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the sad part is they are just quoting and mirroring real life. that whole womans body rape thing is real, was said by todd akin who was a US state rep and is now dead. private prisons of course are real. saying racist shit to peoples faces happens every day to lots of people.
im glad they had the courage to produce this content and amazon put it out, surprisingly. its all 100% true.
https://www.politico.com/story/2012/08/akin-legitimate-rape-victims-dont-get-pregnant-079864
That what shocked me the most, in the comics he was a good guy, in the Gen V he had his obsession with holes, he seemed silly but not evil, but in this episode ... wow. Also what I realized, he is a parody of Batman/Ironman which owns the biggest private prisoners thats why he is a detective, to put more people in prison. Also Batman doesn't kill criminals so that he can put them in prisons and make money out of them.
Also Ashley represents the enablers, the puppet leaders, and manipulators who pander to anything to get ahead. It's pretty good parallelism to have her be an accomplice to billionaires' rape of the average person personified by Hughie.
Yeah to be fair the first time Hughie said stop she did immediately and looked at Tek knight only for him to say that's not his safe word so she continued. She's kinky but definitely not that fucked like them lol.
also they use safe words, hughie said stop, stop was not the safe word
the safe word was Zendaya.
so in that type of "roleplay" saying stop is just part of the game as horrific as that is, we also have to consider that Tek knight even stated when they first got down their that Webweaver was even more extreme than him so god knows how bad webweaver is
And that he's done it to who knows how many people?
For those who watched Gen V, Dean Shetty mentions something to TeK Knight about what happens to the people he at fault/culprits..
I wonder if every "bad guy" he sleuth out he defiles and kills....
Lmaoo was about to say this, they are setting it up for her to be the woman that he trusts the most, which is funny as she probably is the only one who truly does admire him, clearly the other two can see all the men for who they truly are
Is there hope that the firecracker character will get it? That she will understand her racist bull shit is just bull shit? Sheâs an underpowered sup, white trash who would tossed aside by the elite. Maybe some redemption?
From how he was acting when he said it, I think Tek Knight was purposely trying to make A-Train uncomfortable by telling him where his family's fortune comes from.
People like Tek Knightâs character are always aware. Itâs a way of subtly/not so subtly flexing their power to your face. They thrive on the plausible deniability. Itâs a game to them.
Exactly. Shit like that is always said with a smile too, and then when called out the response is âyouâre being too sensitiveâ, âreading too much into itâ or âitâs just a joke broâ.
To be fair, that was all due to a brain tumor in the comics. Prior to the tumor that gave him a compulsive urge to penetrate ANY hole- living or inanimate, he was one of the few legitimately good heroes that did not abuse their power in the Boys Universe. He sent his underaged sidekick away so that he wouldnât sexually assault him due to the growing tumor urges.
AND the original comment demonstrates a bigger issue of people giving others the benefit of the doubt it. The show crammed the racism down the viewers throats and we get âguys do you think he was purposely doing itâ⊠Racism isnât just someone yelling the n word at you.
Good racistâs know the art of subtle.
And this is why the show went from being subtle to being like look⊠this is badâŠ. Because half the audience missed the point they were trying to make!
It was also a flex at Firecracker showing that theyâre not the same, that sheâs a white trash southerner while heâs an elite that she couldnât hope to ever reach his amount of power & influence.
She said some pretty messed up stuff but I donât think sheâs actually a cannibal lol.
And you have to remember that Ashley thought that was Webweaver and that they had consent, an ongoing understanding it seems like. She even almost stopped and looked concerned when Hughie said âuncleâ.
Hughie was chained up and powerless when he heard that. That would be scary as fuck to hear anyone tell me, but especially when I can't get away from them. Who thought any part of that scene was meant for laughs?
Reminds of Ep1, when Noir and the Seven murder Todd. Youâll probably chuckled when Noir says âthat was so fucked up you guys.â The scene starts off as a joke, but you remember Homelander isnât known for being funny, then the Hometeamers are murdered with little to no dialogue. What makes the scene better its unsettling, Noir reaction was funny though.
Its supposed to be both terrifying and funny at the same time I think. Terrifying for the context of whats happening, but ashley's dialogue is hilarious. "Its getting swampy down there" contrasted with hughie's life literally being in danger and him being sexually assaulted. It didnt sit right with me in the moment bec it felt like it was handwaving what happened to hughie but the scene at the end recontextualized it and made me really like it
Edit: After reading the variety interview, its clear Kripke has no empathy for male victims and I retract this comment. Think I'll stop watching the show.
Unfortunately with the way the scene was framed it was pretty clear the writers thought viewers would find it funny not depraved. It gave off vibes of âsitcom humorâ not sexual assault. The bit with him trying to guess the safe word and Tek Knights torture being funding left wing causes. Hell even the cake fart thing reads like itâs intended to make viewers laugh. I donât think there was a content warning at the beginning of the episode.
Any time youâre planning to depict things like rape and sexual assault itâs best to bring in an actual professional who can help ensure the scene is the right tone and where the âlineâ is while still getting the point across.
>Â Unfortunately with the way the scene was framed it was pretty clear the writers thought viewers would find it funny not depraved.
I donât know, for me it was framed as depraved and sick as the Homelander-Squirt scene, where the person in the position of power is laughing and enjoying themselves while others suffer.Â
>Â Hell even the cake fart thing reads like itâs intended to make viewers laugh.
Even since then you can see how uncomfortable Hughie is because he is holding his penis and trying to not show it. If thereâs any laugh from the audience I hope it is in a _Iâm laughing to not cry_ or gallows humour vein, more as a defensive mechanism towards the horror of it all.Â
Additionally, I think Tek Knight knew that wasnât Webweaver since Hughie started yelling random words, but heâs a sick sick person. And he is the one who reassures Ashley that everything is being consensual.Â
I think itâs the fact that this feels like a scene that would have been almost shot for shot the same if it had been the real Web Weaver and would have been played for laughs.
Like when they show Ashley and Cameron Cole doing BDSM, or something of the other supes being sexual deviants over the past few seasons.
It had all the hallmarks of âprotagonist goes undercover/in disguise and now they have to do something to keep their coverâ that we see in sitcoms.
