In Tal Rafaat, Syria, American soldiers move along a railroad track by night. Homelander drops down and suggests that they go have a smoke because he's got it, and goes into the warehouse ahead. When they go for their guns, Homelander incinerates them with his laser vision. He saves one man and crushes the survivor's head. Homelander then goes out, incinerates one Syrian fleeing, and tells the soldiers that he found a vial of V.
Later back in DC, the Secretary of Defense meets with Madelyn. She says the Islamic State has found a way to counterfeit Vought's drug, and she claims that she has no idea how they got hold of the formula. The Secretary tells her that he'd have her testify before Congress about corporate fraud. Madelyn says that now Lockheed and its weapons are obsolete because Naqib and other terrorists can flick them away. She tells the Secretary that what matters is that the terrorists have V and Vought is the only company with the product to fight back.
Susan calls Billy in his motel room and tells him that the Pentagon is keeping V classified. They have to keep Vought happy, and Billy has no proof that Vought is responsible. Milk tries to sell the story to the newspaper without success. Hughie looks at a phot of him and Annie, while Susan tells Billy that the military deal is signed and no one will believe the fugitives who killed Translucent. Madelyn insisted and now the Boys are wanted men.
In the motel bathroom, Kimiko combs her hair and smiles at herself in the mirror.
Susan assures Billy that she'll protect their families, and all the Boys can do is run for their lives. Once he hangs up, Frenchie and Milk prepare to move out. Billy insists that they're on the verge of nailing the Supes, and asks for a couple of hours. He tells Hughie to come with him and they leave.
Annie goes to Des Moines and Donna finds her waiting in the dining room. Her daughter is examining a pipe, and says that she hid it under the floorboards after her father left. Annie asks Donna what V is, and Donna claims that she's never heard of it. Her daughter persists, asking how old she was when Donna let Vought pump her full of drugs. Donna insists that Annie isn't a freak and Annie realizes that it's true. Her mother says that Vought just paid for the medical bills, and she did it because Vought promised that Annie would have an extraordinary choice. Annie points out that Donna made the choice and controlled her life, and says that it was Donna's dream rather than hers. She wonders if her father left because he lost their savings with bad investments, and Donna says that he agreed to all of it until one day when he didn't. He walked out on them, and Annie says that maybe he didn't want to lie to her. Donna says that she did what she thought was right. Disgusted, Annie walks out.
In Sandusky, the Deep calls Jeff into his room and says that the Seven is being called up. He figures he will get to lead a unit of dolphins, and asks Jeff when he'll get to ship out. Jeff has no idea, and tells him that he talked to New York and the Deep isn't leaving.
Billy takes Hughie to a house in the forest and find Grace looking out through a pair of binoculars. She says that she's birdwatching in retirement, and reminds Billy that he promised to never come there. Billy introduces Hughie and says that he's brought the Boys back together, and asks Grace for her help. She refuses, and Billy says that she's going to help him. When Grace wonders why, Billy tells her that she owes him.
Kimiko paints her fingernails, looks at herself in the mirror, and tries to speak. She hears a vehicle pull up outside and runs out, just as soldiers throw two gas grenades through the window. Frenchie shoves Kimiko into the bathroom and closes the door before collapsing along with Milk. A soldier breaks in and attacks Kimiko, who takes him down. She goes out through the window and a soldier manages to hypo her before Kimiko kicks him unconscious. Kimiko crawls under a truck and watches as the soldiers haul Frenchie and Milk away. She looks at her fingernails, now covered in blood, and passes out from the drug. The soldiers find her and take her away with the others.
Grace tells Billy that she can't help him, and reminds him that Lamplighter incinerated her grandchildren. Billy points out that she trained him as a weapon against Homelander and when it didn't suit her, she threw her away. Now he plans to finish what Grace started, and he needs her help. Grace tells him that he can leave with something if he never comes back and keeps his promise. Billy agrees, and Grace tells him that Madelyn and Homelander have a very special relationship. She suggests that if Homelander has a weakness, Madelyn will know it. Billy says goodbye and walks away, and Grace tells him not to get the others killed. She tells Hughie that vengeance is one-way path to a dead-end, and Hughie goes with Billy.
A-Train, on crutches because of his broken leg, goes to a sporting goods store and looks at the advertisements with Shockwave's sponsorship. A security guard eyes him, and two teenagers see A-Train and recognize him. Meanwhile, A-Train complains that the guard is only keeping an eye on him. The guard doesn't believe that he's A-Train. When he notices the teenagers taking video, the guard hastily apologizes and walks away. A-Train yells that he's the fastest man alive and asks the customers what they're looking at.
