The Boys: Every Episode Ranked Worst To Best
Ranking the first sixteen episodes of Amazon's daring superhero drama, ready for season three.
Published between 2006 and 2012, Garth Ennis's masterful comic book series The Boys ran for 72 issues, introducing readers worldwide to a superhero story unlike any other. Rife with violence, sex, complex characters, morally ambiguous vigilantes and genuinely detestable superheroes, the series set a benchmark for just how fun, risky and unconventional the superhero genre could be.
Originally planned to be adapted into a movie by Columbia Pictures back in 2008, the series finally hit Amazon Prime as a TV show, developed by Eric Kripke and starring the likes of Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Elizabeth Shue and more.
Though not a direct adaptation of the comics that gave it life, The Boys has nonetheless done a remarkable job of capturing the timely themes, stylish action and complexities of Ennis's source material, and by mixing things up the cast and crew have crafted one of the best shows currently on air.
As of this writing, two seasons and 16 episodes have aired, with season three on the horizon. Every episode has something to offer, though as with all shows some aren't quite as strong as others in the series. With that in mind, here are all 16 f*cking diabolic episodes of The Boys ranked worst to best.
Major spoilers throughout.
16. The Big Ride (Season 2, Episode 1)
Season two's premiere kicks off sometime after season one's maddening cliffhanger. Butcher is missing and presumed dead, whilst Hughie, Frenchie, MM and Kimiko are hiding out from the Seven and more isolated than ever. Meanwhile, Ashley Barrett has taken control of Vought Industries and Homelander is trying to keep a hold on his sanity and his leadership.
The Big Ride is a great episode, filled with some striking character interactions, the first instance of someone's head blowing up inexplicably, and the introduction of bubbly but mysterious hero Stormfront. We also get to see more of The Deep and his increased isolation, as well as Hughie and Annie's fractured relationship.
Though all of this is well and good, and the episode is typically striking in its performances, twists and entertainment, The Big Ride is a bit too exposition-filled compared to others in the series. It seems in parts to slightly meander, and though it's all worth it in the long run, the momentum of the episode and its need to set up what's to come does let it down in the rankings.