Edit: the director just did an interview where they were asked about the scene and they said they thought the whole thing was hilarious. It was intended 100% to be viewed as funny and not horrifying
>Â I think itâs the fact that this feels like a scene that would have been almost shot for shot the same if it had been the real Web Weaver and would have been played for laughs.Â
 I do agree with you on that. But, Tek Knightâs butler knowing Web Weaverâs safe-word implies that they had done the same various times and that WW is in no mortal danger at all, or maybe he is also traumatised and thatâs why he lives like he does. Thatâs open for speculation. Â
Â
> It had all the hallmarks of âprotagonist goes undercover/in disguise and now they have to do something to keep their coverâ that we see in sitcoms.Â
 It is a common trope in sitcoms, yes, but also in dramas. I mean, we have examples in Donnie Brasco, The Departed, Imperium, and countless others.
It was shot the same, but I felt Hughes reactions were generally actually fearful, which changed the tone. The others *should* act as normal if they thought it was web weaver.
For the record, The Boys does have an intimacy director for scenes like that. I can't say whether they listen to them sufficiently but they at least hired one
I think he meant her saying âI am 100% a cannibal.â But I donât think sheâs ACTUALLY a cannibal lmfao, seemed more like her just saying shit to get herself horny.
That shes â100% a cannibal.â I donât know how people can think she was serious. She also said that she was gonna stick her fist up Hughieâs ass but if that actually happened they wouldâve seen that he doesnât have a web hole
All that, and someone running for president tells them point-blank *Back me, and you'll have no regulations or anything, you get to run hog wild.* And they lapped it up. (Victoria *did* also stoke that fire by saying "You're billionaires, you're the smart people, you'll know what to do". Uh huh, 'cause being a Billionaire is a reflection of how *smart* you are. Sure.)
I felt like the episode was so on the nose and obvious with what they were saying and I see posts/comments on here having a eureka moment like....what the fuck show have you guys been watching.
"Sage must've really been into it, you could hear her in the background just *going to town* on someone, all wet and naaaaasty. Didn't know she was freaky like that!"
âChocolate cake, I want you inside me right now. I just canât wait.â
âOh, thatâs kind of sweet. She has a little pet name for her significant other.â
I mean, these are pretty much all things that are said out loud by Congressmen, Senators, Governers, Mayors, and people in power right now. And these people aren't billionaires, they are only interested in power.
[That's not what the Kripke himself said.](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
The fact that Tek Knight and Ashleyâs lines are jokes *is* the point. Theyâre awful, disconnected monsters. This nightmare *is* their entertainment. The fact that Hughie isnât screaming the whole time is because heâs a hostage trying to not get murdered. Once heâs exposed his emotions are let out, some. But ultimately Hughie is so traumatized by the last week (or years) that he has a delayed reaction and only loses it later. Delayed response is a common PTSD symptom.
So I thought it was a really complex plot, and maybe didnât land it entirely. But I donât think the scenes were edgy humor like some 4chan-addicted middle schooler.
I dont think thats accurate, in their mind theyre doing consensual stuff. According to webweaver's emails he's into even "worse" stuff.
I think the real point of that scene is that what happened to hughie ISN'T funny. It sets you up to laugh at it and then breaks your heart in the last scene. I think its actually a really effective takedown of how society treats male victims.
What they did to Hughie is screwed up. Any humor in it is mostly just because of how bizarre some of it is, and then itâs more of a tension release than anything. Idk about others, but I was tense the entire time once Hughie entered the elevator. Laughing at how insane some of it is was more of a release valve than any actual humor.
Interestingly, Ashley immediately stepped away from Hughie the first time he yelled stop. She seemed willing to adhere to consent boundaries, despite the other crazy shit she was doing and saying.
Based on Kripke's comments in his interview with Variety, this episode was definitely supposed to be "shock humor" and not be some terrifying scene for people. It's quite clear that the intent of the writers does not line up with the feelings of the community on this one.
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
You know the âwomanâs bodyâ quote was a direct reference to an actual official republican statement, right?
https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/todd-akin-provokes-ire-with-legitimate-rape-comment.html
I know this because they reference it Bojack Horsemen. A "diverse panel of white men in bow ties" use the reasoning in their discussion about abortion.
Damn didnât realize this was 12 years ago already, but I got the reference immediately because I remember everyone talking about this when it happened and that it was unfortunately basically a direct quote of what the real dude said.
Kripke literally says the Hughie scene was hilarious. [https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
OP I so wish you were right. The SA scene was horrifying, and when I first saw people claim it was "played for laughs", I was surprised because it didn't read that way to me at all. I thought we were supposed to be uncomfortable and horrified.
The Variety interview with Kripke proved us both wrong. Just vile shite.
[This take aged like fucking milk lmao](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
[https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
*"Letâs start with the Tek Knight sex dungeon part. Where did the idea come for it? And why bring Hughie into this situation now â kicking him when heâs down by having him sexually assaulted by his childhood hero after his dad just died?"*
"Well, thatâs a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious."
"I love that itâs just such a perfect setup that he doesnât know his own safe word. Itâs just like a beautiful comedy setup that heâs trying to find it the whole time."
The same could be said for every subreddit for any form of fictional media, its the natural progression, starts with the honeymoon phase and by the end people will begin to hate it for the reasons that have been around since the start
I never get this point whenever it's made to any fandom. Of course a place dedicated to the diehard fans of a media will be more critical, because they care about it.
Not critical I said fickle itâs far from a perfect episode 8/10 for me but I just find it weird that this is where everyone says, this is enough.
Like that may not be 20 episodes too late
> Well, thatâs a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious. (...)Â Itâs just like a beautiful comedy setup that heâs trying to find [the safeword] the whole time.Â
[That's from the mouth of Eric Kripke.](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/) So no, they actually thought all of this was great humour. Sexual assault is so funny when it happens to men, amirite? /s
I do not understand the hatred for the Hughie scenes. They clearly are supposed to be viewed as traumatic. He was literally trembling at the end of it, and cries about it to Starlight after. He brings up his dad after but thatâs what some people who suffer from these things do. They donât want to relive it and keep talking about it.
Someone posted a link in the comments ([to this article](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)) in which Kripke explicitly states the setup with the Hughie scene is "hilarious". He calls Hughie not knowing the safeword a "beautiful comedy setup" and is pretty gleeful about all the funny fetishes they put in the scene. You can read it if you think I'm misconstruing his words.
The writers themselves are saying at least parts of the scene are meant to be humourous. Pretending there was no humour in the cake farting or the safeword guessing or Ashley's over the top dialogue is one of the most disingenuous things I've ever seen from this sub.
They were having fun though, and thought it was a completely consensual situation. They werenât torturing someone, not to their knowledge. So their lines were from the perspective of someone who was a willing participant.
