The episode follows the Boys spying on A-Train's girlfriend, Popclaw, to find a clue to his former motives the day he killed Robin while being joined by Billy Butcher's former partner and friend, Mother's Milk (M.M.).
Meanwhile, A-Train intends to use Compound-V to win the race against another speedster while keeping his relationship with Popclaw a secret from the public eye.
The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the visual effects, performances, social commentary, and introduction of M.M.
After killing Translucent, a shocked Hughie Campbell returns home, reluctantly agreeing to let Frenchie accompany him, while Billy Butcher stays behind to clean up the mess.
initially declines the offer, satisfied with his current life, but relents when Butcher tells him they have killed Translucent and now have a chance to finally bring down the Seven and Vought International.
Annie is shown a new and more revealing suit that she initially refuses to wear because it isn't the image she wants to project.
During a mission against a sniper, Homelander and Queen Maeve discuss over Translucent who had been already missing for two days, while Stilwell continued to caring more about the race as well as Vought's CEO Stan Edgar.
about killing Translucent with the former admitting that he felt good at killing him, though the former tells him that what he felt it is no different with A-Train's addiction to Compound-V. During the race, Frenchie sneaks into the Seven changing room to steal a Compound-V dial from A-Train, though it runs the risk of being discovered after an enraged Annie it's on her way to return to the room.
When Popclaw's landlord arrived to have her to paid her rent, she instead seduces him to have sex with him but accidentally kills him by crushing his head to much of her horror.
Eric Kripke became the series showrunner and head writer, alongside Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, who would direct the pilot episode.
[7][8] The character of A-Train suffers from major changes for the television adaptation compared to the comic book series, though his powers and the accident that killed Robin remain the same.
[11][12] The episode's main cast includes Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, Jack Quaid as Hughie Campbell, Antony Starr as John Gillman / Homelander, Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight, Dominique McElligott as Maggie Shaw / Queen Maeve, Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train, Laz Alonso as Marvin T. Milk / Mother's Milk (M.M.
), Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep, Tomer Capone as Serge / Frenchie, Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir, and Elisabeth Shue as Madelyn Stillwell.
[13] Also starring are Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr., David Andrews as Senator Calhoun, Malcolm Barrett as Seth Reed, Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett, Christian Keyes as Nathan Franklin, Brittany Allen as Charlotte / Popclaw, and Mishka Thébaud as Shockwave.
[14][15]: 53:21–53:47 Karen Fukuhara is credited for her respective character as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female, though she doesn't appear in the episode.
[17] For the scene where Homelander and Queen Maeve arrive to confront and stop a sniper, both the exterior and interior of the building take place at the Royal Bank Plaza on Wellington Street West in Toronto.
To ensure that the crowd could match perfectly in the scene, Mavericks VFX supervisor Brendan Taylor deemed it necessary to recreate the stadium seats digitally, or else they would appear to be floating.
by Jane's Addiction, "Ready When It's On" by James Desmond, Panauh Kalayeh, John Eugenio & Andrew Davis Roland, "Fight Night" by Freedom, Kevin Earl Skaggs & Alexander Pol, "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley, and "Gotta Go" by James Jacob Farris & Jonas Sorman.
He also comments that the episode includes no victories for both sides due to the series being a dirty world of unadulterated indulgence, unchecked egos, and warped self-perceptions.
[29] While writing a review for the Flickering Myth, Martin Carr commented "What is most interesting about The Boys three episodes in is not the satire, social commentary or body parts in a blender décor but those shades of grey.