Robin!
I heard what happened to Robin.
She wasn't in the street, she was one step off the curb.
-I'm sorry, who are you? -Name's Butcher. Billy Butcher.
Supes lose hundreds of people each year to collateral damage.
-That's where I come in. -To do what?
[Butcher] Frenchie, I need your help.
[Translucent yells]
-[Frenchie] Who is he? -[Butcher] This here is Hughie Campbell.
Hughie, Mother's Milk.
-[Hughie] Who's that? -[Milk] She's a Supe terrorist.
-Her name's Kimiko. -Bonjour, Kimiko.
I've always wanted to be in The Seven.
[announcer] Please welcome Starlight!
[Deep] It's just a question of how bad you wanna be in The Seven.
[Annie retches]
We are going to be stationing you in Sandusky, Ohio, for a while.
[cheering]
-I'm Hughie. -Annie. Would you like my number?
[Butcher] Looks like you got your tongue halfway down the opposition's throat.
-[Hughie] She's not a bad person. -She's a Supe.
Hugh Campbell killed Translucent. What if he was helped?
-Whoa. -Keep those hands down by your side.
You have to explain, Hughie.
You were the only thing I could count on.
[Hughie] This is about Compound V. It gives Supes their powers.
What are you talking about? We're born like this.
That was diabolical!
No one's putting Supes in the national defense.
Stay the fuck back or I'll laser you!
If they let us into the military, this will never happen again.
[Butcher] I know what it's like to lose someone.
Homelander raped my wife, Becca.
You and me, we're in this together.
We have to go back. This will never stop. It's just gonna be more blood.
If you don't like to play, why did you join the team?
-You came here without Butcher? -Yeah.
I'm out.
-You came. -I'm a fucking superhero.
[Hughie] He's having a heart attack.
No more lies. You fucking promised me.
Hey, pal. I'm your father.
Becca.
Baby kale salad?
I'm on page 134.
Chain of command doesn't apply to other military contractors in the field,
-I don't see why it should apply to us. -Caprese sandwich?
When they're in actual combat, whom exactly do your heroes report to?
Same person as always. Me.
♪ Please allow me to introduce myself ♪
♪ I'm a man of wealth and taste ♪
♪ I've been around For a long, long years ♪
♪ Stole million man's soul and faith... ♪
Spicy chicken cilantro wrap?
Subheading 16.
We need a top secret, Yankee white designation for Compound V.
Come on, Stan. Only one man okays that.
You wanna stroll into the Oval Office and start barking orders?
Hell, yes.
Half our own heroes don't know they have Compound V in their veins.
You want China finding out?
♪ Pleased to meet you ♪
♪ Hope you guess my name ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
♪ But What's puzzling you ♪
♪ ls the nature of my game ♪
♪ Ah, yeah... ♪
[grunts]
This one.
"Best efforts to limit collateral damage." We'd prefer stronger wording.
That's standard language for our New York contract.
LA, Chicago.
Exactly what casualty allowance are we looking at here?
Officially? Zero, of course.
But cone of silence? Thirty-four percent.
Veggie frittata?
[in Arabic] Maybe "By The Power of My Holy Fire"?
That's too wordy.
We want a catchphrase that is catchy.
How about...
"Burn in Truth!"
That is a good catchphrase.
[chuckles]
I think that...
♪ Pleased to meet you ♪
♪ Hope you guess my name ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
BURN IN TRUTH!
♪ Is the nature of my game ♪
♪ Mm, yeah ♪
♪ Just as every cop is a criminal ♪
♪ And all the sinners saints ♪
♪ As heads is tails ♪
♪ Just call me Lucifer ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm in need of some restraint ♪
♪ So if you meet me ♪
♪ Have some courtesy ♪
♪ Have some sympathy and some taste ♪
♪ Use all your well—learned politesse ♪
♪ Or I'll lay your... ♪
[softly] Ha-ha-ha.
♪ Mm, yeah ♪
♪ Pleased to meet you ♪
♪ Hope you guessed my name ♪
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
[Homelander] I can report to the American people
that Black Noir has conducted an operation
killing the super-terrorist known as Naqib.
[audience clapping]
But that doesn't mean sacrifices won't still be made.
The proof of that, sadly, lies before us.