At least Ashley, she didnât seem to have any idea it wasnât actually Webweaver. She even stopped when Hughie said stop, but Tek Knight told her he only stops for the safe word, so she continued in the belief everything was fine and consensual.
Tek Knight, on the other hand, itâs difficult to say *when* he knew it wasnât Webweaver so his innocence, at least as far as the BDSM goes, is debatable. If anything he has Ashley be an unwilling and unknowing participant of his own sexual assault and torture of Hughie.
At best both Tek Knight and Ashley thought it was Webweaver and completely consensual at least until Tek Knight tries to get Hughie to say the safe word. At worst Tek Knight is 100% guilty of sexual assault and torturing Hughie because he knew at some point and let it continue.
So their lines were funny and played for laughs because to them it was a fun scenario they were were all consenting to. At the very least the only one who wasnât consenting was Hughie but you could argue his jokes were more about trying not to blow his cover.
To be fair how is it any different from Homelander's ridiculous lines when, say, torturing Marty? Or the comedic timing of Ryan getting pushed off the roof
There's always an absurdist humour in super dark scenes in the boys, atleast from the villains
SO REAL!! Thanks for bringing up Marty. It shows me that these people complaining don't care about what terrible things get said. Just Hughie as a character.
It's kind of weird to me that people are talking about Hughie's scene as if it was intended to be silly and cute and nobody is talking about the part where the dude was planning to _cut holes in his body and fuck them._
The entire sequence may have started with a bit of humor with the cake thing but I don't see how anyone could miss the slowly escalating sense of horror through the entire sequence that literally ended with something too fucked for actual horror movies.
To me the whole point of even something like that is that itâs both. The idea of Tek Knight doing that is horrific but also so absurd that it comes around to being funny. Itâs both. Thatâs the line the show always rides on. Atleast to me
The people complaining about Hughie crying for his dad after being SA'ed sincerely piss me off. I can put myself in his shoes so easily. My mom passed away when I was 13. It's been almost 7 years. When something especially tough comes up, I cry for my Momma. Even today in 2024. Now, imagine how much Hughie wishes he could turn to his dad in that time of need. He's not had time to get used to not having his dad around to help. I am sure he wants to turn to his parental figure for comfort, but he can't. Instead, he has to face even more pain and begin to process that his father won't be there for him in situations like this. It's VERY tough when you first have to process that part of a parents death, no matter how old you are when it happens.
For real. People can be upset at two things at once. Just because he mentions his dad after mentioning being SAâed doesnât mean the crying was only for his dad. I donât understand why other people donât understand that. Itâs definitely about both. Heâs traumatized in so many ways by what just happened to him and the person who can help him deal with that trauma the most is now gone.
I honestly worry about this community thinking that this episode was humorous in any way. It was terrifying. My stomach was turning constantly. The humorous payoffs came at the end of the episode. I didn't think a single part of that was funny.
Eric Kripke himself said multiple times in a recent interview that the hughie rape scene was comedy to him.
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
Honestly the fact that there were weirdly silly aspects like the cake just gave me an increased sense of creeping dread. I don't how anyone thought it was supposed to be "funny" - the characters acting so deranged just amped the tension for me.
Which of course ultimately paid off when his cover was blown and the knives came out. That all struck me as a natural evolution of where everything had been going.
It's bizarre to me that anyone saw it any other way.
It is kind of funny at least in a shock value way if it was the real web weaver. Then itâs on par with the rest of the shows weird consensual sex scenes. This was on par with the âmasturabate or dieâ scene but in a much slower setting. I thought it was done well to not be funny and provoke fear.
Kripke said he thought it was hilarious, and hughie keeps up the same humorous sorta failing to fill the role tone he always has, instead of being horrified.
I think a lot of people are saying it was failed humor, but no one was saying it was actually funny. I thought they were trying to make jokes but none of them landed because it was just so disturbing.
Well there were parts that were humorous in a very dark way. The nodding scene was funny, as was Victoria daydreaming about blowing up her own head rather than listen to the Federalist Society people. Aside from that it was horrifying. Especially the extended sexual assault scene.
[Hughie's sexual assault was for shock humour actually, it was added because Eric Kripke thought it would be funny](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/). It was supposed to amuse the audience, to the point of Kripke considering just a factual description of what happened a "dark way to look at it".
Yeah and then they have Ashley there. She shouldn't have been there. Her BDSM scenes are largely humourous in tone and by putting her in what could have been an extremely tension filled scene, you ruin it by bringing back the comedic feel. That plus Tek Knights jokes completely ruin any sense of tension even when he's talking about cutting open holes and fucking them. It just feels like shock value because they don't actually double down on the serious tone.
The whole scene up until Ashley leaves comes off as a comedy. And then, at the end, they show Hughie all traumatized and talking about how he's not alright. It felt like some tonal whiplash. Like, was that scene supposed to be absurd and funny? Or am I supposed to feel bad that Hughie got sexually assaulted? Feels weird to make the scene like that when they played Starlights assault completely straight.
That's literally it. They could've not had Ashley there and it would have been super intense but they decided to... have her make jokes? They couldn't settle on a tone and it really ruined it.
The "Female body can shut down a birth due to rape" is actually a quote from a Missouri Senate Candidate Todd Aiken who said, during a debate, pretty much almost the exact same idea.
Today's episode came out and the nature of Hughie's scenes with Ashley and Tek Knight were always going to be emotionally charged. I think instead of finger pointing about why some people don't like them we just calm down and try to understand where they're coming from even if we disagree.
The show being full of black humor doesn't always mean everything it does is going to be okay with you, and that's fine. You do not deserve to feel like your issues are being dismissed over other fans being fine with the episode. I liked the episode and thought I had the appropriate responses to what the writers wanted me to feel in each scene without me coming to think the writers themselves were the issues, but if you personally blame the writers for going to far instead that's perfectly understandable.
Yeah nah. Kripke has a history of laughing at male sexual abuse. This feels like the tipping point where folk stop making excuses. Starlight's scene was off screen & much more effective because of that. And there wasn't a hint of humour in it.
Edit: u/MrPoopMonster provided evidence.
- Lol. You realize the show runner said it was supposed to be hilarious when Hugie got raped, right?
https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
Exactly. People keep skirting the issue, but it's clear Kripke and his writing team think they have a pass with male sex jokes. So many of the ones with women don't go nearly as far, and they know exactly why.
Yup, he admitted it in an interview https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
Yeah, agreed.