Billy drives back to the motel with Hughie, spots the surveillance vans, and keeps driving. He tells Hughie that someone has grabbed the others, Billy pulls over and says that they're on their own, and have to go after Madelyn. He insists that they'd want them to finish the job, and Hughie points out that it's Billy's job. Billy reminds him that it involves A-Train as well as Homelander, and he's keeping his promise unlike Grace. Hughie figures that Billy never cared about him or Robin, and Billy tells him that they have to take just one more step. The younger man insists that they have to save the others, and figures that the vengeance will never stop. Billy asks him why he joined the team if he doesn't want to play the game, and Hughie says that Grace is right and Billy is going to drag them down with him. He tells Billy that he's doing it for Robin, and Billy says goodbye and drives away.
The Deep shaves the hair off of his body, calls himself an idiot, and shaves off his head. He breaks into tears and stares at himself in the mirror.
Annie goes to a church and sits in a pew, listening to the choir rehearse. Hughie sits down behind her and clears his throat to get her attention. He says that he needs her help, and Annie walks out. Hughie goes after her and begs her to listen to him. He explains that Vought is giving V to terrorists, and his friends got caught on Vought's orders. Hughie hopes that Annie can use her security clearance to find them, and Annie says that she had to convince them that Hughie fooled her to get them not to arrest her as an accomplice. She gives him 30 seconds to leave. As Hughie walks away, Annie asks why she would ever help him. He tells her that Vought is up to some evil shit, and it's her job, and she's a superhero. Hughie explains that she saved him when they went bowling, because he was angry over Robin's death and heading for a cliff. Annie says that she was just there, says that she doesn't care, and walks away.
A-Train works out in a railyard, pulling a train. Nathan arrives and says that the doctor told him it would take six weeks to recover from the fracture. His brother insists that he's healed, and Nathan figures that he's back on V. Nathan tells A-Train that he's not going to sit there and watch his brother kill himself, and A-Train yells that Nathan has always been jealous of him. Undeterred, Nathan drives away.
That night at a Vought party, Black Noir glares at the pianist until he leaves. Then Black Noir starts playing. Homelander makes his entrance and everyone applauds. Meanwhile, Mr. Edgar surprises Madelyn with his presence and talks to her privately. He gives her a piece of paper with her bonus on it, saying that the Pentagon is paying them $40 billion a year for Supes. Edgar also wants Madelyn to start learning to take over for him.
At another table, Starlight is flirting with an officer. He starts to kiss her, and Starlight excuses herself, walking past Maeve. Maeve follows Starlight into the restroom where the younger woman is throwing up, and Starlight tells her that she's not in the mood for Maeve's casual cruelty. Surprised, Maeve says that it was her that saved the bus, not a marketing story, and shows Starlight the formerly broken bones in her arm. Maeve tells Starlight that she really did care once and was just like Starlight, and then she started giving pieces of herself away until there was nothing left. She tells Starlight to be the annoying goodie two-shoes that she is because one of them has to be. With that, Maeve walks out.
Madelyn is looking out the window when Homelander joins her. He accuses her of avoiding him, and says that he went to Vogelbaum to get the truth about his origin. Madelyn insists that she wanted to protect Homelander, and admits that she couldn’t do any of it without Homelander. Homelander tells Madelyn that he "made" Naqib by borrowing some V, then had A-Train run it around the globe and created some Supe Jihadis. The Supe admits that enough adults survived to make the operation a success, and now they have villains all over the globe that only they can fight. Homelander asks Madelyn to say something, and she kisses him.
They go to Madelyn's office and she has Homelander take off his pants. Once he does so, she has him sit down and sits on top of him. Madelyn tells him not to move and calls him her "sweet boy". Homelander orgasms prematurely and apologizes, and Madelyn assures him that it's fine and she's proud of him.
Frenchie and Milk sit in a cage and talk about why Milk never told the team that he had a daughter. Milk admits that she was the only good thing he ever did and he wanted to keep her clean. He screwed it up and probably will never see her again. Frenchie says that he understands, that the girl made Milk a better picture. Milk assures Frenchie that Kimiko is going to be okay.
Afterward, Madelyn tells Homelander that Edgar practically offered her his job. She assures Homelander that she'll be there for him always, and makes her promise that there'll be no more secrets between them. Madelyn says that she kept the knowledge of the miscarriage from him, unaware that Homelander didn't know. Homelander plays along.