For today, we mourn a fallen member of The Seven.
Translucent.
Murdered in cold blood by the cartel super-terrorist El Diablo.
Before he left, Translucent said to me...
[scoffs] almost as if he knew something was gonna happen,
he said, "Hey, Homelander.
Tell my son Maverick that I love him."
He also said, "You find those super-terrorists."
Well, "super villains" is really the only term,
but he said, "You find them, Homelander.
And you stop them."
So I say to you, Maverick,
and to all the sons and daughters of this great nation, I will stop them.
I will save you.
I'll do it for you.
For America.
For a dear...
dear old friend.
Good bye, brother.
Thank you.
-[audience clapping] {sentimental music playing]
♪ We're defended by our heroes ♪
♪ Stood among the best ♪
♪ Protecting us from evil ♪
♪ You rose above the rest ♪
♪ And though we could see through you ♪
♪ It seems we hardly knew you ♪
♪ We confess ♪
♪ Thanks to what you've done We've all been blessed ♪
♪ But our heroes never die ♪
-♪ Your spirit fills the sky ♪ -[slurping]
♪ Your presence truly blessed us From the start ♪
♪ And you'll never truly vanish From our hearts... ♪
-Hey, that's my shoulder. -What?
Right there.
That's my fucking shoulder, they--
They cut me from the picture.
They can't just cut me from the fucking picture!
-They can't cut me out! -Okay. That's enough. Time to go.
[clears throat]
-Get me another fucking Lava Flow, please. -I said it's time to go or I call TMZ.
♪ Your spirit fills the sky ♪
♪ Your presence truly blessed us From the start ♪
Out of sight, never out of mind! Two for $64!
Out of sight, never out of mind.
-[bagpipes playing] -[crowd chattering]
[crowd whooping, chattering]
[woman] Starlight. Homelander.
[Homelander] Good to see you.
Thank you.
Yeah. There you go.
[man sobs]
I know. I miss him too, pal.
-Thank you so much, Starlight. -Thank you. It means a lot.
[crowd] Aw.
Homelander, Starlight.
-[Homelander] David. -[Starlight] Hi, David.
How's everyone holding up in the Tower?
Well, I'm not gonna lie, it's hard.
It's really hard.
It comes in waves, you know?
Yeah, but this one, he's just really been our rock.
He sat us down and he said, "We're more than just a team.
We're a family. And we need to pull together like one."
Oh.
Starlight. Thank you for saying that.
Well, thank you.
I don't know where we would be without you. [chuckles]
-Isn't she the best? -[laughs]
-isn't she the best? -You both are--
[hip-hop music playing over speakers]
[sighs]
[Billy Joel's "Pressure" playing]
[groans]
[sighs]
♪ You have to learn to pace yourself ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ You're just like everybody else ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ You've only had to run so far ♪
♪ So good ♪
♪ But you will come to a place ♪
♪ Where the only thing you feel ♪
♪ Are loaded guns in your face ♪
♪ And you'll have to deal with ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ You used to call me paranoid ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
Looks good.
♪ But even you can not avoid ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ You turned the tap dance Into your crusade ♪
♪ Now here you are with your faith ♪
♪ And your Peter Pan advice ♪
♪ You have no scars on your face ♪
♪ And you cannot handle... ♪
[Milk] The fuck you going?
Uh... I'm just getting you your Purell.
Get the shit with aloe and come right back.
Yeah. Yeah, the aloe. It's really good. Keeps your skin smooth. Okay.
[sighs]
["Pressure" continues]
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ I'm sure you'll have Some cosmic rationale ♪
♪ But here you are with your faith... ♪
[announcer] Citizen Starlight, coming this fall from Vought.
Justice never looked so good.
♪ And you cannot handle pressure ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ One, two, three, four ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
The burner phone, did you snap the SIM card?
Jesus.
-When was the last time you slept? -Head down. Sorry. I just...
I'm wanted, and you're kind of super famous, so...
-Did you snap the card--? Okay. -Yes. Yes, I snapped the card, okay?
And no one followed me down here. They can't trace my chip down here.
We're okay.
You look good.
Yeah, you... you look good too.
You look very, you know...
Uh...
Yeah, I'm lying. I'm sorry.
-You look like shit. -I know.
