Based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic series of the same name, The Boys Season 1 proved a smash hit for Amazon Prime Video thanks to its compelling examination of a world in which superheroes are actually very, very bad people. The second season of The Boys is set to release on Sept. 4, and the show's sophomore outing does a lot right by finding compelling ways to advance the world and its characters.

The Boys Season 2 picks up after Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) fails to kill Homelander (Antony Starr) at the home of Madelyn Stillwell (Elisabeth Shue). While Billy survives his encounter with Homelander, he's also learns that Becca (Shantel VanSanten) -- his wife whom he thought was dead -- is still alive, which drives pretty much everything he does in Season 2. Meanwhile, the rest of his team focuses on taking down Vought International. However, making things more complex is that The Boys are now wanted as a result of the deaths of Translucent (Alex Hassell) and Stillwell. Despite that impediment, the team becomes increasingly embroiled in a political conspiracy surrounding Compound V -- which is how Supes get their powers --  while contending with the social-media savvy superhero Stormfront (Aya Cash) and an increasingly unhinged Homelander.

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The Boys Season 2 introduces a big status quo change for the team by having them exposed and in the open rather than operating in the shadows. This leads to a lot of tension, as they are at every turn in an incredible amount of danger, though this is somewhat undercut by the fact people don't seem to notice with any consistency that they're in the presence of the most wanted people in the United States. Still, there's a lot of fantastic intrigue in The Boys Season 2, with its best moments made possible by the internal strife and shifting alliances generated from the various twists of Season 1 as well as the dark history of Vought International and the cabalistic ambitions of CEO Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito).

While The Boys Season 2 certainly has its fill of action, the slow, thoughtful moments are really where the series excels. The Boys isn't afraid to challenge its characters -- or relationships like the one between Kimiko/The Female (Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Capon) -- to grow, and it's all the better for that choice. At some point in the Season 2, every main character -- and many of the side characters -- are challenged by a difficult revelation, their history and/or their desires, making everyone feel more fleshed out and alive than ever. Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) in particular grows a lot in Season 2, which causes some tension between him and Billy, who himself undergoes a pretty major character arc this time around.

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Of course, those challenges wouldn't matter without the acting, which remains top-notch throughout The Boys Season 2. In terms of the returning cast, Antony Starr's Homelander is worth singling out. Starr is absolutely magnetic in each and every scene that he appears, carrying a sort of dread-inspiring gravitas that makes him feel entirely unpredictable and dangerous. As for the new additions, Aya Cash is solid and charismatic as Stormfront, but she's no match for Shawn Ashmore's Lamplighter, who burns brightly as he challenges everyone with whom he comes into contact.

A major part of The Boys Season 1's appeal -- and of the comic, too -- was its deconstruction of superhero culture, which worked especially well considering the popularity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Extended Universe. While that exploration still plays a role in Season 2, the focus is much more on politics, particularly contemporary alt-right and Neo-Nazi discourse. However, the net here gets cast rather wide, and The Boys doesn't always have time to address those issues in the depth that they deserve. Admittedly, though, the set-up for Season 3 does tease a deeper exploration of some of the political angles that don't quite get done justice in Season 2. Plus, The Boys anti-fascist message is quite clear and, at times, rather nuanced, which is really the show's main focus this time around.

If there's any real downside to The Boys Season 2, it's that the show's trademark crassness and gore actually sometimes get in its way. While there are a number of scenes -- especially emotional ones -- that get enhanced by these two elements, the show will sometimes use them more for shock value than actual substance. This was a bit of a problem in Season 1, but it's more pronounced in Season 2. One scene later on in the season (and so not discussable here for spoiler reasons) uses a kind of mix of humor and gore to undercut a pretty major emotional moment that just occured, which disappointingly robs several characters of a good, interesting moment. For the most part, the best episodes of Season 2 don't actually use crasness and gore more than absolutely necessary, instead saving them for key, impactful moments.

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While so often a popular show's sophomore outing can fail to live up to the hype, The Boys Season 2 is a triumphant return that pushes the Amazon Prime Video series in bold new directions by challenging its characters in big ways. There are still some issues and growing pains, but overall The Boys' sophomore outing is a great season of television.

Amazon Studios' The Boys stars Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie, Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk, Tomer Kapon as Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as the Female, Erin Moriarty as Annie January, Chace Crawford as the Deep, Antony Starr as Homelander, Aya Cash as Stormfront and Simon Pegg as Hughie's dad. Season 2 premieres Sept. 4 on Amazon Prime Video. 

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