Hughie goes to the motel and the soldiers tackle him immediately. They throw him into the cage with Frenchie and Milk, and Hughie tells them that Billy went after Homelander and he came to save them. Frenchie kisses him on the cheeks, saying that Hughie threw his life away in a futile gesture and it's noble. Hughie managed to keep his high school retainer so that Frenchie can pick the lock. The problem is that it's Polygripped to the roof of his mouth. Frenchie tries to pull it out without success, and Milk punches Hughie in the face to knock the retainer. Once they escape, Frenchie knocks out a soldier and takes his gun... unaware that there are surveillance cameras.
Madelyn has her chauffeur take her home. Billy is waiting for her and says that Teddy and the nanny, Maria, are okay. Madelyn knows who Billy is and asks what he wants. She insists that Homelander has no weapon, but Billy tells her that Madelyn is the only thing Homelander cares about and she's his weakness.
The three men search for Kimiko and find her in a room, strapped to a gurney with medical monitors hooked up to her. Frenchie sees her through an observation window and smiles. A soldier shoots him in the shoulder, and Milk and Hughie get him to cover. More soldiers move in, pinning them down, and Milk curses and says that Kimiko better be worth it. Frenchie gives the gun to Hughie and tells him to cover Milk, and Milk charges over to Kimiko while Hughie shoots, apologizes, and tries to reload.
Milk runs back with Kimiko and Frenchie nods his thanks to his teammate. Hughie runs out of bullets and the soldiers surround them, and Starlight takes the soldiers out. She tells Hughie that she came because she's a superhero.
The Boys get Kimiko to an outside door, and Frenchie and Milk get out with Kimiko. A-Train arrives from the inside, and Hughie closes the door, telling his teammates that he'll be okay. Starlight tells A-Train to walk away, and whispers to Hughie that she's got it and he should go. Hughie refuses to leave her.
Starlight tries to blast A-Train, who dodges the beams and gets close enough to slam her back. Hughie confronts A-Train, who says that Hughie killed the only person he ever loved. When Hughie says that he didn't kill Popclaw, A-Train tells him that he knows and admits that he did... but it was Hughie's fault. He grabs Hughie and then screams in pain as the V gives him a heart attack.
A-Train collapses and Hughie realizes what's happening to the speedster. Cursing, Hughie administers CPR to A-Train. Starlight warns that A-Train will never stop coming for him, and Hughie says that he knows and keeps working. After a moment, Starlight calls for an ambulance. She then tells Hughie that she'll take over and he should go, or he'll be caught. Hughie reluctantly goes and Starlight continues.
Billy wires Madelyn with explosives and waits. Homelander lands on the roof and Billy calls to him, saying that he's rigged the explosives with a dead man's switch. Homelander comes in with Teddy and ignores Madelyn when she says to take her son upstairs. He tells Billy that he's impressive for a human, aware that Billy is angry rather than afraid. Homelander figures that it's because of Becca, and says that Becca came onto him. He laughs and says that Becca came three times.
Homelander ignores Madelyn and sets Teddy down, and figures that Billy consider him responsible for Becca's death. He asks what Billy wants, and Billy tells him that hurting him will be good enough. Homelander tells Billy that he's dark and he likes it, and asks him what rock-solid proof he has that Homelander killed Becca. Madelyn yells at Homelander to take Teddy upstairs, and Homelander yells back for her to shut up.
The Supe goes over to Madelyn and says that she promised him there'd be no more secrets. He says that her story and Vogelbaum's didn't quite match, and he went back to Vogelbaum and "squeezed" the real truth out of him. Madelyn apologizes for lying to Homelander and begs him to take Teddy upstairs. She insists that Homelander means everything to him, and he figures that he means everything to her job. Madelyn insists that she loves him, but Homelander demands the truth and Madelyn says that she's scared of him.
Homelander thanks Madelyn for being honest, kisses her, and burns out her skull with his laser vision. He then turns to Billy and asks what his plan was. Billy smiles and triggers the explosives.
The next morning, Billy wakes up on a lawn, unharmed. Homelander stands over him and tells him to get up. A boy comes out of the house, along with a woman: Becca. Billy and Becca stare at each other in shock, and Homelander tells the boy that he's his father. The boy's eyes glow briefly, and Homelander tells him that they're a family.
Written by Gadfly on Aug 17, 2019