-Where are you guys living?
-Club Med in Ibiza. It's been awesome. -[scoffs]
-Foam parties will change your life. -Idiot.
[chuckles softly]
Oh. Um...
Here it is.
Oh, shit.
I know him.
-You do? -Yeah.
I mean, not for a while, but, yes, from my Capes for Christ days.
Are you sure you can do this?
I have a choice?
Hey, I...
I saw a really great picture of you at the Teen Choice Awards with, urn...
What's his name, Ansel Adams?
Alden Ehrenreich.
-Are you stalking me on Instagram'? -No.
No, of course not. Get over yourself.
So did the PR people put you together or what's...?
-No, he's a nice guy. -He's an actor.
He's an actor who didn't lie to my face every day.
Okay, yeah, I got it. Ouch.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry.
I... Hughie, I just...
[woman speaking indistinctly over PA]
Hey.
Get some sleep.
I'll sleep when I know you're safe.
[kids screaming]
[siren chirps]
You think this is fun?
You think water is supposed to be fun?
Try swimming in the Mariana Trench, you little fucking idiots!
Yeah, not so fun now.
No, it's dark and it's cold, and you're so alone.
You're so goddamn fucking alone.
[keys jingling]
Swim free, little fish. You made bail.
Hey, man.
Want a Fresca'?
Thanks.
-Hey, I know you. -Hmm.
Yeah, you're Raven... Ravenwing.
It's Eagle. Eagle the Archer.
Out of Cleveland. We met, like, five times at Vought Con.
I mean, mm, nope, that doesn't matter.
-You bailed me out? -Yeah.
Why?
Because even heroes need a hand once in a while. Come on.
The Translucent franchise, especially Invisible Force 2, is...
Please. My baby needs a mother!
Oy.
Shut your trap, you dumb bird.
Or else I'll bollocks you.
But that's exactly what William Butcher did.
He murdered Vought vice president Madelyn Stillwell,
using upwards of 30 pounds of C-4.
Why would William Butcher do it?
Disgruntled perhaps over his deceased wife,
a former Vought employee.
And why was Madelyn Stillwell's baby found safe in a yard 17 miles away?
-It is a puzzle. -These are among the many questions...
Where is Monsieur Charcuterie'? Why hasn't he called?
Who cares?
-He could be dead. -No, he's too much of an asshole to die.
...or any of his known associates, Marvin Milk, Hugh Campbell or this man,
who's real identity is unknown, please call 1—888-0-CRIMES.
Christ.
[Frenchie sighs]
We gotta get out of here. Now.
Good passports do not come cheap, huh?
I sell the RPGs, smuggle in the Kalashnikov,
we have enough money, that's it.
-Where will you go, Petit Hughie? -We could just stay here.
With Frenchie's gangbanger friends.
The cots, they got 31 flavours of semen on them. You'll love them.
Oh, and you have a better idea?
Oh, maybe we can stay, all of us, in your asshole!
Or maybe we could not run.
You are like a record that is broken.
Well, we shouldn't just give up.
Guys, we get some Compound V, we bring it to The New York Times,
-we burn Vought to the ground. -[Milk] You got some V, Hughie?
'Cause I don't.
We could get some. Someone could help us get it.
And who might that be?
[Frenchie] You didn't hear the television?
We are famous now. Butcher even more so.
-Fuck Butcher. We don't need him. -A—Team had Hannibal.
Dirty Dozen, Lee Marvin. Beatles, Brian Epstein.
We don't need Butcher.
[Frenchie] Okay. Who's gonna be our captain?
You?
-I mean, guys, just hear me out, okay? -Shut the fuck up!
This is over.
[door closes]
[sighs]
Homelander, hi.
Ashley. [clears throat]
Glad to see you're making yourself at home. [clears throat]
Yeah. [sighs]
Renovation is definitely overdue.
It's like 2003 called, they want their office back, you know?
Huh.
-I liked it. -Yeah, me too. It was great.
Homelander, I just wanna thank you again for recommending me for this job.
I was so surprised to get the call. [chuckles]
I am gonna fill Miss Stillwell's shoes as best I can.
God rest her soul.
Yeah. God rest it. Yeah.
Any luck catching her killer? That Butcher maniac?