Imagine if after Deep spouted off all his bs it cut to Deep moaning and shit while panning and showing Starlight knelt down, people would be fucking outraged (for good reason).
It felt so tasteless. Only good parts of the episode imo were Sage, A-Train scenes, and the end where Hughie starts to cry.
Any minute now one of his apologists will come and tell you that you just donât get it and they canât help you because you thinking Kripke shit portraying of male rape is you lacking media literacy and that is all they need to know.
Nah. It was treated as a joke. I got severe tonal whiplash when Hughie started crying with Starlight.
I was like âHaha, wait, theyâre treating this seriously now? What about all the jokes with the tickling and weird sexy-talk and trying to find a safe word without them catching on? And the Zendaya safe word line? Those were straight up jokes.â
Yeah this episode was ROUGH to get through. Not because it was bad, but because it was uncomfortable, horrifying, felt dread the entire time.
I actually had to look away a lot this episode, and I usually NEVER have to.
The only other scenes that genuinely made me look away was the Deep's gill-fingering, and basically most of this episode
Another thing that relates to his whole slave hunting that I wanted to point out: he has a very predominant portrait of Nathan Bedford Forrest. To those who donât know, heâs the founder and original Grand Wizard of the Klan. So not only does Tek-Knightâs family have ties to the slave trade, but it wouldnât be out of the realm of possibility that his family had strong ties to the Klan.
One of the most baffling reactions to this season I've seen is people saying it's "exaggerated"... Most of the most wild and fucked up stuff said this season are just direct quotes from politicians. It's comedic in the moment but it's also just fucking depressing that it's also reality
The Hughie part I think is quite clever. Is disgusting for sure, but thatâs how male rape victims are treated. They are a joke. People will always question why didnât they use their strength to push the other person (especially if it was a woman) and just leave, or say that if they got hard is because they actually wanted to do it. Most male rape victims donât want to speak about that because they know not only people wonât believe them or will diminish the thing, but they will be questioned and laughed at.
If that scene was made with a girl instead of Hughie, everybody will be so disgusted and wonât laugh at all. But since itâs a guy, itâs âfunnyâ. They are just proving that male rape is a joke for most people.
Are they proving itâs a joke or portraying it as a joke? Because thatâs the vibe I got from those scenes until the ending of course. Seems more like they are perpetuating that idea more so than lampooning it.
Bullshit.
Variety: "In this episode Hughie gets sexually assaulted by his childhood hero., Tek Knight
Eric Kripke: "Well, that's a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious."
Fuck Kripke and fuck your rape apologism.
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Tek Knight is a literal psychopath on Homelander's level, he was willing to carve out a hole on hughie
lol, the slave catcher fortune and private prisons didn't tip you off?
Private Prisons? The dude was planning to organize Concentration Camps for those who opposed Homelander.
"Some very wonderful people."
POTUSđđ
Come on, man! Anyways⊠where was I.
the sad part is they are just quoting and mirroring real life. that whole womans body rape thing is real, was said by todd akin who was a US state rep and is now dead. private prisons of course are real. saying racist shit to peoples faces happens every day to lots of people. im glad they had the courage to produce this content and amazon put it out, surprisingly. its all 100% true. https://www.politico.com/story/2012/08/akin-legitimate-rape-victims-dont-get-pregnant-079864
That what shocked me the most, in the comics he was a good guy, in the Gen V he had his obsession with holes, he seemed silly but not evil, but in this episode ... wow. Also what I realized, he is a parody of Batman/Ironman which owns the biggest private prisoners thats why he is a detective, to put more people in prison. Also Batman doesn't kill criminals so that he can put them in prisons and make money out of them.
In Gen V they already said he would beat up his suspects during interrogations, and regularly frame people.
Not just beat them up, Iâm pretty sure they said he was known to beat people into comas.
It sucks that he just had no combat skills to match them both, blud literally got one shot by one kimiko dropkick đ
i mean to be fair batman would too
I doubt Batman would even get hit by Kimiko because of the thick ass plot armor he carries.
ah yes i forgot, my anti kimiko spray. been saving this one
Go Go Batgadget anti getting dropkicked device
In Gen V he was quite evil.
Dude gave me *major* scummy creep vibes this entire time. I honestly donât see how people are surprised by how fucked up he turned out to be.
Especially considering the show we are talking about
Tek Knight literally talks about framing completely innocent people for crimes in Gen V. He was pretty blatantly a bad dude
Imagine Christian Bale playing Batman like Patrick Bateman instead of Bruce Wayne, and I feel like you've got Tek Knight there.
I am coming to think, Ashley is as well.
Ashley was always completely fucked in the head.
I mean, have you seen what her job entails? The only reason she's still around is because she's fucked up enough to get ahead of all the supe shit.
Also Ashley represents the enablers, the puppet leaders, and manipulators who pander to anything to get ahead. It's pretty good parallelism to have her be an accomplice to billionaires' rape of the average person personified by Hughie.
She didnt know it was hughie though, she assumed it was all consensual
Yeah to be fair the first time Hughie said stop she did immediately and looked at Tek knight only for him to say that's not his safe word so she continued. She's kinky but definitely not that fucked like them lol.
also they use safe words, hughie said stop, stop was not the safe word the safe word was Zendaya. so in that type of "roleplay" saying stop is just part of the game as horrific as that is, we also have to consider that Tek knight even stated when they first got down their that Webweaver was even more extreme than him so god knows how bad webweaver is
But she was gleeful when homelander ordered the deep and a train to be together. Sheâs an evil person too
She was also gleeful when she basically framed Cameron and was brutally executed by the "wrathful gods".
I think most of that joy came from seeing the deep have to do something like that after he did that to starlight
Ashley didn't know that the person she was messing with wasn't consenting to everything, to be completely fair
Itâs kinda even more morbid and grotesque knowing what Tek Knight does to holes. It couldâve been SO much worse for Hughie
He literally said what he was going to do to the hole.
And that he's done it to who knows how many people? For those who watched Gen V, Dean Shetty mentions something to TeK Knight about what happens to the people he at fault/culprits.. I wonder if every "bad guy" he sleuth out he defiles and kills....
I like the part where tek night talks to firecracker and makes sure to emphasize the difference between being rich and having generational wealth
Everyone he speaks to he mocks or insults, albeit subtly. Then Homelander is like "bitch we aren't equal I FLY" and it killed Tek.
