife's disappearance. All in all, this episode was filled with drama, suspense, and a ton of huge reveals.
You Found Me (9.0 IMDb)
Written by Anne Cofell Saunders and Rebecca Sonnershine and directed by Eric Kripke, “You Found Me” ended the first season. In this epic finale, we get the face-off between Butcher and Homelander. Butcher threatens to kill Stillwell and himself. Of course, Homelander doesn’t let that happen because it would be too easy.
Instead, Homelander kills Stillwell himself with his laser vision. He spares Butcher’s life, revealing that his wife Becca is still alive and raising Homelander’s son Ryan. This season finale was the icing on Butcher and Homelander’s rivalry.
Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed (8.9 IMDb)
Season 3 of The Boys was its best reviewed so far, and episodes like this are the reason why. Written by Paul Grellong and directed by Sarah Boyd, “Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed” gave us The Boys’ Darth Vader moment. In a twist that no one was expecting, this episode revealed that Soldier Boy is the biological father of Homelander.
Another key moment of the episode is Soldier Boy’s hunt for the people who betrayed him, including Black Noir. Because of this, we get to see a glimpse of Black Noir’s past via animated characters. This adds life to Noir’s character, who was previously shown to be mysterious and enigmatic.
Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker (9.0 IMDb)
Written by Craig Rosenberg and directed by Stefan Schwartz, "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker" gives us Lamplighter’s final goodbye. Under the guilt of burning Grace Mallory's grandchildren alive, Lamplighter decides the same fate for himself and commits suicide in Vought Tower.
However, Lamplighter’s act of self-immolation gets overshadowed by the courtroom ambush. Victoria Neuman's hearing, a plot hyped for several episodes, occurs here. But, during the hearing, we take a little detour as an unknown assassin ambushes the courtroom and starts popping people’s heads off. This makes short work of the hearing itself as the courtroom walls get painted with brains.
What I know (9.4 IMDb)
Season 2’s finale, “What I Know”, was explosive. This episode, written by Rebecca Sonnenshine and directed by Alex Graves, gave us a bitter-sweet ending to season 2. The information of Stormfront being a nazi gets leaked. With the public knowing her origins, A-trains returns to The Seven.
Alongside everything, the battle between Stormfront, Homelander, and Butcher’s gang reaches its climax. They confront each other at Becca’s home, where things take a turn for the worse. Ryan obliterates Stormfront and, during the process, kills Becca inadvertently. While Stormfront gets severely damaged, she doesn’t die.
The season 2 finale was a rollercoaster with action, drama, and many pay-offs. But, with Becca’s death, fans were left with a bitter-sweet feeling.
Herogasm (9.6 IMDb)
While a strong argument could be made for “What I Know” being the best episode in the series, “Herogasm” tosses that argument out the window. This was phenomenal, written by Jessica Chou and directed by Nelson Cragg. Inspired by its comic chapter with the same name, Herogasm gave us the show’s greatest moments.
Amid this Supe sex party, we get to see The Deep get questionably physical with an octopus. Mother’s Milk gets drenched in supe sperm. And even Love Sausage gets screen time with his “Love Sausage”.
However, the episode kicks when Butcher, Hughie, and Soldier Boy get together to take down Homelander. Amped up on Temp-V, Butcher and Hughie take the fight to Homelander, pinning and submitting him with the help of Soldier Boy. But, in the end, Homelander breaks free and flies away. “Herogasm” was the series’ most highly anticipated episode, and this crazy Supe sex party didn’t disappoint.
The Greatest Run
The Boys has had one of the best runs in superhero entertainment till now. Since the first episode aired, the fans have been on the edge of their seats. Episode after episode, we see gore, comedy, action, and drama, which sets the bar even higher. And, with the amount of cliffhangers and suspense, the show has its fans in a chokehold.
From seeing Hughie’s girlfriend Robin explode in the first episode to Soldier Boy having his Darth Vader moment, we’ve been through one hell of a ride. And it can only get crazier from here. We can't wait to get back into the insane world of Supes as The Boys returns for its fourth season.