No. Not yet.
But we will.
Oh, good news.
I think I found a hero.
Perfect candidate to replace Translucent.
-Really? -Mm-hm.
So soon?
He's in the gym right now. You wanna meet him?
Do I? [chuckles] Lead the way.
That's Blindspot, right?
A differently abled member of The Seven.
We'll poll through the roof with millennials.
Inclusion's a big priority for them.
Amazing.
And then I think we find an ethnic or female or, fingers crossed,
an ethnic female to replace The Deep, and we're golden.
[both chuckle]
Homelander, wow, you're--
It's an honor, sir.
Wait. Hold on. You can tell it's me?
Mm-hm. [chuckles]
-[chuckles] Wow. -[chuckles]
That's impressive.
You don't need super eyes when you have super ears.
Can I just say, "That is amazing“?
And you, my friend, are a true hero.
Not because of what you do for a job, but...
-[sighs] Because of what you've overcome. -Thank you.
That means everything, coming from you.
Oh. Stop it. Come on.
Hey, guys, um...
-I just have one question if that's okay. -Yeah.
-Yeah? -Yeah.
All right. So...
What happens if, I don't know, I do this?
[screaming]
And now you're just another useless, fucking blind guy.
This must be some kind of a joke, Ashley.
What made you think I would ever allow a cripple into The Seven?
For fuck's sakes, Ashley, don't look at him. Look at me.
Ashley! Look at me.
-Sorry, sorry. -Let's get one thing straight.
The only reason you're here and not doing corporate PR for fucking DivaCups
is that I brought you here.
You are dispensable, which means you answer to me.
Okay. Okay.
From now on, I will set my own agenda,
I'll approve my own marketing, and I'll write my own talking points.
You will tell me everything that goes on on the 99th floor.
And I mean everything.
Every call, e-mail, group chat.
If a fucking lightbulb goes out, you will tell me.
-And, Ashley... -[Blindspot whimpering]
...in no fucking way do you decide who goes in The Seven.
I decide.
Do we have an understanding?
Yes.
[reporter] Translucent was laid to rest today
surrounded by family, friends, fans, and Vought comrades.
You can see the memorial, featuring a performance by Starlight,
singing "Never Truly Vanish," on Voughtify.
Available now.
[Starlight] ♪ Your spirit fills the sky... ♪
[announced Bet you can't resist this arrest.
America's hottest crime—fighter is giving law enforcement
a superpowered makeover in Citizen Starlight.
Coming this fall from Vought. Go ahead, make her day.
[clears throat]
You know how it is. Don't wanna get stuck with the cleaning bill.
Uh-uh-uh.
Okay.
So, what's your poison? You a leg guy?
Uh...
An arm, please, actually.
Four hundred.
So do you want me to saw or chop or...'?
Whatever floats your boat, tiger.
Oh, Shit!
Holy Shit! Holy Shit!
Thank you! That was so...
I keep the arm, right?
Just keep it refrigerated.
For an extra grand, I'll let you chop off my dick.
Where's the closest ATM?
-[man 1] Hey! -[man 2] Hey! Hey!
-[Milk] What the hell happened? -Hey!
Holy shit. Sit him down! Sit him down. Bring him over here.
[man 1 grunting]
[man 2 speaking French]
[Milk] Shit.
Listen, he's broken every single bone in his arm.
Broken half his ribs. I can't do nothing. Take him to the hospital.
{speaking French] -Hospital.
Translate for me. "Take him to the hospital."
[speaking French]
Fuck!
Move, move.
[continues speaking French]
[in English] Okay?
[continues speaking French]
What'd he say? What's going on?
Frenchie, what'd he say?
[fly buzzing]
-Cops seen this? -[man] No one's seen it.
I ain't trying to get life without parole.
[Frenchie] They promised me
they would only smuggle in guns and cocaine and fentanyl.
-Not fucking-- -Not human fucking cargo?
-Jesus Christ, Frenchie. -They didn't tell me.
Or you didn't ask.
A Supe.
[Frenchie] A Supe terrorist.
They got paid to smuggle in a Supe terrorist.
How about this one? How does it make you feel? Anyone?
-I hate it. -That's a strong reaction, Margaret.
I'd love to follow up on that.