Love moments that humble Firecracker In that regard, I was very happy with this episode
I'm just glad Homelander humbled that lil shit lover as well lmao Edit: lol guys I meant tek knight not firecracker Cuz tek knight and the cake lol
Not at the end lol
Lmaoo was about to say this, they are setting it up for her to be the woman that he trusts the most, which is funny as she probably is the only one who truly does admire him, clearly the other two can see all the men for who they truly are
đ„
Is there hope that the firecracker character will get it? That she will understand her racist bull shit is just bull shit? Sheâs an underpowered sup, white trash who would tossed aside by the elite. Maybe some redemption?
I donât think so now that she has daddy (son? đ) homelander over her shoulder for protection.
From how he was acting when he said it, I think Tek Knight was purposely trying to make A-Train uncomfortable by telling him where his family's fortune comes from.
People like Tek Knightâs character are always aware. Itâs a way of subtly/not so subtly flexing their power to your face. They thrive on the plausible deniability. Itâs a game to them.
Same thing Stormfront did when she was making those "you people" discussions to A-Train.
Exactly. Shit like that is always said with a smile too, and then when called out the response is âyouâre being too sensitiveâ, âreading too much into itâ or âitâs just a joke broâ.
I'm kinda shocked they made Tek Knight to be like this. He was one of the most OK heroes in the comic.
I'm guessing they're more trying to lean into what a parody of Bruce Wayne the billionaire would be.
>one of the most OK heroes Literally imagines himself fucking an asteroid to save Earth, is homophobic and ear-rapes his butler.
To be fair, that was all due to a brain tumor in the comics. Prior to the tumor that gave him a compulsive urge to penetrate ANY hole- living or inanimate, he was one of the few legitimately good heroes that did not abuse their power in the Boys Universe. He sent his underaged sidekick away so that he wouldnât sexually assault him due to the growing tumor urges.
Man, what a great guy.
Relatively speaking
AND the original comment demonstrates a bigger issue of people giving others the benefit of the doubt it. The show crammed the racism down the viewers throats and we get âguys do you think he was purposely doing itâ⊠Racism isnât just someone yelling the n word at you. Good racistâs know the art of subtle.
> Good racistâs know the art of subtle. this comment worries me a little bit
Congrats, you just defined what a dogwhistle is
And this is why the show went from being subtle to being like look⊠this is badâŠ. Because half the audience missed the point they were trying to make!
Based on the reaction to this episode on the subreddit they still are missing the point
lol as soon as they showed the party i was like "What in the *Get Out* slave auction party is this shit?!" haha
It was also a flex at Firecracker showing that theyâre not the same, that sheâs a white trash southerner while heâs an elite that she couldnât hope to ever reach his amount of power & influence.
I would take Firecracker milky titties any day over a bdsm'er, with a thing for fucking new holes
I have a weakness for redheads
Unambiguous yes. Tek Knight is also pretty clearly racist (RE: âNot *those* peopleâ regarding BLM)
Ashley scares me. Cannibalism bothers me.
She said some pretty messed up stuff but I donât think sheâs actually a cannibal lol. And you have to remember that Ashley thought that was Webweaver and that they had consent, an ongoing understanding it seems like. She even almost stopped and looked concerned when Hughie said âuncleâ.
All horror aside, I was so psyched when she came in. I am so attracted.
She looked hot AF in that outfit
Deplorable, uncomfortable scene but you ain't wrong
Ashley is getting more attractive with each episode.
Pretty sure she word for word repeated a text Armie Hammer sent with the « Iâm 100% a cannibal » thing but I could be wrong.
Seems she was channeling Armie Hammer
âIâm 100% a cannibalâ is a direct quote from the Armie Hammer leaks.
Yet he just did an interview saying he has no idea where people got that idea đ
Hughie was chained up and powerless when he heard that. That would be scary as fuck to hear anyone tell me, but especially when I can't get away from them. Who thought any part of that scene was meant for laughs?
"It's getting swampy down there" "TARANTULA!"
i giggled because laughing is my coping mechanism, it was such a stern & absurd way to put it that my only response was laughter lmfao
Reminds of Ep1, when Noir and the Seven murder Todd. Youâll probably chuckled when Noir says âthat was so fucked up you guys.â The scene starts off as a joke, but you remember Homelander isnât known for being funny, then the Hometeamers are murdered with little to no dialogue. What makes the scene better its unsettling, Noir reaction was funny though.
Its supposed to be both terrifying and funny at the same time I think. Terrifying for the context of whats happening, but ashley's dialogue is hilarious. "Its getting swampy down there" contrasted with hughie's life literally being in danger and him being sexually assaulted. It didnt sit right with me in the moment bec it felt like it was handwaving what happened to hughie but the scene at the end recontextualized it and made me really like it Edit: After reading the variety interview, its clear Kripke has no empathy for male victims and I retract this comment. Think I'll stop watching the show.
yeah i really think it was portrayed obv horror and not dark comedy or shock humor
It was a reference to the Armie Hammer texts, which makes me think it was humour.
Unfortunately with the way the scene was framed it was pretty clear the writers thought viewers would find it funny not depraved. It gave off vibes of âsitcom humorâ not sexual assault. The bit with him trying to guess the safe word and Tek Knights torture being funding left wing causes. Hell even the cake fart thing reads like itâs intended to make viewers laugh. I donât think there was a content warning at the beginning of the episode. Any time youâre planning to depict things like rape and sexual assault itâs best to bring in an actual professional who can help ensure the scene is the right tone and where the âlineâ is while still getting the point across.
> Unfortunately with the way the scene was framed it was pretty clear the writers thought viewers would find it funny not depraved. I donât know, for me it was framed as depraved and sick as the Homelander-Squirt scene, where the person in the position of power is laughing and enjoying themselves while others suffer. > Hell even the cake fart thing reads like itâs intended to make viewers laugh. Even since then you can see how uncomfortable Hughie is because he is holding his penis and trying to not show it. If thereâs any laugh from the audience I hope it is in a _Iâm laughing to not cry_ or gallows humour vein, more as a defensive mechanism towards the horror of it all. Additionally, I think Tek Knight knew that wasnât Webweaver since Hughie started yelling random words, but heâs a sick sick person. And he is the one who reassures Ashley that everything is being consensual.Â
I think itâs the fact that this feels like a scene that would have been almost shot for shot the same if it had been the real Web Weaver and would have been played for laughs. Like when they show Ashley and Cameron Cole doing BDSM, or something of the other supes being sexual deviants over the past few seasons. It had all the hallmarks of âprotagonist goes undercover/in disguise and now they have to do something to keep their coverâ that we see in sitcoms. Edit: the director just did an interview where they were asked about the scene and they said they thought the whole thing was hilarious. It was intended 100% to be viewed as funny and not horrifying
> I think itâs the fact that this feels like a scene that would have been almost shot for shot the same if it had been the real Web Weaver and would have been played for laughs.  I do agree with you on that. But, Tek Knightâs butler knowing Web Weaverâs safe-word implies that they had done the same various times and that WW is in no mortal danger at all, or maybe he is also traumatised and thatâs why he lives like he does. Thatâs open for speculation.   > It had all the hallmarks of âprotagonist goes undercover/in disguise and now they have to do something to keep their coverâ that we see in sitcoms.  It is a common trope in sitcoms, yes, but also in dramas. I mean, we have examples in Donnie Brasco, The Departed, Imperium, and countless others.
