History Recap / TheBoysS03E08TheInstantWhiteHotWild

* NeverGoingBackToPrison: Earlier on, Soldier Boy screamed he wasn't going back on the box, but that's what happens. Now he is back in a vegetative state (either induced artificially or from his injuries) and will likely stay the rest of his life on life support.

** Homelander connecting with Ryan was a genuine attempt to patch things up, he tells Ryan that Becca's death was not his fault and that accidents happen. When the fight breaks

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: As Butcher points out, Homelander might be Soldier Boy's biological child but Soldier Boy didn't raise him and the two barely know each other. When Homelander makes a plea for Soldier Boy to be part of his family, Soldier Boy has little problem fulfilling his end of the deal and attempting to kill Homelander.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** The [=#FreeMaeve=] movement that has formed as a result of Starlight's live streams bears a strong resemblance to the [[Music/BritneySpears #FreeBritney]] movement, down to the LGBT+ fandom at its forefront.
** There is a Homelander supporter dressed like the famous "Q Anon Shaman".
** Homelander's supporters celebrating his public murder of a Starlight fan is pretty much an extreme version of stan culture, where extremely loyal fans of celebrities will let anything they do slide.
** Homelander's lasering a Starlight fan in broad daylight, and receiving applause from his supporters for it, also echoes former President Donald Trump and his bragging about how he can shoot someone in the streets of New York and get away with it.

* ShoutOut: A lot of Maeve's fight with Homelander seems a little too similar to "[[Series/GameOfThrones Cleganebowl]]" to be a coincidence. Both fights are between a KnightInSourArmor and their abuser, one is clearly stronger than the other, and both heroes end up losing an eye. And the way Maeve tackles Soldier Boy into a fiery explosion is similar to how Sandor tackles his brother into a blazing fire.

-->'''Butcher:''' Well... that bitch (Victoria) is definitely gonna go...

* MinorInjuryOverreaction Ryan's eye beam gives Soldier Boy his first genuine injury of the fight in a small cut, this prompts him to change targets from Homelander to Ryan charging him with his shield and going in for a Nuclear Pulse right after.

* MinorInjuryOverreaction Ryan's eye beam gives Soldier Boy his first genuine injury in a small cut, this immediately prompts him to change targets from Homelander to Ryan and immediately bashes him with his shield and goes in for his Nuclear Blast.

* RemovedAchillesHeel: In prior seasons, Homelander's obsessive need to [[IJustWantToBeLoved be adored and praised in the public eye]] was one of the only fetters actually keeping him in check from using his powers to go whatever he wanted and going on unstoppable rampages if ever the mood took him. By seasons end, he accidentally kills a Starlight supporter in broad daylight at a public rally as an impulsive reaction to them hitting Ryan with a water bottle, and discovers his popularity and public image have become strong enough that he now has crowds of supporters who are willing to literally applaud him for committing murder. His ear-to-ear smile shows that he's fully willing to embrace the fact that he doesn't need to fear public scrutiny and criticism for his actions anymore.

* ShoutOut: A lot of Maeve's fight with Homelander seems a little too similar to [[ ''Series/GameOfThrones'' Cleganebowl ]] to be a coincidence. Both fights are between a KnightInSourArmor and their abuser, one is clearly stronger than the other, and both heroes end up losing an eye. And the way Maeve tackles Soldier Boy into a fiery explosion is similar to how Sandor tackles his brother into a blazing fire.

** The [=#FreeMaeve=] movement that has formed as a result of Starlight's live streams bears strong resemblance to the [[Music/BritneySpears #FreeBritney]] movement, down to the LGBT+ fandom at its forefront.

* TheFinalTemptation: Hughie took a phial of Temp-V with him and was tempted to use it when he saw Annie on the ropes against Soldier Boy. Ultimately, he resists the urge and instead uses the lighting controls in the studio to give Annie a boost.

* HeroicSacrifice: Queen Maeve gave up her life to defeat Soldier Boy.....is what the news says. She survived, but was [[DePower de-powered]]...[[IJustWantToBeNormal not that she minds]].

** Soldier Boy is furious that Butcher convinced Soldier Boy to kill his own son when the latter was initially hesitant, but stops the whole operation to save his "stepson" Ryan, who isn't even biologically related to him.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Butcher outright ignores several calls from Mallory which come right after Homelander's visit. It's revealed Ryan left with Homelander and had been at the Tower for sometime, with no preperation for this he ends up in the middle of the fight with Butcher being unaware until the moment, forcing him to forgo the Alliance when Solider Boy decides to kill both Homelander and Ryan having not been told this angle of the story until after he angers Billy.

* ShoutOut: A lot of Maeve's fight with Homelander seems a little too similar to [[ ''Series/GameOfThrones'' Cleganebowl ]] to be a coincidence. Both fights are between a KnightInSourArmor and their abuser, one is clearly stronger than the other, and both heroes end up losing an eye. And the way Maeve tackles Soldier Boy into a fiery explosion is also similar to how Sandor tackles his brother into a blazing fire.

* UncertainDoom: After Black Noir admits to keeping Soldier Boy's relationship to him a secret the whole time, Homelander punches Black Noir through his stomach and rips out his intestines and leaves him to bleed out on the floor. Noir's SuperToughness and implied HealingFactor has helped him survive numerous situations so it unclear if the damage that Homelander inflicted on him is enough to kill him.

* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: A happier and more joyful take on the trope than normal, but this is very much Homelander's reaction when he kills a Starlight supporter at a public rally and the crowd actually ''applaud'' him for it, realising that he can actually get away with murder in broad daylight.

* NeverGoingBackToPrison: Earlier on, Soldier Boy screamed he wasn't going back on the box, but that's what happens. Now he is back in a vegetative state (either induced artificially or from his injuries) and will likely stay the rest of his life on life support.

* PrematurelyBald: Ashley is revealed to wear a wig and is clearly embarrassed and frightened when Homelander orders her to remove it. She has lost so much hair that she is nearly bald at a young age, presumably due to the stress of her job. The use of the wig also explains why she sometimes had chunks of hair ripped off without much effort nor any feeling of pain.

* ShoutOut: A lot of Maeve's fight with Homelander seems a little too similar to [[''Series/GameOfThrones'' Cleganebowl]] to be a coincidence. Both fights are between a KnightInSourArmor and their abuser, one is clearly stronger than the other, and both heroes end up losing an eye. And the way Maeve tackles Soldier Boy into a fiery explosion is also similar to how Sandor tackles his brother into a blazing fire.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The [=#FreeMaeve=] movement that has formed as a result of Starlight's live streams bears strong resemblance to the [[Music/BritneySpears #FreeBritney]] movement, down to the LGBT+ fandom at its forefront.

* TrappedInVillainy: Homelander makes it clear that Ashley, A-Train, and Deep will meet the same fate as Black Noir if they don't keep obeying him.

* BittersweetEnding: More on the bitter than the sweet. Yes, Soldier Boy is defeated, MM has repaired his relationship with his daughter, Maeve has lost her powers and faked her death, allowing her to finally have a normal life, and Butcher seems to have earned back a sliver of his team's respect. But Butcher is now LivingOnBorrowedTime due to his abuse of Temp V, Victoria Neuman now has a shot at becoming Vice President of the United States, Homelander has completely lost it, and Ryan is now becoming [[TheCorruptor indoctrinated to Homelander]]'s way of thinking.

* LivingOnBorrowedTime: Butcher nearly dies from overusing Temp-V. While he survives, his prognosis is grim: he has about a year left to live.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Todd, already a big fan of Homelander, starts cheering for Homelander after being initially shocked by the Supe murdering a Starlight supporter. He could have left or stayed silent, but he shows his true colors in this scene by starting up the crowd.

* TakingYouWithMe: As he is being knocked by the Novichok, Soldier Boy charges up one last blast. Maeve tackles him out the window, ensuring that the two of them are the only ones caught in the explosion. While it doesn't kill either of them, Maeve is left without powers and Soldier Boy is placed back into stasis.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** Homelander through the season has shown to have a fair amount of support from people like Todd who unabashedly admire him and his ideology, and in a crowd of people like that including extreme far-righters and Stormfront supporters, even outright killing a Starlight supporter who threw a bottle that hits Ryan earns him cheers after a shocked silence.
** As Butcher points out, Homelander might be Soldier Boy's biological child but Soldier Boy didn't raise him and the two barely know each other. When Homelander makes a plea for Soldier Boy to be part of his family, Soldier Boy has little problem fulfilling his end of the deal and attempting to kill Homelander.

** Homelander fully expects that his public reputation is shot when he impulsively lasers a starlight supporter who hit Ryan with a water bottle at a public rally and is visibly taken aback and confused for a few seconds when the crowd start applauding him and supporting him instead. He quickly rallies and embraces the adoration, and the realisation that he can indeed do whatever he wants without restraint anymore through.

* DidntSeeThatComing: After blasting a Starlight supporter for attacking Ryan, Homelander was expecting the crowd of people to freak out; to John's surprise, they're ''cheering for him'', and the baffled look on his face shows that he wasn't expecting this.

* LetsGetDangerous: Billy is dying from V24 abuse, he lost Ryan to Homelander, and Victoria is running for Vice President. Despite these massive setbacks, he's still got a year left before his time is up and the Boys, plus Annie, are still alive. So, until then, they'll do what they do best: put Supes in their place, starting with Victoria.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Soldier Boy does not die. Instead, he is in a vegetative state (either induced artificially or from his injuries) and will likely stay the rest of his life on life support. Earlier on, he'd screamed he wasn't going back on the box, but that's what happens.

* BittersweetEnding: More on the bitter than the sweet. Yes, Soldier Boy is defeated, MM has repaired his relationship with his daughter, Maeve has lost her powers and faked her death, allowing her to finally have a normal life, and Butcher seems to have earned back a sliver of his team's respect. But Butcher is now LivingOnBorrowedTime due to his abuse of Temp V, Victoria Neuman now has a shot at becoming Vice President of the United States, Homelander has completely lost it, and Ryan is now becoming indoctrinated to Homelander's way of thinking.

* EyeScream: Maeve loses an eye in her fight against Homelander.

** Ashley decides to delete the footage of Maeve surviving Soldier Boy’s explosion and being carried off by The Boys, apparently [[ThrowTheDogABone letting Maeve leave]] rather than telling Homelander about it or trying to find her.