What do you mean when you say you hate the term "Super Terrorist"?
I just mean, it's really scary.
It makes me wanna lock the door and hide under the bed.
Which means a double-digit drop the opening weekend
of the Tek Knight movie.
I keep saying, "Super Villain" is the better term.
Jill, ask them what they think about "Super Villain."
What about the term "Super Villain"?
That sounds better to me. More exciting.
-More exotic. -Okay.
Okay, turning our attention back to these, which do you prefer?
"Saving America," can I get a show of hands?
Okay. How about "Saving the World"?
Wow. Unanimous, strong reaction.
-So, what is it about...'? -Nope. It's "Saving America."
Uh--
I don't know. I feel like "Saving the World" has a--
It's Americans that are gonna keep us in the Army, not the fucking world.
It's "Saving America."
Mm-hm.
-Pull the trigger. -[pats Ashley]
Great. Great.
[Deep] Hey, man.
[groans]
Thanks for letting me crash.
Sorry, about the bathroom. I'll clean it up.
No need to apologise.
[groans]
Okay.
-Oh, shit. You scared me. -Oh, that's just Carol.
Good friend.
Carol, this is The Deep.
I have been looking forward to meeting you, Deep.
Would you like a Fresca?
Thank you.
Anyway, no need to apologise.
We've all been there. It's tough.
-Been where? -Rock bottom.
I... [scoffs]
I don't think I'm at rock bottom.
For me, my aha moment came
with a hostage situation at Kroger.
Multiple shooters.
I showed up, I'm letting arrows fly, my aim is perfect.
But...
there's only so many arrows a quiver can hold.
I just ran out.
And then...
we lost a lot of good people that day.
Then you start to question,
like, fucking arrows against TEC-9s?
—But? -But I came to see
that archery isn't irrelevant, it's timeless.
It's a pure and ancient art.
Carol helped me see that.
-What are you, his therapist or something? -No. [chuckles]
No, therapy's very destructive, actually.
You could say I'm his teacher.
What about you, Deep?
What about--? What about me?
How did you end up here?
You can tell her, Deep.
[scoffs] Tell her what?
About your drinking. About your self-esteem issues.
-Really open up, Deep. -No, I don't--
I don't have a drinking-- I'm fine.
-This is a safe space, Deep. -If you don't have any self-esteem issues,
why are you constantly demeaning women?
-That's a good question. -Okay, thank you.
I don't know what the fuck this is, but it's weird as fuck, so I'm leaving.
We just want to help.
-Carol really helped me, Deep. -No, thank you.
Help you get back into The Seven.
[reporter] Yesterday, The Deep was found drunkenly ranting at children
at Splash Zone in Sandusky, Ohio.
He was later arrested and taken to the Sandusky General Detention Center.
He was released on bail shortly after.
Did you make this?
You wrote something.
"Boy-ll
What boy?
I do not understand. What boy?
Okay, so?
They were wired the money from a blind account
to smuggle the bastard in.
-Cold trail. -Amazing fucking friends of yours.
I never said they were my friends, huh? I only said we will be safe here.
-Okay, all right. What do we do? -[Milk] Oh, you just call 911.
[scoffs] What, an anonymous tip?
Yeah, I'm sure that'll go straight to the mayor.
You saw that video. What if he does that to an airplane?
Or the fucking Brooklyn Bridge?
So, what's your big plan, Hughie?
Okay, the CIA lady, right? Raynor?
Right.
The same CIA that wants to clamp our nuts into some jumper cables.
We could call Butcher.
-For the last time, we don't need Butcher. -Then what?
We should...
call Annie.
[chuckles softly]
"Call Annie."
Annie?
Yeah.
You mean Starlight?
'Cause that's who she is.
Vought has her phone so bugged,
they're praying that you do that.
Oh, no.
-You fucking called her? -No, no. I'm not stupid, okay?
-I texted her. -Oh, fuck.
And then we met up, but we're getting some Compound V.
-Fuck you! Are you fucking crazy? -[Frenchie] M.M., easy!
-You crazy? What are you doing? -[Hughie] We were careful!
-We used burner phones. -Kid, you don't get it.
They could've been following you. They could be watching us right now!
If you're the fucking reason why I can't finish
that Vermont country dollhouse, I will fucking end you.
You've been walking around for days like you wanna kick my ass,
so do it already.
Goddamn it.
[sighs]
Shit!
I don't want to kick your ass, Hughie.
I just don't want to get dragged back into this shit, all right?
I want to get home to my wife and my kid.
That's it.
If I still can.
-This guy could kill a lot of people-- -Hughie, let somebody else handle it.
There's no one else! No one's coming to save us.
You don't get it.
You are not a soldier.
You're not a spy.
-You're a kid that sells stereo equipment. -No, I don't!
I don't have a job.
Or Robin.
Or my dad. Or Annie.
One way or another, they all...
Now all I have is this.
This. Which is really fucking depressing, but it's true.
So maybe I can't be Lee Marvin.
But I can be Harry Potter.
Or, you know, John Connor
or, what's her name from The Hunger Games?
Katniss.
The point is, I could be that person that nobody thinks is awesome,
but it turns out they're kind of fucking awesome.
[sighs]
M.M., listen, we help the CIA lady,
she could help you maybe get back to your family.
Ever think of that?
-My baby needs a mother! -[Butcher actor] Oy.
Shut your trap, you dumb bird.
-[Madelyn actress whimpers] -Or else I'll bollocks you.
[Chris Hansen] But that's exactly What William Butcher did.
Gecko?
Is that you?
Starlight? Annie, hi.
-Hi. -Oh, my God, hi.
[both chuckle]
-Look at you, bigtime Seven hero. -Oh, shut up.
You know, I work in Vought Tower at the labs on 67.
Oh, you don't say.
I see your posters everywhere. They're marketing the shit out of you.
[scoffs]
I'm happy for you, really.
Buy you some coffee?
[chuckles]
Thank you.
Yeah, at the Capes for Christ Bible Camp, yes, totally.
That Passion play we put on? You were the best Jesus.
No one's gonna take a nail through the hand like I can.
And Big Game was Pontius Pilate.
Oh, my God, those freckles.
-You know he wanted to make out with me? -Pontius Pilate and Mary hooking up?
-Sacri-licious. [chuckles] -Yeah, we never did.
-Why not? He was so cute. -Yeah, it was what Ezekiel always said.
And my mom too.
That God is watching over you, every second.
I thought that he was watching us, and I thought that he'd be upset.
Yeah, it's a messed up thing to tell a kid.
Yeah, but looking back?
I should've made out with Big Game.
I should've done a lot more stuff because...
there is nothing up there.
There's nobody in the sky watching over us.
Not God, not Homelander.
Not anybody.
It's all just...
lies.
I need a favour.
Yeah. Yeah, anything for a Bible Camp alum.
[clears throat]
I need you to go into the labs on 67 and steal me a sample of Compound V.
Um...
I, uh...
I don't know what that is.
See?
Another lie.
I know how we're made.
And it is not Jesus.
I can't. I mean, it's impossible. I'm a nobody there. I'm a lab rat.
They cutoff my limbs and they grow back. I cannot get you--
You have to.
Or I put this on Facebook tonight.
Gecko,
former teen star of Vought Summertime Clubhouse,
working as an S&M hooker...
as a side hustle?
I'm sure enquiring minds will wanna know.
Annie?
-I thought that we were friends. -I'm sorry.
But...
we're not anything.
Hi.
You know who we are.
But let's meet another hero.
This is Lance Corporal Dan Miller.
Dan and the other brave marines of Second Battalion
are helping keep you safe from the Super Villain threat.
We're proud to fly alongside them.
And now we could use your support.
That's right, Maeve, with our new campaign, Saving America.
Here I go, you guys! Wish me luck.
Oh, FYI, not a real base.
As if Homelander and Maeve are gonna eat MREs
and piss in a ditch with the rest of the grunts.
Yeah, hi, we're filming right now. Excuse me?
You might recognise Army Boy as Hotel Clerk 2
-from "The Devil's Breath"... -Hello, excuse-- Okay.
...episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.
[Homelander] Well, hello!
Oh, my God, hi!
My nana's your biggest fan. I'm Stormfront.
-Great. -Oh, right, yeah. From Seattle, right?
Uh... [chuckles]
Portland, actually, Your, uh... Highness.
[chuckles] Holy shit! Your eyes are really fucking blue up close.
[laughs] You are fun.
It's been a hoot, but we got work to do, so let's get back to it.
Oh, totally. They just wanted me to meet you.
Who?
Oh, the boys on 82.
-I'm the new girl. —[Queen Maeve] Wait.
-What are you talking about? -Oh.
Hi. I'm in The Seven.
Replacing Translucent.
God bless his soul.
Ink's barely dry but, yeah, reporting for duty.
Fuck, yeah!
No, I don't think that this is-- It's not true.
I don't know anything about this.
Wow. Well, Stormfront?
Who delivered the good news?
[Stormfront] Oh, uh...
Mr. Edgar, the big guy?
[director] All right, back to one.
Wonderful.
Great.
All right!
Great!
-[director] Going again, people. -[man] Stand by.
Well, I think this is going great.
[Milk] You know, you ain't John Cusack, man.
You ain't got no motherfucking boom box.
-Sorry? -You want to get back with Starlight.
-No. No, I don't. -Yes. Yes, you do.
But this ain't the way to do it, Hughie.
You can't keep pulling this shit, man. Calling her, texting her.
-Are you crazy? -You sound like Butcher.
-She's on our side. -I know.
I'm saying this for her, kid. You're putting her in danger.
Homelander finds out that she's been talking to you? [scoffs]
She's fucked.
The deeper you keep pushing her into this thing,
the deeper in the meat grinder she goes.
[Raynor] How are you guys doing?
[Milk] We're hanging in there.
-[Raynor] Has Butcher contacted you? -Nope.
He's completely ghosted.
-Do you think he killed Madelyn Stillwell? -I'd like to think that he didn't.
But... I don't know.
Deputy director, I know this might not be the best time to ask, but do you ever...?
Hear about your family?
Your daughter is starting soccer, I think.
Soccer?
Ma'am.
Can MM. see them?
[sighs] You know what? Let's see if this checks out.
And I will see what I can do.
Thank you, ma'am.
Okay, so give me the description of this guy.
All right, about 510", 165,
black hair, wearing knockoff jeans and sneakers,
probably from Taiwan, maybe India.
You got all that from the video?
So the other shoe drops and it just crushes us all.
Meaning?
Meaning, I've been trying to put this puzzle together,
and there's a missing piece and it's been driving me nuts.
-And I think you just handed it to me. -Okay, so then what's the whole picture?
The whole picture? It's Vought.
-It's a fucking coup from the inside. -Wait, what are you talking about?
Uh... ma'am, your nose.
-Fuck! Let's get the fuck out of here! -Holy shit!
-Come on! Get in! Go, go, go!
-Must be a Supe out there. -Are our heads gonna explode?
Frenchie, who do you know who could do that?
-No one! -Are our heads gonna explode?
Look, I have a daughter.
I'm worried about Super Terrorists too.
But that does not mean
that Vought can use that fear to control us.
-Morning. -Mr. Edgar, I'm sorry--
-[Stan] That's all right, Samantha. -Busy day. [chuckles]
Morning, Homelander.
To what do I owe the pleasure?
Well, you never come up to 99, so figured I'd pay you a visit.
-What a lovely idea. -Right?
After all, you run a superhero company
and you never check in with your superheroes, do you?
Like, oh, I don't know,
around the hiring of that girl, for example.
You wished to be consulted on Stormfront?
Well, why not?
I signed off on all the rest.
I'm the leader of The Seven.
-For which you have my undying respect. -See, I don't think I do.
No.
Not even Madelyn would've dared to try and pull this kind of shit.
Of course you know how important you are to everyone at Vought.
No, no. Stan.
I am Vought.
You show my photo to some illiterate fucking camel jockey
in the middle of the Sahara,
he's gonna turn around and say, "Homelander,"
in perfect American.
You know what?
My contract's up, end of this year.
[sighs]
Maybe it's time I move on.
How do you think your shareholders would feel about that?
What do you know about Frederick Vought?
Excuse me?
Frederick. Vought.
Our esteemed founder.
Well, I don't know, not a lot, probably. I only read his autobiography...
-five times? {chuckles softly]
Not the self-serving bullshit
that we peddle to the shareholders, the real story.
-Enlighten me. -Got his doctorate from Munich.