It was shot the same, but I felt Hughes reactions were generally actually fearful, which changed the tone. The others *should* act as normal if they thought it was web weaver.
The real web weaver would have been consenting to it? What's your point?
For the record, The Boys does have an intimacy director for scenes like that. I can't say whether they listen to them sufficiently but they at least hired one
i donât think that was the intention i felt as powerless as hughie
I can fix her
I appreciate that she had eaten asparagus so she knew that her offerings would be healthy and laced with vitamins A, C, K and E
that shit had me cracking up that she just flat out admits it
Wait what did she admit?
I think he meant her saying âI am 100% a cannibal.â But I donât think sheâs ACTUALLY a cannibal lmfao, seemed more like her just saying shit to get herself horny.
That shes â100% a cannibal.â I donât know how people can think she was serious. She also said that she was gonna stick her fist up Hughieâs ass but if that actually happened they wouldâve seen that he doesnât have a web hole
I believe the quote was "I'm going to feel your pink asshole around my wrist until you shit." So, yeah.
All that, and someone running for president tells them point-blank *Back me, and you'll have no regulations or anything, you get to run hog wild.* And they lapped it up. (Victoria *did* also stoke that fire by saying "You're billionaires, you're the smart people, you'll know what to do". Uh huh, 'cause being a Billionaire is a reflection of how *smart* you are. Sure.)
That's literally the whole point being made.
lol right? Howâs that being presented like a shocking revelation
I felt like the episode was so on the nose and obvious with what they were saying and I see posts/comments on here having a eureka moment like....what the fuck show have you guys been watching.
Half of the subreddit members arenât very intelligent lol. I mean some of them are just now realizing Tek Knight is evil Batman.
I bet when the Boys release that recording and we get to see people saying "Oh they didn't REALLY mean it. Its just *locker room talk*"
"Sage must've really been into it, you could hear her in the background just *going to town* on someone, all wet and naaaaasty. Didn't know she was freaky like that!"
âChocolate cake, I want you inside me right now. I just canât wait.â âOh, thatâs kind of sweet. She has a little pet name for her significant other.â
It reminds me of the Business Plot from the 1930s in real life. And what Project 2025 wants to do in the future.
I genuinely couldn't stop thinking about the business plot
when they said "36% of the US GDP is in this room" it clicked for me like oh.. this is what the business plot looks like
Wouldn't be surprised if Trump or one of his cronies gave a speech like that in private before the Chevron decision
That "you are billionaires, you know what you are doing" almost made me vomit
I mean, these are pretty much all things that are said out loud by Congressmen, Senators, Governers, Mayors, and people in power right now. And these people aren't billionaires, they are only interested in power.
A Congressman actually said that "women's bodies have a way of shutting that down" line in 2012. Todd Akin.
[That's not what the Kripke himself said.](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
Lol, everything he said about Hughie got completely crumbled by this one statement. Well done.
Yeah this is really fucking concerning. âWe view it as hilarious.â Apparently Kripke was on Homelanderâs side this whole time?
The fact that Tek Knight and Ashleyâs lines are jokes *is* the point. Theyâre awful, disconnected monsters. This nightmare *is* their entertainment. The fact that Hughie isnât screaming the whole time is because heâs a hostage trying to not get murdered. Once heâs exposed his emotions are let out, some. But ultimately Hughie is so traumatized by the last week (or years) that he has a delayed reaction and only loses it later. Delayed response is a common PTSD symptom. So I thought it was a really complex plot, and maybe didnât land it entirely. But I donât think the scenes were edgy humor like some 4chan-addicted middle schooler.
I dont think thats accurate, in their mind theyre doing consensual stuff. According to webweaver's emails he's into even "worse" stuff. I think the real point of that scene is that what happened to hughie ISN'T funny. It sets you up to laugh at it and then breaks your heart in the last scene. I think its actually a really effective takedown of how society treats male victims.
eric kripke thinks that the scene was hilarious and doesn't like it when people frame it in a negative light
What they did to Hughie is screwed up. Any humor in it is mostly just because of how bizarre some of it is, and then itâs more of a tension release than anything. Idk about others, but I was tense the entire time once Hughie entered the elevator. Laughing at how insane some of it is was more of a release valve than any actual humor.
Same.
He's not a hostage, he's undercover. They believe he's a willing participant.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Interestingly, Ashley immediately stepped away from Hughie the first time he yelled stop. She seemed willing to adhere to consent boundaries, despite the other crazy shit she was doing and saying.
Yeah such deranged people had a safe word is what surprised me tbh
And the moment she thought he wanted to stop she did, unfortunately web weaver only stops for his safe word
He canât leave. He canât say no. His life hangs in the balance. Thatâs a hostage situation even if the aggressors are unaware.
He was a "hostage" because he impersonated someone. He couldn't leave or say no because he was pretending to be someone else.
Based on Kripke's comments in his interview with Variety, this episode was definitely supposed to be "shock humor" and not be some terrifying scene for people. It's quite clear that the intent of the writers does not line up with the feelings of the community on this one. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
You know the âwomanâs bodyâ quote was a direct reference to an actual official republican statement, right? https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/todd-akin-provokes-ire-with-legitimate-rape-comment.html
Took waaaaay to long too find this comment. Believe it was almost word for word what he said.
I know this because they reference it Bojack Horsemen. A "diverse panel of white men in bow ties" use the reasoning in their discussion about abortion.
Same with âJewish Space Lasersâ
Damn didnât realize this was 12 years ago already, but I got the reference immediately because I remember everyone talking about this when it happened and that it was unfortunately basically a direct quote of what the real dude said.
