So I’ve Only Watched Sn 1 And A Bit Of Sn 2 Of The Boys, But I’m Really Digging Hughie’s Pseudo

so i’ve only watched sn 1 and a bit of sn 2 of the boys, but i’m really digging hughie’s pseudo coming-of-age arc, which contributes to the oedipal themes of the show as a whole. in season 1 one of hughie’s minor journeys as a character was self-actualizing into someone his father was no longer babying. he lived with his dad & robin was going to be the one who forced him to gain independence from his father by having him move in with her. then she died, and he spent the rest of the season getting mixed up with the wrong ppl but trying to become his own person. in season 2, the father from which he is trying to grow beyond and metaphorically “kill” is butcher (who quite literally refers to himself as daddy (😩) in the first ep) by asserting himself as a new sort of leader of the boys and by doing things on his own.

the other side of this oedipal coin is homelander, obviously, with his lust for a mother figure (stillwell in s1) and hatred for his father figure (vogelbaum). this doesn’t need much explanation. in the second season he is also in a fight to assert himself independently from his paternal company.

overall, this points to a consciousness of the characters’ stunted growths and their inability to self-actualize without an element of conflict. this is a commentary on human nature but moreover our current culture of toxic masculinity. i hope they carry these themes forward in some shape or form, whether that’s a continuance of the cycle or a subversion of it, with ryan and homelander + butcher!