Ahead of his time in genetics.
Such the rising young star that in '39,
Hitler appointed him chief physician at Dachau,
where he enjoyed a ready supply of human subjects
on which to test his earliest iterations of Compound V.
For which we condemn in the strongest of possible terms.
Early in '44, he felt the winds change,
got spirited away to the Allies.
When Oppenheimer was flailing with the bomb,
Dr. Vought already had practical applications of Compound V
tested in the field.
Heroes like Soldier Boy,
killing Germans by the dozen.
So Roosevelt pardoned him,
and he became as Wonder Bread American
as Disney and Edison.
Well, this is a truly fascinating,
if not slightly condescending lecture, but, uh...
I don't think I see the point, Stan.
The point is...
that you are under a misconception that we are a superhero company.
We are not.
What we are, really, is a pharmaceutical company.
And you are not our most valuable asset.
That would be our confidential formula for Compound V.
Which you, man-child that you are, released into the wild.
[scoffs]
-Don't know what you're talking about. -Let me remind you.
You slipped Compound V to terrorists all over the globe
to get you and your cronies into national defense.
But maybe at the cost of destroying the whole company.
I don't think I appreciate your tone, sir.
Not much at all.
And I don't appreciate that the FDA now knows about Compound V
or that it's only a matter of time before the public finds out.
While you're preening at the Golden Globes,
we're busy, running around like maniacs, trying to clean up the mess you made.
I don't have to consult you about Stormfront or anything else.
Now, I believe you have a premiere of Tek Knight Lives to go to?
[sighs]
What are you doing here?
I've come to see my son.
Fuck, Hughie. So glad you...
got us into this shit.
[Hughie] She had a husband.
Right?
A kid?
Two kids.
And I got her killed.
You didn't get her killed.
That wasn't meant for us.
How do you know?
Because our brains aren't all over the dash, that's how.
Someone was watching her.
And the minute she said something she wasn't supposed to-- [mimics explosion]
Somebody from Vought?
So we're saying that Vought may have just assassinated
the deputy director of the CIA.
And now we're in the middle of that too. Happy now, motherfucker?
[cell phone buzzing]
Hello?
[Annie] It's me.
-Jesus, you shouldn't be calling. -I'm on a burner phone, it's fine.
Yeah, but somebody could be listening.
Hughie, we did it.
He's getting me the Compound V in, like, a day or two.
What do you think? New York Times?
I mean, I was thinking CNN or MSNBC, but——
Wait, just hold on a second.
Come on, this is what we've been waiting for.
Let's burn those fuckers down.
Just take a beat, let's figure out the best way to do this.
-Why? What happened? -Nothing.
Vought's just dangerous, that's all.
You gotta be careful. I don't want you getting hurt.
I'm not gonna get--
If something happened, you know you can trust me.
We're in this together.
No, I do trust you. It's just...
I just want to take our time. Do this right. That's all.
I know when you're not telling me the truth, Hughie.
I kind of lived with it every single day.
Don't lie to me.
Not again.
I'm not.
Swear to God.
Whatever. I... I gotta go.
All right, easy does it, lads. Easy does it.
I tried to tell this cunt...
I'm with that lot.
Yeah?
What the fuck are you wearing?
That is a good question.
You called him?
I'm sorry, Petit Hughie. It's not a game now.
We need a real captain.
[Butcher] Frenchie's right.
This is a fucking mess, son.
We got a Supe terrorist, Raynor's blown her canister,
and we're the most wanted cunts in the country.
But don't you worry.
Daddy's home.
[Billy Joel's "Pressure" playing]
♪ One, two, three, four ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
["Pressure" continues playing]
♪ You have to learn to pace yourself ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ You're just like everybody else ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ You've only had to run so far ♪
♪ So good ♪
♪ But you will come to a place ♪
♪ Where the only thing you feel ♪
♪ Are loaded guns in your face ♪
♪ And you'll have to deal with ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ I'm sure you'll have Some cosmic rationale ♪
♪ But here you are with your faith ♪
♪ And your Peter Pan advice ♪
♪ You have no scars on your face ♪
♪ And you cannot handle ♪
♪ Pressure ♪
♪ One, two, three, four ♪
♪ Pressure ♪