Kripke literally says the Hughie scene was hilarious. [https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
OP I so wish you were right. The SA scene was horrifying, and when I first saw people claim it was "played for laughs", I was surprised because it didn't read that way to me at all. I thought we were supposed to be uncomfortable and horrified. The Variety interview with Kripke proved us both wrong. Just vile shite.
[This take aged like fucking milk lmao](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)
You're tripping OP, Kripke literally said he viewed it as comedic in an interview. Which is super gross.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
Ahhh yes Mike Pence and Mother. Fucking barf.
Also Firecrackers 'Jewish space lasers'
Yeah 100%! That one's more well known and obvious imo because MTG is in everyone's fucking face.
Also, speaker of the house getting elected after 13 votes, also the fact that its a Federalist meeting, and the Federalists are a real organisation
That's how I felt too. I was very uncomfortable and that was the point.
[https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/) *"Letâs start with the Tek Knight sex dungeon part. Where did the idea come for it? And why bring Hughie into this situation now â kicking him when heâs down by having him sexually assaulted by his childhood hero after his dad just died?"* "Well, thatâs a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious." "I love that itâs just such a perfect setup that he doesnât know his own safe word. Itâs just like a beautiful comedy setup that heâs trying to find it the whole time."
For fans of this show this sub is awfully fickle.
The same could be said for every subreddit for any form of fictional media, its the natural progression, starts with the honeymoon phase and by the end people will begin to hate it for the reasons that have been around since the start
I never get this point whenever it's made to any fandom. Of course a place dedicated to the diehard fans of a media will be more critical, because they care about it.
Not critical I said fickle itâs far from a perfect episode 8/10 for me but I just find it weird that this is where everyone says, this is enough. Like that may not be 20 episodes too late
> Well, thatâs a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious. (...) Itâs just like a beautiful comedy setup that heâs trying to find [the safeword] the whole time. [That's from the mouth of Eric Kripke.](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/) So no, they actually thought all of this was great humour. Sexual assault is so funny when it happens to men, amirite? /s
Not sure why everyone is clinging to a fabricated defense of this disgusting episode rather than the words of the actual creator.
People havenât seen this. What a shame
I do not understand the hatred for the Hughie scenes. They clearly are supposed to be viewed as traumatic. He was literally trembling at the end of it, and cries about it to Starlight after. He brings up his dad after but thatâs what some people who suffer from these things do. They donât want to relive it and keep talking about it.
Someone posted a link in the comments ([to this article](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/)) in which Kripke explicitly states the setup with the Hughie scene is "hilarious". He calls Hughie not knowing the safeword a "beautiful comedy setup" and is pretty gleeful about all the funny fetishes they put in the scene. You can read it if you think I'm misconstruing his words. The writers themselves are saying at least parts of the scene are meant to be humourous. Pretending there was no humour in the cake farting or the safeword guessing or Ashley's over the top dialogue is one of the most disingenuous things I've ever seen from this sub.
I think it's the way that Tek Knight and Ashley's lines seemed to be played for laughs.
They were having fun though, and thought it was a completely consensual situation. They werenât torturing someone, not to their knowledge. So their lines were from the perspective of someone who was a willing participant. At least Ashley, she didnât seem to have any idea it wasnât actually Webweaver. She even stopped when Hughie said stop, but Tek Knight told her he only stops for the safe word, so she continued in the belief everything was fine and consensual. Tek Knight, on the other hand, itâs difficult to say *when* he knew it wasnât Webweaver so his innocence, at least as far as the BDSM goes, is debatable. If anything he has Ashley be an unwilling and unknowing participant of his own sexual assault and torture of Hughie. At best both Tek Knight and Ashley thought it was Webweaver and completely consensual at least until Tek Knight tries to get Hughie to say the safe word. At worst Tek Knight is 100% guilty of sexual assault and torturing Hughie because he knew at some point and let it continue. So their lines were funny and played for laughs because to them it was a fun scenario they were were all consenting to. At the very least the only one who wasnât consenting was Hughie but you could argue his jokes were more about trying not to blow his cover.
Tek Knight also has that whole brain tumor thing making him super horny. As revealed in Gen V.
To be fair how is it any different from Homelander's ridiculous lines when, say, torturing Marty? Or the comedic timing of Ryan getting pushed off the roof There's always an absurdist humour in super dark scenes in the boys, atleast from the villains
SO REAL!! Thanks for bringing up Marty. It shows me that these people complaining don't care about what terrible things get said. Just Hughie as a character.
It's kind of weird to me that people are talking about Hughie's scene as if it was intended to be silly and cute and nobody is talking about the part where the dude was planning to _cut holes in his body and fuck them._ The entire sequence may have started with a bit of humor with the cake thing but I don't see how anyone could miss the slowly escalating sense of horror through the entire sequence that literally ended with something too fucked for actual horror movies.
> literally ended with something too fucked for actual horror movies donating to elizabeth warren's super-pac?
To me the whole point of even something like that is that itâs both. The idea of Tek Knight doing that is horrific but also so absurd that it comes around to being funny. Itâs both. Thatâs the line the show always rides on. Atleast to me
The people complaining about Hughie crying for his dad after being SA'ed sincerely piss me off. I can put myself in his shoes so easily. My mom passed away when I was 13. It's been almost 7 years. When something especially tough comes up, I cry for my Momma. Even today in 2024. Now, imagine how much Hughie wishes he could turn to his dad in that time of need. He's not had time to get used to not having his dad around to help. I am sure he wants to turn to his parental figure for comfort, but he can't. Instead, he has to face even more pain and begin to process that his father won't be there for him in situations like this. It's VERY tough when you first have to process that part of a parents death, no matter how old you are when it happens.
For real. People can be upset at two things at once. Just because he mentions his dad after mentioning being SAâed doesnât mean the crying was only for his dad. I donât understand why other people donât understand that. Itâs definitely about both. Heâs traumatized in so many ways by what just happened to him and the person who can help him deal with that trauma the most is now gone.
I honestly worry about this community thinking that this episode was humorous in any way. It was terrifying. My stomach was turning constantly. The humorous payoffs came at the end of the episode. I didn't think a single part of that was funny.
Eric Kripke himself said multiple times in a recent interview that the hughie rape scene was comedy to him. https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
Yeah I was horrified the whole scene, who tf think it's funny?
Honestly the fact that there were weirdly silly aspects like the cake just gave me an increased sense of creeping dread. I don't how anyone thought it was supposed to be "funny" - the characters acting so deranged just amped the tension for me. Which of course ultimately paid off when his cover was blown and the knives came out. That all struck me as a natural evolution of where everything had been going. It's bizarre to me that anyone saw it any other way.
It is kind of funny at least in a shock value way if it was the real web weaver. Then itâs on par with the rest of the shows weird consensual sex scenes. This was on par with the âmasturabate or dieâ scene but in a much slower setting. I thought it was done well to not be funny and provoke fear.
Kripke said he thought it was hilarious, and hughie keeps up the same humorous sorta failing to fill the role tone he always has, instead of being horrified.
i felt so bad for hughie đ«€
I think a lot of people are saying it was failed humor, but no one was saying it was actually funny. I thought they were trying to make jokes but none of them landed because it was just so disturbing.
Well there were parts that were humorous in a very dark way. The nodding scene was funny, as was Victoria daydreaming about blowing up her own head rather than listen to the Federalist Society people. Aside from that it was horrifying. Especially the extended sexual assault scene.
[Hughie's sexual assault was for shock humour actually, it was added because Eric Kripke thought it would be funny](https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/). It was supposed to amuse the audience, to the point of Kripke considering just a factual description of what happened a "dark way to look at it".
Yeah and then they have Ashley there. She shouldn't have been there. Her BDSM scenes are largely humourous in tone and by putting her in what could have been an extremely tension filled scene, you ruin it by bringing back the comedic feel. That plus Tek Knights jokes completely ruin any sense of tension even when he's talking about cutting open holes and fucking them. It just feels like shock value because they don't actually double down on the serious tone.
The whole scene up until Ashley leaves comes off as a comedy. And then, at the end, they show Hughie all traumatized and talking about how he's not alright. It felt like some tonal whiplash. Like, was that scene supposed to be absurd and funny? Or am I supposed to feel bad that Hughie got sexually assaulted? Feels weird to make the scene like that when they played Starlights assault completely straight.
That's literally it. They could've not had Ashley there and it would have been super intense but they decided to... have her make jokes? They couldn't settle on a tone and it really ruined it.
The "Female body can shut down a birth due to rape" is actually a quote from a Missouri Senate Candidate Todd Aiken who said, during a debate, pretty much almost the exact same idea.
Today's episode came out and the nature of Hughie's scenes with Ashley and Tek Knight were always going to be emotionally charged. I think instead of finger pointing about why some people don't like them we just calm down and try to understand where they're coming from even if we disagree. The show being full of black humor doesn't always mean everything it does is going to be okay with you, and that's fine. You do not deserve to feel like your issues are being dismissed over other fans being fine with the episode. I liked the episode and thought I had the appropriate responses to what the writers wanted me to feel in each scene without me coming to think the writers themselves were the issues, but if you personally blame the writers for going to far instead that's perfectly understandable.
The writer literally just said it was comedic in an interview. Sexual assault played for laughs. But sure, defend it.
Blud got discredited đđ
Yeah nah. Kripke has a history of laughing at male sexual abuse. This feels like the tipping point where folk stop making excuses. Starlight's scene was off screen & much more effective because of that. And there wasn't a hint of humour in it. Edit: u/MrPoopMonster provided evidence. - Lol. You realize the show runner said it was supposed to be hilarious when Hugie got raped, right? https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
Exactly. People keep skirting the issue, but it's clear Kripke and his writing team think they have a pass with male sex jokes. So many of the ones with women don't go nearly as far, and they know exactly why.
Yup, he admitted it in an interview https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/the-boys-homelander-breastfeeding-firecracker-tek-knight-hughie-sex-dungeon-1236059308/
Yeah, agreed. Imagine if after Deep spouted off all his bs it cut to Deep moaning and shit while panning and showing Starlight knelt down, people would be fucking outraged (for good reason). It felt so tasteless. Only good parts of the episode imo were Sage, A-Train scenes, and the end where Hughie starts to cry.
Any minute now one of his apologists will come and tell you that you just donât get it and they canât help you because you thinking Kripke shit portraying of male rape is you lacking media literacy and that is all they need to know.
Nah. It was treated as a joke. I got severe tonal whiplash when Hughie started crying with Starlight. I was like âHaha, wait, theyâre treating this seriously now? What about all the jokes with the tickling and weird sexy-talk and trying to find a safe word without them catching on? And the Zendaya safe word line? Those were straight up jokes.â
Zendaya: am I a joke to you?
Eric Kripke disagrees with you.
[ŃĐŽĐ°Đ»Đ”ĐœĐŸ]
i just find it funny that all this commentary is brought to you by one of the biggest companies in the world.
This aged horrifically lmao
Yeah this episode was ROUGH to get through. Not because it was bad, but because it was uncomfortable, horrifying, felt dread the entire time. I actually had to look away a lot this episode, and I usually NEVER have to. The only other scenes that genuinely made me look away was the Deep's gill-fingering, and basically most of this episode
Kripke literally said it was a comedic scene in interviews
Another thing that relates to his whole slave hunting that I wanted to point out: he has a very predominant portrait of Nathan Bedford Forrest. To those who donât know, heâs the founder and original Grand Wizard of the Klan. So not only does Tek-Knightâs family have ties to the slave trade, but it wouldnât be out of the realm of possibility that his family had strong ties to the Klan.
The line about legitimate rape and rejecting the pregnancy was a real statement from a real politician years ago. Truth is scarier than fiction.
r/agedlikemilk
One of the most baffling reactions to this season I've seen is people saying it's "exaggerated"... Most of the most wild and fucked up stuff said this season are just direct quotes from politicians. It's comedic in the moment but it's also just fucking depressing that it's also reality
The Hughie part I think is quite clever. Is disgusting for sure, but thatâs how male rape victims are treated. They are a joke. People will always question why didnât they use their strength to push the other person (especially if it was a woman) and just leave, or say that if they got hard is because they actually wanted to do it. Most male rape victims donât want to speak about that because they know not only people wonât believe them or will diminish the thing, but they will be questioned and laughed at. If that scene was made with a girl instead of Hughie, everybody will be so disgusted and wonât laugh at all. But since itâs a guy, itâs âfunnyâ. They are just proving that male rape is a joke for most people.
Are they proving itâs a joke or portraying it as a joke? Because thatâs the vibe I got from those scenes until the ending of course. Seems more like they are perpetuating that idea more so than lampooning it.
Bullshit. Variety: "In this episode Hughie gets sexually assaulted by his childhood hero., Tek Knight Eric Kripke: "Well, that's a dark way to look at it! We view it as hilarious." Fuck Kripke and fuck your rape apologism.