*This Review Contains Full Spoilers*

The Boys came back with a vengeance delivering tons of wild twists within its season three premiere episodes. Homelander had both a breakdown and an epiphany that led him to seize control through fear and The Boys came together to find a weapon to kill Homelander that’s connected to a past prolific Supe. Oh, and also, Billy Butcher also started playing with a temporary V-drug that gives him superpowers for a day. To say that a lot that happened so far in season three would be an understatement and the latest episode acts as a great follow-up.

One of the biggest shocks of the last episode was Homelander (Anthony Starr) turning the tables on everyone, including viewers, by forcing Starlight (Erin Moriarty) to be his girlfriend. It was an absolutely sickening moment that solidified Homelander becoming a full-blown villain and it’s just as devastating to Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Starlight. There really isn’t a moment in this episode where Starlight doesn’t look absolutely devastated and while Hughie seems like his normal “down on his luck” self, this cuts deeper than the eyes can see. It’s even more gut-wrenching with how smug and egotistical Homelander is towards Hughie and it really gets under Starlight’s skin. Honestly, this hit to Hughie and Starlight’s relationship feels like the “no going back” point of this season, but it comes at severe consequences.

The Boys’ trip to Russia also comes at its own cost as Billy (Karl Urban) makes a deal to let Frenchie (Tomer Capone) off the hook with an old “friend.” The idea of sending Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) on a solo mission to kill a Russian oligarch might not seem like a challenge, and it isn’t since she decimates him and his guards with dildos, but it’s not who Kimiko wants to be. This season she’s been struggling with constantly killing people and doesn’t want to be one of Billy’s weapons anymore. That remains the case here and she makes plans with Frenchie to leave once this mission is done. It’s been a real treat to watch Frenchie and Kimiko’s bond grow throughout The Boys, but their plans to run away to Marseille hit a major snag after the mission to a Russian lab goes awry.

Emotions are really high with The Boys as everyone is going through a lot. M.M. (Laz Alonso) is having some severe yet subtle PTSD having to deal with digging into Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) since he’s responsible for the death of his family, mainly his father. Frenchie and Kimiko want to detach from the group to escape this violent lifestyle. Hughie is full of emotional turmoil as he’s being made fun of on Russian tv and feels powerless. Plus, Billy is on a suicide path with him continuing to take the temporary V and his sporadic behavior is starting to cause rifts in the team. Although Billy is able to shove it off with a heartfelt speech, M.M. is really suspicious of Billy and the team finally finding out about his powers is destructive in more ways than one.

Once the mission in the Russian lab goes haywire, Billy pulls out his powers to decimate all the guards, but no one is really happy about. They almost treat it like a traitor is among them and it’s made even worse that Hughie has also taken the V drug. Given how powerless Hughie is currently feeling, it’s no surprise to see him try to fix these feelings with the V drug, but who knows what cost it’ll have for him. While he thinks this new power is incredible, everyone including Billy is disappointed in him. He honestly seems very out of it at the end of the episode, and I can’t imagine Starlight being thrilled about Hughie’s power. It’s even more worrisome if he tries to go toe to toe with Homelander and Hughie having powers opens up a whole new can of worms for this team who’s in hot water.

After things cool down in the mission, the group finally finds the big weapon they’re looking for, but it’s not what they expected. Rather than the Homelander killer being a big, mechanized weapon, it is actually Soldier Boy himself sporting some new powers. The reveal is super epic and this new power he has to basically annihilate invincible Supes could be devastating as hell. It is a shame that the first test had to be Kimiko and that she’s now fighting for her life in the back of a van, but Soldier Boy’s return is a legitimate gamechanger, if the group can find him again. Somehow though, this wasn’t even the most shocking part of this episode.

Back in the States, Starlight’s attempts to rally the troops against Homelander doesn’t go as planned. If this episode shows anything, it’s that Homelander is just as strong politically as he is with his powers. He’s got everyone in his pocket, including Neuman (Claudia Doumit) now that she’s betrayed Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito), and The Deep (Chace Crawford) is more of an ass-kisser than ever before. Even though Edgar delivers some brutal remarks to Homelander that are made even more amazing thanks to Esposito’s performance, Starlight is in a tough bind that’s only made tougher by a gruesome reveal from Homelander. The reveal that Homelander has killed Supersonic (Miles Gaston Villanueva) is another shocker ending that hits you right in the gut. It’s not surprising that Supersonic is gone since it always seemed like he wasn’t going to last, but it adds more fuel to Starlight’s fire making it only tougher for her not to just fight Homelander herself.

The Boys continues to deliver hard hits and shocking turns that make it the most thrilling season to date. With Homelander continuing to be a domineering force and The Boys starting to become divided over the use of Supe drugs, the stakes are higher than ever, and Solider Boy’s return only adds to the chaos.

Watch the Trailer Here: